My husband and I are usually very selective as far as what we allow ourselves to watch, whether that be on television or the big screen. Though there have been times we have unknowingly ended up in awkward situations with this type of thing, we have only ourselves to blame. That is because we have found a great tool to guide us in our decision making these days. This “tool” comes in the form of a website, www.pluggedinonline.com. First, I’ll give a little background information on this Web site.
Plugged-In is a branch of an organization called Focus on the Family. The founder and chairman of Focus on the Family is a man named Dr. James Dobson. Dobson is very qualified to head up something of this sort, as he has had years of experience in a variety of areas. Dobson was an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics for 14 years, served at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles for 17 years, he has a PhD in Childhood Development from the University of California, he is a licensed psychologist, and he has written many, many books, which have quickly become best sellers. All of these things are only in addition to his regular radio broadcasts. These radio broadcasts are actually how the website was “born.” The Focus on the Family radio broadcasts began in 1977, and are somewhat of an umbrella, so to speak, for the other ministries under it. All ministries, of course, are basically geared toward the idea of having a godly family life.
Plugged-In is a very thorough, well put together website, aimed at informing families or individuals on what to expect from various sources of entertainment, such as movies, television, and CDs. When you first sign on to the Web site’s homepage, it actually appears much like the front cover of a magazine, recapping several things that you can click on to find out more detailed information. For example, the homepage usually highlights the new movie and DVD releases of the current week, shows you a few lines of articles written on an assortment of topics, and even has a “culture clips” section, containing an overview of a relevant topic. And at the top of the page, there are five other page tabs you can click on, including “Movies,” “Video/DVD,” “Music,” “Television,” and “About Us.
As previously mentioned, the thing my husband and I like to use this website for most is for movie reviews. We like to know what to expect from a movie, before we pay such high prices at our local movie theater. This way, we can either decide to go see something else all together, or we can at least be prepared ahead of time and discuss our options. In order to read a movie’s review, simply click on the “Movies” tab at the top of the home page. Once you’re in the “Movies” screen, you actually have quite a few options. On your left will be a list of the “Box Office Top 10.” If the movie you’re looking for is in that category, you can access the site’s review from there, simply by clicking on the movie’s title. This is also a good way to know the general public’s opinion of the movie, which may or may not have an effect on your own opinion. In the middle section of the page, you will find a list of new movies with short recaps of the movies. Just click “read” and you will quickly navigate to the full review of the movie. Finally, on the right side of the page, you will see another list, titled “Also in Theaters,” which includes the majority of movies, if not all of the movies, that are currently playing. If for some reason you do not find the movie you’re looking for in any of these 3 categories, there is also a helpful sort tool (on the bottom left portion of the page), where you can look any movie alphabetically (this will work for both movies in theaters or on video/DVD).
After you have selected the movie you wish to read a review on, you will see a very helpful and easy-to-read review, broken down into nine very detailed categories. First, there will be a summary section, which will give the basic story line of the movie. Next is the “positive elements” section, which of course lists any positive elements in the movie. I have found that this section almost always has something in it, no matter how small or insignificant to the movie. So if you’re reading a review of a movie and, under “positive elements,” you simply read “none,” you probably need to stay as far away from that movie as possible! The next heading is “spiritual content,” which lists anything positive or negative in the movie, having to do with any kind of spiritual aspect. The next paragraph is titled “sexual content,” which may list anything from vulgar dress, to visual sexual content, to off center or crude remarks. This section is very thorough, and should definitely help parents especially to discern whether or not it is appropriate for their children to view. Next, there is “violent content.” This is also very thorough and includes all types of violence, implied or acted out, in the movie. Then, you will see “crude or profane language.” This is very specific, as often times it will actually give readers a count of how many times a certain word or words were used throughout the movie. This also includes crude remarks made as well. The seventh paragraph(s) includes “drug and alcohol content.” This section not only informs readers of what drugs or alcohol was consumed or spoken of, but in what setting and how frequently. Next is the “other negative elements” section. If there are any negative aspects of the movie being reviewed, that do not fit into one of the aforementioned sections, it will be noted here. And finally, there is a “conclusion.” This is not about what happened at the end of the movie, but rather it is a conclusion, from the editor’s viewpoint, of his or her thoughts about the movie. “Should I overlook the negative elements of this movie and see it anyway?” “Is there too much in this movie for me to support it?” “Does the good outweigh the bad?” These are just a few of the questions that this final and important section of Plugged-In’s review page will help to answer. There are times that I skim particular sections of a review, just to get a general idea of what it’s all about, and other times I read the entire review, from beginning to end.
There are a few other things you should know about Plugged-In’s movie reviews, that I have not already mentioned. One is that of a “spoiler warning.” If anywhere in the movie review, something is said that, if read, could possibly “spoil” the ending for the reader, it will be prefaced by a “spoiler warning.” This way you can make up your own mind as to whether or not if is worth it to you to read further. Another thing you may notice in some reviews is an “online editor’s note.” This will appear at the top of the page, in green and all caps. These notes exist in order to warn readers that the review that follows may not be appropriate for children. Usually this is due to the fact that the review references very graphic content (graphic sexual or violent content, for example) within the movie, and you may not want your children to read such detailed and honest references. One last thing you will find in a Plugged-In review is a short list of facts about the movie, located on the left side of your screen. There you can find out the movie’s rating, who put the movie out (i.e. Dreamworks, 20th Century Fox, Lions Gate, etc.), the director of the movie (sometimes there will be a short list of other movies directed by the same person) , who stars in the movie (as well as their name in the movie), and who wrote the review you are reading.
As you can see, you can find out quite a bit about a movie from visiting this Web site. I have found it to be a wonderful aid in my decision-making. There have been times that I have found myself in disagreement with the review, as it is of course only one person’s opinion. At the same time, however, I do respect the opinions of others, and even during the times that I have disagreed, I still found the review to be helpful in some form or fashion. If nothing else, it at least gives the information one is looking for. Another disadvantage of “screening” movies this way is timeliness. While Plugged-In is continuously striving to publish movie reviews as soon as possible, most reviews do not get published until the opening night of a movie. And sometimes, especially if you are really excited and anxious to see a movie as soon as it opens, that just isn’t quick enough. I understand that. I guess you just have to weigh out the pros and cons, and decide if it is worth it to you to take the risks involved in seeing a movie before you have all the information. For me, it depends on my anticipation of the movie, and what I already know about it, but I usually do like to wait and see what Plugged-In has to say about it before going to see a movie. I anticipate this continuing to be true for my husband and I, and our future children.
