New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, each Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.

I, Robot

Summertime is here. That means hot days, cookouts, and vacations, but it also means that the big-name movies are hitting the theaters. We’ve already seen Iron Man, Narnia, and Indiana Jones hit the big screen, and more are on the way. However, as enticing as the big-budget summer flicks can be, they don’t always end up being all that good (Men in Black 2, anyone?). With that in mind, this Friday’s Featured Film is a summertime gem from 2004 that was expertly done but that many of you may have missed – director Alex Proyas’ I, Robot. Perhaps Will Smith’s most underappreciated film, I Robot is perhaps the perfect summer action movie: visually stunning, a smart story, clever wit, and great characters.

Smith stars as Del Spooner, a detective with the Chicago PD in 2035. Robots are now an integral part of everyday life, acting as quiet servants to the world’s residents. Spooner doesn’t trust them, though – largely due to a traumatic event from his past that we get glimpses of as the story progresses. His suspicion is amplified when his good friend, robotics guru Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell), is found dead on the eve of the rollout of a groundbreaking new model of robot, the NS5. Though all evidence points to suicide, Spooner is determined there’s more going on than meets the eye, and launches an investigation, much to the chagrin of his skeptical boss (Chi McBride). The robotics company assigns a rep (Bridget Moynahan) to look after Spooner, and the two of them are presented with a curious puzzle when they encounter a robot named Sonny (Alan Tudyk), the last creation of Lanning who appears to be quite a bit more than clockwork and synapses. Together, they seek to find out what happened to Lanning and whether or not it’s a sign of things to come.

Smith is absolutely phenomenal in the lead role. I think we’re seeing in him the paramount movie star of our generation. Smith is a likeable everyman with an irresistible cool factor and a razor sharp wit and delivery. However, he’s got a softer side to him as well, and he plays Spooner brilliantly as a damaged and broken man rather than a cardboard supercop. Moynahan delivers yet another rock-solid supporting performance, proving in roles like this one and her more recent Lord of War that she’s one of the most underrated actresses around today. Somebody needs to find her a starring role. Tudyk’s charm is undeniable even behind a CGI veneer, Cromwell’s fatherly presence drives the story forward, and even Mr. Next Big Thing Shia LeBeouf injects his trademark wit into a supporting role. Proyas (The Crow, Dark City) brings his keen visual style to the film, but also doesn’t shroud Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman’s (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, I Am Legend) sharp screenplay with bangs and flashes. The twists and turns of the story are well presented, the characters are deep, and the audiences’ brains stay engaged throughout in addition to their eyes. Proyas’ great success here has me looking forward to his next sci-fi foray, a 2009 release called Knowing starring Nicolas Cage. I, Robot is a fantastic film – a shining example of what the summer action film can be when done right. If you don’t feel like heading to the theater this weekend but still want that summer movie thrill, give this one a spin through your DVD player. You won’t be disappointed. – **** (out of 4)

I, Robot is rated PG-13 for intense stylized action, and some brief partial nudity.

As a youth pastor, I’m always on the lookout for things that will be helpful in communicating God’s truth to teenagers. Recently, I picked up a book for my graduating seniors and was very impressed as I read through it. Though it’s not about theology per se, Alex and Brett Harris’ Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations is a powerful challenge to teens to live their lives with God’s glory in mind and not to waste what the world would have us believe are life’s disposable, “just have fun” years. Perhaps the most compelling part: it’s actually written by teenagers. The Harris twins (younger brothers of Covenant Life pastor and blogger Joshua Harris) wrote the book at nineteen, and their ability to discuss these issues on a peer-to-peer level with teens makes the book all the more powerful. These are not some 50-year old guys telling teens about the good ol’ days, they’re two nineteen-year-old guys who have risen above our culture’s pathetic dismissal of teens and launched a global phenomenon known as The Rebelution.

The Harris twins call teens to discard the modern idea of adolescence and embrace adulthood. As a teen, nothing annoyed me more than being dismissed because of my age. I desperately wanted to be seen and heard as an adult. I think teens today have the same desires – the desire to break away from childhood and be seen as important and mature. However, the book calls for teens to embrace this maturity by “doing hard things,” by challenging themselves to do things to the glory of God that are important and significant. The twins encourage teens to discard the low expectations that society has on them (as they put it, if a teen simply doesn’t do drugs and get into trouble, they’re viewed as a ‘good kid’) and live a life that meets the expectations of God – and not to wait until they’re 20 (or worse) to get started. Along the way, they offer practical advice and countless stories from real ‘rebelutionaries’ of how they’ve answered the call. All of this is written in a way that is simple, straightforward, witty, and smart. If you’ve got a teenager in your life, the next time you’re looking for an idea for a graduation, birthday, or Christmas present, Do Hard Things would be an excellent choice.

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

Last night, we continued our study of the gospel of John by taking a look at John chapter 17. This was our last session in John before taking a break for the summer to do a question-and-answer series. With that in mind, though there’s certainly a lot of material in the chapter, I decided to go ahead and look at it all in one night. Christ’s prayer is certainly loaded, but I think there’s some benefit from seeing it as a whole rather than breaking it up over several studies. This meant a quicker overview than normal, but it was one that left us with a lot to ponder over the course of this week.

After spending several chapters talking to the disciples about his impending departure, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the task he’s leaving for them to do, Jesus ends his speech to the disciples and begins to pray for them. He turns his attention to the father and lifts up the disciples in prayer – but not just them. His prayer, as verse 20 shows, was for all those who would come to faith in him through the spreading of the gospel – from those who would hear the disciples’ testimony to us 2,000 years later. This presents us with the amazing reality that we we’re on the mind of Christ – that he was praying for us. We discussed the fact that whatever Jesus prayed for us ought to be of paramount importance to us as well, since it clearly was to him. We ought to desire the same things he desired, and we ought to take great encouragement that the creator of heaven and earth cares for us on such a deep level.

However, Jesus begins his prayer by praying for himself. And what does he ask for himself? He asks that the Father would glorify him, since “the hour has come.” He is speaking here of the cross. Throughout our study of John’s Gospel, we’ve seen Jesus refer to his “hour,” or his “time,” and to the fact that it had not yet come. The references have always been to the purpose for which he came, the event that was of supreme importance in his plan. Now, he says, the hour has come. In a matter of hours he will be on the cross. Thus, he prays that the Father would glorify him – which the Father will do in his resurrection. Look also at the reason Christ prays for his glorification in verse 2 – “that the Son may glorify you.” Christ’s glorification in his death and resurrection ultimately was to bring glory to the Father. The cross was the supreme demonstration of the glory of God, both vindicating his justice and displaying his love. His justice was vindicated as sin was punished. The God who “will by no means clear the guilty,” (Numbers 14:18, Nahum 1:3) did not simply sweep sin under the rug and offer a cheap grace, but he poured out his wrath on Christ and was vindicated as the holy and righteous judge who cannot tolerate evil. Yet simultaneously his love was demonstrated because it was not me on the cross. Though I fully deserved his wrath, he took my place and poured his wrath out upon Christ – becoming both the just and the justifier (Romans 3:26). For no good reason to be found in me he showed me with his love and has called me his own, that I might know eternal life, of which I am undeserving. In verse 3 he pauses to declare what eternal life is – that we may know him. We will reap the benefits of Christ’s glorification as we spend an eternity soaking in his glory – the very thing we were created for and the very joy we are wired to experience.

In verse 6, the focus of Jesus’ prayer shifts to his followers, to us. He first prays that we would find our identity. Over and over he refers to us as belonging to the Father and given to him. He distinguishes in his prayer between the world at large and those whom the Father has given to him in his redemptive plan. We find our identity not in our name, our race, our social class, our nationality, our GPA, our job, or our talent level – we find it in Christ alone. Our identity, our purpose, should be wrapped up in the fact that a holy God has called us, hopelessly flawed though we are, to be his children. We should be saying with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) In verse 11, he again says that he will no longer be with his people physically, and he prays for our security. He says that he has perfectly kept his children while he has been on the earth, and commits them to the Father’s keeping as he goes to the cross. The great encouragement for us is that Christ has repeated declared that he and the Father are one in both essence and purpose. Thus, if Christ perfectly kept us, we can have full assurance that the Father will as well. Jesus is careful to say that he doesn’t ask we be taken out of the world, but that the Father guards and keeps us as we go about the work he has for us. Christ then prays for our holiness – that we would be set apart from the world around us just as he is “not of the world.” The word “sanctify” that he uses in verses 17 and 19 has the literal meaning of “set apart for a sacred purpose.” What a privilege (and responsibility) to know that we have been called for such a purpose. Finally, Christ prays for our glorification, that we would share in the reward which he is about to attain by his blood. Our ultimate hope and destiny is that we will spend eternity reaping the reward for the righteousness that we have through Christ. The creator of all joy has invited us into his presence to experience the joy of his glory forever. If that is our ultimate hope, then it should show in the way that we live our lives. I pray that all of us would have a bigger view of God and of the hope to which we’ve been called. However big your view of God is, the amazing thing is that it’s still too small. Seek his glory above all else this week.

Last night, I had an experience that I never thought I’d get to have. I saw an Indiana Jones movie in the theater. Nineteen years after The Last Crusade, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford have reunited to bring their fedora-wearing, globe-trotting, death-defying professor of archaeology back to the big screen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Fans, including myself, have been somewhat skeptical. After all, this isn’t quite the Indy we remember – he’s noticeably older, he’s in the 1950’s rather than the 30’s or 40’s, and as a result he’s fighting Russian commies, not the evil Nazis of previous outings. Couple those facts with the nature of the artifact he’s hunting this time (I won’t spoil it as other reviewers have, but let’s just say it fits the flavor of the era) and you’ve got a film that runs the danger of feeling a little silly. Well, let me assure you, it doesn’t feel a little silly. It feels a lot silly. And it’s a blast.

In an effort to stay as spoiler-free as possible, I’ll just give you the bare essentials of the plot. Indy (Harrison Ford) and pal George “Mac” McHale (Ray Winstone) are caught in the middle of yet another treasure hunt, this time looking for the titular crystal skulls, ancient South American artifacts rumored to grant the power of mind control. Drawn by the skull’s military potential are Russian agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her team of commie troops. On the other side is Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), a motorcycle-riding greaser looking for his father figure – an old professor named Harold Oxley (John Hurt) who is an old colleague of Indy’s. Mutt seeks out Indy to help him save Oxley, whose life is in mortal danger because of his discovery of one of the skulls. It doesn’t take long for the red lines to start streaking across the maps, whisking us way to exotic locales from the Nevada desert to the Peruvian jungle. Along the way, we’re treated to quicksand, a nuclear explosion, and a jeep chase through the jungle that’s one of the most inspired action sequences in recent memory. Indy even runs into old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and gets the chance to sort out some relationships from his past.

Let me give you all possible warning up front: if you are the type of person who will watch an incredible action sequence in a movie and remark, “That’s impossible. No way,” then stay the heck away from this movie. The film is absolutely ridiculous. It has more than one of those moments. It has more than ten of those moments. As I walked out of the theater, a couple guys in front of us were having a discussion about the impossibility of vine-swinging at high velocity in the jungle chase scene. I really wanted to tell them, “Dude, you picked the wrong movie.” Trying to dissect the plausibility of an Indiana Jones movie makes about as much sense as meditating on the metaphysical implications of Dora the Explorer. I’ll admit, I spent the first twenty minutes or so of the movie seriously questioning if Lucas and Spielberg shouldn’t have just left Indy in the past. However, at that point, I simply told myself, “If the Ark of the Covenant can nuke Nazis and the Holy Grail can heal bullet holes, then why the heck not?” Of course the movie is ridiculous! That’s the point! Once I determined in my mind to just go along for the ride, the movie was terrific. The film was perfectly cast. Harrison Ford’s charm goes without saying, and Cate Blanchett is the epitome of camp with her over-the-top Russian accent and sinister bob hairstyle. She’s the type of villain you actually want to survive as long as possible so that the film won’t be deprived of her presence. I had my doubts about Shia LeBeouf taking on a rough-and-tumble role, but he was the perfect choice. Get used to seeing this guy around, because he’s really good. John Hurt provides comic relief as the two-French-fries-short-of-a-happy-meal professor Oxley without overdoing it. Winstone brings a nice cockney charm to his role, which plays perfectly to his complicated relationship with Indy. However, it’s Karen Allen who steals the show. As soon as Marion appears onscreen, it feels like she never left. Allen brings a fire and irrepressible charm to the screen, and her banter with Ford instantly transports us back to the wonder of seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time. The movie is visually stunning – from the jaw-dropping action sequences and effects to the subtle yet captivating 50’s style lighting and cinematography. The film has wit and charm to boot, including a pitch-perfect bit in the closing seconds involving Indy’s hat that will have audiences leaving the theater with a smile.

I’ve struggled since the moment I left the theater last night with how I’d star this movie. It’s always hard to rate a franchise that I love, since I want to give it four stars but don’t feel completely right giving Indy the same rating I gave other, much deeper four-star films. Does Crystal Skull have the significance and profundity of Saving Private Ryan or The Passion of the Christ? Nope. It’s hard-pressed to match Transformers on that front. Does it have the emotional resonance of Road to Perdition or Million Dollar Baby? Nope again. Does it have the brilliant plot twists of Signs? The deadpan writing of Juno? The artistic beauty of Hero? No, no, and no. How could it possibly be deserving of the same four-star review then? What the heck – because it’s really, really fun. – **** (out of 4)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.

CNN: U.S. Ports vulnerable to terrorists, probe finds

Umm, seriously, didn’t anybody read or see The Sum of All Fears? If Tom Clancy can figure out how to smuggle a bomb in, I’ll bet the terrorists can too.

Well, I didn’t post a “Friday’s Featured Film” last week, but I did head out to the theater and take in Iron Man, which lived up to its reputation as a tremendously entertaining superhero movie. I’m not a comic-book reader, and so I knew next to nothing about Iron Man going in, but I found director Jon Favreau’s (Elf, Zathura) film to be an exciting and smart action film.

The movie focuses on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), the billionaire head of a weapons manufacturing company and playboy extraordinaire. While on a trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate a new prototype for Army friend Col. James Rhodes (Terrence Howard), Stark is ambushed and kidnapped by a terrorist warlord (Faran Tahir) who wants Stark to build him a missile. Rethinking a wasted life, Stark instead begins to put his tremendous technical knowledge to work constructing a weapon that will allow him to escape – a battlesuit of iron. If he can free himself, he intends to take his knowledge and influence and use it to better the world rather than continuing to contribute to its destruction.

Downey turns in a simply great performance. He’s not exactly the guy that one would think of to be the face of a blockbuster superhero franchise, but he was exactly the right guy for this job. Downey gives Stark a subtle, dry wit that is perfectly underplayed and makes for an intriguing lead character. I really believe that he’s responsible for 75% of this movie’s appeal. Couple his performance with good supporting roles from Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow as Stark’s assistant and you’ve got a summer action movie that delivers on a character level as well as a visceral one. The only misfire was Jeff Bridges as Stark’s mentor and business partner. Bridges’ performance isn’t necessarily bad, just a bit overplayed in a role that’s too predictable. Some may find the movie’s pacing to be a bit slow, but I thought it moved at just the right speed to allow the audience to get to know the characters well. This isn’t your stereotypical superhero film – Iron Man combines a spot-on wit with eye-popping visuals and never takes itself too seriously. If you’re looking for a great diversion at the movies this summer, you won’t go wrong with this one. – ***1/2 (out of 4)

Iron Man is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

Perhaps the Cold War isn’t over, it’s just halftime. If indeed we end up trading stern looks and spy photos with the Ruskies again, it appears that we’ll have Indiana Jones to blame. MSNBC is reporting that the opposition Communist Party in Russia is protesting the new Indy film as anti-communist propaganda, decrying the movie as “low quality” and warning that it “would raise a smile if there wasn’t a danger of drawing into its orbit teenagers who know nothing about the 1950s.” Party member Andrei Gindos called stars Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett the “running dogs of the CIA” and suggested that they be barred from setting foot on Russian soil. You know, Harrison Ford did star in Air Force One as well, with Gary Oldman as a disgruntled commie terrorist, so I’m glad they’re speaking out. I haven’t seen the film yet, but now when I do I won’t be duped into thinking that evil communists really did spend the 50s battling college professors for ancient crystal skulls with magic powers. That’s almost as scary as the fact that Hitler almost got his hands on the Ark of the Covenant, which apparently was really God’s holy A-bomb. Thanks for the heads-up, guys.

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

Last night, we continued our study of John (after a week off while I was at the Basics Conference) by looking at John 16:25-33. Jesus has spent the past several chapters preparing his disciples for the fact that he will no longer be with them in a physical sense. He is preparing them for the reality of the cross (and his eventual resurrection and ascension), but as we saw in our last study they really didn’t understand what he was talking about. Jesus addresses these concerns to them by explaining his purpose – what he came to do. As we watch the disciples’ faulty response, we are reminded of the absolute necessity of depending totally on Christ in every aspect of our lives.

In verse 25, Jesus begins by saying that though he has often spoken to the disciples in parables and figures of speech, the time is fast approaching when he will speak to them clearly about the Father. Seen in context, this is clearly a reference to his coming death and resurrection. The cross was the entire reason that Christ came to walk the earth – it was the fulfillment of his mission. Thus, we cannot accurately understand who Christ was without seeing his life through the lens of the crucifixion. What he would accomplish on the cross – and three days later by rising from the dead – would proclaim clearly to us the purpose of his life and ministry. No longer would the disciples have to snap together gleanings of truth from Jesus’ parables like a Rubik’s Cube, but now they would see clearly his purpose in all that he did – to point to our redemption by his blood. Jesus’ comments here point to three aspects of that purpose that are vital to our understanding his earthly work. First, he came to reveal truth. In verse 25 he tells us that part of his task is to “teach [us] plainly about the Father.” After all, Colossians 1 proclaims him as the “image of the invisible God.” The great God of the universe that is veiled from human eyes was made visible through Jesus Christ, so that we can look at Christ and immediately know with simple clarity what God is like. The Bible can be mentally intimidating at times (as one would expect from an infinite God revealing himself to finite creatures), but at its core the gospel message is one so simple and clearly presented that a child can grasp it – indeed, Jesus himself taught that we all must grasp it in childlike fashion. Secondly, Christ came to reconcile us to God. What good is it that we can know God if his just condemnation hangs over us? Christ says in verses 26 and 27 that he will bring his people into a direct and loving relationship with the Father, something only possible by his redeeming act on the cross. As Jonathan Edwards so beautifully put it several hundred years ago, “Christ has flung wide open the floodgates of mercy.” This is the message of the gospel – reconciliation for unworthy sinners like us to a holy and perfect God. Finally, in verse 28, Jesus remarks that he is going back to the Father, with the implication that we will remain behind. For what purpose? Christ has left us with a mission, with the great joy and sobering responsibility of taking this message of grace and forgiveness to a world in desperate need of it.

In verses 29-33 we see both the disciples’ misguided response to this revelation and Christ’s correction and refocusing of their attitudes. In verses 29 and 30, the disciples express almost an “it’s about time” mentality, saying that now that Jesus has started talking straight they can clearly understand and believe. Their attitude – and Jesus’ response in verse 31 – demonstrates a misplaced confidence. They thought that since they now could mentally grasp Jesus’ teachings that they were on their way. Jesus sharply asks them “Do you now believe?” He tells them that very soon when he is arrested, they will all scatter and abandon him out of fear for their own lives. Their abilities are not sufficient to produce the faith that God requires. As theologian Arthur Pink put it, “Like young recruits, they had yet to learn that it is one thing to know the soldier’s drill and wear the uniform, and quite another to be steadfast in the day of battle.” Their confidence was placed squarely in themselves, and Jesus responded with the same warning that would later be echoed by Paul in 1 Corinthians, “If any among you thinks he stands, let him take heed, lest he fall.” As my dad so wisely told me many years ago (on the topic of sexual sin, though it really applies across the board), “The moment you think ‘it can’t happen to me’ is exactly when it will.” We cannot trust our own abilities to sustain our faith – not our intelligence, our emotional stability, our courage, our dedication – nothing. All of those things will eventually fail us. So what hope do we have? We must fix our focus on Christ. Jesus assures them in verse 33 that this world will bring us difficulty, and we all know from experience that those difficulties are often too much for us to handle and cope with. Yet Jesus tells us that he has overcome the world. Our hope must be placed fully in the redeemer to whom the Father has given us, and from whom “no one can snatch them out of [his] hand.” Throughout the coming week, make it an focus of your prayer and Scripture meditation to, like John the Baptist, decrease (even in your own mind) so that Christ may increase.