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.

Mafia Mamma 2023 movie

Mafia Mamma

The vibe of this high-concept comedy feels almost PG-13—but its content problems are unquestionably R-rated.

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Movie Monday: Are You There Box Office? It’s Me, Mario Bros. (Again.)

For the fourth-straight weekend, The Super Mario Bros. Movie jumped the field, raced to the castle and pulled down a box-office victory.

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Firefly Lane season 2

Firefly Lane

Lifelong besties Tully and Kate met on Firefly Lane. But loyalty and nostalgia aren’t the only things you’ll see here.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 179: When Yesteryear Offends. (Plus, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.)

Why do movies we loved as kids sometimes seem too problematic to share with our own children?

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Movie Monday: Mario Bros. Movie Still Running Strong

For three-straight weeks, the animated film has been practically invincible, outracing everyone else in the field and notching win after win.

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Ghosted 2023

Ghosted

Chris Evans and Ana de Armas star in this silly, spirited and kinda fun action/romance/comedy. But some problems haunt Ghosted, too.

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The Pope's Exorcist 2023 movie

The Pope’s Exorcist

The Pope’s Exorcist fuses a silly plot with some serious problems. But beneath the blood, it offers some interesting thoughts, too.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 178: Learning to Love Reading in a Screen-Based World. Plus Wings of Fire: The Flames of Hope.

How do we as parents encourage our sons and daughters to put aside the game controller, put away the remote and read?

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The Mandalorian season 3

The Mandalorian

Disney+’s flagship show is fun, gritty and well in keeping with the rest of the franchise—but the bodycount can get pretty high.

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Movie Monday: Super Mario Bros. Movie Nails Another High Score

Mario and Luigi took the Rainbow Road all the way to No. 1 and left the competition in its multicolored dust.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 177: Thinking Through LGBT Issues in Entertainment. Plus: The Super Mario Bros. Movie

How many moms and dads are ready to talk about transgenderism with their 5-year-olds? Adam Holz talks about how to navigate these issues with your family.

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Movie Monday: Super Mario Bros. Smashes Records

The Italian plumbers actually started their run on Wednesday, which brought its domestic tally to a monster-mia $204.6 million.

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Jesus Films 2023

Jesus Films: Where to Stream the Story of Christ (2023)

Just a few suggestions for you to check out in the days before Easter—and nothing’s stopping you from watching these films after Easter Sunday, either.

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65 2023 movie

65

While dino-confrontations can get bloody and the plot can get silly, 65’s father-daughter story makes this B-movie better.

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Praise This 2023 movie

Praise This

This musical comedy offers some beautiful music and Christ-focused messages. But it’s not as harmonious as we’d like.

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