“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” rocks the box office and the classic 1980s “Back to the Future” is re-released in time for Marty McFly to travel through the space-time continuum on October 21.
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Brought to you by Higher Ground Partner, Focus on the Family Plugged In, here’s what to know before you take the family to the movies this weekend.
Back to the Future – In Theaters, Special Release
After almost 40 years, “Back to the Future” is getting a (another) rerelease. But, ya’ know what? Time has changed some things.
I mean, sure, it’s still the same movie. It’s still the rollicking slapstick comedy that launched Michael J Fox’s movie career and became the first of a hugely successful, award-winning, trilogy of films. But when seen through a modern-day lens, this film is a DeLorean of a different color.
For instance, do you recall that Fox’s protagonist, Marty McFly, is kind of a girl-ogling lech who’s planning on sneaking away to sex up his girlfriend? And that his mom is a depressed, vodka-swilling alcoholic? Or that his dad was a teen peeping Tom spying on neighbor ladies in their undies?
For that matter, do you remember this pic’s underwear obsession and Oedipal themes? Or the rape that was “comically” set up as part of the conclusion? Do you recollect how packed with foul language this ‘80s comedy was?
All that while earning a PG rating?
The answer to the above questions is … probably not. I didn’t remember it all. And I was kinda surprised.
OK, maybe I’m being a little overly critical and grumpy while sitting here in the future. But, hey, that’s the kind of insight time is supposed to give us. Along with the knowledge that things of the past (and some movies) aren’t always as family friendly as we might remember.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Be sure to listen in to The Plugged In Show, a weekly podcast with lighthearted reviews for parents and conversations about entertainment, pop culture and technology:
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour – In Theaters
Taylor Swift presents a vexing problem for parents, something of the proverbial glass half-empty, glass half-full conundrum.
Many likely have taken a look at the lyrical problems, which encompass sexual content, LGBT advocacy, profanity and spiritual worldview concerns, and said simply, “Nope.” And that’s an understandable response from the glass-half-empty contingent. Or maybe even closer to just empty. There are significant issues here.
Other families may have fans who got on board with Taylor’s earlier, relatively innocent love songs. And despite the problems noted above, Swift’s controversies haven’t completely tarnished her public perception as a nice girl next door, never mind the tabloids.
Just this week, the camera kept locking on to her as she attended Kansas City Chiefs games in support of her apparent new boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelsey. Watching Taylor laugh and hug and cheer with Kelsey’s mom and dad reinforces that image of Taylor Swift as the kind of girl you bring home to meet the parents.
And relative to so many other far more problematic entertainers out there, Taylor’s shortcomings may not seem like automatic disqualifications for some families. Call that the glass half-full contingent.
What’s indisputable is the fact that Taylor Swift continues to exert enormous cultural influence, shaping societal conversations about love, romance, identity and even conceptions of what it means to be a woman in 2023.
If you and/or your kids are planning on seeing Taylor Swift’s concert movie, here are some questions worth pondering together:
- What do you think makes Taylor Swift’s music so appealing?
- What songs or messages do you connect with personally?
- What do you think Taylor has to say about romance and identity in her songs?
- Taylor Swift is one of the most powerful, influential and richest women in the world. Yet many of her songs are, at some level, responding to how others view her. What do you think about that?
- How much should we let others’ opinions of us impact our own sense of identity, of who we are? It’s obvious that that’s a question Taylor has wrestled with a lot.
- How does Taylor’s conception of love and intimacy compare to what Scripture has to say about genuine love, as well as the purpose and place of sexual expression our relationships?
Only time will tell if this moment is indeed “peak Taylor,” or whether there’s another summit further down the road in her career. But one thing’s for sure right now: There’s no one who has a bigger entertainment platform than hers in popular culture at this moment.
And even if we (or our kids) enjoy and identify with some of her songs and messages, we’d do well to reflect on how this enormously popular young storyteller is potentially influencing our stories as we sing along to hers.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Bob Hoose and Adam Holz.
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