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: ‘Blue Beetle’ Bests ‘Barbie,’ Bugs Box Office

Though it didn’t earn as much as expected, Blue Beetle still beat out Barbie in this weekend’s box office.

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the blind side

Blindsided: What ‘The Blind Side’ is Retroactively Teaching Us

Our world is broken. We’re surrounded by stories not yet done—and sometimes, those stories don’t read like they should.

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Harlan Coben's Shelter season 1

Harlan Coben’s Shelter

Prime Video’s thriller is filled with mystery and murder—but loaded with more profanity than you’d expect.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 195: A Look at This Year’s Christian Movies. Plus ‘Transformers: EarthSpark’

Have Christian filmmakers learned new lessons about how to make strong, successful films? And what lessons might Hollywood learn from this latest wave of faith-based films?

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Puppy Love 2023

Puppy Love

Puppy Love could’ve been a nice cinematic diversion if it taught itself to heel.

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Movie Monday: ‘Barbie’ Takes Fourth Straight Weekend Win

For the fourth-straight weekend, Barbie claimed the box-office crown, earning a very healthy $33.7 million en route.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 194: We Need to Talk About Taylor Swift. Plus, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 194 Taylor Swift is perhaps music’s most influential artist. She’s connected (often literally through social media) with fans in unprecedented ways. She changes musical genres more often than some people change cl …

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Winning Time season 2

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Winning Time focuses on basketball’s most celebrated franchise—but the show itself is not worth celebrating.

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Movie Monday: Billionaire Barbie Staves Off Meg 2

Barbie continues to show remarkable staying power, becoming the first movie directed by a woman to cross the $1 billion mark.

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Breeders season 4

Breeders

FX’s half-hour comedy Breeders offers a darkly whimsical portrait of parenthood full of wry, bleak and profane realism.

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Good Omens season 2

Good Omens

Good Omens is thought by many to be a good show. But spiritually, this Prime Video series seems like it needs to be carted away in its own handbasket.

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The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart season 1

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

Just as Alice Hart’s world is one of pain and secrets, so this show is filled with its own hidden dangers.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 193: A Conversation With ‘The Hiding Place’ Producer Pete Peterson. Plus, ‘Theater Camp’

We talk with the creator of the stage-to-screen production of The Hiding Place and talk about a theater-themed comedy.

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Movie Monday: Box Office Still Tickled Pink With ‘Barbie’

After turning the box office pink in its debut, Barbie proved to be still in fashion this weekend.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 191: The Promise and Peril of Nerd Culture. Plus, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire”

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 191 Say what you want about this curious age we live in—but at least it’s an age in which grown men can build Batman LEGO sets without (much) reprisal. Yes, it’s OK to be a “nerd” these days. Movie theaters are fi …

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