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On November 3, at 10:00 am (CST), PreachingToday.com is going to host a special webinar on how to preach the Mosaic Law in a way that leads to completeness in Christ. Steve Mathewson will be the main presenter, while I'll play the role of host. Steve is pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Libertyville, Illinois, and has taught preaching for the doctoral programs at Denver Seminary and Western Seminary, and the Master of Divinity program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a regular contributor to PreachingToday.com, and the author of The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative.

The webinar is less than two weeks away, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible by clicking here. The cost is $9.95.

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Where the Wild Things Are (PG)
2. Law Abiding Citizen (R)
3. Paranormal Activity (R)
4. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
5. The Stepfather (PG-13)

Notables: The only thing worth looking into is Where the Wild Things Are. Director Spike Jonze—along with Gen X hero/author Dave Eggers—are behind this adaptation of a beloved children’s book that runs just a little over 300 words. How do you get an hour-and-half movie out of that? Well, you interpret its big ideas and add, add, add anything that can exist within those big ideas. Jonze and Eggers felt the big ideas bravely explore the darker, harder side of childhood and their movie boldly does the same. The reaction? Well, it made over $30 million dollars, but folks are passionately for or against it, with seemingly no middle ground. Interestingly, people love and hate it for the same reason: it’s willingness to explore the darker side of childhood. Check out the review from CT Movies for more thoughts on this one.

Take a few minutes to read The Defiant Ones, an essay about a disturbing trend in today's children's books.

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Couples Retreat (PG-13)
2. Zombieland (R)
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
4. Paranormal Activity (R)
5. Toy Story 1 & 2 (3-D editions) (G)

Notables: I’m out of the office tomorrow, so I’m posting the Friday Pop Culture Roundup on Thursday. Keep in mind, then, that the top searched-for items listed below are from the Google Trends report for Wednesday.

There’s not much to report here. Couples Retreat looks like a basic October comedy (just funny enough to draw a decent crowd) and the success of Paranormal Activity reminds us that Halloween is just around the corner. Still, a few links to check out:

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Zombieland (R)
2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
3. Toy Story 1 & 2 (3-D editions) (G)
4. Surrogates (PG-13)
5. The Invention of Lying (PG-13)

Notables: Let's talk about the two newbies on the list (Toy Story 1 & 2 don't count, because they are the same 'ole flicks rereleased with 3-D treatment).

First up is Zombieland. It's a horror-comedy flick that is playing quite well with audiences. It's safe to assume there's not much you can do with the actual movie itself, but the sudden interest in an old genre (zombie movies) might hint at something deeper. Consider this little thought that Ruben Fleischer, the move's director, dropped in an interview with Movieline.com:

Newsweek's Julia Baird wonders if happiness is overrated. A great, short read—and a great invitation to think through the more substantive nature of joy.

What a curious little article from Time magazine: How Moses Shaped America.

Top Five Movies (according to box office returns)
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG)
2. Love Happens (PG-13)
3. Surrogates (PG-13)
4. Fame (PG)
5. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (R) (PG-13)

Notables: Two newbies this week: the Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller Surrogates, and the I’m-not-sure-anyone-was-clamoring-for-a-remake-of-this-one Fame. Both were trounced by a children’s flick about meatballs and a Jennifer Anistron rom-com that looks like every other Jennifer Aniston rom-com. I’d say that’s a bad opening weekend for both. So, there’s not much to report here, because there’s not much buzz here.