Plugged In Entertainment Reviews

This cartoon feels more like Futurama than classic Star Trek. And for families, that’s not necessarily a good thing.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/star-trek-lower-decks/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

How do you handle the isolation of headphones in your kid’s world?Tech Guide: https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

Lecrae’s latest effort is full of grace, honesty and a powerful invitation to embrace the God who loves us.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/lecrae-restoration/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

Candace and her siblings band together, serve justice to the alien invaders and save the world.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/phineas-and-ferb-the-movie-candace-against-the-universe-2020/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

The live action version of #Mulan on Disney+ tells the tale of the eldest daughter of an honored warrior who steps in to disguise herself as a boy and take the place of her ailing father. But will this version have all the family friendly charm of its animated original? Look to Plugged In to keep you posted on all the new sword-swinging, arrow-shooting details.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/mulan-2020/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

The Transformers franchise keep chugging along, but there’s some bumps in this particular installment.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/transformers-war-for-cybertron/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

Need some help with your kid’s screens?Tech Guide: https://pluggedin.focusonthefamily.com/tech-guide/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

Perry’s latest has a lot to Smile about, but it’s not all smiles and rainbows.Read the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/album-reviews/smile/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

This lovely film’s minor blemishes don’t mar the positive, family-friendly lessons at the heart of this unfettered storyRead the Review: https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/one-and-only-ivan-2020/If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey

In the new Christopher Nolan film #Tenet a CIA operative is recruited by a mysterious organization to participate in an assignment that unfolds beyond real time. Will you want to invest your family's next movie night in this potential blockbuster? Look to Plugged In to give you a review that’s both revealing and well worth your time.

Like a closeup of the bags under Waldorf’s eyes, Disney+’s new take on the Muppets has some unsightly wrinkles.

Does this online battle royale contest solve the genre’s biggest problems?

Miley’s single again. And, apparently, she’s loving living life on her terms … and loving whoever she wants to.

The Sleepover brims with violence and toilet humor that some parents will likely want to steer younger kiddos away from.

The new Christian movie Tulsa, now playing in Regal theaters, is about a precocious 9-year-old foster child named after that Oklahoma city. He mom’s died, but Tulsa’s got picture of guy she thinks is her father. Working with a foster care rep, they find him.

This Peacock kids’ show isn’t exactly out of this world, but it contains a few simple lessons that shine.

Ready for a new app that might even be a positive influence?

Former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker offers a mixed prescription for dealing with this moment’s anxieties.

Despite its feel-good messages about friendship and perseverance, The High Note still hits some low notes, too

#WordsonBathroomWalls features a young guy diagnosed with a mental disease who hopes to follow his dreams, and maybe just find love, too. Will this be a romantic dream pic for movie night or something closer to a nightmare? Plugged In will make sure you know what sort of bathroom wall content this pic might contain.

This Apple TV+ original is sweet and celebrates the power of community. But it comes with some not-so-little problems.

How do you protect your kids from that TV in their pocket?

The Grammy winner turns away from dark confessionalism and infuses her new single with jazz, R&B and hope.

While there’s a lot to like here, there’s also plenty that might leave you feeling a little off beat.

In the new movie The Secret Garden, now available through major streaming outlets, we meet a young orphan named Mary Lennox. It’s 1947 in India, and 10-year-old Mary’s wealthy parents have died. So Mary returns to England to live with her stern widower uncle, Lord Archibald Craven. There, she meets Lord Craven’s disabled son, Colin. Despite Lord Craven’s strict rules, headstrong Mary, Colin and another friend soon discover a magical garden that promises healing and wholeness for the broken children.

This preschool-aimed show is packed with an extensive vocabulary, bright colors and fun music.

What should you do if you gave your kid social media too early?

You might even think of this western tale as a blending of the not-so-Wild West with a Hallmark special.

In the new movie Animal Crackers, now streaming on Netflix, Owen Huntington inherits a run-down circus from his Uncle Bob. There’s a burned-up tent, discouraged performers and a few animals. Owen’s on the verge of saying goodbye to the family’s circus when a clown named Chesterfield tells him a secret: His uncle left a box of magical animal crackers, too. Eat one, and you’ll transform into the animal you just gobbled up. This could change everything! Animal Crackers delivers some nice messages about family. And a lot of toilet humor along with one mild profanity. For those reasons, we’re giving Animal Crackers a 3.5 out of 5.0 for family friendliness.

The show addresses issues faced by many a middle schooler–but not in ways that their parents might approve of.

How do you deal with a screen the school hands out?

Kane Brown is joined by Swae Lee and Khalid on this feel good song with a handful of not-so-feel-good moments.

Think of it as a poor-man’s Minions cartoon with a lot less, well, funny stuff.

In the new Netflix sequel The Kissing Booth 2, viewers are reunited with teen lovers Elle and Noah, who first connected romantically two years ago. Now, Noah’s off to Harvard, while Elle’s navigating her senior year of high school. She misses her man desperately, and she fears he may be seduced by more experienced women at college. Soon, though, Elle’s got a new problem—a newcomer named Marco who’s providing Elle with a tempting possibility of her own. But there’s more. Elle wants to join Noah at Harvard. But her only chance is winning a dance competition with Marco as her partner. Talk about teen drama. The Kissing Booth 2 is rated TV-14. But this Netflix movie’s teen characters act more like they’re 28. Physical intimacy is a given. Consequences of that activity are nowhere in sight. And while we don’t actually see a lot of it, there’s no question what’s happening here between Elle and Noah, as well as other characters (including some same gender pairings). Profanity, underage drinking and completely clueless parents add to this movie’s many concerns, especially since it’s definitely targeting a young teen audience. For those reasons, we’re giving The Kissing Booth 2 a 1 out of 5 for family friendliness.

Sure, these high schoolers sometimes have to take down the bad guys. But they’re more about lifting up each other.

What guidelines work best for young kids and screens?

The group detests injustice. But it doesn’t deliver a redemptive alternative in this pulverizing collection of metal tracks.

Comes with a few controversies, but it’s also a heartwarming tale.

The new movie Radioactive, now streaming online, paints a portrait of Marie Curie. As the 19th century rolled into the 20th, this Polish-born French researcher met and married fellow scientist Pierre Curie. Together, they discovered the elements radium and polonium. Their work, of course, formed the foundation for advances such as the X-ray machine and cancer treatment, as well as paving the way for the atomic bomb. That’s the stuff of textbooks. But Radioactive also takes us behind the scenes of that story. What we see is a woman whose passionate stubbornness is almost her undoing. Marie cares little for what others think of her. But Pierre quietly helps Marie channel her passion in positive ways. Together, they make a dynamic radioactive duo that will lead to not just one, but two Nobel Prizes for Marie. Speaking of passion, we see a surprising amount of the physical kind on display here for a PG-13 film, both in Marie’s relationship with Pierre and in an affair she has after Pierre is tragically killed in an accident. Some violent images of World War I get screen time, too, as do the Curies’ deteriorating health due to radiation sickness. For those reasons, we’re giving Radiation a 2.0 out of five for family friendliness.

PJ Masks may not inspire kiddos to go to bed on time, but at least it teaches them about being kind and helping others.

What do you need to know about the top social media video apps?

This album isn’t what you’d expect, especially when you see it labeled as explicit.

The biggest issue with this robo-drama is the completely unnecessary foul language in its memory bank.

In new movie First Cow, now streaming online, we meet two guys who don’t fit the profile of adventurous pioneers. Otis Figowitz is a cook for a group of rough and tumble trappers in Oregon in the early 1800s. He’s a quiet, reflective type—in contrast to the boisterous hunters he serves. Otis soon meets an Chinese entrepreneur named King Lu who’s seeking his fortune on the West Coast. Together they form an unlikely friendship and business relationship baking for the group they serve. Now, about that cow in the movie’s title. There’s exactly one milk cow in the region. And Otis and King Lu must steal its milk to cook for the men who love the food they’re making. Now, that may not sound like the plot for an edge-of-your-seat action movie. And … it isn’t. There are no explosions or firefights or battling robots here—though we do see a couple of fist fights along the way. Instead, what First Cow offers viewers is a quiet reflection on the virtues of friendship. Some profanities get lobbed about in this PG-13 indie film, but that’s as bad as things ever get here. For those reasons, we’re giving First Cow a three out of five for family friendliness.

Central Park probably isn’t the show you want to be central to your family.

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Kanye West calls out to God to change us and guide us with His spirit.

Feel the Beat is a predictable-but-sweet story about the value of self-worth, the need for selflessness and the beauty of family.

The new movie Greyhound, now streaming on Apple TV+, stars Tom Hanks as the captain of a Navy destroyer in World War 2. His assignment? Escorting supply ships across the Atlantic to protect them from Germany’s lurking U-boat submarines. Captain Krause is a man of deep character whose life is marked by faith and prayer. He walks the bridge of his ship until his feet literally bleed. But speaking of blood, we don’t see too much of that in this intense-but-restrained PG-13 war movie. A lone harsh profanity is the worst of it, content-wise. So we’re giving Greyhound a three out of five for family friendliness

It’s all supposed to be funny … but it’s not.