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.

Paper Girls season 1

Paper Girls

Amazon Prime serves up a Stranger Things wannabe that’s both less intelligent and more problematic.

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blog top 07-27

Are We Capturing Moments? Or Are We Hostage to Them?

Studies show that taking pictures of memorable moments instead of simply enjoying them actually makes those moments less impactful.

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The Duke movie

The Duke

Can a pile of wrongs ever make a right? The Duke ponders this age-old question in a delightful-but-flawed lark of a true story.

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Emmys Show the Importance of Screening Those Screens

The Emmys are all about praising the best shows that television has to offer. But by some measures the “best” of television has never been worse.

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Men movie

Men

This graphic and shocking psychological horror film devolves into a confusing, bloody mess.

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What We Do in the Shadows season 4

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows can indeed be droll and witty. But like its main characters, it comes with a dark side, too.

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The Black Phone 2022

The Black Phone

The Black Phone is a horror flick with heart. But that doesn’t make it any less horrific.

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Gru and some minions smiling.

The Plugged In Show, Episode 137.5, The GentleMinion Phenomenon

What happens when thousands of teen fans of Gru dress up as “GentleMinions” and go to see Minions: The Rise of Gru together?

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The Bob's Burgers Movie 2022

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is a little like Bob’s actual burgers: Tasty, sure. But what it’s made of might be a bit concerning.

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Don't Make Me Go 2022

Don’t Make Me Go

This father-daughter road movie stops at some lovely messages. But it slams through a few roadblocks, too.

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Black Bird season 1

Black Bird

Apple TV+’s prison-based drama is based on a true story. But the content might make some feel like locking the show itself up.

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blog top 07-07

The Plugged In Show, Episode 137: Do Fantasy Sports Strike Out? Or Score Big? (Plus, Thor and Rise of Gru!)

Sure, fantasy sports can be fun, and that’s a win. But they can also sap away a player’s time, money and energy.

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7 Christian Values movies

7 Secular Movies with Christian Values

Some Non-Christian movies can have profound Christian lessons to teach. Here are a few films that fit the bill.

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A grimy young woman snarls at a man offscreen.

The Princess

For all of its apparent feminist posturing, The Princess is pure escapism—and bloody, irreverent and profane escapism at that.

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