Colleen Houck


“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer

Colleen's blog


  • Movie Review: Divergent

    April 1, 2014


    Movie Review: Divergent

    Divergent-poster

    Colleen’s Movie Review

    Romance: Even though there wasn’t nearly enough kissing going on to make me happy, the friction between Four and Tris was sizzling regardless. There was an understated sort of steam that intensified every time Four looked at her. Deliciously electrifying.

    divergent-tris-four-kiss

     

    Special Effects: I think my favorite thing about this was the setting. I recognized many of the Chicago buildings so to see them pretty much ready to topple was an interesting backdrop. The glow-in-the-dark flags and the stun guns were cool. Other than that I don’t remember too many special effects.

    What I Liked: The costumes. The cast and the acting.

    What I’d Change: I think it might be a bit hard for a newbie who had never read the books to follow along. Not sure there was enough back story included in the movie for them to catch up enough to care much about what was happening with the characters. Also I’m not a fan of Four’s tattoos. Why would you cover so much of his back that he looked like he was wearing a shirt? Wasn’t the point for him not to be? Wearing a shirt I mean? 😉

    The Tagline: For Divergent there were two.

    1) One Choice Can Transform You

    2) What Makes You Different, Makes You Dangerous

    I’m not sure I really like either of them. The transform part makes me think that Tris will become supernatural in a way and she’s pretty much the same person she always was, she just embraced her talents and worked hard.

    If I had to go with one I think I’d prefer the second though again it smacks of the supernatural. There’s a piece missing there that I can’t quite put my finger on.

    Hunky Hero: Four is definitely in the category of hunky hero. He’s one of those mysterious, fascinating, brooding men with secrets. He was very believable as both his father’s son. a trainer in the Dauntless army, and as Tris’ love interest. I’m looking forward to seeing more from him as an actor both in the Divergent world and outside of it.

    four four1

    The Villain: Kate Winslet played the villain of the story, Jeanine Matthews. It was hard for me to see Kate as a villain especially knowing she was pregnant when she filmed the movie. I found I was looking for her baby bump more often than I was paying attention to her villainy attempts. I was more afraid of the giant syringes and the jumping off rooftops than I was of Jeanine.

    divergent-kate-winslet_0

    Best Line:

    Peter: You wouldn’t shoot me.
    Tris Prior: Why does everybody keep saying that?

    Best Scene: Hmm the zip lining was cool. I also liked the first time Tris met Four.

    Recommended for YA fans: Absolutely. Go support YA films! Also it’s just good. It felt true to the book and I think the young actors did really well with the characters.

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    Trailer

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    Grandma’s Review

    2014-01-19 15.04.07

     

    Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of seventeen with one bun in the oven (not my oven). They’re all great. None of my kids are duds-you know, like the popcorn kernels that don’t pop. My father taught me to love science fiction and mysteries. I’m a dreamer whose secret wish was to be an actress and sing and dance on stage. I have lots of things I still want to do. A few of my favorite things include-discovering new restaurants, going to movies, traveling, seeing plays, children, my dogs, Elvis, reading books, The Beach Boys, and Rhett Butler because he doesn’t give a damn AND he can carry Scarlett up the stairs.

    Definition of Kicky-providing a kick or thrill, exciting

    Review: “Divergent”, the movie, stays pretty true to the book by Veronica Roth which I enjoyed thoroughly. Beatrice and Tobias are pleasingly complicated characters but they live in a very sorrowful world. The dystopian Chicago may be efficient but is limiting and stifling to individual growth. Who could be happy there?… and,  who knows what is beyond the fence that surrounds the city? Freaky!

    The story was compelling and kept me interested. The scenery and special effects were good. The primary antagonist  “Jeanine” was really mean and cunning and I loved to hate her. Her plot to take over the ruling class and use “Dauntless” to do it via mind control was especially evil. Why, why, why does there always seem to be some bad person to make everyone else miserable?

    The first book in the series was my favorite but I’m still looking forward to the upcoming movies. I will give it 8 out of 10 kicks.

    Karate Girl Sticker Car Window Decal Fight Woman Kick Neat Gift Vinyl Black Belt

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    A Guy’s Perspective

    2014-02-01 22.54.02

     

    Bio: I’m Colleen’s husband, Brad. I’m the youngest of four kids. I’ve been Deaf since I was five so I watch every movie with caption glasses. I love sports and reading (I’ll admit I’ve read Twilight but prefer thrillers like Jack Reacher). My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I’ll never turn down a taco. I write poetry. My man credentials include: a high school career in wrestling, watching sports every time my wife is too busy to notice, a receding hairline, two repaired ACL’s, and a stockpile of Axe body wash.

    Review:

    Divergent doesn’t Diverge from Novel

    As movies go, this wasn’t too shoddy. It was actually better than I anticipated, having read some reviews by professional critics. The problem is those critics haven’t read the book, hence their lackluster reviews. Even though I have read Veronica Roth’s novel, I wasn’t bowled over by the movie, but I did understand it better. The problem with the movie is it does little world-building and does not adequately explain why society is the way it is. So non-readers are definitely at a disadvantage. A great movie adaptation, however, will engage both readers and non-readers into the story. Divergent only does half the job.

    The most interesting character to me was Four. I thought he was well cast and there was an aura of mystery about him. His relationship with Tris, the main character, was somewhat believable. There are scenes of violence toward females, and I’m not a big fan of that. I don’t appreciate seeing men throw females to the floor, punch them in the face, and just brutally overpower them. (Yes, I’m old-fashioned…). But, of course, they eventually rise to the occasion since Hollywood loves to depict warrior-females that kick serious butt, though that is totally unrealistic to me.

    My interest did not waver in the movie, which is always good sign, and the movie also did not waver from the novel. I don’t know if it was enough to propel me to read the two sequels which the studios are currently adapting to film. Since my foundation is already based on the first novel, I will be curious to see how the next two films measure up without my reading them. (Seriously, I have plenty of books that are awaiting my attention…and there are only so many hours in a day.)

    This film earned 6 Hulk Smash Fists out of 10.

    Comics Hulk Fist icon

    This entry was posted in A Guy's Perspective, Grandma's Review, Movie Review.

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    Colleen Houck
    Colleen Houck

    New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.