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.

Amy Adams as Anna in The Woman in the Window

The Woman in the Window

Even if a film is predominantly a psychological thriller, like this one, showing physical trauma is a requirement today, it seems.

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Conductors on The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad

Amazon Prime’s dramatization of a Pulitzer Prize book about slavery is powerful but difficult to watch.

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Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/White Canary in Legends of Tomorrow

Legends of Tomorrow

DC and CW attempt to mash the vibe of Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who and a zany fever dream into one cheap, strange package.

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Actress Rose Reid Talks About Violins and Vanessa Redgrave in ‘Finding You’

We talk with the up-and-coming actress about Ireland, working with a living legend and her own history with Plugged In.

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Checking In on the 2021 Box Office: Biggest Movies are Family Movies

Look at the year’s cinematic box office figures, you see plenty of evidence of the return-to-normal, the abnormal and, perhaps, a new normal on the horizon.

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Jupiter’s Legacy

Intergenerational conflict is never easy. And it’s even harder when those involved have super powers.

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The Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast certainly has some worthy elements in its mix. But beware: This mosquito bites.

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Family watching TV

The Plugged In Show, Episode 76: What Hollywood Says About Family and Parenting

Ever since the first motion-picture camera started rolling, the entertainment industry has been fascinated by the family.

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This picture of a Korean-American family includes mom, dad, two kids and grandma.

Minari

Minari is deeply rooted in the earth, a wellspring of both hope and pain, of boundless promise and terrifying disaster.

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An elderly man sits in a chair and talks to his middle-aged daughter.

The Father

The Father, of course, is a very sad movie, one that mercilessly marches through the realities of fading by inches.

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We see four men of Middle Eastern descent standing in front of a house.

Limbo

Limbo is both silly and serious, delightful and, at times, despairing. That’s not an easy mix to get right.

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In this scene from 'Tom Clancy's Without Remorse,' a man with a gun lurks behind a wall full of bullet holes.

Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse

This film hooks into themes of a dangerous man grievously wronged and looking for some terminal retribution.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 75: A Journey into ‘Nomadland’

When people learn what I do, they think it must be great watching movies for a living. But the perk isn’t seeing movies. It’s being able to talk about them.

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Archibald’s Next Big Thing is Here!

Archibald’s Next Big Thing Is Here migrates to Peacock as it mixes laughs and mild groans.

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Was That the Weirdest Oscars Ever?

Last night, from the opening monologue to the closing credits, the Oscars felt … different.

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