Contributor: Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Whedon’s rendering of Shakespeare’s classic comedy is both silly and sensual—just like the 1599 original.

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Hancock

Tina Turner once told us that ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero.’ Will Smith sets out to prove her right.

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Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Dustin Hoffman’s Mr. Magorium is a silly mash-up of Willy Wonka and Mary Poppins’ Uncle Albert. But this movie is more than just a G-rated giggle.

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W.

Skip the politics. We look at what Oliver Stone says about how faith should (shouldn’t) inform leadership.

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Before Midnight

Jesse and Celine’s problematic relationship has survived 18 years and two Richard Linklater movies. But when the clock strikes midnight and the magic flees, will their love live up to all the hype?

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Star Trek Into Darkness

Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest of the original Enterprise crew are boldly at it again, facing one of their most daunting adversaries ever. And while the content may at times feel like a phaser blast set to stun, the messages are quite a bit more peaceful.

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Legion

Angels have come to destroy the world by turning people into razor-toothed zombies. And they’re doing it on God’s orders.

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The Spirit

No, this isn’t one of Ebenezer Scrooge’s spirits. The three ghosts of Christmas didn’t moonlight as masked vigilantes with a yen for nasty humor, violence and red ties.

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The Great Gatsby

Some will find that this fresh-faced Baz Luhrmann/Leonardo DiCaprio movie infuses the classic book with new life. That may be good. But is it a great Gatsby?

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Drillbit Taylor

What kind of bodyguard can you hire with a few weeks’ allowance and some Bar Mitzvah money? A lying, cheating, stealing, conniving one who looks an awful lot like Owen Wilson.

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The Stepfather

All families have their ups and downs. But Michael’s family is having a particularly trying time. Maybe that’s because his stepfather is a serial killer.

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Iron Man 3

I had hoped to be inspired. Instead, I was merely entertained. Iron Man 3 is what you’ve come to expect from a standard superhero movie

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Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mr. Fox has a good life: a wife, a child, a nice burrow in the woods, a comfy job at the local newspaper. Why, then, does he want to kill chickens so badly?

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New in Town

Before she can say ‘BRRR, it’s cold’ three times fast, Miami girl Renée Zellweger is up to her knees in snow and small-town values.

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Evening

Claire Danes and Vanessa Redgrave embody the morning and evening of one woman’s life in a story full of love and loss, decisions, duty and despair.

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