By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School football coach Melvin Jones is hoping to cash in on his first coaching job.

The Tornados, coming off a 2-8 season last year, move back into District 15-5A play this season after being an independent for the past couple of years. Pompano Beach showed it could score in a 36-32 loss last week to host St. John Paul II, but Jones is excited about the season.

“I am very excited about the opportunity,” Jones said. “It took eight years for this to happen. I have applied at many schools in the county and have had countless interviews, but nobody was willing to pull the trigger until now.

“There is a lot of pent up frustration,” he added. “I am just ready to get things going to show what I can do.”

More than half the 30-player Pompano Beach roster is made up of seniors. The team is led offensively by Jalal Jean-Charles (RB/DB, Sr.), Brian Campbell (FB/LB, Sr.), Andre Clarke (WR/FS, Sr.), Jordan Jaramillo (WR/FS, Jr.), Andrew Putney (QB/DB, Sr.).

The team also has some strong defensive players led by Shemon Jenkins (CB/WR, Jr.), Daniel Eggan (SS/WR, Sr.), Kelly Moore (DE, Jr.) and a promising newcomer in two-way player Jacoby Clarke (TE/DE, Sr.).

“Our goal this season is to build upon our team philosophy which is ‘Stay in the moment, Live as a FAMILY, Dare to be Uncommon and Hold the Rope,” Jones said. “I think our team will surprise people this year. We are a unit that is determined to be great. We are a scrappy team that will fight to the end. We are looking forward to competing for a district title.”

Jones said the team would play the season with a strong motivation.

“As an athlete, you always have a chip on your shoulder,” Jones said. “We are striving to be great. In today’s society you have to prove yourself everyday you wake up. No matter what you did yesterday, you have to do it again today so the chip is always there.”

Senior offensive lineman Steven Nirenberg believes his team can be special. The 17-year-old Coconut Creek resident has been on the team all four years and believes an undefeated season is in the cards when the games start to count.

“I believe we can go 10-0 this year,” Nirenberg said. “It is a new system and we all believe what coach Jones is bringing to the table. The schedule is very winnable and I think we just have the fire in us to go 10-0.”

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With very little surprise, the summer blockbuster season has been dominated by comic book adaptations: Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming. With less fan fare, there have been a few low-budgeted motion pictures that became sleeper hits that will likely rack up high DVD and online streaming numbers: Annabelle: Creation, Baby Driver and the newly released Logan Lucky.

Described as a “red neck heist movie,” Logan Lucky has much in common with urban heist movies like the Ocean’s 11 trilogy. One common denominator of these four movies is that they were directed by Steven Soderbergh. Reuniting with his Magic Mike costar Channing Tatum, Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky has created a hybrid motion picture that is part Smokey and the Bandit, Mr. Majestic and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Logan Lucky opens with a touching scene. Jimmy Logan (Tatum) is working on the engine of his Ford pick-up truck with his young daughter, Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie). While he takes pride that his daughter knows the difference between a Phillips and a slot head screwdriver, Jimmy’s ex-wife Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes) prefers Sadie to watch her diet since the little girl has a series of beauty pageants on the horizon.

After being laid off from a temporary construction job with the Charlotte Motor Speedway, he seeks solace with his bartender brother Clyde (Adam Driver), a veteran who lost his left hand in the sands of Iraq. When the loudmouthed Max Chilblain (Seth MacFarlane) angers the Logan brothers, Jimmy hatches a plan to steal money from his former employer.

Like any good heist movie (The Ladykillers, Who’s Minding the Mint?), assembling the team is half the fun. Sister Mellie (Riley Keough — Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) is a hair dresser with exceptional driving skills and knowledge of rush hour traffic patterns.

Seeking a mastermind who understands explosives, the Logan brothers enlist the aid of Joe Bang (Daniel Craig, who looks uncannily like Robert Shaw from an early James Bond movie, From Russia with Love). Despite a series of mental and physical challenges, the heist is launched during the Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600.

There is suspense to Logan Lucky, but the tone is filled with mischief and fun. A premeditated prison riot acknowledges racial stereotypes, but behind the scenes the prisoners are comrades in arms. The soundtrack features some fine rockabilly guitar playing with a touch of Bo Diddley and John Fogarty.

While not a box office success, Logan Lucky was a well-deserved critical success. For a Saturday matinee price only, this film will be a treat for Labor Day weekend.

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines an impossibility as something that cannot be expected to happen or exist. Similarly, the Oxford Dictionary regards the impossible as that which is not able to occur, exist, or be done. Outside of scientific or commonsense evidence to the contrary, much of our certainty regarding impossibilities stems from the fact that what we often identify as impossible has never been done. If it has never been done, seen, or heard of before, we consider it to be an impossibility. However, many of the modern conveniences we now enjoy were once considered impossible.

In the time of the horse and buggy, talk of a horseless carriage was deemed ridiculous. Men like Henry Ford did the impossible and today we have automobiles. Noted scientists once declared heavier-than-air flight an absurdity until the Wright brothers proved them wrong. In a bygone era, space travel was relegated to the arena of fantasy and imagination, but today we have men who have walked on the moon. In the field of athletics, no one had ever run a mile in four minutes or less, and it was thought impossible until Roger Bannister achieved the feat on May 6, 1954.

What is it that causes men to challenge the impossible? Why is it that some are dissatisfied with perceived limitations and seek to stretch the boundaries of the human experience? I would offer that it has something to do with the Biblical record of creation. Genesis chapter 1 reveals that man was created in the image of God. In creation, God displayed incredible power by speaking things into existence. When He created man, He breathed into him and imparted part of Himself. Consequently, while we lack the ability to produce anything on the same level as God, mankind has demonstrated remarkable creativity and imagination.

All of us possess the ability to dream, to imagine, to create, and to achieve the seemingly impossible. The mandate given to the first man and woman instructed them to be fruitful and multiply, and to have dominion over the earth and subdue it. That required creativity, ingenuity and innovation. Their passion and drive was passed on to their offspring, and, ultimately, to all of humanity. Every generation and epoch of human history has seen the display of the inherent ability of mankind to create, to perfect, and to surpass prior limitations.

What noble pursuit stirs your imagination and sparks your creativity? What persistent ideas of accomplishment keep finding their way into your thoughts. If it has never been done, why don’t you become the first? If it will be of benefit to others and inspire those around you, go for it. I would even suggest that some of our dreams and aspirations are inspired by God to stimulate the potential that He deposited into us at creation. It’s His way of beckoning us to attempt the impossible. As we consider the matter, we unleash our creativity. By exploring the possibilities, we forge a pathway to achievement and success.

The age of discovery and achievement is not behind us. Now is the time to stretch and to strive, to aspire and to accomplish. Break free of the limitations that have held you back mentally, physically and spiritually. Look to your creator for inspiration to be what He has purposed you to be: a fruitful, creative, productive expression of an almighty God. Begin with faith and walk with confidence and assurance that impossibilities can become possibilities. Remember the words of Jesus in Mark 9:23, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

By Gary Curreri

With the start of school this week in Broward County, that generally signals the end of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard program for the summer.

The Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguards recently closed out the year by competing in the regional competition in Delray Beach; state competition in Ft. Lauderdale and about 35 competitors and coaches that went to the 2017 USLA Nationals Championship in Daytona Beach.

“This year, we had a very strong group of competitors representing Team Pompano not only in depth, but also in attitude,” said Nemia Schulte, president of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association. “We also have quite a few of our competitors in the U-19 Division vying for a spot on the Youth Team USA to represent the United States at the 2017 Worlds Competition in New Zealand in a couple of months.”

Team Pompano also held its end-of-year team banquet on Aug. 4 at the Skolnick Center.

Pompano Beach’s Christian Quinones was one of the program’s standout competitors this summer as he won the Boys Rescue Board Race and the Beach Flags competition in the Boys B Division at the James P. “Mac” McCarthy Memorial Regional Lifesaving Championships in Delray Beach. More than 200 competitors from around the state turned out for the competition in Delray.

“I like the program because it is fun,” said Quinones, 13, of Pompano Beach, who is an 8th grader at Pompano Beach Middle. “It gets your adrenaline going. It is fun competing against your friends and at other beaches.”

“I have made a lot of friends over the years,” he added. “It is really hard to compete against them every year. As you get older, the competition gets tougher.”

Jo Wagenhals, an Ocean Rescue Captain/EMT for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, served as master of ceremonies for the regionals. She is also the treasurer for the United States Lifesaving Association’s Southeast Region.

“This program teaches team building, obviously athleticism, about the environment, safety,” Wagenhals said. “Flagler County is one county that brings in non-swimmers, kids who have never swam before, so they just get kids comfortable in the water, which is a huge step.”

Pompano Beach’s Gwen Bencie, 16, of the Ft. Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Junior Lifeguards program, won three individual events in the Girls 19-Under Division – Distance Swim, Rescue Board Race and the Surfski.

Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Mattheus Santos, 16, of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, took first place in the Distance Swim; Run Swim Run, and was also a member of the winning Surf Rescue Relay.

Other local female winners at regionals included: Junior Ironguard: Girls A: Isabella Taylor, Pompano. Girls C: Reese Andres, Pompano. Distance Swim: Girls A: Isabella Taylor. Girls C: Reese Andres, Pompano. Rescue Board Race: Girls A: Summer Schulte, Pompano. Girls C: Reese Andres. Beach Flags: Girls A: Victoria Scarpinito, Pompano. Girls B: 2. Jennifer Johnson, Deerfield Beach. Run Swim Run: Girls 19-Under: Summer Schulte. Girls C: Reese Andres.

Other local male winners at regionals included: Junior Ironguard: Boys Under-19: Alejandro Quiones, Pompano. Boys A: Rafael Santos, Pompano. Distance Swim: Boys A: Rafael Santos. Rescue Board Race: Boys B: Christian Quinones, Pompano. Boys C: 2. Peter Roca, Hollywood. Beach Flags: Boys B: Christian Quinones. Boys C: 2. Yuri DeFranco, Deerfield Beach. Surf Rescue Relay Race: Boys 19-Under: Ronald Haehe, Mattheus Santos, Pompano; Boys A: Alex Marquez, Rafael Santos, Pompano. Run Swim Run: Boys 19-Under: Mattheus Santos. Boys A: Rafael Santos.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Automatonophobia is a morbid fear of ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues and any inanimate object that simulates a sentient being. Besides having a similar sounding name, the most profitable movie of last weekend, Annabelle: Creation shares this morbid fear of inanimate objects coming alive.

Annabelle: Creation features the formation of the title character in the wood shop of Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia). Sam’s daughter Bee teases her father by playing a game of hide-and- seek. After going to church with his wife, Esther (Miranda Otto), the future looks bright for the Mullins doll maker. Abruptly, Bee dies.

Twelve years later, a small orphanage moves into the Mullins house in the country. Sam is a bit gruff with Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and the girls. The grieving man is generous enough to let the orphans loose in his home. However, Sam warns the orphans to not visit Bee’s old bedroom.

Being curious, Janice (Talitha Bateman), a polio survivor, sneaks into Bee’s room. Seeing a sealed closet door, Janice opens the door to find the Annabelle doll. Afterward, things go bump in the night and Janice gets involved with a supernatural game of hide-and- seek.

Winning strong mass critical acclaim with a good box office, Annabelle: Creation will be remembered as a classic scary movie. With links to the original Annabelle and the two Conjuring movies, this film features a dark standalone story.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, this film takes full advantage of rural stillness. Given that the title character is an immovable object, tension builds to a terrorizing level.  A crescendo is achieved with a soft, but disturbing denouement. Stay past the closing credits for a teaser featuring The Nun, the next movie of this original horror series created by James Wan. 

If you haven’t gotten enough of puppets, The Cult of Chuckie is penciled for a Halloween release, featuring the serial-killer possessed doll.

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

As a clergyman, I discovered the “ambidextrous” nature of my profession. On one hand, I am a theologian, which is to say, I am an academician. When I fulfill this role, it is safe. I am in the cerebral realm and can distance myself, emotionally, from the subject at hand.

On the other hand, I am a pastor. As a pastor I make the abstract personal and find myself in the realm of the heart. This is the more vulnerable of the two realms because emotions are involved and I find I simply cannot distance myself from the subject at hand.

Usually, when I write these articles, I write from the safer of the two realms. I try to keep my writing professional as opposed to personal. And this is the safer of the two options, particularly when our readership is ecumenical.

Well, today, I simply cannot distance myself from my writing. As I write my article, I anticipate the end of this week when I bring my youngest child to college. I anticipate empty nest syndrome and I find myself, this week, caught up in the emotion. I realize I am not alone. And it is this realization that inspired me to write my article to all the moms and dads out there who are facing major life transitions this week. Whether you are sending your child to kindergarten, middle school, high school or college, the transition can be a challenge. And if you find yourself in this category, this one is for you.

There are things we say when we face life transitions. One of the most honest statements I have heard people mention is “I am happy for you but sad for me.” When your best friend moves to a new place because he or she got a promotion you might say this. When you speak at a loved one’s funeral, as a person of faith, acknowledging a better hereafter for our loved one but a difficult here and now for you, you might say this. And, when the father links arms with his daughter and walks down the aisle, he has a smile from ear to ear but tears are streaming from both eyes. As he faces the realization that his little girl is getting married, his expression says it all: “I am happy for you but sad for me.”

As a parent, we prepare our children for the day when they will leave home. We want our kids to succeed, to become independent, become everything God created them to be. As we nudge them out of the nest, we want them to spread their wings and fly. Until that day comes, we hang on to each moment and hold them as tight as we can never wanting to let go. And, yet, we must. When that day comes, we remind ourselves that it was for this moment that we worked so hard. Yet, selfishly perhaps, we hope that moment never comes. Rest assured, that moment will come. And when it does, we say: “I am happy for you but sad for me.”

It was difficult when my daughter Rachel went off to college. Fortunately, her little brother was home. It broke my heart the first time, but the realization that Nate was still home made it somewhat bearable. Now, that is no longer true. You think you can prepare yourself for these things emotionally, but I should know by now that emotions don’t work that way. I can say, with all sincerity, that I am happy for him but sad for me. My wife and I need to remind ourselves that this was the moment we worked for. He is ready and I know that his future is bright. But it doesn’t change the fact that I will miss him terribly.

Moms and dads, people of faith, whatever your faith may be, you are not alone. Being a dad has taught me many valuable lessons that have shaped my ministry. I have walked with many people through life transitions. I have experienced the emotions of hundreds of people, albeit from somewhat of a professional distance. Now, I find myself walking down the path many have walked before me. I cannot say: “I know how you are feeling.” But I can say: “I have a pretty good idea …” Feel free to call your clergy person and share what is on your heart and pray with him or her. You may be surprised to discover that your spiritual leader, too, may have taken your path and have a pretty good idea of how you are feeling.

But know this, you are in my prayers. And may God bless you and your children during this time of transition. You may be sad for yourself, but be happy for your child.

Pastor Gross is a pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, located at 959 SE 6 Ave., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-421-3146 or visit www.zion-lutheran.org.

By “Cinema” Dave

Twenty nine years ago, Stephen King published a trade paperback titled The Gunslinger, which was promoted and sold by the old Walden bookstores. With a mixture of science fiction, horror and cowboy ethos, I envisioned myself portraying the Gunslinger, Roland, who sought the Man in Black.

The Gunslinger was revealed to be a small part of a much larger epic. In the appendix, King wondered if he would live long enough to complete this cycle of stories, which concluded in 2004 with the seventh book, The Dark Tower.  It is ironic that the first movie of a proposed long-term series would be the title of the last book.

This movie opens with an ominous tone. A Dark Tower separates our world from alternative worlds with different time periods. (Confused?  Yeah, I know I lost some readers already). Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is having apocalyptic nightmares about the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) kidnapping children, blindfolding them and sucking out their brain waves. The brain waves are used to bombard the Dark Tower so that it will fall and the universe will be covered in darkness. The Man in Black has also picked a fight with Roland, the last Gunslinger (Idris Elba) from a golden age of law & order. Having killed Roland’s father (Dennis Haysbert), the Man in Black continuously taunts the gunslinger.

During an inner city earthquake in Manhattan, Jake discovers a portal machine that takes him into another world. Jake meets Roland, discusses mutual interests and decides to protect the Dark Tower. These actions set in motion a showdown between the Man in Black and the Gunslinger.

What was novel 29 years ago has become routine in the last 28 years of the summer blockbuster, movie experience. 

We see a series of action-set pieces that have no emotional involvement. By the time the hero and the villain have their showdown, the action feels repetitive.

With less than a two-hour running time, The Dark Tower feels longer in a dull way.   

I was saddened to learn about the passing of Haruo Nakajima this week.  While not a household name, Nakajima was an international superstar, best known for portraying the original Godzilla for nearly 20 years. A purely physical performance in a giant lizard suit, Nakajima managed to create a character that has endured for over six decades. Through a translator, Nakajima expressed a fondness for Godzilla and believed the monster was a tragic figure when I met him at a Spooky Empire convention three years ago.

I had arrived early at the DoubleTree Hotel and went into the gym. I watched this 85-year-old little man enter the gym and do many of the exercises that I did. Nakajima did not speak English, but, throughout the weekend, we shared a lot of smiles and a few laughs. R.I.P. Haruo Nakajima, a true class act.

It’s by no accident you’re reading this article. I pray that what I’m about to reveal to you expands your awareness of what’s happening in the youth culture, and also provides practical ways for you to cultivate a healthier relationship with your youth pastor. What follows is the secret confession of a youth pastor.

To start, know that accessibility to technology and the prevalence of information — real or fake — has significantly altered this thing we call student ministry. 

Young teens are sexting or filming themselves performing sexual acts, which they post to social media. They take polls asking their followers to vote on what “stupid s***,” they should do on Snapchat, like destroying property or pretending to have a mental illness. They play beer pong — at least the 12-year-olds substitute alcohol for Monster energy drinks, and, of course, they light things on fire. 

The older students self-inflate their status, hoping to feel more important as they strive to live up to society’s unrealistic athletic or academic expectations. 

In short, it’s the f-word, rebellion, confusion and rejection manifesting itself in the form of social media attention-grabbing. They are painfully attention-starved and insecure, and their new drug is follower engagement, “likes” and such.

It’s a new frontier. The days of “playing games with the youth” have ended. As a matter of fact, if I’m being honest, some days I’m with students from morning until evening, living in their new world, trying to help them navigate their wounds and baggage. It’s those days you might find me lying on the floor of my office, gathering the energy needed to drive home.

But that’s okay. Because it’s there, on the carpet where Domino’s icing dipping sauce has been thoroughly trampled into, that I’m reminded to be wholly dependent on God myself and that I’m not alone; I’m co-laboring with others to show these students Jesus. 

I say “co-labor,” because student ministry is a partnership. While the position of youth pastor may have once been to “babysit” the youth while the adults do the “real” ministry, I can assure you, student ministry is real ministry and needs to be connected to the adult congregation.

Studies show that students who experience intergenerational worship are significantly less likely to “graduate” from their faith and walk away from God after high school, as they feel connected to a local church body that continues to love and support them even while away from home.

The reality is that this is a generation crying out for help, but has no idea how to receive and accept the help when it arrives: imagine a drowning victim trying to swim away from the responding lifeguard. 

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans to not “copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2). And that’s where the battleground exists for our youth: their minds. Author Dr. Jean M. Twenge, in her book iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood—and What That Means for the Rest of Us, asserts that this rising generation is “on the brink of the worst mental health crisis in decades.” 

God has placed us in their lives to love and “direct [our] children onto the right path, [so that] when they are older, they will not leave it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Next month, I will share practical ways you can co-labor alongside your youth pastor to help the students run their race well — to run the narrow path and not leave it. In the meantime, this is the back-to-school season. Make a commitment, as a family, that no matter the academic, athletic or arts schedule, that you will not forsake time with “[those who are] continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

The youth pastor is not your child’s primary disciple-maker. You are.

C.J. Wetzler is the NextGen pastor at The Church at Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments he can be reached at cj@dfb.church.

By Gary Curreri

Highlands Christian Academy (HCA) has added two coaches – Dwayne Marcum (Girls Varsity Basketball) and Taylor Townsend (Girls Varsity Soccer) to their coaching staff for the upcoming high school year.

HCA Athletic Director Jim Good was raving over his team recent hires saying they were exactly what he was looking for to lead his students both on and off the field.

“I am so excited to welcome Taylor as our new girls soccer coach,” Good said. “Taylor has learned to use her talents to spread the love of Christ. I know our girls will enjoy her passionate style of coaching and look up to her as a role model. HCA is grateful and excited to welcome Taylor to the HCA coaching family.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to be the head girls soccer coach at Highlands Christian Academy,” Townsend said. “Highlands is an amazing school and I am looking forward to a great season with the girls.”

Townsend is a Florida Atlantic University graduate with a degree in communications. She played two years at the University of Central Florida before transferring to Florida Atlantic University (FAU). While at the University of Central Florida, she made the Top 100 Freshman list. 

She then helped lead FAU to the Conference USA Tournament and has been a member of the Women’s Premier Soccer League Team Boca Blast semi-professional squad from 2012-16 and is that team’s leading goal scorer.

Most recently, she played with Club Universitario de Deportes, a Peruvian professional team. 

Townsend was an assistant coach for West Boca High School, as well as American Heritage-Delray and is currently working as an individual trainer.

Marcum has experience coaching both male and female basketball teams.

Marcum began his coaching career in 2000 at Pompano Lighthouse Christian Academy, where he coached until 2004. He then took over as the Boys Varsity Coach at Green Acres Christian Academy and coached there from 2005-2008.

Coach Marcum then began coaching at Hope Bible College in 2009 and stayed until 2012. He then coached one season of Boys Varsity Basketball at Hollywood Christian in 2014-2015 and then one year of Girls Varsity at Berean Christian from 2015-2016.

“We are very excited to welcome Coach Marcum to the HCA Coaching family,” Good added. “He brings experience, knowledge and passion, and I am confident he will do a great job with our girls. He loves the Lord and will be a great role model to our young ladies as we represent HCA and, ultimately, Christ.”

Marcum is married to Denise and has three grown children — Joshua, Jordann and Christian.  

On to college

Two local football players have verbally committed to play college football.

Deerfield Beach High School tight end Daniel Barker committed to Illinois and Blanche Ely High linebacker Carlton Cleophat committed to Central Michigan.

Barker is the second Buck to pledge with the Fighting Illini this summer, following in the footsteps of senior running back Jakari Norwood, who committed to Champaign-Urbana. 

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Don’t rush to go see Dunkirk. Make plans to go see Christopher Nolan’s latest action movie. Sure Dunkirk fulfills the requisites for a typical summer blockbuster, but this film contains much depth of detail. This film is about loss and retreat, yet is filled with triumph.

The running time is less than two hours, but Dunkirk feels longer in a good, epic way. Given his previous work with Memento, Inception and Interstellar, it helps to understand Christopher Nolan’s conception of time. Dunkirk tells three stories that take place in one week, (The Mole), one day (The Sea) and one hour (The Air). 

Dunkirk opens on The Mole, in which British soldiers walk abandoned streets in Dunkirk, France. Paper propaganda from the Nazis tells the residents that Germany is in control of the city.  As Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) reads the propaganda, his mates are gun downed by an unseen enemy. Tommy escapes to the pier where a Red Cross ship awaits departure.

Volunteer civilian boaters are the focus of The Sea, which features Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) and his son. Rather than waiting for the British bureaucracy to figure out the proper procedure to rescue stranded soldiers, Mr. Dawson, his son and his special needs deckhand George impulsively join the rescue operation. Their first rescue involves a shell-shocked soldier (Cillian Murphy), whose behavior could create disastrous repercussions.

The Air ties up the entire narrative of Dunkirk. Three Spitfire airplanes (with Mercedes engines) are sent out to provide air support to the rescue operation. With limited fuel supply, the Spitfires are outnumbered by the Nazi airforce. When the team leader is downed, it is up to Farrier (Tom Hardy) to protect the British ships at sea.

Understanding the concepts of time and location in advance will enhance one’s viewing pleasure of this movie. As the timelines converge, we witness multiple perspectives of the same situation (i.e. the bombing of a minesweeper) and we see how it affects all the protagonists.

With limited dialogue, Dunkirk is a visual treat. With the exception of Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, Dunkirk features a cast of young faces with potentially strong careers in the future, most notably Fionn Whitehead as Tommy. Dunkirk will be an Oscar-worthy contender that is best seen on the big screen this summer. Go see it!