Contributor: Paul Asay

With the release of Wonka, the Plugged In team thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to have a big, friendly talk about the new movie and Roald Dahl’s complicated legacy.

Miracle on 34th Street is as clean as you’d expect for a 1947 film. But it still has some provocative issues worth discussing.

Two of the weekend’s top five films are imports from Japan, including the latest from Studio Ghibli, The Boy and the Heron.

Why has Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, of all the stories we’ve told over the last 180 years, stayed so strong? So resonant?

Difficult and uncomfortable at times, The Mission triggers far more questions than spoons out answers.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force feels like a stereotypical fast-food meal: A bit tasty, awfully salty and, once you’re done with it, you’re filled with regret.

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, danced into theaters this weekend. And just like many a Beyoncé single, it climbed to the top of the charts.

Candy Cane Lane is fun. It’s colorful. It has its merits. But be careful how you handle it, or it might shoot yer eye out.

Social media can be harmful. So says U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and so say we at Plugged In.

Mesmerizing performances make May December no less uncomfortable, and no less problematic.

Alexander Payne’s latest film has some R-rated flaws. But it also feels deeply human in its depiction of its characters’ flaws, too.

Prognosticators expected Wish to earn $50 million this weekend. Instead, it came in third at the box office with just $31.7 million.

This film isn’t a prime present underneath the cinematic tree. But if you can navigate its problems, it makes for an OK stocking stuffer.

Unlike the South Korean drama on which it’s based, no one dies in this reality show. But that’s almost the only good thing we can say.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Trolls Band Together both performed top for the weekend but not so much for the franchises.