Glamorizing Police Murders Takes Its Toll
When terrible wildfires rage out of control like we’ve seen lately in New Mexico, California and my home state of Colorado, the first thing I want to know is the cause. Lightning? Arson? Campfire left unattended? I feel the same way regarding all tragedies. So, for instance, when I heard that Voice singer Christina Grimmie, […]
Ben-Hur: A Tale of Three Movies, a Book and a Surprising Conversion
The nearly four-hour epic Ben-Hur, released in 1959, won an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Charlton Heston. The American Film Institute lists it at No. 72 on their list of “America’s 100 Greatest Movies.” If it’s that good, then why will Mark Burnett and Roma Downey release a new […]
Is It Propaganda to Promote Goodness?
A few weeks ago, Michael Foust of the Christian Examiner/Post asked me what I thought about the news that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be available as an R-rated film (in addition to PG-13) when it releases on DVD. I answered Mr. Foust this way: Personally, I believe all films should serve the […]
Vodcast: A Discussion of Me Before You
If you’ve seen the trailer for the new film Me Before You, you’re probably thinking to yourself that this looks like a wonderful, sweet love story. And if you’re the type of person who likes to guess what numeric rating Plugged In is likely to give it, based on the trailer, you’re probably thinking somewhere […]
Paul Asay Talks Pop Culture on Focus on the Family’s Daily Broadcast
This will certainly be the shortest blog I’ve ever written—by a wide margin! In fact, it’ll only be five sentences. And if I hadn’t already written the first two (and this one), it would only be two total: My Plugged In colleague, Paul Asay, will be the guest du jour today (May 27) on Focus on […]
4 Ways to Motivate Kids to Read More
They say that the apple never falls far from the tree, but in my son’s case that’s not always true. And I mean that in a good way. Currently, he’s in the Army’s JAG program. Sadly, I didn’t serve a single day for Uncle Sam. He was a literature major in college, doing his senior […]
Thinking About Prince and Eternal Peace
When I heard that Prince had passed, my first thought was a hope that he had finally found true peace. My second was to wonder what a good friend and colleague of mine, Bob DeMoss, had to say about the subject. Bob was instrumental in starting the Plugged In ministry here at Focus on the […]
Excited About Baobab
Years ago, when I worked building homes, it was rare for anyone to ask me questions related to my job. I mean, think about it, what do you ask a guy who pounds nails for a living? “Hey, Bob, how much does your hammer weigh?” “Hey, Bob, do you prefer 2-by-12 floor joists or microlams?” […]
Film Is a Drug
The title of this blog, “Film Is a Drug,” comes from a quote from a well-known person. The full statement is this: Film is a powerful medium. Film is a drug. Film is a potential hallucinogen. It goes into your eye, it goes into your brain. It stimulates. And is a dangerous thing. It can […]
What Lady Gaga Got Right—and Wrong—at the Oscars
Lady Gaga is one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic entertainers. One minute she’s wowing us with a heartfelt salute to legend Julie Andrews, the next she’s shocking us by wearing a meat dress or, in American Horror Story, wearing hardly anything at all. Her latest splash in the Hollywood spotlight came at last week’s Oscars, where […]