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.

Daddy Day Camp

Eddie Murphy’s out and Cuba Gooding Jr.’s in as day care turns into day camp. Greasy grimy gopher guts, anyone?

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The Possession

The best things always come in small boxes? This movie proves it’s not true.

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This Is No Laughing Matter

Last night I was leafing through Neil Zawacki’s book How to Be a Villain (yes, it was a gift; no, it wasn’t from a disgruntled reader who thinks I’m well on my way) and ran across a section titled “The Evil Laugh—A Must-Have.” Zawacki calls the evil la …

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A Lasting Footprint

I never met Neil Armstrong. Honestly, I’d have a hard time recognizing him without his spacesuit on. And when he died Saturday at the age of 82, I couldn’t remember what he looked like for a while, not until I went online to get a little refresher: Aft …

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Movie Monday: Spending (a Little) on The Expendables

Last weekend, seven films earned $10 million or more at the box office. This weekend, one did. Yep, summer must be almost over. The Expendables 2—a bombastic tub of bullets, explosions and really bad dialogue—claimed its second straight weekend win. Bu …

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In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

This warmed-over ‘Lord of the Rings’-style fantasy pseudo-epic starring Jason Statham and Leelee Sobieski aspires to far more than it delivers.

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The Ringtone of the Times

My youngest daughter started college this week. We got a call from her last night, and she gave us the full rundown of her classes: the ones that look fun (Latin American History), the ones that look boring (French). She was excited to sneak into a nee …

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Movie Monday: The Expendables 2

Subtlety? Art? These are not the things a summer movie is typically made of. In the dog days of August, sometimes folks just want to see a big, dumb hound of a flick. And let’s face it: The Expendables 2 is as big and as dumb as they come. Featuring Sl …

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A Reflective Sort of Post

I hated mirrors as a kid. Really hated them. When I was about 5, I heard an old-timey radio episode of The Shadow in which the faces of the dead would appear in a spooky ol’ mirror, and from that moment, for 15 years I refused to ever—ever—sleep alone …

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The Expendables 2

Chuck, Bruce, Sly, Ah-nold, Van Damme and Dolph. Fans of the franchise insist there’s nothing more than that to say. We are not fans.

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ParaNorman

Norman sees dead people—and talks with them, too. And now we know, as he does, that dead people really do like their crass jokes.

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The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Timothy Green hides a secret under his socks. And the movie has a secret too. Promise not to tell? The Odd Life of Timothy Green is made for kids, but it’s meant for parents.

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The Olympics Are Over. Were You Impressed?

“The bad news is that the Olympics are over,” fellow Plugged In critic Adam Holz proclaimed yesterday. “On the up side, Shark Week is here!” And really, the two television spectacles (the Olympics a sporting staple for NBC, Shark Week an annual obsessi …

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Movie Monday: The Bourne Legacy

After three weeks at the top of the box office, Batman finally met his match: A chemically enhanced killer with a distaste for authority. No, no. We’re not talking about Bane, the big meanie from The Dark Knight Rises. We’re talking about Bourne. Or, a …

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The Campaign

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis want your support and your vote. To get them they’re promising a sex joke in every pot, a demeaning curse in every garage.

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