Kenneth Turan

Kenneth Turan appears in the following:

Being Unoriginal Is Not The Biggest Problem For 'Chappie'

Friday, March 06, 2015

Chappie is the new film from director Neil Blomkamp about a robot that becomes humanity's last hope. It echoes everything from Dr. Frankenstein's creation to the Tin Man in The Wizzard of Oz.

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Belfast Thriller '71' Combines Action And Emotional Authenticity

Friday, February 27, 2015

The film depicts Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1971. It was a year when the Troubles, the bitter conflict between the Catholic IRA and the Protestant Loyalists, turned violent.

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Good Acting, Directing And Story Make 'McFarland USA' Effective

Friday, February 20, 2015

McFarland USA is an apologetically inspirational Disney sports movie. Kevin Costner plays a coach who starts a high school cross-country team of Mexican-American kids in California's Central Valley.

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Publishing Phenomenon 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Hits The Big Screen

Friday, February 13, 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey is an R-rated fairy tale, a kind of Cinderella tale with restraints. It's about as believable as Jack and the Beanstalk but considerably kinkier in intent.

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'Jupiter Ascending' Displays Wachowksi Siblings' Success, Weakness

Friday, February 06, 2015

If you know science fiction filmmaking, you know the name Wachowski. Siblings Larry and Lana Wachowski have been working in that field since The Matrix in 1999.

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'Red Army' Profiles How Cold War Played Out On Ice

Friday, January 23, 2015

The new documentary is not a film about Soviet-era military machines. It is the story of the legendary Soviet hockey team of the 1970s and 80s — one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports.

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Movie Review: 'Song Of The Sea'

Friday, January 09, 2015

Song of the Sea by Irish director Tomm Moore is a wonder to behold. It's a stunning example of hand-drawn animation, steeped in Irish myth, folklore and legend.

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'A Most Violent Year' Captures You And Doesn't Let Go

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The new film A Most Violent Year is written and directed by J.C. Chandor. The crime drama starring Jessica Chastain takes place in New York City in 1981, one of the city's most violent years.

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'Unbroken' Skips Over Louis Zamperini's Post-War Struggles

Thursday, December 25, 2014

The movie is based on the 2010 nonfiction book by Laura Hillenbrand about a U.S. Olympic track star who survives a plane crash during World War II only to be taken prisoner by the Japanese.

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To Enjoy 'Exodus,' Don't Take It As Seriously As It Takes Itself

Friday, December 12, 2014

Director Ridley Scott's take on the story of Moses is half solemn, half silly — and not so far an evolution from Charlton Heston's The Ten Commandments as it would like to believe.

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Stalked By A Fiend Worse Than Any Elm Street Nightmare

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

In "Still Alice," Julianne Moore has each thing that defines her — to herself, to her family — devoured by early-onset Alzheimer's disease. It's a splendid performance, says critic Kenneth Turan.

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Mathematician's Story Is Dramatic Enough For The Big Screen

Friday, November 28, 2014

The new movie The Imitation Game is about British mathematician Alan Turing and his attempts to crack Germany's Enigma Code during World War Two.

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Viral Videos Show Kenyan Women Assaulted For Wearing Miniskirts

Friday, November 28, 2014

A woman in Kenya has been publicly stripped and molested nearly every day for two weeks for so-called "indecent dress." Cellphone video of the assaults have ignited condemnation, and copycat attacks.

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'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Opens Where 'Catching Fire' Ended

Friday, November 21, 2014

The final novel of the trilogy has been cut into two pictures. This one is a placeholder film. It exists to smooth the transition from its successful predecessors to a glorious concluding part.

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Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater': The Serious Side Of Comedy

Friday, November 14, 2014

Written and directed by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, the film tells the true story of an American journalist covering Iran's 2009 election, who was detained and tortured by Iranian authorities.

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'Interstellar' Is Christopher Nolan's Space-Time Epic

Friday, November 07, 2014

Earlier generations of science fiction fretted about nuclear radiation or alien invasion. What powers Interstellar is an up-to-date concern about the viability of Earth as home for the human race.

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Review: Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Is Pulp With A Purpose

Friday, October 31, 2014

Kenneth Turan reviews Nightcrawler, a thriller set in the "nocturnal underbelly" of Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a young man who discovers the world of L.A. crime journalism.

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Message From Documentary 'Citizenfour': Be Afraid (Of Surveillance)

Friday, October 24, 2014

Ken Turan reviews the documentary Citizenfour from filmmaker Laura Poitras about Edward Snowden and his decision to leak information about the National Security Agency's surveillance activities.

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Starring In 'Fury': The Horrors That People Are Capable Of In War

Monday, October 20, 2014

The WWII drama Fury is about a U.S. sergeant and his five-man crew on a mission behind enemy lines. Kenneth Turan reviews the film, directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf.

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Journalist Gary Webb's Story Told In 'Kill The Messenger'

Friday, October 10, 2014

Kill the Messenger is based on the true story of a reporter at the San Jose Mercury-News who uncovers the CIA's role in arming the Nicaraguan Contras, then becomes the target of a smear campaign.

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