Movie Reivew "Mud"

This drama involves two 14 year old boys in De Witt, Arkansas who discover a fugitive, Mud, hiding on a small island in the Mississippi River. His hideout is an abandoned boat resting in the branches of a tree. Mud enlists the two to help escape the island and rescue his girlfriend who is waiting for him in De Witt. It’s a little of “Swing Blade” meets “Stand by Me.” The entire story is viewed from the perspective of the two 14 year olds. Until the end of the film, it is difficult to determine what Mud really is and whether his perspective on the conflict is entirely true. Mathew McConaughey, Reece Witherspoon and Sam Shepherd give stellar performances.

Movie Review: “Star Trek Into Darkness”

This 12th movie installation of the “Star Trek” series starts with James Kirk breaking the The Federation’s cardinal rule of non-interference in order to save his best friend Spock. Kirk is temporarily relieved of his command by his mentor, Admiral Pike. The Federation headquarters are damaged by a suicide bomber who is in the employ of one of their own commanders. The film’s theme is the pursuit of this traitor into Klingon territory. Kirk and Spock’s unbreakable friendship is the anchoring relationship that stabilizes the efforts of this pursuit. The story line is predictable. The special effects are superb. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban do a wonderful job portraying Kirk, Spock and Bones. Except for the occasional mild profanity, this film could have been rated G.

Review: Bijoux Parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris

This recently opened exhibit at the Dixon Museum features an eclectic collection of French jewelry, art prints, paintings and drawings from the 17th to 20th centuries. Most of the collection is from the Petit Palis in Paris, but also included are pieces from private collections. A fine review of the organization of the pre-revolution French jewelry guilds accompanies the earliest works. Also included is the history, evolution and representative pieces of famous jewelry businesses such as Boucheron, Cartier and Lalique. The exhibit is well organized and displayed. A color catalogue of everything shown is available at the museum gift shop.

Movie Review "Iron Man 3"

This latest installment of the Iron Man series should be more appropriately entitled “Iron Man Suits.” Tony Stark has developed anxiety disorder after the last movie’s alien encounter. The latest villain is “Mandarin” (played by Ben Kingsley) is an international terrorist bent on the destruction of the US President and American power. In the midst of this crisis, Tony Stark meets up with a young boy from middle Tennessee who helps him regain his confidence. Some attempt is made at tying past episodes with the current crisis. The plot is not well developed, but does have some closure at the end. Ben Kingsley does a superb job portraying the apparent story villain. The best relational development of the story is between Stark and the young Tennessean boy, well portrayed by Ty Simpkins. As with the previous movies in this series, the special effects are top flight- despite not viewing it in 3D