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.

Nope 2022

Nope

Jordan Peele is back with another provocative horror film. But many might be better off saying “nope” to the film itself.

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The Sandman s1

The Sandman

Morpheus is the master of dreams in this Netflix series. But the content is nightmarish.

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Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater get chased by a dino-car.

Cars on the Road

It has a few speed bumps along the way, but the new Disney+ show Cars on the Road will be high-octane fun for some fans of the franchise.

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Thor - Love and Thunder 2022

Thor: Love and Thunder

Yes, the fourth Thor film features plenty of thunder and a good bit of love. But this Asgardian ship carries a cargo of problems, too.

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Pinocchio 2022

Pinocchio (2022)

The latest remake of Pinocchio isn’t terrible. But even Tom Hanks can’t quite save it from some 21st-century thematic shifts.

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 2022

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Shells are, by their very nature, hard and brittle things. So you might be surprised by the size of the heart you find in this one.

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blog top 09-02

Seven Movies to Get Your Kids Excited to Learn

Diving back into reading, math, chemistry and gym, can be a dispiriting and even scary experience. So why not watch a movie that celebrates education?

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The Patient s1

The Patient

Well-scripted and well-acted, The Patient might nevertheless leave some viewers feeling a need for counseling themselves.

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Honk for Jesus Save Your Soul 2022

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul

This scathing satire of megachurch culture hits its mark occasionally … but the R-rated content hurts its viewers, too.

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blog top 08-29

Summer’s Numbers Don’t Lie: We’re Not Interested in Agendas

Top Gun: Maverick outperformed many of the year’s anticipated summer blockbusters. And “woke” agendas may be the reason.

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Lost Ollie s1

Lost Ollie

Poignant, precious and, yes, problematic, Lost Ollie nevertheless plumbs unexpected depths.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 144: When Superheroes Take a Social Media Break (plus Secret Headquarters)

In this installment of The Plugged In Show, we tackle social media, its connections to mental health and why stepping away from it might benefit all of us.

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What Will the New Pinocchio Teach Us?

The CGI-slathered remake promises to be (ahem) a whale of an attraction for the streaming leviathan. But will it be any good?

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blog top 08-18 Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

The Plugged In Show, Episode 143: Your Kid and YouTube (Plus Out of My Heart)

We give parents a few pointers on how to reel in the YouTube leviathan in their homes—navigating how their sons and daughters use YouTube and how they can best curb and enjoy it.

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Better Call Saul season 6

Better Call Saul

As this show about money laundering reaches its end, the verdict looks little different from its predecessor, Breaking Bad.

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