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.

PIMA Kid collage 2022

Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movie for Kids (2021)

Obviously, the movies we nominate here still can have problems. No movie is perfect. But if you have watched, we invite you to participate!

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The King's Man

The King’s Man

The King’s Man ostensibly critiques terrible, senseless violence while at the same time giving us plenty of it.

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Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access does indeed take the franchise some places it hasn’t been before.

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blog top 02-17

The Plugged In Show, Episode 117: What’s Up With All Those Sports Betting Ads? (Also, Death on the Nile!)

Online sports betting books seem to be all the rage right now, and the NFL is all in—partnering with seven different outlets.

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blog top 02-14

Super Bowl Ads Shine Spotlight on Tech and Gambling

The Super Bowl’s advertisements push us to get so much stuff we don’t have. But the event itself—if we squint just a bit—reminds us of what we do.

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KIMI movie

KIMI

Director Steven Soderbergh’s latest thriller explores the complicated intersection of assault, technology and responsibility.

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The Sky Is Everywhere

The Sky Is Everywhere

This is a lemon-merengue-pie sort of movie: substantial; surprisingly sweet; and occasionally, regrettably, sour.

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book of boba fett star wars

The Book of Boba Fett

The Book of Boba Fett marks another strong entry in the Star Wars television canon. Still, you might find a stray sarlacc in the sands.

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legend of vox machina

The Plugged In Show, Episode 116: Thinking About Violence in Movies (and Vox Machina on TV)

Is all violence in movies created equal? We unpack that on this show, plus talk about a pretty violent television show, too.

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All of Us Are Dead

All of Us Are Dead

They say high school can be a dog-eat-dog world. But kid-eat-kid? This Korean show shows just how bloody a school full of zombies can be.

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Oscar Noms Are Out, and the Winner is … Families?

Though not all of this year’s Oscar nominees are family-friendly, many expound upon the value of family.

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Murderville season 1

Murderville

Netflix’s weird, witty improvisational comedy show offers its share of yuks, but is sunk by more than its share of profanities.

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blog top 02-02 Groundhog Day

Finding the Grace in Groundhog Day

Roughly based on a journey through the five stages of grief, Groundhog Day drills deeply into one of life’s biggest issues: meaning.

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a man and boy sitting at a table in Cmon Cmon movie

C’mon C’mon

C’mon C’mon’s redemptive story about an uncle’s tender relationship with his nephew has some unfortunate rough edges.

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The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

Possum twins Crash and Eddie head to the Lost World to reunite with an old friend in a sweet story about friendship and family.

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