A Voice From ‘The Voice’
We have a tendency to bemoan reality television, and sometimes with good reason. But, just like most everything in life, it’s a mixed bag: For every Jersey Shore there’s an Undercover Boss. For every duplicitous act on Big Brother there’s a feel-good story on American Idol. And let’s face it: If it weren’t for reality […]
What Makes a Movie ‘Christian,’ Anyway?
Lost in all the Hunger Games brouhaha this weekend was the remarkably strong debut of October Baby. The film details both the literal and spiritual journey of an abortion survivor—not exactly the sort of premise that you’d expect would pack ’em into theaters. It was the first film ever for directors Jon and Andrew Erwin, […]
Movie Monday: The Hunger (and the Ratings) Games
We all saw this coming. The Hunger Games, one of the most hotly anticipated movies of 2012, screamed to an estimated $155 million opening weekend take, obliterating the rest of the field (21 Jump Street finished a distant second with $21.3 million) and setting all sorts of records in the process. It was the third […]
The Radical Mr. Rogers
When I was a little boy—maybe 4—I was sure of perhaps just one thing. That no matter how bad I was that day, whether I colored on the kitchen walls or threw a fit or had an unfortunate “accident,” there was one person who would love me no matter what: One person who would say […]
Movie Monday: 21 Jump Street
Don’t look now, but Channing Tatum is plotting to take over the world. Well, maybe “plotting” is a little strong. That suggests that the versatile pretty-boy actor is in a secret bunker somewhere, rubbing his hands together and cackling with evil glee. And “the world” might be overstatement, as well. “The box office” might be […]
The Power, Noise and Confusion of Kony 2012
I just finished watching “Kony 2012,” a documentary some are calling the most watched Internet video of all time. As I write this, the official video on YouTube has received nearly 80 million hits. But the film was surprisingly hard to find, and who knows how many others have watched other versions of the film. […]
Movie Monday: Sorry, Carter. Lorax Wins Again
I like the picture we’re running today for our Movie Monday blog—the Lorax staring at a tree stump, hands turned upward in a gesture of remorse, maybe even apology. It feels almost metaphorical for this weekend’s box-office tourney, actually. The Lorax would represent—well, The Lorax, which scored an estimated $39.1 million to win the crown. […]
Stay Strong, Demi
I was introduced to Demi Lovato when I watched Camp Rock, a light, throwaway Disney confection that was one of my first assignments here at Plugged In. I don’t remember much about the show itself—not the plot, not the music, barely the setting. But I do remember one thing: Demi’s smile. It was the sort […]
GCB: Initial Reactions
New York City councilman Peter Vallone is calling on Christians to boycott the new ABC show GCB. He says the title alone (the letters stand for Good Christian B–ches, and the program is still being released under the original name in Australia and New Zealand) is enough to earn the ire of religious TV watchers. […]
Movie Monday: The Lorax
Money doesn’t grow on trees, they say—a patent untruth, really. After all, money is still technically made of paper, which does come from trees. Which leaves us with a salient environmental question this morning: Just how many truffula trees would need to be felled to physically make 70 million dollars? Actually, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax […]