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.

King James Bible: Mass Media for the Elizabethan Age

This morning, I plowed through a National Geographic article titled “The Bible of King James,” which told the story of how this remarkable translation came about and the continuing influence it has today. It’s a fascinating tale—at least for a history …

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Movie Monday: Breaking Dawn a Broken Record

Zzzzz …. Snrk. Wha? Who? Oh, sorry. Must’ve dozed off there for a minute. With no new releases in theaters this weekend, the box office derby felt a wee bit snoozy. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 scored a third consecutive win, earning an es …

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For Sale: One Gaming Addict

Alyse Baddley of Logan, Utah, doesn’t have anything against video games. After all, she was up ’til midnight with husband Kyle Baddley to buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the day of its release. But when her 22-year-old war vet hubbie spent a whol …

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Fears, Film and Fairy Tales

My daughter’s reading fairy tales. Just bought a big book of ’em not too long ago, and she’s doggedly plowing through the massive tome princess by princess, wolf by wolf, moral by moral. Some nights when we’re out walking, she’ll tell me about the late …

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Movie Monday: Breaking Muppets

Is there a better way to work off that tryptophan trough than a good family-friendly movie? Well, probably, but don’t tell studio execs that. The Thanksgiving weekend box office was deluged with quality PG-rated films this weekend—from The Muppets to H …

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The Artist

For a silent movie, this French salute to Hollywood’s transition to talkies in the late ’20s sure has some interesting things to say.

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Thanks, Hollywood. No, Really.

The words “Thanksgiving” and “health” don’t typically go hand in hand—not with all the stuffing and pumpkin pie and marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes making their rounds. But as it turns out, giving thanks is pretty healthy. At least that’s what the s …

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Arthur Christmas

You better watch out. You better not cry. Arthur Christmas is coming to town … and he’s checking his list three times.

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Movie Monday: Breaking Dawn Breaks the Bank

It’s a new dawn at the multiplex. Breaking Dawn, that is. The Twilight Series: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 sucked scads of cash out of the box office this weekend, with moviegoers forking over $139.5 million to see Edward and Bella get married, have sex and …

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TV: The New Season’s Winners and Losers

It’s mid-November, and most of the broadcast television networks’ new scripted shows have seen the light of day (though Fox is holding its last big new entry, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, for Nov. 30). With that in mind, let’s take a quick look back and …

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Movie Monday: Immortals

In these uncertain and disturbing economic times, there’s at least one thing that’s looking a bit (ahem) bullish: Immortals. The R-rated fantasy—loosely pegged to the legend of the sword-slinging, minotaur-fighting Greek hero Theseus—triumphed at the b …

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Telling Tales Out of Class

I can be pretty cynical sometimes. My brain is wired to quibble. My personal and professional background make me prone to doubt. I am Thomas or worse, and it’s hard for me to trust sometimes. It’s hard for me to believe. But every now and then, somethi …

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Movie Monday: Tower Heist Gets Booted

We were supposed to witness a heist this weekend—as in Tower Heist, a comedy caper that was intended to yoke economic angst to a bevy of medium-wattage stars (Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda) and shoot straight to the top of the box office. But it …

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The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising

The Light vs. the Dark. Choices that change the world. Walden Media has made a movie based on Susan Cooper’s ‘The Dark Is Rising’ sequence.

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Arctic Tale

There are no trees in ‘Arctic Tale.’ No shrubs. Precious little vegetation at all. But this National Geographic follow-up to ‘March of the Penguins’ may be the greenest film of the year.

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