Galaxies are, by definition, pretty big things. But one particular galaxy—that of the Star Wars franchise—just keeps getting bigger.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is Star Wars’ latest addition. It takes viewers to a time 100 years before the Empire, when the Jedi were still the galaxy’s coolest cops. But underneath all that peace and prosperity, trouble is brewing. And at the center of the cauldron? A former Jedi apprentice named Osha, suspected of killing a Jedi master or two.

The Acolyte is plenty spiritual, but that’s nothing new for Star Wars. After we unpack the show for you, we’ll launch into a broader conversation about the theology of Star Wars. Our own Kennedy Unthank wrote a blog on the subject, and he, Adam Holz and I discuss The Acolyte, the franchise and just what the coolest spaceship in the Star Wars galaxy is.

Then, Adam will sit down with Luke Dimyan and George H. Xanthis, who play Judas and John in The Chosen series. It’s a fascinating conversation you won’t want to miss.

And then, we’d love it if you chose to talk with us for a bit. Leave us a missive on Facebook or Instagram. Write us a letter at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our Plugged In Show homepage. You can even try to send us a message via the Force—but we can’t guarantee we’d get it.

And then be sure to listen to our show next week, when we talk about Inside Out 2. You won’t want to miss that conversation, either.

The post Episode 238: ‘The Acolyte’ and the Theology of Star Wars. Plus, an Interview with Judas and John of ‘The Chosen’ appeared first on Plugged In.

When people ask what drew me to Plugged In, I have one answer at the ready. I just love counting swear words. But if I had to give another answer, it’d be simply this: Entertainment is important. It influences how we feel, how we think and even what we believe.

For me, the intersection between entertainment and faith is one of my job’s most interesting wrinkles. I’ve written, and talked, a lot about how secular movies can sometimes echo spiritual, even Christian themes. They can obviously teach plenty of other belief systems and worldviews, too (concepts that I’ve been exploring for Focus on the Family’s website). My cohort, Kennedy Unthank, dives deep into spiritual issues in his excellent “Theology of” series on our blog, as well.

So perhaps it’s not a huge surprise that we both wrote about how faith and entertainment intersect in different chapters of Plugged In’s book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family.

Kennedy and I hang out with host Adam Holz to talk about the book, belief and how the latter influences—and is influenced by—entertainment and technology. I had fun talking about these issues, and I hope you’ll have fun listening.

And speaking of faith and entertainment, we examine a very specific example of both when Kennedy talks about the Netflix show Testament: The Story of Moses. Does it stick to the biblical script? Or does it get lost in the desert? We’ll tell you.

But no conversation we have is complete without input from you. How has entertainment impacted your own beliefs? How have your beliefs impacted how you see entertainment? Have you watched Netflix’s take on Moses? Do you want to? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram. Or by sending us an email. Or by leaving a voicemail on The Plugged In Show homepage. We’re all ears.

And then get ready for next week’s episode, when we talk about JoJo Siwa’s latest song and Prime Video’s new TV series Fallout.

The post Episode 231: How Entertainment Shapes Our Beliefs. Plus, Netflix’s Testament: The Story of Moses appeared first on Plugged In.

The doc: What Jennifer Did. It’s the sordid story of a young woman (Jennifer Pan) who allegedly spearheaded a plot to kill her own parents. (Her mother was killed during an attack on the Pan home; her father survived and says that he saw Jennifer walking around the home, unbound, talking with the attackers.)

Jennifer and her three alleged co-conspirators were convicted of the crimes, though all have appealed the decision. But Netflix’s 90-minute documentary—currently one of the streaming service’s most popular films—unpacks the alleged plot in chilling detail, leaving perhaps little doubt in the viewers’ mind what really happened.

But an interesting thing happened to What Jennifer Did on its way to streaming success: People started taking a closer look at some archival photos of Jennifer and opined they looked a little … off.

“The images that appear around the 28-minute mark of Netflix’s What Jennifer Did, have all the hallmarks of an AI-generated photo,” wrote Futurism’s Victor Tangermann, “down to mangled hands and fingers, misshapen facial features, morphed objects in the background, and a far-too-long front tooth.

The executive producer of What Jennifer Did, Jeremy Grimaldi, offered a denial of sorts: “Any filmmaker will use different tools, like Photoshop, in films,” he told The Toronto Star. “The photos of Jennifer are real photos of her … The foreground is exactly her. The background has been anonymized to protect the source.”

But that did little to quell the controversy, and as the Futurist says in another article, “Questions abound. Did the film’s producers use existing archival images of Pan to generate new ones? Or were AI tools used to edit an existing image? Or do the images look like AI, but actually have another explanation?”

To those questions, we’d add another: Who, and what, are we to trust?

Listen, Plugged In has discussed the unreality of reality TV for a long time now. Unscripted shows feature very scripted premises and contrived dialogue. People on camera play exaggerated versions of themselves. And we still watch because, hey, many viewers like the end product.

But when we enter into the world of documentary—even one as inherently sensational as a true-crime story—viewers presumably go into it with different expectations. We expect the dialogue we hear to be what people actually said. We expect the facts of a case to be, y’know, factual. And we expect that the photos we see on screen are “real.”

But when plenty of us edit our own family photos—to make the skies look bluer or our cheeks look rosier or our families look happier—“real” takes on different connotations within our very own social media feeds. Even removing power lines from an otherwise clear sky still alters what was actually there. In an age when we’re able to “improve” upon reality with just a click or two, why would we assume that documentary creators would necessarily hold themselves to higher standards?

And as AI and photo-manipulation software get better, these problems will get worse. Already, we’ve seen plenty of instances of photos where celebs and politicians appear to do things they never did, and soundbites where they say things they never said. And while hopefully there will always be ways to detect such deepfakes with enough time and energy, society’s trust level has rarely been lower. We’re prone to distrust such instruments of detection, too—and maybe sometimes because we prefer to believe the fakes.

If there’s any solace to all this uncertainty, maybe it’s this: It’s nothing new. Having such a thing as “photographic evidence” is a relatively new development in our culture, and people have always found ways to manipulate it. And while we don’t want to encourage overt cynicism in our children—that’s a recipe for stressed-out kids—we do want to encourage them to ask plenty of questions. It’s important for them not to accept stuff blindly that they see or hear on their screens, be it in a Netflix doc or their own social media feeds. Doctored photos or conversations can ruin friendships—and ruin lives.

Who can we trust? Jesus, always. But be mindful of what He said in Matthew 10:16. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Or, to paraphrase a Russian proverb popularized here by Ronald Reagan, “Trust, but verify.”

The post With AI, ‘Reality Television’ May Become Even More Unreal appeared first on Plugged In.

If you’ve been hanging out with us for a while, you know that we at Plugged In believe entertainment impacts us deeply. It affects what we think, how we feel and even what we believe. But while entertainment influences us mightily, different forms of it influence us in mighty different ways.

Take a favorite song. The tune might just last three minutes. But if we’re in the middle of a painful breakup and that song describes just how we’re feeling, we might listen to that three-minute song about a thousand times during a weekend.

Or consider a video game. Your average shooter might not have the emotional angst of that breakup song. But instead of passively listening to it while we sit in our bedrooms, we’re actively engaged in, y’know, shooting stuff. And we might go on shooting stuff for dozens, or even hundreds, of hours before we move on to the next game.

Both that song and that game impact those of us who engage with it. But each taps into a different part of the brain, plays on different emotions and impacts us in very different ways.

And our strategy for how to deal with those different forms of media needs to be tweaked accordingly, too.

We talk a lot about this dynamic in our new book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family. But we’ve got more to say. Our panel of experts—Bob Hoose, Kristin Smith and Jonathan McKee—joins our host Adam Holz to discuss these different forms of entertainment and the different strategies each requires.

And then, Adam talks with someone who knows all about the influence of entertainment: Christian music superstar Rebecca St. James. She and her equally musical brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone, otherwise known as For King & Country, are the subjects of a new movie called Unsung Hero, which focuses especially on the siblings’ dad, David. Accordingly, St. James talks about the film, her family and how she herself has navigated the sometimes high-pressure entertainment industry.

So join us, will you? Listen to what we have to say. And once we’re done jabbing, take a turn yourself. Let us know what form of entertainment is particularly enticing to you on Facebook, or Instagram, or by sending us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. Or leave us a voicemail on our podcast homepage. And then, get ready for another dynamic Plugged In Show episode next week.

The post Episode 228: How Different Entertainment Forms Influence Us. Plus, a Conversation With Rebecca St. James appeared first on Plugged In.

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry: the Oscars. This year, surprises were few, with Oppenheimer grabbing several of the biggest awards (including Best Picture) and Poor Things nabbing a surprise Best Actress award for Emma Stone (as well as several technical awards).

This week on The Plugged In Show, we’ll talk about the winners, the broadcast and some of the overarching themes we saw in films that were nominated. We’ll also offer some reminders that despite all of that adoring critical acclaim, Oppenheimer and Poor Things in particular have some huge content issues to be aware of.

And in our second segment, Kristin Smith tells us about a new animated kids show on Netflix called Dee & Friends in Oz. Will families find this rebooted take on the Emerald Kingdom to be a magical one? Take a listen and find out.   

As always, we’d love to hear from you, too, about what we talk about each week on The Plugged in Show. Did you watch the Oscars this year? And if so, what did you think of the winners that the Academy voters chose to honor?

You can let us know in several different ways: The comments section below is one method. Or shoot us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com. And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts—we might even feature your audio message on a future show. And, of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too.

And if there’s anything else on your mind when it comes to movies and entertainment, pop culture and technology, we’d love to hear what you’re thinking about. We’ll look forward to connecting with you.

The post Episode 225: Reflecting on the Oscars, plus ‘Dee & Friends in Oz’ appeared first on Plugged In.

Introduction to the Franchise

Gotta catch ‘em all.

Well…maybe. Catching every Pokémon is quite the difficult task, and it’s made even more difficult because some of those Pokemon are designed as literal gods. That’s a tall order for a protagonist who isn’t even in his teens.

Of course, when the permanently 10-year-old Ash Ketchum first appeared on televisions around the world in 1997, catching all of “‘em” sounded much more manageable. When Ash first set off into the world of Pokémon with dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master, there were only 151 Pokémon around to catch. (Well, 152, if you count the early appearance of the Second Generation Ho-oh.) As of time of posting, there’s more than 1,000.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon has captured the hearts of many. Its 1,200-episode series (and counting), 24 movies and more than 100 video games can testify to that fact. And even if you’ve never played a game or watched an episode of Pokémon, you’re still probably familiar with a certain yellow electric mouse.

But just as some Pokémon like Pikachu accrue greater popularity than others, so it is that not all Pokémon are created equal in power or stature, either. As Pokémon’s roster has grown, the variety of these “pocket monsters” have grown as well—expanding well beyond the occasional ghost or rock monster. Nowadays, where one Pokémon stands as a literal personification of a god, another is a literal bag of trash (sorry, Trubbish).

And with its ever-growing roster comes a monumental amount of spiritual lore—so much, in fact, that we’ve chosen to cover Pokémon as our next entry into our growing Theology Of … series. Below, we’ll unpack Pokémon’s creation narrative, discuss some people or things of particular importance to the series and introduce you to some of the show’s most notable spiritual themes. Then, we’ll help you think about how those themes either connect or contrast with the Gospel. . And, remember, for reviews of specific Pokémon games, you can search Plugged In’s video game section. We might not have ‘em all, but we have a lot.

So, without further ado, let’s grab a Poké Ball and learn how to capture and teach some of these spiritual themes.

Overarching Spiritual Worldview

In Pokémon, the creation narrative starts with a void of nothingness. And from that void (according to the narrative) came an egg of light, one that hatched to reveal Arceus, a giant white deer-like being. Arceus created the universe, and it made three legendary Pokémon to help it do so. These Pokémon are Palkia, Dialga and Giratina, who were given control over Space, Time and Antimatter, respectively. However, Giratina (Pokémon’s unofficial version of Satan) was banished to another realm when Arceus saw its evil nature.

Other legendary Pokémon were soon created, and they in turn helped make things like the sun, moon and planets. Other legendary Pokémon—Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie—were created as the embodiments of willpower, emotion and knowledge, respectively. Because these three were made, the path was set for life to form—namely, humans and the more common Pokémon. Over time, humans learned how to capture and train Pokémon, logging the creatures’ abilities into reference material such as the Pokédex. And in modern times, it is common to see Pokémon engaged in contests and battles, trained by their human trainers.

Glossary of Important Characters/Topics

Ash Ketchum – Ash is the central protagonist for the vast majority of Pokémon products (especially in TV and movie releases, which we’ll pay special attention to here).The 10-year-old Ash desires to become a Pokémon Master, though the title is rather vague. Ash treats Pokémon with kindness, and he is quick to protect or help any Pokémon in need. Because of this, Ash makes many human and Pokémon friends throughout his journeys. These journeys often include engaging in Pokémon battles in tournaments or defeating villainous teams with nefarious motives. Though Ash catches and uses a lot of different Pokémon, his first Pokémon (and the one to whom he is closest) is Pikachu.

Pikachu – Pikachu is a Pokémon who resembles a yellow rat with a lightning-bolt tail and is capable of attacking with electricity. Pikachu is Ash’s first Pokémon, and the two form a deep bond throughout the course of their travels, often risking their lives for each other.

Jessie, James and Meowth – Jessie and James are two grunt members of Team Rocket, a villainous group of people who want to steal, sell and exploit Pokémon for profit. Just as Ash has Pikachu, the duo’s main Pokémon is Meowth, a talking cat-like Pokémon. In the TV series and elsewhere, they frequently attempt to steal Ash’s Pikachu, and they almost always have their plans foiled. Typically, they’re dealt with in some sort of way that causes them to go flying off into the sky before returning again later.

Villainous Teams – And speaking of villainous teams, there’s actually quite a lot of them. In most of the video games, the player will likely have to take down one of these teams as the central antagonistic group as they attempt to accomplish a nefarious goal. Other than the aforementioned Team Rocket, these teams are:

• Team Magma (appearing in games Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), who desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Groudon in order to expand the landmass of the region through its volcanic powers.
• Team Aqua (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire),who serve as the foil to Team Magma. They desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Kyogre to use its water abilities to sink a lot of land and expand the oceans.
• Team Galactic (Diamond, Pearl and Platinum), who desire to use the space-time powers of Palkia and Dialga to recreate the universe.
• Team Plasma (Black, White, Black 2 and White 2), who believe that Pokémon should be liberated from trainers, even through theft. Later, a schism forms in the group, with the latter group desiring to freeze the region to take all the Pokémon for themselves and rule the land.
• Team Flare (X and Y), who desires to use something called the Ultimate Weapon to “obliterate all life except themselves and start anew.”
• Team Skull (Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who are more of a nuisance than a threat as thugs who just want to make money, sometimes through stealing Pokémon.
• Team Rainbow Rocket (Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who desire to use a specific type of Pokémon called Ultra Beasts to take over the world. This team is made up of the leaders of the other villainous teams from alternate universes where they succeeded in their goals.
• Team Yell (Sword and Shield), who are simply overzealous fans of a rival Pokémon trainer.
• Team Star (Scarlet and Violet), who are university students who bully other students.

Legendary Pokémon – Legendary Pokémon are Pokémon that are “generally featured prominently in the legends and myths of the Pokémon world, with some even going so far as to view them as deities,” according to Bulbapedia, a community-driven Pokémon information site. While most of these Pokémon have immense power, not all of them have power directly related to spiritual concepts. However, some of the more notable legendary Pokémon who are related to spiritual concepts are listed below:

• Arceus and Giratina – Arceus is said to have created the universe, while Giratina stands as Pokémon’s unofficial personification of the devil.
• Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie – these three represent the “spirit of all consciousness,” that being willpower, emotion and knowledge.
• Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres – these three elemental birds are based on mythological birds—the thunderbird, simurgh and phoenix, respectively.
• Lugia and Ho-oh – these two creatures are based on the Shinto god Ryujin and the Chinese phoenix, respectively.
• Cesselia and Enamorus – Cessalia is said to be a sign of hope and good dreams, and a Pokédex entry in Pokémon Legends: Arceus states that it “resembles the heavenly maiden who created the Milky Way. Meanwhile, Enamorus is based on Ugajin, a harvest and fertility god in Japanese mythology.
• Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus – this trio is based on the Shinto spirits Füjin, Raijin and Inari, the gods of wind, lightning and fertility, respectively.
• Zekrom and Reshiram – these two Pokémon represent the concepts of Yin and Yang.
• Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde – while official Pokémon sources don’t say what inspired these Pokémon, many fans believe them to be based on Norse mythology. Regardless, Xerneas and Yveltal respectively represent life and destruction, while Zygarde “monitors the ecosystem,” balancing life and death.
• Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini – these four are based on Hawaiian gods.

Other Spiritual Elements – Some major spiritual elements furthermore take place outside of the aforementioned legendary Pokémon. These include:

• Resurrection – Some characters, including Ash, have died and been brought back to life through various means (including through the tears of Pokémon). Likewise, the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh has resurrected Pokémon before.
• Possession – Ghost Pokémon exist in the game, and many of them can haunt or possess people. In one reviewed episode of the series, Ash is possessed by a ghost Pokémon. Likewise, it is canon to Pokémon that people have souls.
• Aura and Oneness – Aura, or spiritual energy, is present in Pokémon, and some Pokémon are able to channel their aura into power. Likewise, we’ve previously noted how some messages regarding “becoming one with Pokémon” are present in the anime.
• Bond Phenomenon – This occurs “when the trust between the Trainer and the Pokémon reaches maximum,” and the Pokémon gets a lot stronger as a result, according to Bulbapedia. The trainer will feel the pain the Pokémon feels while in battle, and he or she can share the Pokémon’s point of view.
• Ghost, Psychic and Dark types of pokemon – Various Pokémon fall into the category of Ghost, Psychic and Dark (the last of the three literally translates as ‘Evil’) Pokémon. This last classification does not, actually, mean that these Dark Pokémon are inherently evil: Canonically, such temperament is based on the trainer’s methods of bonding with the creatures. However, these types are more likely to do supernatural things (ghost and psychic) or do nefarious things (ghost and dark).

Religion – Some of the Pokémon are canonically worshiped or revered as deities. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, two groups of people argue over whether Palkia or Dialga is the supreme god (with neither group realizing that Arceus is the canonical god). In the games Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a people called the Draconids worshipped the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, and it responded to their prayers at one point. Other Pokémon, like Enamorus, Reshiram and Zekrom are said to have worshippers. Various shrines have been built to other Pokémon, too.

Connecting, And Contrasting, the Gospel

As Pokémon has expanded its roster, it’s also created some spiritual questions for families to ponder. Below, we’ve listed a few topics that you can use to link Pokémon to Christianity.

Intentional God – According to Pokémon lore, Arceus had a beginning, and he created other Pokémon in order to help him create the universe. This starkly contrasts with biblical Christianity. God has no beginning nor end (Isaiah 40:28, John 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:17). Likewise, God did not make other “gods” in order to assist Him in the creation of the world—He was intentionally involved in it, down to the last molecule (Job 38:4-7, John 1:1-5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Revelation 4:11). Our God is one who is intentional, so intentional that He, who created all things, even cares for us (Psalm 8:3-9). And His love for us is such that the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily died in our place to satisfy the wrath of God against our sins—that while we were still enemies of God, He loved and redeemed us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

No Greater Love – Throughout the anime, Ash and Pikachu have an extremely strong relationship. In fact, Ash has frequently risked his life to save Pikachu from dying or being seriously hurt. Jesus tells His disciples that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). And earlier, Jesus confirmed that He would voluntarily lay down His life for His people, thereby proving His love for sinners (John 10:7-18, Romans 5:8). All those who are in Christ are reconciled to God and are made righteous by His blood. Christians no longer need to fear death, as they, like Christ, will be raised with Him into eternal life (Isaiah 53:10-12, Ephesians 1:7-14, 1 Corinthians 15).

Good Versus Evil – Ash (and, in the video games, the player character) battles against various villainous organizations that hurt people and Pokémon to achieve their goals. Clear villains are often depicted in Pokémon, and their deeds are likewise seen as evil. And the spiritual reality in our world is that, according to God’s holy standard of what is good, we are evil, too (Genesis 6:5 and 8:21, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Mark 7:21-23, Ephesians 2:3). Because our God loves goodness and justice, He would be perfectly righteous to condemn us for the wicked deeds we have done. But our God is also merciful, which is why He has provided Jesus Christ as a substitutionary sacrifice in our place who takes the payment for our sins and, with His righteousness, sets us free from sin and death (Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2:12-13, Colossians 1:21-23, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 15-16).

Conclusion

We hope that this serves as a helpful primer for parents looking to understand the spirituality presented in Pokémon so that you can be equipped with the knowledge you need to lead into a gospel conversation or to decide whether the franchise is for you.

The post The Theology Of … Pokémon appeared first on Plugged In.

You never know what kids are going to get into. Turn your back for a minute, and you’ll discover that they’ve emptied the trashcan all over the kitchen floor. Or they’re giving the cat a bath in the toilet. Or they’re strapping on a bedsheet in preparation to parachute out a window.

Television might not be perfect, but at least kids are relatively safe when they’re watching it. No harm in sitting them in front of a nice, innocent kids’ show for a few minutes, right?

Well, you might want to think again. Parents are finding that some of today’s kids’ shows aren’t quite so innocuous.

Oh, they might steer clear of swear words and bloody violence. But worldview issues? Lifestyles that moms and dads might not be ready to discuss with their children yet? Few parental filters will eliminate those sorts of concerns. As a recent controversy over CoComelon Lane illustrates (where a toddler’s two dads encourage him to wear a tutu and tiara), even the most innocent of children’s shows can pose problems for families.

What’s a parent to do? Our team tackles that ticklish topic in our first segment.

And in our second segment, we’ll introduce you to a shiny new feature on the Plugged In website. We call it On the Radar, and it’s designed to unpack the day’s biggest entertainment and pop culture headlines, tell you why it’s important and how you can use it to spark discussion or change in your own family. Want to see what it’s all about? We’ll post the feature every Saturday on our blog, and you can check out our latest installment here.

We want your thoughts to be on our radar, too! Tell us what you think about the state of kids’ television these days—and relate a story where you were surprised by a seemingly innocent TV show. We want to hear what you think of our new feature, too. Tell us below in the comments section. Talk to us on Facebook and Instagram. Send us an email at team@thepluggedinshow.com Or leave us a voicemail on our homepage.

And next week, be sure to check out The Plugged In Show to hear us talk all about romcoms—the best, the worst and how they impact us.

The post The Plugged In Show, Episode 220: Navigating Children’s Television Landmines appeared first on Plugged In.

But lately, we’ve been seeing a few bits of entertainment try to pull us in without shouting, or even saying, a word.

Silent entertainment is nothing new, of course. In movie history’s earliest days, there was nothing but silent movies to choose from. And every now and then, a new truly silent film will, ironically, get audiences buzzing. The Artist—a mostly silent movie about a silent film actor trying to make the transition to talkies—won a Best Picture Oscar in 2012.

But recently, I’ve “heard” more silence on screens than usual. 

Let’s begin with Echo, Disney+’s newest Marvel show.

Oh, Echo is noisy, no question: It’s a superhero story, after all. So the television speakers are alive with the sounds of explosions and exposition and hammering instrumental music. But the show’s deaf protagonist never says a word: She signs. Her friends sign back. That makes Echo quieter than many a Marvel show—and makes it stand out from Disney+’s increasingly crowded Marvel landscape. (‘Course, it stands out for far less positive reasons, too, but you can go to our review for that.)

But 2023 saw a couple of even quieter entertainment options land on the big or small screen. The PG-13-rated No One Will Save You, a science fiction flick that made some noise on Hulu last September, featured only about five words of real dialogue during its 90-minute timeframe. It didn’t need them: Strange and gripping, No One Will Save You’s silence spoke volumes.

In December, legendary action director John Woo rolled out Silent Night, a hard R-rated thriller featuring a mute protagonist and some incredibly quiet characters. The film was certainly not one I’d recommend, given the blood and violence we see. But story-wise, the gimmick kinda worked. It forced Woo and his team to tell a coherent story without even a page of dialogue—and that forced some unexpected creativity from them.

And while we’ve not reviewed it yet, Robot Dreams—a potential Best Oscar contender for Best Animated Feature—is reportedly free of significant dialogue too. (Though according to the trailer, it apparently has a nice retro soundtrack.)

Let’s be honest: Very often, these departures from the cinematic norm—effective or no—are also kinda gimmicky. A movie’s very silence can do the same thing as shouting, “Look at me!” We’re inherently attracted to the new, the different, the unusual. In a noisy world, silence stands out.

And maybe that’s worth reflecting on. Because outside the realm of entertainment, the practice of silence goes well beyond gimmickry. It can be an important tool in our spiritual toolbox.

Just as in our movies, silence in real life is counterintuitive. In our brand-conscious society and our social media-crammed days, we sometimes feel like we need to say something about everything—from the latest political scandal to what we had for breakfast. And listen, I know that I’m a symptom of that very dynamic. I write my reviews. I talk on our podcast. I am very happy to tell you exactly what I think about just about everything. I’m adding to the noise daily. And let’s be honest: If I just stopped doing all those things, I’d not be employed at Plugged In for very long.

But I’m mindful that, historically, our faith has placed more emphasis on listening than talking. More on silence than noise.

The Bible is filled with exhortations to speak less and listen more. “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back,” we read in Proverbs 29:11. In Psalm 141:3, the psalmist prays, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” Habakkuk 2:20 reminds us that silence is a form of deep respect: “The LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.” And God Himself commands us in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Medieval monks often practiced the art of silence, believing the practice helped keep them from worldly entanglements and allowed them to hear the still, small voice of God better. In 400 A.D., Alexandria Patriarch Theophilus wrote, “Monks—if they wish to be what they are called—will love silence and the Catholic faith, for nothing at all is more important than these two things.”

It’s hard to find real silence these days. And many of us would be scared to even look for it. If it’s too quiet in the car, we flip on some music. If a conversation lapses into silence, we scramble to say something. Quiet is a rare, oft-unwanted thing.

But as some cinematic stories suggest, that might make quiet all the more powerful, all the more impactful. And it might be worth working some silence into your own personal or familial days now and then. We live in a noisy world. To hear God’s still, small voice today takes effort. But that effort seems well worth it.

The post In a World of Noise, Silence Sometimes Speaks Loudest appeared first on Plugged In.

And in something of an unexpected twist, a couple of them even feature the birth of Christ.

That makes 2023 something of an outlier. You’d think the original Christmas story would be more popular for moviemakers. I mean, it has a lot of raw material to work with: evil kings. Political intrigue. A family on the run. Cute animals. But while the entertainment industry fills our stockings with plenty of cinematic Christmas gifts (co-mingled with coal) come December, most steer clear of the Nativity story.

That said, moviemakers haven’t completely avoided the subject. And while families in the mood for a Nativity movie don’t have a lot to choose from, the pickings are surprisingly diverse.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at seven movies, shows and specials about the original Christmas story that offer a little something for everyone.

We’ll start with The Nativity Story from 2006.

Made just a couple of years after The Passion of the Christ, The Nativity Story tried to feel as real and as reverent as Mel Gibson’s R-rated record-breaker. While it didn’t have quite the box-office success that The Passion had (The Nativity Story earned $46.4 million worldwide), it still might be one of the most realistic depictions of the original Christmas story ever captured on film. Starring a young Oscar Isaac as Joseph and Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary (she’d been nominated for an Oscar for her work in Whale Rider a few years before), The Nativity Story gives viewers a sense of what it might be like for a scared, pregnant teen to find a safe place to give birth in a most hostile land. Oh, and her baby just would happen to be the Son of God. (The Nativity Story is available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video for free with a premium subscription.)

But maybe you’re looking for an older treatment of the Nativity story. Much older. And shorter. For those, I give you The Star of Bethlehem, a 15-minute silent film from 1912, making it practically as old as King Herod. This is apparently merely a fragment of the original film, which allegedly had a 106-minute running time. If you watch it, you’ll see that the movie shows its age. The special effects aren’t exactly up to the standards of today’s CGI. And a Plugged In reviewer back in the day might wonder why the film spent quite so much time at Herod’s debaucherous party. Still, as a historical piece, the film might be worth a look. In fact, we’ll just include it below.

For those who like a little more singing and dancing with their Nativity story, check out the oddly charming Journey to Bethlehem.

In my review, I characterized it as the original Christmas Story meets High School Musical, and that won’t be for everyone’s tastes. But for me, it worked. The story is really that of two great romances: that of Joseph and Mary, and that of God for His creation. (The movie is still out in select theaters, but you can also rent it on a number of streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Amazon and Google Play, for $9.99.)

Want a little less singing and a few more animated animals? You might want to check out 2017’s The Star. While the movie is a comedy, Adam Holz tells us that it’s a respectful one. “This film tells an imaginative and sweet version of Jesus’ birth—from the point of view of animals—while remaining faithful to the biblical narrative,” he writes. Oh, and one cannot overlook the voice talents that participated in the production: Zachary Levi and Gina Rodriguez voice Joseph and Mary, respectively, while Christopher Plummer, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Patricia Heaton, Mariah Carey and many others lend a hand. (You can watch this feature for free on Prime Video.)

Boaz the Donkey (voiced by Steven Yeun) is the animal star of The Star. But he’s far from the only donkey to take center stage in Christmas films. I’d be remiss to not mention two shorter Nativity stories that feature them.

First, there’s Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, a 1977 creation of Rankin/Bass Productions, the same studio that made Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Nestor shares some similarities with our friend Rudolph: He’s ridiculed for his long ears and shunned by all those snooty Romans. But Mary and Joseph take a different view of the beast of burden. And it shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that Nestor’s long ears come in mighty handy before the first Christmas is over. (You can watch it on Amazon Prime, but only if you have the AMC+ extension.)

Just one year later, Disney released The Small One, a 26-minute short featuring another cute little donkey (named, as you might’ve guessed, Small One). He’s old and weak, so he can’t carry loads like the other donkeys can. And he and his young caretaker go through some tough times together. But when a kindly man asks if the donkey’s for sale—he needs a gentle beast to carry his wife into Bethlehem—the story takes a nice turn. (This short is available on Disney+ for free.)

We’ve already read about some unusual takes on the Nativity story. But let me give you one final film that deserves a mention—even though it takes place not in ancient Judea, but contemporary America. The movie is Black Nativity, and it focuses on Langston, a struggling young man who’s forced to spend Christmas with his strict preacher grandfather, Cornell Cobbs and his caring wife, Aretha. Langston is hurting and lost. He’s being pulled toward a dangerous path. It seems like it might take a miracle for him to find his way back—and you know what? He finds it. Starring Oscar winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson alongside Angela Bassett, Tyrese Gibson and Mary J. Blige, Black Nativity is a beautiful powerhouse of a film. (It’s available at Hulu and fuboTV and Sling TV for free, and you can rent it through other streamers for around $4.)

So if you’re kicking back this Christmas, and you’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life one too many times, are done with various iterations of A Christmas Carol and looking for something that talks about the real reason for the season, these seven movies and short films just might fit the manger.

The post Just in Time for Christmas, Here Are Seven Movies About the Birth of Christ appeared first on Plugged In.

We probably covered about 300 shows in 2023, tackling everything from preschool series to gritty adult dramas. And a lot of what we saw was—well, pretty problematic. With so many of television’s most popular shows landing on streaming services—services that typically don’t have any content restrictions on them at all—your TV choices aren’t just multiplying: They’re generally coming with more problems than, perhaps, ever before.

But while the TV landscape can look a little discouraging overall, our Plugged In TV reviewers still uncovered some gems for just about every age group. Here are a few of them.

A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay

(Bentkey; Rated TV-Y)

The first real offering from Daily Wire’s startup family-friendly streaming service Bentkey, A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay feels a bit like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood did back in the day. Joined by her puppet/dog Jasper, Mabel introduces viewers to a bevy of characters and takes them on interesting outings in a gentle, fun way. It’s almost completely free of problematic content. And because Mabel talks directly to her young fans, the show keeps its attention focused squarely on them. In a world of “look at me!” TV—and shows that often beg for attention for all the wrong reasons—that’s a gratifying direction.

Eva the Owlet

(Apple TV+; TV-Y)

Television has its share of shows that teach kids their ABCs or how to count. But Eva the Owlet is geared toward teaching its young viewers a bit of emotional intelligence. Based on the Scholastic book series Owl Diaries, the show Eva the Owlet focuses on the precocious youngster and her friends as they flap into mild adventures in Treetopington. Eva processes her own thoughts and feelings through diary entries. Those entries, as noted by our reviewer Kennedy Unthank, just might help a “young audience how to process their own feelings, too. … And that just may be worth a hoot and a holler.”

Loki

(Disney+; TV-14)

It’s been a difficult year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Marvelsbombed. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did just fine, but let’s be honest: Disney wants more than “just fine” from its Marvel franchise. But on the small screen, the second season of Loki proved to be far more than fine. The character arc took one of Marvel’s most memorable villains and watched him become one of its most poignant heroes. This show definitely comes with plenty of caveats: It’s violent; it’s filled with gods and magic; and the characters often swear. One of its stars, Jonathan Majors, was recently convicted of domestic violence. And let’s be honest—the show’s time-shifting conceit can get downright puzzling. But for mature audiences who can navigate its issues, Loki offers a satisfying story arc featuring a sinner who finds “glorious purpose” not in cosmic domination, but in sacrifice.

Mech Cadets

(Netflix; TV-Y7)

Stanford Yu has wonted to be a Robo Mech pilot since he was 5 years old—a pilot just like his dad was. But he knows firsthand how hard it can be to become one, and how dangerous it can be once you’re there. Based on a series of graphic novels by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, Mech Cadets comes with a Transformers-like vibe, but without many of the content problems that the more recent Transformers shows have had. And while this kid-oriented Netflix show isn’t going to solve our world’s problems, Stanford and his peers do a good job of trying to save theirs. And that’s enough to keep this show flying.

Saturdays

(Disney+, TV-G)

Childhood nostalgia is big in the world of television comedy. Happy Days, from the 1970s, struck gold by looking back to the 1950s. The Wonder Years from 1988 explored the late 1960s and early 1970s. And Disney+’s Saturdays casts a fond glance backward to 1990s roller-skating rinks. But the show isn’t just set in the past: Saturdays proudly embraces the formula that made Disney sitcoms from the 1990s and early 2000s so successful: Precocious teens; engaged adults; important life lessons at the end. While Saturdays isn’t completely free of problems, this Disney+ show reminds us of the good old days—and insists that “good” never goes out of style.

The post Top Television 2023: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks appeared first on Plugged In.