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

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  • Double Feature Movie Review: The Giver & If I Stay

    September 8, 2014


    The Giver

    I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned. =)

    Colleen’s Movie Review

    Romance: There was a sweet, innocent kind of romance in this film that was purely devised by the filmmakers as there was nothing of the kind in the book. I found myself just as fascinated with Fiona’s lips as Jonas. Not sure how they stayed so plump and glossy when no one there was supposed to be wearing makeup.

    Special Effects: I liked the layout of the city and the buildings and the technology. Replacing the fake tree limbs was cool.

    What I Liked: The actors. They all did an amazing job. Loved Katie Holmes as the mother. I was transfixed by the story. The gradual adding in of color. I enjoyed the changes they made and felt like it still stayed true to the story. I liked the change from taking a pill to getting an injection.

    What I’d Change: This is not really the film’s problem but I wanted more. More from the book and more from the movie. I want more backstory. I love what was added in but it’s just not enough. That’s a good thing actually. I’m curious about the world.

    The Tagline:

    You can make things better.
    Search for truth. Find freedom.

    I’m not sure how the first line would draw anyone in. The second is much more appropriate.

    Hunky Hero: Brenton Thwaites is a hunky hero who is definitely coming into his own. I predict a lot of good things coming from him in the future. This is an actor who I think is here to stay.

     

    The Villain: Meryl Streep as the Chief Elder added an interesting element to the story that was missing in the book. She was very good in the role and there was a connection between her and The Giver that was very compelling. It made me wonder if the two characters had been romantically involved at some point in their lives. She didn’t get enough screen time but since nearly everything she did was added into the story, they probably didn’t want to deviate much further but she added some richness and depth.

     

    Best Line: The Giver: “We are living a life of shadows, of echoes.”

    Best Scene: Any scenes where The Giver is passing along memories.

    Recommended for YA Fans: Yes! Read the book first though.

    Compared to the Book: The biggest differences between the movie and the book are the ages of the characters and the jobs they are assigned. I understand why they switched these around and I think it was a good thing. The material is not geared toward children and if they had kept the age of Jonas twelve then the movie makers would have had a harder time marketing it I think. It retained its innocent quality despite the addition of a very tame romance and I think it was very true to the book and even added some interesting elements that fit seamlessly into the world.

    Trailer:

    http://youtu.be/iJNNugNe0Wo


     

    Grandma’s Review:

    Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of eighteen. 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: “The Giver” was a favorite of mine. I was sorry when the story ended. I always love to see Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep in movies. They are such awesome actors. I thought Brenton Thwaites did a great job as Jonas. I will buy this movie when it comes out DVD. I may even go again to see it in the theater. I love sci-fi. Hopefully they will do a sequel.

    I give this movie a 9 out of 10 kicks.


    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: 

    The Giver Review

    Having read the book by Lois Lowry, I will say the screen adaptation was adequate and somewhat faithful to the original text, and that will satisfy many fans of the book, but the film left me somewhat disappointed. Having said that, I thought the movie did as well as it could with the limited content the story offered, yet I wasn’t surprised or jarred out of my senses in any way. (Does that make me a spoiled viewer?)

    The only memorable aspect of the film was its black and white presentation which represented a peaceful and perfect code-bound society without opposites and extremes. Every society member who comes of age is selected for a profession as determined by the Chief Elder (Meryl Streep) of the community. After every peer of Jonas’ (Brenton Thwaites) graduating class has been assigned a profession, Jonas is chosen to replace the aging and retiring Giver (Jeff Bridges).

    The Giver holds the unique and special responsibility of retaining the community’s memories—replete with opposites and extremes—and thus withholds these emotions to prevent their proliferation within the perfect, emotionless community.

    As the Giver trains his replacement, Jonas is exposed to memories and emotions he has never conceived of nor explored. Each succeeding “discovery” reveals an item of color until Jonas completely abandons his position in search of love and free will—transforming a screen bursting with color.

    The movie ends with Jonas carrying a baby, apparently for days on end, into a snowy landscape. I kept thinking, “Where are the baby’s diapers? How does he feed him and keep him warm? Why hasn’t the baby withered away already?” Bridges and Streep were fine, but the story suffered from poor pacing, a predictable ending, and lacking character depth.  I give this film 6.5 Hulk Smash Fists.
    Brad

     


     

    If I Stay

    Romance: The romance felt pretty much like a typical, real teen romance would, angst and swooning and all that which made it pretty much not my thing. Contemporary teen stories don’t interest me all that much. I liked the flashbacks. I liked the actors. But watching them make out felt uncomfortable. Like I was back in high school seeing PDA in the halls between class. Also after a year of being in a relationship you should be settling into something comfortable and not so angsty.

     

    Special Effects: Hmm. Not a lot of special effects in this film.

    What I Liked: The flashbacks. The grandpa. He was my favorite character in both the film and in the book. Loved him. Also liked the nurse. Liked most of the music. I thought they did a good job with that.

    What I’d Change: Mia’s clothes as she’s wandering the hospital. Not something she should be wearing on a cold snow day in Oregon. I liked Adam when he was singing and that was pretty much it. Wasn’t into the parents or the band. I had a hard time feeling the emotions that should have been there at the death of the parents. It should have been a very intense scene and it didn’t feel that way.

    The Tagline:

    Live For Love

    I’m not really sure that line fit with the message they were sending out. I don’t think it was love that brought Mia back so much as it was the music but I guess it’s okay.

    Hunky Hero:

    Not really my kind of hunk. Don’t get me wrong. I love musicians. In fact, I liked Adam best when he was playing his guitar. Watching him with Mia was just…it felt wrong. Like they were just kids playing at being adults and making adult decisions and engaging in adult situations when they clearly weren’t mature enough or ready. I had the overwhelming need to send them to their rooms. SEPARATE rooms. And ground them both for a year. Something mom and dad probably needed too.

    The Villain: There was no villain in this story.

    Best Line:

    Denny: Honey, guilt and bribery are the glue that have held parents and teenagers together for generations. Don’t fight tradition.

    Best Scene: When grandpa tells Mia it’s okay to go. 

    Recommended for YA Fans: Yes. If you like contemporary YA.

    Compared to the Book: This film stayed very true to the book. Other than the scene regarding the little brother’s death, it was pretty much exactly like the book.

    Trailer:


     

    Grandma’s Review:

    Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of eighteen. 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: Interesting and touching. I thought the out of body experience was a good idea for a movie. It seemed it took a long time for the character Mia Hall to decide if she wanted to live or not though. The love story between Adam and Mia was a little strained at times and not totally believable. Such as when they had a fight after the concert. I think the writers could have made the out of body experience more exciting. I would like to see more of Chloe Moretz who played Mia and Jamie Blackley who played Adam.

    I give this movie 7 out of 10 kicks.


     

    A Guy’s Perspective

    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: Did not see this film.

     

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

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    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.