Plugged In

Plugged In is a publication from Focus on the Family that aims to illuminate the realm of popular entertainment while providing families with the necessary resources to understand, navigate, and influence the culture around them. Through our reviews, articles, and discussions, we strive to inspire thoughtful reflection, spiritual development, and adherence to the message of Colossians 2:8, which advises against being misled by empty philosophies that rely on human traditions instead of Christ. Each month, over a million visitors turn to Plugged In for comprehensive insights into the content of popular movies, videos, TV shows, songs, and games. While entertainment industry ratings offer some information, we delve deeper, exploring specific themes and their significance. Our award-winning website also features news updates and blogs to keep our audience informed.

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America's Pastime: Six Great Movies About Baseball

1 day ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

“Love is the most important thing in the world,” Yogi Berra once said, “but baseball is pretty good, too.”And sure enough, it is. While baseball might not be the draw it once was, it’s still considered America’s pastime. And when you look at our language, even people who’ve never picked up a bat still use its lingo. When a prospective dating partner turns us down, we strike out. When we write a dynamite proposal, we hit a home run.
Episode 289: The Power of Music in Movies. Plus the Nintendo Switch 2

2 days ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

We tend to think of movies as a visual experience. We watch movies, we say. But what we hear in them can be just as important. A movie’s music can make a titanic difference in how we watch—and in a way, what we see. “When you write a theme, one of the things you want to do is … see how much life it really has,” composer Hans Zimmer once said. “How many possibilities there are. Can it speak to you in joy? Can it speak to you in sorrow? Can it be love? Can it be hate?
Episode 288: The Scary Science of Screen Time. Plus, Bono’s ‘Stories of Surrender’

1 week ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

Screens are bad. It seems like we hear that all the time. But are they? Sure, screens can be bad. But really, the message is more like, screens are powerful. They influence us and our children in myriad ways. And that influence usually depends on how, and how much, we use them. But don’t take my word for it.
Episode 287: Lilo & Stitch. Plus, AI in Entertainment and Technology

2 weeks ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

In 2002, the world was introduced to Experiment 626—a blue, toothy and near-indestructible monster that was supposed to be exiled to a desert asteroid. But he ends up in Hawaii instead. A little girl mistakes the alien for a dog and names him Stitch. And, as you might expect, chaotic and ultimately heartwarming hijinks ensue. Disney’s film Lilo & Stitch ultimately earned $273.1 million worldwide back then.
How Is Artificial Intelligence Using … You?

2 weeks ago | pluggedin.com | Bob Hoose

Artificial intelligence is the topic of the day. Everybody is chatting about it and wondering how it will soon be stitched into the tapestry of our lives. But there’s one AI topic thread that you may not be thinking about or talking about over your morning cup of joe: What is AI borrowing from you and using right now? Yes, indeedy. We rarely think about how AI uses the information that we didn’t know we were offering.
Episode 286: Is Summertime Screen Time? Plus, Christian YouTubers

3 weeks ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

I don’t know what the weather is like where you live. But at Plugged In’s Colorado headquarters, it’s pretty beautiful. The sun is shining, the trees are leafing out, the temperature is creeping up into the 70s. Yep, summertime is almost upon us. And for kids and teens, that just might mean spending the next two months inside, staring at screens. I know, I know. That sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? But it’s true.
Movie Monday: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Lands Another Box-Office Punch

3 weeks ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

New name, same old results. Last Monday, Thunderbolts* kinda-sorta changed its name to The New Avengers thus explaining the original name’s asterisk and generating a whole new swathe of publicity in one fell swoop. But at Plugged In, we’re sticking with Thunderbolts*. So it’s only fitting that the movie’s performance also looks awfully familiar. Thunderbolts* once again won the weekend’s box-office crown.
Episode 285: Of Handmaids’ Tales and Hunger Games: The Downside of Dystopian Dramas

1 month ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

We love it when things go bad. Or, at least, we love it in our entertainment. The Last of Us is one of Max’s most acclaimed dramas. Ditto The Handmaid’s Tale over on Hulu. Sunrise on the Reaping—the latest book in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games saga—sold more than 1.5 million copies in its first week. Some psychologists will tell you that dystopian stories can help us process our own fears and gloomy futures in a safe space.
Three Surprisingly Christian Themes Found in ‘Thunderbolts*’

1 month ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

“The worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself,” philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote. And so it is in Thunderbolts*. Sure, the film (now called The New Avengers, if one takes Marvel’s publicity stunt at its word) has plenty of other ne’er-do-wells. Embattled CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is plotting and scheming. A titanic bad guy is said to be as strong as all the Avengers rolled into one. Even our heroes have been villains a time or two. But how did they become villains?
Movie Monday: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Strikes Paydirt

1 month ago | pluggedin.com | Paul Asay

Are the Thunderbolts heroes? To Marvel and Disney, they sure are. For decades, the Marvel Cinematic Universe felt invulnerable. Practically every film would fly into theaters, bask in audience applause and collect enough money to buy half of Denmark. But the franchise has looked almost human lately: Sure, it still reliably lands its films at the top of our Movie Monday countdown, but fans have lamented their quality. The MCU was beginning to look a little soft.