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.

boy staring in A Boy Called Christmas movie

A Boy Called Christmas

There’s a lot of things to find in this Christmas origin story. But the real origin isn’t one of them.

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The Addams Family 2

While The Addams Family 2 might not be a great movie, it does offer a couple of great messages.

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two people shooting bows in Hawkeye series

Hawkeye

When it comes to entertainment, Hawkeye hits the mark. But in other ways, we fear the show may be just stringing us along.

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many saints of newark movie

The Many Saints of Newark

Tony Soprano’s “origin story” simmers with gangster drama and the same brutal content HBO’s hit show was known for.

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girl writing by window in Harriet the Spy series

Harriet the Spy

Apple TV+’s adaptation of the beloved children’s book Harriet the Spy is sweet and a tiny bit sour, too.

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aliens on the bridge of a ship in Star Trek Prodigy series

Plugged In Pick, TV: Star Trek: Prodigy

Plugged In has chosen Paramount+’s Star Trek: Prodigy as this week’s TV pick for families.

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A man holds a dog while another points a gun at a woman in Cowboy Bebop series

Cowboy Bebop

The Japanese anime hit Cowboy Bebop was edgy when it was animated. Now that Netflix owns it? It’s a lot worse.

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blog top 11-18 Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande colab

The Plugged In Show, Episode 104: Today’s Top Female Singers & Finch

In episode 104 of The Plugged In Show, we talk about the influence of female pop stars on young girls and the latest Tom Hanks film.

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blog top 11-16 Photo of Abraham Lincoln

Feel Worthless? Don’t Believe It. God Doesn’t, and These Seven Celebs Didn’t, Either.

God tells us that we’re priceless, not worthless, no matter what the world says. And when He tells us that we’re valued beyond measure, it has nothing to do with how much we’ve achieved or how good our grades are or how popular we are.

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man pushing his daughters in a shopping cart full of tennis balls in King Richard

King Richard

King Richard has some rough edges. Bur rarely does a film show us what it takes to raise children—tennis stars or not—well.

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blog top 11-15 car flying through air in Grand Theft Auto

GTA’s Nasty, Hidden, Hot Coffee Is Back. Why Should Parents Care?

The fact that the latest Grand Theft Auto collection contains code to Hot Coffee perhaps, at first, doesn’t seem all that important. But when we watch movies or television shows, listen to music or play video games, we’re absorbing thoughts and ideas that can impact us in ways that Hot Coffee never could.

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Shang-Chi movie

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Families—even families already familiar with the MCU—still might want to pause before grabbing this ring.

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blog top 11-12 Justin Bieber standing on beach from Ghost music video

Plugged In Pick, Music: Ghost

Plugged In has chosen “Ghost” by Justin Bieber as this week’s music pick for families.

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Boy with t-shirt cannon loaded with billiard balls from Home Sweet Home Alone

Home Sweet Home Alone

Home Sweet Home Alone is sweeter than the original. And, in a way, meaner, too.

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Man smiling in front of chalkboard from The Shrink Next Door tv show

The Shrink Next Door

This Apple TV+ dramedy, based on a true story, unpacks the tangled story of a charming, manipulative psychiatrist.

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