Merry Christmas!
Christmas is a Plugged In sort of holiday. Not only is it a pretty special and sacred time for Christians, but it’s completely awash in its very own entertainment. Most of us have our favorite Christmas movies, Christmas television specials, Christmas albums, Christmas carols. I’m not aware of very many Christmas-themed video games yet, but give ’em time. Moreover, […]
Star Wars a Major Force
Hey, we all knew it was gonna be big. The only question was how big. And we’re still asking. According to unofficial estimates, Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned $238 million over its first weekend—the largest domestic opening ever and setting a bevy of records besides. (If you’re really interested in them all, jump on over […]
Mockingjay Scores Whale of a Win
While the numbers aren’t final yet, it looks as though Katniss Everdeen traded her bow for a harpoon this weekend and brought down a beast of a newcomer, leaving it to (ahem) blubber. In a super-crowded box office competition (estimates suggest that just $1.2 million separated No. 1 from No. 4), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay […]
Why I Owe My Job to Star Wars
So. How many of you have tickets to Star Wars: The Force Awakens? No, don’t answer—rhetorical question. You all have tickets by now. Or you wish you did. Or you stumbled on this website by accident. Sure, there are some folks out there who couldn’t give a whit’s end about the Star Wars franchise. But […]
Mockingjay Victorious Again
Katniss Everdeen rarely loses. Not in the Hunger Games. Not in massive civil wars. Not even at the box office. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 found itself on the top of the cinematic heap for the third straight week, beating down the strong newcomer Krampus and collecting an estimated $18.6 million in capitol […]
Television Tops 2015: Paul Asay’s Year-End Picks
They say we’re spoiled by our television riches. Shows have never been so rich in character, so deep in theme. Alas, the last several years have given us a new depth in abysmal content, too. The Walking Dead is getting ever gorier. Jessica Jones has taken superheroes in a new, tawdrier direction. And trust me, […]
Mockingjay Sings Its Way to Another Win
The proud, plump turkey reigned supreme over the holiday break, and many of us are still packing away the leftovers. But another bird was pretty popular, too: the Mockingjay. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 continued to gobble lots of money from the domestic box office this weekend, stuffing an estimated $51.6 million into […]
Hunger Games Earns Some Capital
When it came to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2′s chances of winning the weekend’s box office crown, we knew that the odds would ever be in its favor. We’re talking about a Hunger Games movie, after all—not some plucky upstart from a backwater district. The first three movies collectively earned nearly $1.2 billion […]
Spectre Lives Another Day
Thought that James Bond’s newest movie couldn’t top the box office for a second straight week? Never say never again, people. The world’s most famous secret agent used his gold finger to climb to the top again, renewing Spectre‘s license to make a killing. Spectre rolled another strike with its thunderball, earning an estimated $35.4 […]
The Hunger Games a Game No More
The grand, bloody finale of The Hunger Games series—The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2—will plant its flag in theaters next week. Some have wondered how the movie will stay within the PG-13 rating, given how wrenching the book is, and I’m anticipating that it’ll be difficult for me to sit through. Which, I think, […]