I love the locker room scene in Moneyball when Scott Hatteberg, played by Chris Pratt, is asked by a teammate about his biggest fear after having transitioned from playing catcher to first base. Hatteberg nervously smiles and shares, “The baseball being hit in my general direction,” (insert chuckle).

His teammate, bewildered, takes a moment to eat a spoonful of cereal before asking again, “Seriously. What is it?”

“No. Seriously. That is,” confirms Hatteberg.

Whether or not my career playing catcher in Little League qualifies me to have an opinion, I have to admit, Scott’s response resonates with me. Undoubtedly, it would be a tough transition for any catcher.

I see a similar parallel when it comes to Christianity. Whether you grew up in church or came to know Christ later in life, both lifestyles can tempt one to remain in their comfort zone. Neither camp is immune to the perplexities and difficulties of life. But we’re “catchers,” which is to say we’re human and resilient by nature, we’re okay with dropping down in the dirt from time to time to corral a wild pitch or two. We feel at home, secure in our padded gear, and even should a ball slip past, there’s always the backstop.

But something changes when we genuinely surrender to God’s will. It’s like He’s asked us to leave behind what we know, maybe tradition or ignorance, and take up a new position on His field. It’s a paradigm shift. It’s the same field yet a completely different — and scary —experience.

He’s asked us to play first base — kinda.

Look what happens when Jonah is asked to change positions: “The Lord gave this message to Jonah: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.’ But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord” — Jonah 1:1-3 NLT.

Did you catch that? Jonah “got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.”

Jonah grabbed his catcher’s mitt and headed not for first, but for the locker room!

For many of us, that’s exactly how we respond when God commands that we “[Go] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” — Matthew 28:19.

If we’re honest, that’s the proverbial ball being hit, not in our general, but specific direction.

For some, there is a fear of being labeled intolerant, or bigoted. Maybe there is worry of losing a promotion or status. For others, it could be an anxiety of not being good enough. How could God possibly use me? Does He know what I’ve done (?)! And there are those that panic at the idea of a lifestyle or career change.

Whatever it is, whatever God is asking of you specifically, playing first base requires us to focus and lean in to this incredible calling of making disciples.

And if that scares you, that’s okay. It can be a seemingly overwhelming position to play, but here’s what you do: Start small. Speaker and Author Bob Goff, referencing Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed, communicates how beautiful it is that from something so small blossoms a place of refuge for the birds (Matthew 13:31-32).

Sometimes a simple remark such as “nice belt!” becomes the seed that blossoms into a relationship where both parties find refuge and begin to understand who they are in Christ and how to lead others to become fully devoted follower of Christ themselves.

The reality is that we weren’t all created to play first base. There are many positions, but what’s important to remember is don’t get caught up trying to play someone else’s position. Focus where God has you and lean in. Get your glove ready because a line-drive has just been hit in your direction. Have no fear but fear in the Lord. Go, and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No, seriously, that’s it.

C.J. Wetzler is the NextGen pastor at First Baptist Church of 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@deerfieldfirst.com.

By Gary Curreri

Entering the 2017 season, Deerfield Beach High girls flag football coach Cam Thomas had high hopes and expectations for his squad.

The Bucks were coming off an 8-5 season and first round District 11-2A playoff defeat to Coral Springs. The team graduated 12 players from that team, including five key starters.

“We have gone through a little bit of a rebuilding year,” said Thomas, whose team is 2-5 this year and has two difficult match-ups coming up – this week against Coral Glades and the Douglas after spring break next week. “We can still make the (District) playoffs as the fourth seed if we win those two games.”

Thomas, who had taken his team to Orlando to play the likes of Dr. Phillips and Port Orange Spruce Creek in two of the past three years, said a lack of funds prevented him from making the trip this year. He said every matchup this season was one they looked forward to.

“We didn’t want to overlook anybody,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the team has received solid play from returners Taylor Brown (Sr., RB/rusher/CB), Lyndaziah Roberts (Jr., athlete), Eryuan Nesbitt (Sr., LB/TE) and promising newcomers such as Shavon Andrews (Sr., QB/LB), Jasna Mason (Sr., WR/CB), Kim Lawson (Soph., CB/RB), Rebecca Nakad (Soph., athlete) and Camellia Robinson (Soph., rusher).

“Lyndaziah has had a great season,” Thomas said. “She has eight interceptions this year and has 300 yards receiving and one touchdown. She’s been a varsity player since her freshman year.”

The Bucks have been slowed by inconsistent quarterback play, according to Thomas. He said that Nakad has stepped in and done well since making a change recently with their signal callers.

“It wasn’t what we thought it was going to be this year, especially on the varsity level,” Thomas said. “Rebecca has done well at quarterback since she stepped in. It is a learning experience for her since she is a soccer player. She is trying to take control of the quarterback situation right now.”

“If we are going to beat Coral Glades and Douglas, Rebecca is going to have to play mistake-free football,” Thomas said. “She doesn’t have to play a great game. She just has to eliminate the minor mistakes. The top four of seven make it to the playoffs.”

Thomas said the biggest obstacle to overcome was the graduation of the 12 seniors from a year ago.

“That was a huge hit because five or six were from our basketball team from last year,” Thomas said. “Just having those types of athletes, it is hard to replace them.

“That is the success that South Broward is having right now because of their athletes came from their girls basketball team. There is a lot of learning that is going on with us this year. I think this is a rebuilding year for us; and next year, with the JV and the girls we have returning, we will have a good season.”

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Last Sunday afternoon, I caught Pollock, Ed Harris’s award-winning film about tortured artist Jackson Pollock, a motion picture that I reviewed for The Observer 16 years ago. Although I may never be a patron of abstract art, I was absorbed in Jackson Pollock’s craft with paint and canvas. It still holds up as a fine motion picture with an interesting story, intriguing characters and artistic details that supports a strong artist vision.

The strong visuals of Ghost in the Shell have been part of the Japanese/Anime culture for nearly 30 years. Besides being a graphic novel, there was an animated motion picture titled The Ghost in the Shell that was released in 1995 and spawned a total of four films. Ten years ago, Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to produce a live-action version. Last weekend, Ghost in the Shell opened to a lackluster box office that may cost some Paramount Studio executives their jobs.

First off, it is not a bad movie. The film opens with Major Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson) being assembled on a laboratory table. Mira’s body is a victim of a terrorist attack, but her brain is left intact and inserted into an android shell.

Much like Blade Runner, this Ghost in the Shell features a series of investigations and action sequences as Mira seeks to uncover bad guys. The pursuit involves multiple betrayals with Mira questioning her own identification as a cyborg.

The major flaw with the film is the lack of original story. Besides the previous mentioned Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell lifts plot ideas from Avatar, Virtuosity and Innerspace. It feels more like an outline than letting a fresh story unfold.

The film does shine with visual effects. Director Rupert Sanders lets his camera linger on giant hologram figures in the big city. The figures are eclectic and their brief appearances are more interesting than some of the cardboard characters that are used to move the plot forward. While Johansson does shine, we’ve seen her in enough movies of this ilk: Lucy, Her and the Marvel movies.

So Ghost in the Shell is no Pollock or The Last Word, or Kong: Skull Island, for that matter. I wish that The Zookeeper’s Wife or The Case for Christ opened a week sooner.

Why do we eat maror, or bitter herbs, at our Passover seder? The first seder the Jews conducted was in Egypt, on the eve of the 15th of Nissan, the night before they departed from the cursed country. Moses instructed the Jewish people to eat during that seder roasted lamb or goat, together with matzos and maror (bitter herbs).

Why did they eat maror on that first Passover night?

Rashi explains, “G-d commanded them to eat maror to remember that the Egyptians embittered their lives.”

This seems absurd. I can understand that now, in 2017, we are instructed to eat bitter herbs to remember the bitter pain our ancestors endured in Egypt. But for the first generations of Jews, who experienced the Egyptian exile, whose infants were plunged in the Nile, who were beaten and tortured, who suffered unbearable agony and bitterness—they needed to eat bitter herbs, horseradish, to remember the pain?

Imagine: It is April 1945. The Russians entered Auschwitz. The Germans fled. The Jews are still in the death camp. You tell them, “Tonight make sure to eat maror, so that you remember how the Germans embittered your lives.” You’re kidding me? Bitter herbs to remember? I have to remember? And a bitter vegetable will remind me of it? I have lived on this hellish planet for years! All bitter vegetables in the world don’t begin to compare to what I have been through.”

One of the answers is this. The mitzvah to eat the maror is what allowed the Jewish to become free.

When people experience pain they often react in one of two ways: Some people repress it; others become defined by it. Some people don’t talk; they don’t want to face the pain. It remains etched in the depth of their psyche, paralyzing them unconsciously. Others do not stop talking about it. It becomes the sole focus of their life. Bad things people might have done to you completely occupy your mental space. Disappointments, challenging experiences and difficult moments become your defining reality. Both paths are understandable, but we are capable of more. And that is the secret of the maror.

When G-d instructed that generations of Jews eat maror on the night of the seder, He was sharing with them the Jewish way of dealing with all types of disappointments and painful experiences in life: Designate a time and space to eat it, to look at it, to deal with it, to choke over it, to cry for it, to feel the pain. But do not let it become the focus of your entire life, and swallow up your future and destiny. The Jews leaving Egypt, by eating maror, objectified their pain, meaning they transformed it into an important reality that they could look at, feel, study and learn from. But it did not become their entire reality. They were a free people. Otherwise, they would have left the Land of the Pharaohs, but the Pharaoh would have not left them.

Once you eat maror, then you can eat matzah and drink four cups of wine. You can say to yourself, there is also joy in my life. There may be challenges but there is so much opportunity. There may be frustrations, but there is blessing, and, perhaps, I can utilize my experience to grow even more and to help others around me.

We do not ignore pain or take it lightly. We do not delegitimize human feelings. We do not say “get over it.” No, we designate a sacred space in our heart and our seder plate for the “maror.” When we eat the maror, this is our focus. We honor our feelings and experiences. And when we do that, we can say: that was the maror. And now it’s time for the matzah and the wine.

We are hosting our annual Seder at the Jewish Center of Lighthouse Point. To RSVP: e-mail Tzvidechter@gmail.com or visit our website at www. JewishLHP.com. Have a happy and a kosher pesach!

By Emily Rosen

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

My realtor’s car pulled into the parking space designated No. 606 and we both emerged from the vehicle, I – staring into the lipstick red blooming bougainvillea tree, demarking the end space in that section of the lot – immediately fell in love … with the tree. I didn’t need to see the apartment. I wanted to live near that tree. And to add to such largess, its twin sister stood straight and tall only feet from the front door.

With a short cursory look around, “I’ll take it” were the very words my realtor had hoped to hear. Within weeks, my precious “stuff” slinked easily into 1450 sq. ft., after having been surrounded [by additional stuff] and overstuffed into 3500 sq. ft., and I felt like twinkle toes.

That was almost three years ago; and, alas, the parking lot tree has since lost its bloom, its branches dry as a cadaver, standing sentinel over my parking space (which I never use since I have a garage). Every time I looked at it, I felt like crying. Every time guests parked there, I wanted to engage them in a hugging ceremony with me. Dead as the proverbial doornail, it might have been in a Vermont forest in mid January.

I mourned my tree for months, ambivalent about its presence. How long do you keep a dead body in full view? The sun burst on it, the clouds rained on it, but there it stood, motionless, bare and desolate.

And today, as I hauled my garbage to the dumpster abutting the space – OMG! — my tree was gone, a mere stump of it still snug in the earth. I stared at the emptiness and I heard my Ibis chirping nearby. I watched the mother duck-in-residence waddling in front of her babes on the parking lot. The scene was funereal.

Then, I had an out-of-body experience. Some other me – not the one I thought I knew — walked around among the various flowers and bushes in the community with a pan and a clipper and a trowel. I collected a variety of colorful flowers into the pan, pulled out a stool from my garage (I have an old cranky back that doesn’t take well to bending.) dragged my water hose to the spot, doused the earth around the stump, and proceeded to plant flowers around it. And, boy, did that make me feel good!

And here’s the thing. I wanted to write a thoughtful, insightful, philosophical piece about reaching my 90th birthday this month. I wanted to list everything I learned about life, to dispense my wisdom and advice, to pontificate on “my secrets” of longevity and to extoll with infinite gratitude the randomness of just plain good luck. But, instead, I wrote about my dead tree, and the joyousness of living flowers in its place.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School kicked off the season with a 7-6 victory over McArthur in the Girls Flag Football Jamboree at Baptist Health Training Facility in the Miami Dolphins training facility at Nova Southeastern University.

Senior wide receiver and cornerback Kayla Bryant returned a punt 55 yards for the game-winning score in the jamboree.

“Kayla is a two-way star,” said Tornadoes coach Johnathan Firth. “She ran back the game-winning punt in the Dolphins Jamboree and had three catches for over 100 yards and a touchdown in another game and had an interception.

“Outside of football,” Firth continued, “she is even more special as one of the top ranking students in the JROTC program and committed to joining the military right after graduation.”

Coming off consecutive 1-8 campaigns the past two seasons, Firth said there is room for optimism.

“I think the one thing that describes this team is tenacity,” he said. “Flag football is new to many of these girls entering high school and mistakes are going to happen as they learn, but the one thing we preach and that can’t be taught is to give 110 percent and be aggressive on every play.

He said there are two underclassmen – sophomore Ayanna Williams and freshman Brianna Caffro – that have stood out for them and should help the team this season.

“Ayanna is playing flag football for the first time at the high school level,” Firth said. “She has already established herself as solid lockdown defender in coverage and a solid receiving target for our QB.

“Brianna is our starting varsity QB after playing in city leagues around Pompano and playing middle school flag at Crystal Lake,” Firth said. “Once she catches up to the speed at this level we could become very dangerous.”

Other returning varsity players include Melanie Chacon, Stephanie Chiquiza, Ty’anna Stevenson, Taylor Curry, Jada Howden, Paris Colbert, and Renee Innocent.

“While we are still a very young team, we have a lot of experience within that youth and have improved each year,” Firth said. “You always want to measure yourself against the best and see just how much your players have grown.

Miami Dolphins Youth Programs, in partnership with the Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) and the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC), recently hosted the event, which featured 25 high school girls flag football teams from the South Florida area. The jamboree followed an earlier clinic on that educated the high school ladies on football skills. The event also received cooperation from nearby Broward College.

“This event continues to grow throughout the years,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Director of Youth Programs Twan Russell, “and we’re proud to teach these young ladies the proper skills they need both on and off the field to advance the game and their journeys.”

The goal of the event is to promote high school football. The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ mission is to emphasize the importance of education, physical fitness and positive choices for kids in a safe and fun environment. The Miami Dolphins Youth Programs’ vision is to prepare the next generation of leaders in staying physically active through our Junior Training Camps (JTC), Youth Football Clinics and Youth Football Camps in the South Florida Community.

Deerfield Beach also played in the event; however the Bucks came up short falling to Miami Southridge, 9-0.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

As Kong: Skull Island and Beauty & the Beast blow up box office records for March, there are still quiet, artistic movies that are being released on the big screen this weekend. From acclaimed French Director Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, Potiche) comes Frantz, a film with a touch of Daphne du Maurier’s literary classic Rebecca.

Set in Germany during the post World War I era, Anna (Paula Beer) grieves over the loss of her fiance, Frantz. After a visit to the graveside, Anna witnesses Adrien (Pierre Ninney), a French war veteran, put flowers on the marker.

Despite the cultural divide from the Armistice of World War I, Anna and Adrien communicate with each other. Each individual talks about their experiences knowing Frantz, an artistic soul who died in the muddy trenches. At times this relationship evolution is beautiful, but the horrors of war reveal dark secrets of human nature.

Frantz is presented in grim black and white cinematography that also echoes Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s version of Rebecca. Yet Ozon takes advantage of modern technology to include color cinematography for moments of beauty and grace. Given that Frantz is a study of grief, this film becomes life-affirming despite the tragedies on faces in life.

Cinema Paradiso Hollywood and Savor Cinema are among the two cinemas that will be screening Frantz. Homes to the annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, these movie theaters will feature unique programming for the spring season. On Saturday May 6, Savor Cinema will be hosting the running of the 143rd Kentucky Derby, which includes a live band, food prizes and a ladies bonnet contest.

For those pursuing cinema pursuits closer to home, the Palm Beach International Film Festival continues through April 2. Cinemark Theaters in Boca Raton will be one of the host sites. Dr. Oz will be in town, with his daughter Arabella Oz, to promote her new movie. [Michael Lohan will also make an appearance showing the movie The Business of Recovery]. The Tilted Kilt will feature after screening parties next to Cinemark Theater. For screen times, it is best to visit the website www.pbifilmfest.org.

The first day of spring arrived on Monday, March 20. Spring is a season that evokes a range of feelings in each of us. Some of these feelings involve memories of people or events that were pleasant, or not so pleasant. Then there are other feelings generated by what is happening currently in our lives — feelings of joy or feelings of sorrow. Also, spring is the beginning of a new season in our lives, a new season that will define the future course of our lives, and that future course will lead to fulfillment or disappointment. These are the range of thoughts and feelings that are inevitably swirling around our innermost beings as we enter this new season. But no matter how uncertain all this may seem to us, there is a constant that is always there to help us sort things out. That constant is our Lord.

How do we know he is there when we really need him? Of course the easy answer is faith. But to many of us, or to our brothers and sisters, faith may seem to be among the missing, when our days are darkest. That’s where our Lord’s grace comes in. His gift to us is the knowledge that he is present in our lives when nothing else seems to make sense.

I recently visited a city where I once lived. I drove on familiar streets and experienced pleasant and also not so pleasant memories. Then I turned on to a drive I had traveled a thousand times, but this time it was ablaze with color. The azaleas and camellias in the roadway median were in full bloom, and Spanish moss festooned the majestic live oak trees. At that moment, I knew our Lord had prepared that experience for me and by his grace had banished all my unpleasant memories. Our Lord’s grace is there for each of us to help us sort out what is worth keeping in our memories.

Yes, our Lord can certainly help us come to grips with things that have happened in the past, but what about things of the present? Can his grace help us deal with these? I often speak with one of the many young men who help with the grounds keeping in the community where I live. We talk of the many challenges he faces in his present life, challenges that are etched in sorrow on his face. He recently asked me to look at something he had discovered in one of our beautiful flowering bougainvillea; it was a nest which tenderly embraced several tiny baby mockingbirds! The sorrows usually etched on the young man’s face had disappeared and were replaced by an expression of sheer joy and wonder. What I witnessed was a living metaphor of our Lord’s answer to our concerns about the present time, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

And, finally, what about our future? Does our Lord’s grace give us any hope in this area of our lives? The Old Testament has a wonderful story that answers this question for each of us – the story of Hagar and Ishmael. When they were cast out by Abraham, and left to wander in a trackless wilderness, they saw no hope for their future. But our Lord shadowed their journey, provided them with food and water, and led them to safety. Did they know why our Lord graced their lives? Probably not; all they knew was that, in their darkest hour, the Lord reached out and wrapped his loving and compassionate arms around them. This is what our Lord and Creator does for each one of us. He has no concern for our righteousness because his righteousness is more than enough to cover any and all of our failures. All he wants from us, this spring and always, is that we come to him in faith and with the knowledge, as Saint Paul said, that “in him, we live and move and have our being.”

Rev. M. Tracy Smith, SSA, Rector is from the Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, 1416 SE 2 Terr., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-695-0336. Wednesday: Morning Prayer at 10 a.m., Thursday, Holy Communion at 6 p.m., Sunday: Holy Communion at 10 a.m.

By Gary Curreri

Always looking for a challenge, Coral Springs’ Calvin Davis believes he has found one as he was recently named the new football coach at Blanche Ely.

“This is a great opportunity to lead a very good storied program,” said the 38-year-old Davis. “They have a rich tradition, so they always have great athletes.”

Davis, who most recently worked as offensive coordinator at Deerfield Beach, led nearby Monarch High to a 26-8 record with two playoff appearances and a district title during his three years with the Knights.

“We are going to try to implement some of the same things we did at Monarch,” Davis said. “We will run a fast tempo offense. We will have a flying around, aggressive defense. We just want to score a lot of points and we want to do it fast.”

“We will probably run a no-huddle, spread offense,” Davis continued. “We are going to try and score as fast as we can.”

Davis was at his alma mater Deerfield Beach the past two years as offensive coordinator where he helped lead the Bucks to district titles under coach Jevon Glenn. Deerfield Beach reached its first state semifinal since 2007 last season.

Davis succeeds Carl Wilburn, who was in the job less than a year after the Tigers went 3-6 and missed the playoffs for the third time since 1999. Nakia Jenkins coached Blanche Ely’s football team for two years before stepping down after the 2015 season, when the Tigers went 2-9 but still made the playoffs.

“The school and I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago,” Davis said. “It was a mutual interest and I think both parties understood what they were looking for. Ely wanted to get back to prominence, and I was just looking for a better situation.”

“They have always had great players, so you know what you are getting into,” Davis added. “It is all about changing the culture there and getting the athletes to stay there and not leave.”

He is looking forward to working with the community and knows the task will be difficult because of the high expectations that come with the territory.

“We are going to embrace the community and winning helps a lot,” Davis said. “We are going to invite the community in to see how we are doing things so they are comfortable.”

Davis becomes the Tigers’ ninth coach in 14 seasons since Steve Davis (no relation) left the program in 2003 – one year after guiding Blanche Ely to its first and only state title in 2002. Calvin Davis said he is always open to college coaching opportunities. However, he said the Ely job was one he couldn’t pass up. Davis is a history teacher and is well aware of the history at the school.

“I think if I go in and do the things the right way, the kids will come back,” Davis said. “We want them to come back home and play for their community.”

His first head-coaching experience came at the now-defunct Zion Lutheran School in Deerfield Beach where he went 8-2 and 7-3. He also served as offensive coordinator at Coconut Creek, Ft. Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach High School.

Davis said he is a better coach than when he started at Zion Lutheran.

“You can’t beat experience, and that taught me a lot,” Davis said. “It taught me a lot about coaching. It taught me about interacting with administration and parents. I think I learned a lot from the first opportunity and used that the second time.”

Davis, who begins practice on April 24, returns eight players on defense and two to three on offense. They will play in a three-team district that also includes St. Thomas Aquinas and Ft. Lauderdale.

“We respect every opponent and we fear no one,” Davis said. “We like our chances. I guarantee we make the playoffs this year and, if everyone buys into what we are trying to do, we can go pretty far.”

Pro-Beach Soccer Returns

The 2nd annual Beach Soccer Tournament is returning to Pompano Beach on April 1-2.

The South Florida Youth Soccer Association continues to offer the event to promote the sport of beach soccer to its members and all those wanting to participate. Registration is available at http://proambeachsoccer.bonzidev.com/home.php.

For more information, email info@proambeachsoccer.net or call 415-308-0603.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With the releases of Logan, Kong: Skull Island and Beauty & the Beast, the March 2017 box office has broken records, much like the old summer blockbuster season used to be. Could it be the weather? Uninteresting television? Perhaps all three motion pictures are providing big screen entertainment again.

Of the proceeding mentioned films, Beauty & the Beast is the weakest flick to go see on the big screen. A remake of the 1991 animated version (which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, losing to Silence of the Lambs), this Beauty & the Beast has exquisite production values, fine performances and music that will ignite sentimental tear ducts. Yet, during the film’s climax, director Bill Condon sacrifices good storytelling for technical splendor.

For a good story and realistic character development, The Last Word expands to more screens this weekend. Shirley MacLaine is garnering her best notices since her Oscar-winning achievement, Terms of Endearment. As Harriet, MacLaine is a control freak facing the twilight of her life.

Reading the obituaries of her contemporaries, Harriet contacts Anne (Amanda Seyfried) to write her obituary for the local newspaper. Given Harriet’s prickly personality and Anne’s naivete, this business proposition seems doomed to failure. Upon closer examination of what makes a good obituary, Harriet creates four goals to achieve before the shadows claim her. Dragging a reluctant Anne along with her, Harriet embarks on a series of escapades.

Under director Mark Pellington’s confident direction, The Last Word unfolds in realistic fashion. Each one of Harriet’s goals is abstract, but the human interaction is humorous and feels true. There are many scenic gems found in this movie. Among the highlights are Harriet’s attempts to be a benefactor to an alternative radio station and be a mentor to an African-American girl of a single mother.

As both producers and actors, MacLaine and Seyfried form a good team. MacLaine is the dominant personality, but Seyfried gives a transitional performance that is endearing. These two veteran actresses develop a fine chemistry with young AnnJewel Lee Dixson, the African American child forced to take in a mentor. MacLaine, Seyfried and Dixson shine during an emotionally tense lunch scene with Harriet’s daughter (Anne Heche).

This weekend, the much hyped Power Rangers and CHiPS start crowding the cineplexes. Don’t let fine movies like Logan, Kong: Skull Island and The Last Word get pushed aside. These three films provide Saturday matinee popcorn-eating fun.