By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With Black History month wrapping up and the Academy Awards looming, 12 Years a Slave is the film to see. With 9 Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe winner for Best Picture in Drama, this film is a wellcrafted motion picture that stands side by side with previous Best Picture Oscar winners like Gandhi, Schindler’s List and All Quiet on the Western Front. Like the previous mentioned winners, 12 Years a Slave will not invite repeat viewings — one viewing is enough to make this film memorable.

The title speaks for itself. It is based on the autobiography written and published by Solomon Northup before the Civil War. Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a black musician from New England who is kidnapped and sold into slavery on a Southern Plantation. In his 12 years as a slave, Northup is sold by conniving rat (Paul Giamatti), brutalized by an entitled rich kid (Paul Dano) and performs brutal acts under the orders of an alcoholic overseer (Michael Fassbender). Yet Northup is given moments of beautiful grace from a fellow slave (Lupita Nyong’o), while learning Christian values from Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) and practical carpentry from Bass (Brad Pitt).

Director Steve McQueen (no relation to the actor who died 34 years ago) has created a human motion picture with brilliant artistic and technical detail. McQueen takes his time to let the story unfold. He fills scenes with shot composition inspired by Old World Master Painter Francisco Goya, scenes that are brutal and beautiful at the same time. The Hans Zimmer musical score is not intrusive, yet will lead people to an appreciation for acoustic music, especially bluegrass, blues and gospel.

Win or lose the Oscar race, 12 Years a Slave is one of the best pictures of 2013.

Based on a stage play by Neal Bell, In Secret opens tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. The cast is an intriguing matchup between young and experienced talent. Elizabeth Olsen portrays Therese, a sexually-repressed young woman under the thumb of her husband (Tom Felton, Harry Potter’s nemesis “Draco Malfoy”) and domineering aunt (Jessica Lange, on break from American Horror Story). Set in Paris, circa 1860, Therese is besotted by Laurent (Oscar Isaac), a friend of her husband. With this kind of setup, you can guess what happens in In Secret.

On a lighter note, the UltraCon of South Florida commences this weekend at the Ft. Lauderdale Sheraton Suites at Cypress Creek. The brainchild of local comic book entrepreneur Irving Santiago, this con has invited actors from The Walking Dead, Star Trek as well as UFC Fighter Mike “the Wolverine” Rio. The demented clown duo from Orlando, Giggles & Thug, also plan to terrorize Cypress Creek this weekend.

(Great thanks to Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin for getting the creative juices flowing.)

I know you probably weren’t expecting a Rabbi to bring up Valentine’s Day, but, in case you haven’t figured it out in reading my columns here in The Observer, I am a romantic at heart. So, when I studied the Torah Portion the other week, I couldn’t help but find connections between them.

This Torah reading gave a description of the special clothing, the Kohanim, that Aaron and his sons were to wear. Since Valentine’s Day was coming up, many ads were pushing clothing and jewelry. They showed items of adornment that can be worn on the head, the neck and on the wrist. Why are these items shown as gifts for Valentine’s Day? Well, aside from the fact that the stores are hoping to make lots of money, hopefully, these types of gifts are a way of telling someone you love that they are special to you.

After all, I would not advise you to get the love of your life a new vacuum or a new mop along with a Cupid Card. Why? Because that would not be a very good way of saying that they are special.

So how does this connect with the Torah Reading? Well, for that, we have to look at why Aaron and his sons had special vestments to wear and I can think of no better way of finding the answer then looking at that last piece of the coordinated outfit, the frontlet that the priest was to wear on his forehead, because that piece was inscribed with the words “Holy to the Eternal.”

Of course, reading this, you might think for a moment that only the Priests were special to G-d, that only the priests were to be holy. But we are told to be “A Kingdom of Priests …”

In other words, we are all supposed to be special and we are all supposed to be holy. We are also supposed to emulate G-d. If G-d feeds the hungry, then we are to feed the hungry. If G-d clothes the naked, then we are to clothe the naked. And, if G-d finds people holy … if G-d loves others, then we to are to find people holy and love them.

Now, please don’t get me wrong, in Judaism we are not exactly fond of tattoos, so I am not suggesting that you have your loved ones tattooed on the forehead with the words “Holy to me.” But, I would suggest you try this to add to the holiness and the love in your life … each time you look at those you love, imagine those words on their forehead. Remember that we have the ability to decide what is holy and special to us.

In a perfect world, we would all be special to one another; but, for now, having just celebrated Valentine’s Day, at least see those words on your spouse, on your parents, on your children and then let those words change how you treat them.

Before you do something like getting angry or giving the silent treatment, before you tell them you don’t have time for this or that, don’t just imagine the words “Holy to me” on their forehead. Show them how Holy they are to you and show them how very much you love them as, when you do, you truly show them that they are consecrated unto you.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.

By Dave Montalbano

www.cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Jewish Holocaust was the primary theme of two recently-released motion pictures, Aftermath and The Last of the Unjust. When Comedy Went to School takes a look at the lighter side of Jewish Culture, proving the old adage that “living well is the best revenge.”

This documentary features some of the most influential comedians of the 20th Century: Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld. Using concert footage of these comedians in their youth, the audience will receive an education in how to develop a comedy, from the set-up to the punch line.

Buried under the multi-million- dollar Oscar marketing of The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle and Saving Mr. Banks, Lone Survivor has quietly broken the $100 million threshold at the box office. Based on the New York Times nonfiction best seller, Lone Survivor made my Top 10 list for presenting an epic, yet human, movie within a twohour time frame.

In the summer of 2005, Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and his Navy SEALs team accept the assignment to eliminate al Qaeda leader Ahmad Shah in the mountains of Afghanistan. During the mission, the special forces team runs into mountain herders, who may, or may not be, sympathetic to the al Qaeda leadership. Caught in the crosshairs of choosing survival or following the rules of engagement set in motion by Washington politicians, the team makes a choice that ultimately leads to tragedy. (One of the SEALs who died, James Suh, was a Deerfield High graduate.)

Watching what happens to the team is a teeth-grinding experience. Yet, in the midst of the brutality, you will see moments of grace from our brave military volunteers, as well of Afghan Muslim leaders whose code of honor is mightier than the iron command of al Qaeda.

With the exception of a few technical awards, it is too bad that Lone Survivor is being ignored by the Academy Awards this year. It is truly one of the best motion pictures released in 2013.

JEREMIAH 29:11

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

NLT

God has a plan for you and He wants to help you and give you hope. We all plan and build our lives around things. We plan around all of our extracurricular activities: dinner, dancing, sporting events, gym, golf, tennis, etc. We plan for death by making a will to make sure everything goes to the right place. We plan for our vacation by making sure we know where we are staying and what activities we will be doing. We even plan the times we are going to certain places and what rides we want to go on in the amusement park. When we get ready to build something, we get a set of blueprints or plans done to know what we want to accomplish. There is even a plan for the plumbing, the electrical and for the walls.

God has a plan for you because He loves you and cares about you. God wants you to be blessed and happy. If God has a plan for you, because of His love for you, then make sure you do the same for those you love. Valentine’s Day is here and I want to encourage you to plan a special day because of the love you have for others in your life. We plan so many things in our lives that we need to make sure we have a plan to make Valentine’s Day special and memorable. It is that time of the year when we can let those who are special to us know exactly how we feel. Valentine’s Day is not only about romance, but it is also about love. Love comes in many different forms in our lives and we usually use it for not so important things. I could say that I love my wife, my children, my parents, going to church, eating out, buying electronics and my job. That would actually mean something a little different for each one on my list, but we all tend to use the word “LOVE” for many different things. Let’s all show those who are special to us how much they mean to us by telling them we love them and also telling them why. I know sometimes it is hard to express our emotions, but it is OK; it is Valentine’s Day, after all.

Just do it, and make a plan to go buy your cards, candy and flowers (today) ahead of time, and do not wait until the last minute. Plan now and make sure those people in your life know that you love them and make sure they know why you love them. Let God be our example and plan for those we love the same way He has a plan for us. The plan doesn’t work if you don’t work the plan. God has a plan for your life and now you have a plan to follow God and to tell others that you love them.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, Weekend Services are on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

By Gary Curreri

The Highlands Christian Academy and Deerfield Beach high school boys’ soccer teams reached the postseason this season with high expectations.

Highlands Christian (13-6) won the district title and made it to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2006 when it fell to Palmer Trinity, 3-1. The Knights were ousted in the regional quarters in the five appearances since then.

Unfortunately for the Knights, Sagemont (18-7-1) advanced to the regional finals with a 4-0 victory over host Highlands Christian on Tuesday night.

Sophomore Carlos Pan gave the Lions a 1-0 halftime lead when he scored on a header in the 21st minute. Freshman Karl Ackermann scored the first of three second half goals for Sagemont off a cross by junior Marco Wehrhahn in the 53rd minute. Sagemont added its own goal and a final tally by freshman Braedon Villano to end Highlands’ season. Ryan Theimer recorded 13 saves in his sixth shutout of the year.

Highlands Christian Academy coach Darryl Mauro said he was pleased with his team’s performance, especially considering his team had just three full time soccer players. He was also happy to coach with his son Daniel, an HCA graduate, who won national titles while at Clearwater Christian College.

“We had two players, Lucas Almeida and Caleb Bien- Aime finish with 17 goals and double figures with assists and our goalkeeper, Zach Mueller finished with nine clean sheets (shutouts),” Mauro said. “Sophomores Elijah Kerr, Evan Henderson, and Vitor Lima both improved on both sides of the ball and newcomers Brandly Martina, Ayrton Barbolinea, Ray Melfor all played a big role in our postseason run.”

Deerfield Beach made its fourth appearance in the playoffs in school history under Coach Frantz Edouard – 2009, 2012, 2013 were the others – and fell to Boca Raton last Thursday night in the regional quarterfinals thanks to a topflight performance by the Bobcats’ Sebastian Elney, who spent last year with the U.S. Soccer Under-17 residency program in Bradenton.

Elney had three goals in the contest to lead host Boca Raton (21-1-2) to a 3-0 victory over Deerfield Beach in the Class 5A boys’ soccer regional quarterfinal. Boca Raton advanced to this Friday’s regional final after defeating Douglas, 3-0 on Tuesday night.

Deerfield Beach (18-3-4) had the better play in the early going with nothing to show for it. Boca Raton goalkeeper Collin Foody made three saves for his 11th shutout of the season.

The Bucks’ best chance to score came in the 68th minute when Matheus Pereira took a free kick that Foody got a hand on. The ball deflected to Romilaire Ambrose, whose shot was headed off the goal line by defender Aaron Kleinert.

“We are disappointed,” said Deerfield Beach soccer coach Frantz Edouard. “The first goal hurt, but the second one broke our back. We had a great season. The number 23 (Elney) was the difference maker for them.”

Edouard’s team had the harder road in the playoffs as it finished runner-up in the district to Douglas.

“It didn’t work out,” Edouard said. “Obviously, we had a good season, not a great season, because we wanted to advance far in the playoffs. We have been here before, but we haven’t been able to get over the hump. It’s a bit of a disappointing season for us.”

Edouard, who is in his eighth year at the school, believes his team will be in the postseason again and expects his team to go far.

“We graduate about four or five players, but honestly the core of the team will be back again next year,” Edouard said. “Hopefully, we will be back … and be victorious.”

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Last of the Unjust opens tomorrow. It is an almost four-hour interview conducted in German with English subtitles about “Theresienstadt,” Adolph Eichmann’s plan for the “Jewish Ghetto” in Germany during World War II. If you long for an in-depth interview from a wise old man who experienced both horror and compassion first hand, then The Last of the Unjust is the film for you.

The central figure is Benjamin Murmelstein, the last Elder of the Theresienstadt Jewish Council. For six years, Murmelstein negotiated with Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann for the survival of the Jewish people. As Hitler increased the extermination of the Jewish people with the Final Solution, Murmelstein witnessed the lynching of his kinsmen in the courtyard of Theresienstadt.

The film is too long for its own good, with many lingering shots of European modern architecture. Critics have condemned Murmelstein’s deadpan delivery about the horrors he witnessed. Yet, if you take time to watch the film, you will be rewarded by a pure intellectual experience. By not wearing his heart on his sleeve, Murmelstein’s stoic delivery enhances his eyewitness testimony.

By Emily Rosen, M.A.

ERosen424@aol.com

www.emilyrosen424.com

I am ready – ripe-ready – for a new car. This will probably be my last car. I keep them for 10 years or more, and the actuarial tables — well, you know – they are not in my favor.

So I walk into the showroom(s) up and down Federal Highway. It isn’t that I don’t know what I want.

It seems – that it doesn’t exist – YET.

“Good afternoon,” say the smiling salespeople, ready to pounce. “How can I help you today?”

Sheepishly and simply, I say: “I want a yellow car.”

They smile in a kind of patronizing yet disbelieving way, and repeat, “You want a yellow car? “

“Yes.”

“ANY yellow car?”

“Well – not exactly. It must be 4 doors, with a decent size trunk (no hatchback), get good gas mileage and be either new or have been driven no more than 8,000 miles.”

The puzzled look turns into a frown, and before they begin to sputter, I add, “Oh! And it must be somewhere close to the $20,000 category.”

“MUST it be yellow?”

“That’s the idea!”

My now 10-year-old plus car is Silver. My husband admonished me long ago, when we were shopping for it, that yellow is a bad color for resale, that it’s a kid-color and “For heaven sake – why not just buy a N.Y.C. cab?” My response was, “Hurumph!” And reluctantly, I succumbed.

Don’t get me wrong. I love, love, love (it’s almost Valentine’s Day, you know) my Silver car. But it’s NOT YELLOW – and it’s time for a new one, and, since my husband’s recent demise, there’s no one around to dissuade me from getting yellow.

So far, there is no end to this ongoing story, but I tell it in light of the inevitability of the arrival of yet another of Valentine’s Day. I’ve written about the holiday for the past 20- plus years – in as many permutations as I could dredge up: the romance, the humor, the gifts, the original heart-palpitating times, the sturdy long-time reliable love, the disappointments and acceptances, the effects of technology and social media on love, the love for children and grandchildren, the love of fellow humans and ways to volunteer to show that love — and so much more. But this time, it’s a tribute to love of self.

Irrational as it is, and I cannot even articulate a reason for my “krazy kraving,” a yellow car is something I want. I cannot be accused of requiring instant gratification, since I’ve wanted one for over 10 years.

Obviously, this lack of gratification has not interfered with my life nor has it caused me any pain, but, by golly – why shouldn’t I have it as long as I can pay for it!

And thus, my Valentine’s message for 2014 is congruent with my personal life philosophy (well a piece of it anyway): “Every day I try to do something for somebody else and something for myself.”

I’m counting on a yellow car – from me — for Valentine’s day.

Yitro was a complex man, living in complex times, in a complex neighborhood. Sounds pretty complex doesn’t it? Do you recognize the words I just used? They are the same words that Vice President Joe Biden used at Ariel Sharon’s funeral.

Yitro is indeed a complex man. He is a priest of Midian. Some would say Yitro was the first convert to the Jewish Faith as after hearing of Israel’s liberation, Yitro went to join the Children of Israel. But his words are that of someone who still believes in many gods as he tells Moses that the G-d of Israel is surely the most powerful of all the gods. So you see, Yitro is a complex man where theology is concerned.

He is also complex as a father and as a father-in-law. He takes his daughter and grandchildren away for a time; some say because Moses was going to war, others say because Moses was so busy with his work. But, it is also Yitro who brings them back to Moses. As I said, Yitro is a complex man. Yitro loves his daughter and his son-in-law. He watches Moses and what does he see? He sees that Moses is busy at work from dusk to dawn. He takes him aside. He lets him know that he has taken on an impossible task. He lets him know that he is working so hard that he is endangering his own health. He lets him know that his working such hours is damaging his marriage and he is also missing out on the joy of watching his children grow, and the children are missing out on quality time with their father.

He goes on to tell him that when you have used up all your brain power you can make mistakes in judgment, and when you have used up all your physical stamina, you just can’t think clear enough to make proper decisions.

Let’s put this in terms we can all understand. If you had to have surgery, would you prefer to have the surgeon do the operation first thing in the morning when he is all rested and ready to face the day, or would you rather be the last surgery of the day after the surgeon has already had to perform more surgeries than were originally scheduled, as there were some emergency cases … and the doctor is exhausted and has not had enough to eat or drink, and has been standing on his feet all day with his back bent over the surgical table? I think you get the idea.

As I look back over the story of Yitro and as we read the Aseret Hadibrot, the Ten Commandments, in this very same Parsha, I cannot help but see that the first commandment is shouting out loud and clear — If you think you can do it all by yourself, then, my friend, you think you are G-d … and let me be the first to tell you that while each of us may go through a period where we think we can do it all on our own, it won’t be long until the body begins to show symptoms of doing too much. It won’t be long until the brain is not functioning up to full capacity … decisions you make will be affected, and your family will be affected as well.

And remember this — just as you need somebody. Somebody needs YOU. “Everybody needs somebody sometime.”

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. We welcome you to join our warm and caring family for Shabbat and festival services. We’ll make your heart glow…who knows, you might even fall in love with Shul all over again.

By Gary Curreri

If Blanche Ely’s boys’ basketball team is to win its third consecutive Class 7A state championship, the road may lead through Lauderdale Lakes and District 14-7A rival Boyd Anderson.

Blanche Ely (18-2), the state’s third-ranked team in the latest Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC)-Source Hoops state rankings, has dropped just two games all season – both to the Cobras (17-3), who are ranked second in the state. Apopka’s Wekiva High School (19-3) holds down the top state ranking in Class 7A.

Blanche Ely opened the season with 13 consecutive wins including the prestigious Chick-Fil-A Classic in Columbia, South Carolina. Junior Therrell Gosier led his team to the Chick-Fil-A Classic II Championship with 24 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. The Tigers won 81-75 in overtime over South Pointe (Rock Hill, SC).

Less than a week later, Blanche Ely dropped its first contest of the year to Boyd Anderson in overtime at the D-Hop Classic at Palm Beach Lakes High School. The Cobras rallied from a 63-59 deficit with 49 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime. That loss ended a Blanche Ely streak of 46 wins in a row against Broward County opponents and 52 wins in a row against Florida teams.

“There were some great teams in the D-Hop with Boyd Anderson, and Palm Beach Lakes in our region,” said Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall. “I think there are some pretty good teams in Central Florida, but the best teams reside down here in South Florida.”

The state rankings bear that out with Palm Beach Lakes (16-5) fifth in the poll and Dwyer (18-5) sixth in the FABC-Source Hoops state rankings.

Just three weeks later, Boyd Anderson handed the Tigers its second loss of the season as it battled back from a ninepoint deficit in the third quarter to pull out a 65-57 victory.

Randall said he expects his team to improve for the stretch run and credited the leadership of seniors Lance Tejada II and Joshua Floyd, in addition to Gozier.

“Their leadership is helping raise these young ones to William Nightingale get to where we need to be,” said Randall, whose team defeated Boyd Anderson, 78- 75, in overtime on Nov. 30. “I think they are doing a tremendous job.”

Floyd was at Westminster Academy last year, while Javon Heastie transferred in from Dillard. Boyd Anderson has two transfers of its own in Rodney Simeon from Miami Central and Dondre Duffus from Wellington High School.

Both teams were competing in the BCAA Big 8 tournament where Blanche Ely is the defending champion. Results of Wednesday night’s games were unavailable at press time. The District playoffs begin next week.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Sixty-nine years ago this week, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated. As that generation of survivors leave us, the responsibility of this brutal history falls upon future generations. Filmed in Poland with English subtitles, After math (Poklosie) tackles this theme about generational responsibility to the truth.

After making a living in Chicago for 20 years, Franc (Ireneusz Czop) the prodigal brother returns to his hometown in Poland. His brother, Jozek (Maciej

Stuhr) has stayed behind, buried their parents and maintained the farm. Feeling guilty for being away, Franc notes the strange behavior between the village people and Jozek.

Aftermath unravels like a good mystery, enhanced by writer/ director Wladyslaw Pasikowski’s concise direction and clear cinematography. The revelation is horrifying and personal, but is a worthy climax, guaranteed to inspire discussion. Aftermath opens tomorrow in local theaters.

Saving Mr. Banks wraps up its theatrical run shortly with a lukewarm box office. A muchanticipated Christmas Day release, this film has been a disappointment on the awards circuit, with Emma Thompson garnering most notice for her work as P.L. Travers, the author of the children’s classic Mary Poppins.

For almost three decades, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) attempted to produce Mary Poppins as a piece of cinema for his daughters, but P.L. Travers did not want to see her books be corrupted. Facing financial difficulties, Travers finally relents and flies to California to workshop Mary Poppins. With her nose high in the air, Travers creates continuous obstacles for the Walt Disney Imagineers. Underneath her frosty exterior, lies the pain of Travers’ tragic childhood.

Saving Mr. Banks is a film full of historical and subtle details. Given that Walt Disney died of lung cancer, he is introduced in the film with an offstage cough, later he is caught smoking a cigarette. During one dramatic scene in his office, a map of Florida is seen in the background with little flags placed around the Orlando region.

Twenty-two years ago, my buddy Bonnie took her daughters to go see Turner & Hooch, only to traumatized by the ending of this Tom Hanks movie. She told me that Saving Mr. Banks sabotaged her original feelings for Mary Poppins, which means that Aftermath would be too intense for her. However if one is seeking pure drama as an alternative to this Super Bowl weekend, then Saving Mr. Banks & Aftermath will provide a fine diversion.