DVD Review - A Conversation with Kenneth Turan

Rick Winston of the Green Mountain Film Festival, 2007 (and The Savoy Theater), donated “A Conversation With Kenneth Turan” on DVD to the Kellogg Hubbard Library.

One of the best pieces of the Green Mountain Film Festival that is held in Montpelier in March is the interview Rick Winston has with a well known film critic. This year, the interview was with Kenneth Turan, the film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Morning Edition, a teacher and author of "Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made" and "Never Coming To A Theater Near You". Obviously, they both love films, and their joy of talking about films both the good ones and the awful ones are fascinating to listen to.

There is so much information shared in this 1 hour plus conversation. They talk about their favorite film festivals, why Turan won’t watch “slasher” movies, and how it’s a critic’s job to help films find an audience. His best advice--see a film early so your friends can’t tell you about it before you get to see it.

Just a sample of Turan’s expertise might be that the “Rules of the Game” is one of the best films ever made. Other favorites are “Touch of Evil” and “Lives of Others”.

If you didn’t have a chance to see the interview in person this year, be sure to take out the library’s DVD copy of it. You’ll definitely get some terrific suggestions for your “Movies to Watch Someday” list.

DVD Review by Claire Gilbertson, Vermont Collections Librarian at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.