“You Have to Be Proactive.” An Interview With VeggieTales Creator Phil Vischer
Thanks to Phil Vischer, kids love their veggies. Not necessarily the vegetables that land on the dinner plate (because, let’s face it, beets are disgusting). But in 1993, he and Mike Nawrocki introduced them to Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber and a bunch of other characters typically found in the produce aisle. Their direct-to-video […]
Culture Clips: Behind Bars, But Newly Freed
The Bible says the truth will set you free. But sometimes it’ll land you in jail, too. Languishing in jail in advance of his trial for (among other things) robbery and murder, Danny Dashay Holmes ran across the lyrics of Big Daddy Weave’s song “Redeemed.” Those lyrics inspired the guy to walk into court and […]
Angel Hasn’t Fallen Yet
In a decidedly sleepy weekend at the box office, the Gerard Butler actioner Angel Has Fallen flapped over a legion of holdovers to claim its second-straight weekend crown. Just as we said last weekend, its totals weren’t particularly jaw-dropping. Angel earned an estimated $14.8 million domestically during the holiday weekend (including Labor Day). Thwack off […]
What’s Streaming for Families in September (2019)
Well, it’s September. Football season is once again sticking its pigskin snout into your life and your local team is once again appearing less than ready to live up to your hopes of gridiron glory. (Unless you live in New England.) Of course, if you would rather sit down with the kids for some family […]
Culture Clips: Farewell, My Captain. (Oh, and the Football Player’s Gone, Too.)
The football world was a wee bit shocked when Andrew Luck, oft-injured quarterback for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, announced last week that he was hanging up his cleats. Everyone had lots of thoughts about it (including Focus on the Family’s own Jim Daly). Fox Sports’ Doug Gottlieb nearly united Twitter in anger when he insinuated […]
Angel, Overcomer Both Overperform
Fallen Angel? Hardly. The new Gerard Butler actioner, Angel Has Fallen, actually fluttered straight to No. 1, soaring high above its competition with an estimated $21.3 million weekend in North America. That makes it the first film in the Fallen franchise to open at No. 1—even though, paradoxically, it made the least money of the […]
Culture Clips: The Play Nice Edition
Pink’s tired of all the negativity on the internet. Lashing back at online natterers who don’t like how she and husband Carey Hart are parenting their children, the pop star issued a “worldwide internet challenge” that implored people to be nicer in cyberspace. “Go ONE day without criticizing someone online,” she wrote. She added, “And […]
Good Boys Awarded With Win
Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw are two of the toughest hombres around. You wouldn’t think they’d be knocked off their high cinematic horse by a trio of tweens. But that’s exactly what happened this weekend, when Universal’s R-rated Good Boys upended Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw for first place. Plugged In had […]
Culture Clips: The Hunt for the Truth
A swath of horrific violence across the United States may have claimed another victim—albeit one few families will weep over: The Hunt. The Universal Pictures movie, which (according to its trailer) depicts a wealthy group of elitists literally hunting down and killing people called “deplorables,” was shelved Aug. 10, with a Universal spokesman saying in […]
Hobbs & Shaw Hooks a Second Win
In the movie Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, muscle-laden Luke Hobbs grabs the end of a chain and pulls a flying helicopter—tethered to the other end—toward him. Why? Because he can, that’s why. Well, that practice came in handy this weekend. Despite being attacked by five new wide releases, Hobbs & Shaw managed […]