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.

Movie Monday: Dark of the Box Office

You can’t keep a good machine down. Transformers: Dark of the Moon flew down to earth and claimed everything it saw for its own clanky empire. The numbers are a little confusing, what with the film opening last Tuesday and with a Fourth of July holiday …

Read more

The Sad Case of Amy Winehouse

I wonder whether 2010 will be known as “the age of the celebrity meltdown.” Singer Amy Winehouse is the latest star to fall—though, in truth, she’s had so many problems lately she didn’t have far to tumble. Ever since she stormed the Grammys in 2008, s …

Read more

Monte Carlo

Selana Gomez’s second big-screen outing may not technically be a Disney film. But it sure feels like one.

Read more

What’s the Best Animated Movie Ever?

I’m a sucker for lists. I’m a big fan of animated movies. So when Time came out with a list of its Top 25 animated movies, I was as happy as if someone had given me a year-long membership to the Bacon Club. So many movies! So many opinions with which t …

Read more

Movie Monday: Cars 2

So what if it suffered a couple of critical dings? So what if reviewers thought Pixar’s newest animated vehicle didn’t hum quite as smoothly as it ought? When Cars 2 raced into movie theaters Friday, it ran just fine. Cars 2 took a $68 million checkere …

Read more

Bad Teacher

Cameron Diaz teaches all the wrong lessons in this crass cinematic class. The results earn a big, fat F.

Read more

Yosemite Slam

Plugged In recently published a story of mine called “Around the World in 80 Clicks,” which examined the amazing (and kinda scary) ability we have to go practically anywhere we want to via the Internet. I started by telling readers I was taking a “nayc …

Read more

Movie Monday: Green Lantern

Green Lantern’s mighty ring of power can do many wondrous things. But it couldn’t generate much excitement at the ol’ movieplex this weekend. Oh sure, Ryan Reynolds’ alter-ego Hal Jordan flew to the top of the box office, zapping his way to a very gree …

Read more

Mr. Bean’s Holiday

The many funny faces of Mr. Bean loom large as the British comic known around the world for his wordless weirdness offers families a rare, G-rated, live-action comedy.

Read more

Duke Nukem Forever

After 15 years, Duke Nukem is back to his alien-slaying, stripper-admiring ways. Plugged In can only ask, “Why so soon?”

Read more

Red Faction: Armageddon

Mars isn’t the most hospitable place at the best of times. But when Darius Mason accidentally unleashes a horde of alien critters, things on the planet get a whole lot worse—and more violent.

Read more

X-Men: First Class

Before they became the worst of enemies, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr were the best of friends. We guess you could say their relationship mutated.

Read more

“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”

Sure, there’s a teardrop right in the song title. But the truth is, Coldplay’s new anthem may make you smile instead.

Read more

Movie Tuesday: The Hangover Part II

The box office derby sent us Plugged In movie reviewers searching for Alka-Seltzer over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. It kinda made us feel a little headache-y and sick to our stomachs. If you’re looking for the reason for our billious angst, look …

Read more

Aaarrr! Hornswaggled!

When I was a kid, I thought pirates were pretty nifty. They had eye patches, peg legs, cool parrots (who might also have eye patches and peg legs), cool hats, pieces o’ eight (whatever those are). Then one night (surely without my parents’ knowledge) I …

Read more