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.

hola frida

Hola Frida

On its own, ‘Hola Frida’ is a sweet story about a little girl dealing with big problems. But dig a little, and the movie has big problems of its own.

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AI Is a Vampire. And It’s Draining Our Creativity

I’ve been writing most of my life. But according to the AI tools integrated into the technology around me, I’ve been doing it wrong.

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fantastic four

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Marvel’s so-called First Family takes its ‘First Steps’ in the official MCU canon in a story that majors on family and dials down typical Marvel content concerns.

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Swiped

You can swipe left on ‘Swiped.’ What could’ve been an interesting dissection of internet dating culture is a shallow disappointment.

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Ne Zha 2

Ne Zha 2 comes with box-office bona fides and nice craftsmanship. But when your main character’s a demon, you’re bound to run into problems.

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light of the world

‘Light of the World’ Producer Talks Art, Animation and Evangelism

Light of the World premiered nationwide last weekend, earning more than $2.4 million. For many a filmmaker, that premiere is the culmination of the movie’s own story …

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Is Society Broken? And is Entertainment Helping to Break It?

Violence seems at our door more often than ever. And as a nation grapples with yet another instance of it, could entertainment be a cause?

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Christian Movie and Media Notes: Prime Video Has Big October Planned

Amazon’s Prime Video has seen the light: Faith-based entertainment can be very good for business. ‘House of David’ was a massive hit …

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Toy Story

What is a toy’s greatest fear? That a newer toy may become the object of a child’s affection, thus condemning the one-time favorite to a lonely shelf or a darkened closet.

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Only Murders in the Building

It’s fun, but the show is guilty of lack of restraint in the second degree—a senseless crime if ever there was one.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty

Based on novel by Jenny Han, this series follows the complex love life of Belly, a young girl caught between two boys who are childhood friends as she joins the world of debutantes.

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Hamilton

This Disney+ filmed version of the musical features Hamilton at its 2016 peak.

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Highest 2 Lowest

‘Highest 2 Lowest’ should be approached with definite caution. The content here can be extreme. But it does come with a purpose, too.

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The Paper

This sequel to The Office features the same setup, crisp writing and cringe-worthy jokes of its forbear. But The Paper’s content issues can be significantly worse.

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Movie Tuesday: ‘Jaws’ Takes a Bite Out of ‘Weapons’ but Still Loses

The ‘Jaws’ re-release nearly chomped its way to victory, but horror flick ‘Weapons’ clawed its way back to the top of the box office.

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