The Terrible Tubes
Grayson Dobra was about to turn 2. His mother, L’erin, wanted to throw him a party he’d never forget (or, at least not for for a day or two). But what sort of party theme could inspire glee and wonder in her little boy? Should she festoon the living room with pictures of cute little animals? Nah, […]
Ant-Man Gets Small, Pixels Smaller
It’s often said that movies make subjects larger than life. But this week, the movies at the local Cineplex looked a little … smaller. Ant-Man, Marvel’s amazing shrinking superhero, lost much of its monetary bulk from its opening-week win, losing nearly 57% of its audience and collecting an estimated $24.8 million. But it was still […]
Getting Real (Fictionally, of Course)
Comedian Jim Gaffigan recently launched his very own sitcom titled, perhaps a bit uncreatively, The Jim Gaffigan Show. It’s on TV Land, and the show’s gotten all sorts of attention. I reviewed it earlier this week, and while it has its share of problems, I have to say I enjoyed parts of it. Not just […]
Ant-Man Makes Large(ish) Splash
Superheroes don’t get much smaller than Ant-Man. But the guy still made a big impact. Like one of those six-legged critters that can lift lemons over their waving antennae, Ant-Man hoisted an estimated $58 million and skittered away with it, all the way back to Disney’s increasingly palatial offices. Granted, Ant-Man’s opening gross fell a […]
Doctor Who and our Changing Culture
As Plugged In’s resident television reviewer, I am often asked by hypothetical people, “Paul, with all the TV that you have to watch for work, what do you watch for fun?” I always tell these hypothetical people that I never watch television for fun. Television should always be educational and enriching and very serious business. […]
Minions Bag Jurassic World
At the beginning of the movie Minions, our capsule-shaped protagonists accidentally dispatch their first boss ever—the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, king of the dinosaurs. And now, it seems, fictional animated history repeats itself. Universal’s Minions rumbled to a phenomenal $115.2 million estimated weekend, chucking Jurassic World into the pool of box office-afterthought lava. It nearly set […]
Jurassic World Terminates Genisys, Magic Mike
Tired of dinosaurs yet? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Neither is the movie-going public. For the fourth straight weekend, Jurassic World laid claim to a little mini-epoch and cemented itself as the biggest, baddest, roaringest movie around. Sure, maybe it’s looking a bit long in the tooth these days, earning a mere $30.9 million. But […]
Forgiving Bieber
A little over a year ago, Adam Holz wrote a blog post (“Judging Justin“) that unfolded the paradox that is pop star Justin Bieber. Fresh off the heels of several run-ins with the law and tabloid-worthy forays into the public consciousness, Bieber made a cameo in a Christian rap song. Then he posted a page […]
Ted 2 Mere Appetizer for Jurassic World
Someday, when paleontologists dig through the rubble of our current age, they’ll discover the fossilized box office receipts for this June. They’ll carefully brush around the remnants of our days with their specialized whisk brooms, examine the strata and utter low whistles. “Yes,” they will say to each other. “This was truly the age of […]
Jurassic World Turns Inside Out Upside Down
The day of the dinosaurs has lasted for another epoch. Or, at least, one more weekend. Despite facing a new warm-blooded challenger in Inside Out, Jurassic World roared to another victory, ripping and tearing its way to a truly monstrous $102 million (estimated, of course), bringing its North American total gross to $398.2 million. If […]