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.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

Disney revives another archived franchise—welcome back, Emilio Estevez!—featuring new underdog athletes.

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Resurrection

Resurrection packs a visual and narrative punch that few Easter Sunday readings can match.

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Deadly Illusions

An inescapably trashy movie, with no greater goal than to shock and titillate and further define the word salacious.

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The Plugged In Show, Episode 70: Raya, the Last Dragon and Dealing with Mythology in the Movies

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 70 Disney’s latest might be titled Raya and the Last Dragon, but that dragon surely won’t be the last we see at the movies. Screens are positively teeming with dragons, fairies, and other creatures pulled from myt …

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Calls

While it does sidestep some issues, it amplifies others. And those latter parts make this an easy call for us to make.

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Jesus Films: Where to Stream the Story of Christ in Time for Easter

Sometimes, it’s cool to see the life of Jesus through someone else’s eyes. And when we watch a movie about Him, that’s exactly what we do.

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Tom Hanks and a little girl ride across 1800s Texas in News of the World.

News of the World

News of the World speaks to the difficulties of relationship, of crossing cultural boundaries to truly meet people and earn their trust.

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Savages

This movie’s title is telling: The bad guys are savage. The good guys are savage. But the most brutal, horrific, savage thing of all is the movie itself.

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The Plugged In Movie Awards 2021: And the Winners Are …

Come right in, sit yourself down and prepare for the official unveiling of the Plugged In Movie Awards.

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Genius: Aretha

Heavy lies the crown, even when it rests on the Queen of Soul’s brow.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is less magical than WandaVision, but more violent and vulgar.

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We see a lineup of the six superheroes in Justice League.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

It’s bloodier. More profane. Its quasi-spirituality can be perplexing. And then there’s this: It’s just a darker movie.

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Alpha Betas

This YouTube series takes its name from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. But the content earns this show an F.

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The Oscar Noms Are Out (and Some are Surprisingly Clean)

You can tell powerful stories without shellacking them in problematic content. And some of this year’s Best Picture nominees prove it.

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Two doctors talk in a hospital.

New Amsterdam

Can’t say that New Amsterdam is harmless. But it wants to heal, too.

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