Contributor: Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

“Girl on Fire”

“Girl on Fire” delivers an empowering message about women’s abilities … one of which is to be sexy. And then there’s guest rapper Nicki Minaj’s take (that’ll make you do a double take).

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Gravity

Christian rapper Lecrae’s sixth effort is a lyrical tour de force that unashamedly proclaims the gospel even as it deconstructs secular hip-hop’s self-destructive worldview.

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Night Visions

Imagine Dragons imagines life as a melancholy trudge through sodden fields while under leaden skies. And then they show us that every so often light can cut through the clouds and the earth can begin to dry.

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The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure

From the man behind Teletubbies comes an interactive and whimsical and sometimes consternating live-action-meets-puppet movie aimed directly at the ants-in-their-pants set.

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Eye on It

tobyMac’s idea of a mid-life crisis consists of seizing the prevailing musical trends of the day and reshaping them according to his own purposes. (Which line up perfectly with God’s purposes.)

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“Thrift Shop”

Imagine what might happen if the Beastie Boys teamed with Weird Al to do a parody about big-money rappers shopping at Goodwill. Now stop imagining, because that’s exactly what Seattle rapper Macklemore has done in his latest hit.

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Havoc and Bright Lights

Marriage? Motherhood? Happiness? Alanis, is that you?

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt gets younger with each passing day! Now that’s a story that would make senseless headlines in the tabloids. But in a nod to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, eclectic director David Fincher turns it into a contemplation of life and death.

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Shiny Vampires Were Just the Beginning

I don’t know if you pay much attention to the book sections at Barnes & Noble. For the most part, I don’t. But today I was in my local store looking for a particular title, and I happened to notice a section I’m certain I’ve never seen before: “Tee …

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The Midsummer Station

Rolling Stone calls Minnesota synth-pop maestro Adam Young “menacing.” We call him a near miracle.

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Napoleon Dynamite

Off-beat cult comedy set in Preston, Idaho, takes geek chic to a whole new level.

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How Teens Get Their Music

How do teens today get their music? In this interconnected Internet age of digital downloads, ubiquitous iPods and music-playing smartphones, the conventional wisdom goes something like this: Teens don’t listen to the radio. That’s so 20th century. Nor …

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“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

Taylor Swift’s latest ode to a bad breakup kicks country music to the curb in a bid for total pop domination.

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Fast & Furious

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reboot and reunite as a “bad” guy trying to do good and a “good” guy who often does bad.

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This Is Your Brain Online

What is constant connectivity doing to our brains? That, in a nutshell, is the question Newsweek writer Tony Dokoupil explores in his July 16 cover story for that magazine, “Tweets. Texts. Email. Posts. Is the Onslaught Making Us Crazy?” The short answ …

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