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Today’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Two options this week: go for the obvious, and get exactly what you expect, or take a chance on something a little out of left field?

In the first case, we have the latest sports/genre parody, Balls of Fury, in which world-class underworld table-tennis paddle it out — to the death. The film is designed to play off middle-aged male familiarity with everything from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, as well as recent sports-themed comedies like Dodgeball and Blades of Glory. This time out, though, the comedy measures pretty low on the potty and sex-reference scales. Says Jenn Wright (in spite of a few gratutitous profanities and suggestive comments/gestures, “I doubt anyone unfamiliar with the parodied martial arts genre (such as, say, kids) will find it laugh-out-loud funny. But for those who do enjoy such films, this may be a real kick in the pants.”

On the serious and somewhat surprising side, the R-rated indie drama Self-Medicated portrays both the depths of teen depravity and spiritual faith. First-time writer/director Monty Lapica stars in his quasi-autobiographical tale of parental intervention. Says Greg Wright, the film “comes across not as an experimental first film, resume piece, or trial balloon that happened to make it to market, but as the work of a competent and knowledgeable filmmaker… Andrew is the real deal as far as three-dimensional screen characters go — like most of us, struggling mightily in the tension between faith and anguish, cursing one minute to beat the devil, and praying fervently the next.”

Next week, we’re back to a fuller slate of releases after thin (if decent) pickings today.

Do Christians and Muslims believe the same thing? Is the Christian God just another name for Allah? If Christians hope to productively talk to Muslims about the similarities and differences between their two faiths, it’s obviously important that Christians have a solid understanding of what Muslims believe. Arab World Ministries has put together a helpful overview of fundamental Islamic beliefs about God, Muhammed, Jesus, and other topics. Don’t be caught off guard the next time somebody suggests that Christianity and Islam are just two branches of the same religion–read through this short essay, and you’ll see how the two religions differ in important ways.

What are the stories behind the music you (and your kids) listen to? Thinking on the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, David Smith writes at Al Menconi Ministries about the importance of storytelling in popular music. If you think it’s odd to think of popular music as a source of stories, Smith argues that every song tells a story, and lyrics are just one part of it. And learning to listen for these stories is a key part of discerning their effect on your family and your spiritual life:

Parents and kids often forget the stories of the music. Those stories can be inspirational or depressing. When Kurt Cobain of Nirvana sang Come As You Are, it is almost as if he was foretelling his death by his own hand. On the other hand, when Casting Crowns sings Does Anybody Hear Her, the band is challenging us to reach out and love those around us. As parents and kids, it’s important to listen to these words and think about the story being told. For kids, this may be risky because the story may not be what you want to acknowledge that you are hearing. For parents, this may mean listening to music that you do not enjoy. For both, however, it’s essential and can be rewarding.

Have you sat down recently to listen to the stories your kids are hearing through music today? If not, it’s a good first step toward speaking to them in meaningful ways about the spiritual value of what they’re listening to.

Probably the best surprise this week is a low-key independent family release called The Eye of the Dolphin, starring Carly Schroeder who travels to the Bahamas to straighten our her teen-orphan life. Along the way she bonds with dolphins. Greg Wright calls the film “more engaging, in spite of its flaws,” than Whale Rider.

Rowan Atkinson also delivers the usual goods in Mr. Bean’s Holiday, which, non-Bean-enthusiast Jeff Walls confesses, “did make me laugh, and sometimes that is all you need.”

On the more adult front, Jeff finds Resurrecting the Champ “always compelling and always entertaining,” and not what you’d expect from a boxing movie — a good film for dads, if not for kids. Greg Wright finds The Treatment a realistic R-rated portrayal of a man’s journey through Freudian psychotherapy — “more like real life than most people’s real lives.” Dacia Ray, meanwhile, finds the R-rated 2 Days in Paris “intriguing and well worth the watch for those in love, or not.”

Some warnings are due, says Greg Wright, for a couple of films, though. He finds the global warming documentary The 11th Hour too aggressively evangelistic for its own good, and calls September Dawn, a film about a 19th Century Mormon-led massacre, “one of the most shockingly poor and mean-spirited films of the year.”

Also, Greg Wright interviews writer/director Monty Lapica, who also stars next week in his quasi-autobiographical theatrical debut, Self-Medicated.

In the wake of the recent earthquake disaster in Peru, several Gospelcom Alliance ministries are stepping up to the plate to help with rescue and relief efforts. International Aid is working with local churches to distribute supplies to the thousands of people affected by the quake. Meanwhile, Mission Network News has been reporting regularly on the developing situation and relief efforts there. If and when other ministries get involved, we’ll note them here on the Buzz.

How should we cope with loss, tragedy or difficult circumstances? Why does life have to be so hard, anyway? In Dealing with Difficult Circumstances, a series of articles at Delve Into Jesus, Steve Miller searches God’s word for comfort, understanding and answers to these difficult questions.

Are you interesting in pursuing youth ministry as a career? Chances are, you have some big ideas about what youth ministry will look like–but do your ideas match the reality that youth workers face in their everyday ministry? In What I Wish I Knew When I Started Youth Ministry, veteran youth pastor Mark Oestreicher (writing for Youth Specialties) lays out over a dozen common misconceptions about youth ministry. Whether you’re been in the ministry for years or are just getting started, Mark’s advice will help you dispel some of the myths surrounding the work you do. Learn from Mark’s mistakes, and see if you can’t apply some of his hard-earned lessons to your own ministry!

This week’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

In a light week of theatrical releases, the lightweight challenger knocks out the heavyweight studio contenders. Seth Gordon’s low-budget documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, engagingly tells the story of a Redmond, Washington, man’s quest to break Billy Mitchell’s 20-year-old world-record score on the arcade game Donkey Kong. In an era when financial income from gaming is poised to overtake that of the cinema, it’s fascinating to see a documentary focus on the geeky subculture from whence that industry sprang. Greg Wright says not to be put off by the “absurd” and “preposterous” PG-13 rating. “If you have teens who are gamers and into the whole retro arcade thing, have no worries at all about taking them to see this movie. I have recommended this film to more people in just one week than any film I have ever recommended.”

The big studios don’t fare so well. The Invasion, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, is a big-budget remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers which manages to be competently entertaining but largely uninspired. Says Jeff Walls, “I left the theater wishing they had just re-released the original,” rather than remake it as an R-rated thriller.

Jeff was pleasantly surprised by Death at a Funeral, though, a British comedy that’s finally made it over to this side of the pond. Despite it’s R-rated nudity and dirty jokes, Jeff laughed frequently at its “old-fashioned” comedic timing and “perfectly timed” storytelling.

On the other hand, there’s the gratuitously (if “realistically”) potty-mouthed R-rated teen sex-comedy Superbad, about which Mike Brunk can’t find much positive to say. At least films like this remind us that R-rated comedies don’t always have to be this vulgar.

Chances are you’ve heard of the “Sermon on the Mount,” even if you don’t know exactly what it says. It’s Jesus’ most famous sermon (read it online here), and contains some of his most memorable and challenging sayings. InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty ministry has put together a free online study guide that looks at the Sermon on the Mount. It walks through Jesus’ sermon thoroughly without assuming you’re a Biblical expert; it’d work well either for personal study or for a group discussion.

Have you ever thought about being a missionary? There are lots of opportunities in the mission field for willing workers–from long-term mission project to short trips, there’s a spot for you.

Latin America Mission is one of the several ministries in the Gospelcom Alliance that focus on connecting people to the mission fields where they’ll thrive. They place missionaries all over Latin America, from Honduras to Argentina. If you’re interested, take a look at their top five mission openings. If you’re intrigued by the possibility of missionary work in Latin America but not quite sure how to go about getting involved, read Zeroing in on Your Call to learn how to get started.

If it still sounds like something you’d like to get involved with, read about the different mission opportunities through LAM. If you’re looking for a career change and feel called to mission work, see if LAM can connect you to the work you’re meant to do!