Critic in wrong role

Kenneth Turan, the Times film critic who’s never met a clever plot twist he couldn’t resist, now deadens us with “Taking ‘Conan’ Seriously” (Aug. 24).

Turan, evidently having spent too much time alone in darkened rooms, reveals more about himself than he does Arnold (Conan). Dispensing cheap shots at film producers in general and George W. Bush in particular, Turan ultimately lacks the guts to directly indict Schwarzenegger except by innuendo.

He equates California’s numerous wannabe guvs to unlicensed surgeons, all the while blind to the irony in a film reviewer’s self-righteously essaying the role of political pundit ne psychologist.

Most disquieting is his abiding contempt for voters (substitute movie fans) who, he reckons, can’t intellectually discriminate between onscreen persona and reality without tutoring.

Stuart Weiss

Beverly Hills