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The Plugged In Show, Episode 165: What James Cameron Knows About the Human Heart & What’s Coming in 2023

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 165

Never has blue made so much green.

I’m talking about the Na’vi, of course—the blue-skinned folks in James Cameron’s Avatar movies, the latest of which has been on the top of the box-office charts for five-straight weeks. And it’s not like Cameron hasn’t had success before. Before the Avatar films, he directed a little film called Titanic. He launched the Terminator series, been behind Aliens and The Abyss and even directed the action comedy True Lies. Why, of the world’s top-10 grossing films of all time, Cameron’s directed three of them. Not a bad track record.

So what makes Cameron’s films so popular? And what makes so many moviegoers want to see them again and again? We dig into the heart of the matter in our rollicking discussion of this movie maestro—and drill into some spiritual issues, as well.

Then, after looking at Cameron’s entertainment past, we cast our eyes outward and scan entertainment’s future, telling you about some of pop culture’s biggest, most anticipated offerings in 2023 in everything from movies to books to games.

So hop aboard a skimwing and plug your hair into our podcast, would you? And once you’ve heard what we have to say, join in on the conversation. Chime in on Facebook, Instagram or email ([email protected]).

And as always, check out the links below to read more about everything we talked about. (Well, almost everything. It’s not like we have reviews for 2023’s coming entertainment offerings quite yet. But we do our best.)

Additional Resources:

paul-asay
Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

4 Responses

  1. -Your friendly resident weeb here to give you all the anime goodies to be on the lookout this year. 🙂

    All the movies I’m most looking forward to in 2023:
    Detective Conan Movie 26: The Black Iron Submarine
    Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
    The as-yet untitled Spy x Family movie
    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse (Doesn’t exactly count as anime but it fits the aesthetic)
    and… *maybe* the Super Mario Bros movie? I’m on the fence about it. (Mario comes from Japan. I’m counting it.)

    TV shows I’m most eager for:
    The Rurouni Kenshin reboot (hopefully they treat it better than the Trigun reboot)
    Undead Unluck (I haven’t read the manga but I’ve heard good things)
    Mashle: Magic and Muscle (another one I haven’t read but I’ve hear good things)
    Spy x Family S2
    Jujutsu Kaisen S2 (not really my scene but my hubby enjoys the show)
    Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest
    One Punch Man S3

    I also know a lot of people (but not me) are excited for:
    Attack on Titan. The final season. Maybe. IDK. They keep stretching it out.
    Solo Leveling
    Dr. Stone S3 (This is on my watch list to start…eventually)
    Demon Slayer S3

    Looking forward to everything you guys get into this year. 🙂

  2. -I’m thankful that this subject is on the table for discussion. My generation probably just called it X rated movies and playboy magazines. It’s so difficult to watch anyone, especially a young student start down this crazy road. Software is a great idea but talking to our children and living by example can keep us all from becoming hypocrites.

    It’s sad and embarrassing to know help existed but one didn’t seek that help and now that person is overwhelmed by an addiction that cannot help anyone succeed but ultimately hit rock bottom,

    Thank you.

    Brenda

    1. -A good comment, but I think you might have meant for it to be placed on a different blog post from roughly a week before this one.

  3. -I was 50 years old when I saw “Avatar” in the theater.
    I was 63 when I saw “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
    I suspect I won’t live long enough to see the next one.
    I just wonder if James Cameron will live long enough to MAKE the next one.