Happy Saturday and weekend, all :)

Today’s post is filed under random because…well, it’s random. I usually post about books and grits and such. But I have no planned post on those topics today.

On movie reviews, I have a few. So enjoy, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy your weekend!

Elaine’s Movie Reviews…

GONE GIRL. Really intense, well-acted and well-written. That being said, this is the kind of movie where the ending bothered me and I was left thinking about it for several days. Some people liked the ending. I grossly hated it. But the main actors/actresses deserve big time Oscars for their performances.

HECTOR & THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS. This one was very strange. I actually think this was a writing collaboration, where one person wrote the first half of the film and another person wrote the last half. The two halves never made a whole. The first hour (if you can survive it) is dull, quirky, without much happening at all. You could sum up the entire first 60 minutes of the film by saying: “Hector is a boring psychiatrist who has no excitement in life.” There. That’s 60 minutes of film time.

The 2nd half of the film, however, was wonderful. This is where we see conflict, pain, redemption, etc. All the qualities that make a good movie but were absent in the first half. The problem with the second half being good is that most people walk out of the theater before they see it.

THE MAZE RUNNER. Really good, really liked the characters and the plot. This one is the start of a series and I’ll likely see this again.

That’s about all for now, so enjoy your weekend!

Summer is typically a great time for the release of new movies, everything from the action adventure over-the-top antics of Transformers to the more subtle, lovely indie films that give our souls a bit of a lift on sad days.

I’m a huge movie buff, but in the last year I see films dwindling and dwindling. Then, to my surprise, I found a few gems out there that I thought I’d share…

Fave #indiefilms of this summer:

1. BEGIN AGAIN (Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley) – lovely piece set in New York City that incorporates heartache, love, being an artist, and starting again. All with the Big Apple as the backdrop. Lovely, lovely.

2. THE ONE-HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY (Helen Mirren, Rohan Chand) – a war between restaurants with charm, wit and passion. Fantastic :)

3. AND SO IT GOES (Diane Keaton, Michael Douglas) – Humorous and fun romantic comedy. Curmudgeon Michael Douglas lives next door to a questioning-her-worth Diane Keaton while suddenly getting his granddaughter dropped off on his front steps. Great emotion, great moments, even cried in a few places.

Hi all, For those who have traveled to New Orleans (and even those who haven’t), do you ever wonder what movies portray the city accurately and those that don’t? For my listing, check out the guest blog today, where I list some of my faves and dislikes. The nice Casey Ryan from Twitter is hosting my article: Read guest blog here.