Sonic Shows Its Teeth
Amazing what a makeover can do, isn’t it? Last April, it looked as if the fastest hedgehog in entertainment was headed straight for a brick wall. When Paramount Pictures dropped its first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog, a movie inspired by Sega’s endearing video game character, the reaction was universal: “AAAAAGH!” The eyes were weird. […]
Culture Clips: Moving on From the Oscars?
Yesterday, we talked about Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar speech and briefly mentioned that, relatively speaking, not very many folks watched it. Oh, sure. In an age in which a hit show might garner 4 million viewers, the 23.6 million folks tuned in to see Janelle Monáe’s shimmery dress and hear Billie Eilish sing “Yesterday” is still […]
What This Year’s Oscars Can Teach Us
Ratings for the Oscars telecast are in, and they’re … not good. Just 23.6 million viewers tuned in to watch Parasite walk away with Best Picture honors, which the Associated Press says was an all-time low for the ABC telecast. While viewers for all sorts of awards shows have been declining in the age of […]
Birds of Prey Glides to First
A resounding victory, it wasn’t. Still, Birds of Prey did flap to first place on the weekend’s box-office charts, as expected, ending Bad Boys For Life’s three-week stay at the top. Birds pecked up less than $33.3 million in North America, though, according to early estimates. That flies well short of the $45 million most […]
The Plugged In Movie Awards 2020: And the Winners Are …
Welcome, welcome everybody. Don’t trip on the red carpet on the way to your seat. You all look very fine indeed, what with those tuxedos/evening gowns/sweatpants you’ve donned for this very, very special occasion. We’re talking about the Plugged In Movie Awards, of course. It’s a ceremony far more lavish than the Oscars … or […]
Culture Clips: The Skinny Jason Momoa Edition
Welp, another Super Bowl is in the books, and we had much to say about that halftime show. Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, did, too. Indeed, it seemed like most everyone had lots and lots and lots to say about Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s performance. But halftime is, by definition, just a small […]
Bad Boys Makes Good Again
They say three’s a crowd. But the only thing crowding Bad Boys for Life is all the cash the movie’s making. Bad Boys for Life, a buddy-cop thriller starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, continues to pursue its own form of happyness, racing to its third-straight box-office victory with an estimated $17.7 million take in […]
The Complicated, Inspirational Legacy of Kobe Bryant
When basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash with seven others last weekend, much of the country was rocked. Many cried. Fans and celebrities offered Instagram eulogies and Twitter hagiographies. Kobe Bryant’s passing even dominated much of the Grammys ceremony that night—a ceremony held in Los Angeles’ Staples […]
Bad Boys Good for Another Win
Whatcha gonna do? Bad Boys for Life may not be No. 1 at the box office for life, but it did earn its second-straight weekend victory. The buddy-cop movie earned an estimated $34 million in North America, more than doubling its closest rival. That brings its total domestic gross to an impressive $120.6 million, which […]
Plugged In Movie Awards 2020: Best Christian Movie
This category, the fourth in our four-day unveiling of our Plugged In Movie Awards nominations, seems to be getting tighter and more competitive all the time. It feels as though we’re seeing more explicitly Christian movies in the marketplace these days, and the quality of Christian films continues to grow stronger by the year. Still, […]