Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion
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I Am Number Four
I would like to know as well??? When you find out let me know
I liked it a lot although have to admit a bit of it was picturing Alex Pettyfer as John. (and I am a grandmother just so you know I am not a teen) My brother really liked it and so did my son, daughter in law, and two granddaughters (teens). It's not the greatest book I have ever read and I don't even like science fiction/alien stories, but I found it a real good and fast paced read. There is a dog in the story that is really cool and which adds a fun appeal.
I saw the movie trailer last night and was wondering the same thing. I was planning on doing some research on the book today to see if it looked interesting. Thanks Terry for your review!!
I forgot, my review is on here too. I think it is good to read the books first before a movie. I always know the movie will be different and use it as a way to bring it all alive even though it may misuse the book story a bit. It is the kind of book that should make a great movie.
i read it before i even knew there was a movie, and i really enjoyed it. it's actually part of a trilogy or larger series, i think. and it's supposedly co-written by james frey (a million little pieces) and jobie hughes under the pseudonym pittacus lore.anyway, it kind of reminded me of superman. i'm looking forward to seeing the movie and reading the next installment in the lorian legacies.
I picked up the book after watching the trailer seeing as Alex Pettyfer was cast as lead! But I couldn't get the hang of it after the first few chapters so I promptly abandoned it for the moment...I couldn't get into the characters' emotions because the writing style was kind of robotic, kinda like short sentence structures and such... Maybe it wasn't just the right book-fit for me, but don't let that stop you from reading it on my account. :) I'll definitely watch the movie though! (Alex Pettyfer! *sigh*)
Just watched the movie last weekend and it was not bad at all. The first half was ok but it really picked up towards the middle and end. Teresa Palmer was great as Number 6, she brought sexy and bad-ass to the character lol.
Yeah, I liked #6 too. I didn't think it was bad either. :D I liked the relationship between John and his guardian.
I really want to read the book and then watch the movie because mostly all the times the book is always better than the movie. What do you guys think?
I mistook Josh Duhamel (Transformers/Life as We Know it) for Timothy Olyphant as the guardian lol! Since Michael Bay was the producer I assumed that it would be him :p I agree that the book is almost always better than the movie. I wasn't able to finish this book in particular so I can say I enjoyed the movie with a loveable cast and great visual effects. There might be some scenes left out if you've read the book, which is always the case when the book's adapted to the big screen.
Okay, I am going to rave about the movie. I've seen it three times which I NEVER do. In fact I only go to half a dozen movies a year. I admit to having a thing for Alex because I picture him as Jace in the Mortal Instruments and LOVE Jace. That said, I thought the movie was just really well done. I loved the Twilight books but the first movie was a disappointment - this is the other way around. This book was good but not great and the movie was way better. I think the only slow parts were John and Sarah as I saw no chemistry there and she was kind of boring. I loved John, Henri, Sam, #6 and of course Bernie Kozar! The actor that played Sam kind of stole the show - he is really good in that role. #6 is awesome and I so hope they do a movie sequel.
Isn't it?! I'm glad I'm not the only one haha... It's ironic that you say there was no chemistry between John and Sarah because they were a couple in real life until a few days ago. lol! :( they looked so cute together too. 
Sarah was an ok character but I really loved Number 6 (Teresa Palmer)! :)
I knew they were a couple but still didn't see the chemistry in the movie. Yes Teresa Palmer was awesome in the movie. I loved it when they walked out of all the smoke and he said something like, "So you are fireproof" and she said "I told you to stay tuned".
Loved that part too! I also particularly liked (view spoiler). I think it would have looked weird with anyone else. My boyfriend (who I was able to persuade to watch the movie with me) didn't like the John and Sarah tandem either. I think it was along the lines of they fell in love way too fast that it didn't look believable, which I did get too.Alex Pettyfer! :D
But usually when people (teens especially) fall in love real fast it is passionately and sort of crazy. This was so low key (which would be good if they had a lot of time) it just didn't seem normal. But I won't complain. When I saw it Friday evening at the end people in the front of the theater started applauding and then others did too. I've never seen that happen before. Most of the people where it started appeared to be college age guys, not girls. I thought that was cool. I hate that it has dropped to #5 in the movie standings as I know they expected it to do better than that. I may have to go again!
See... I thought the plot was totally weak. I liked the characters, but I kept seeing these big holes, which I wonder if there was a deleted scene or two. Pure eye candy, though. My friend went for Alex, and I went to see Timothy. Timothy just gets more handsome with those grey streaks forming at his temples.
Are those gray streaks natural? Everyone I went with thought the romance was the weakest point too. Sarah didn't really have a lot to recommend her. She was sort of dull, and once #6 came on the scene, she seemed even duller. And her actress' delivery was a little lacking too, imo. She delivered everything with an awkward pause. Maybe she was casted last minute and didn't have time to memorize her lines, or maybe because they were a couple off-set they kept busting into laughter in scenes, LOL.Anyway, there was John's story, Henri, Sam, the dog, etc. to focus on, so I didn't find it a problem. And John's a nice guy, which is a nice change. The action and sfx were cool too. The cast was sort of conspicuously all white though, LOL.
Funny about Sarah. I just looked at my review of the book done of course way before the movie, and I said, "Sarah didn't come to life for me as much as the boys did". Maybe she was just true to the book and kind of dull!
Oh, Terry! Between our love of Twilight, Mortal Instruments and Alex Pettyfer, I think we could be great friends! Haha!
I loved the movie and thought it was a great teen flick. Alex was gorgeous and did a good job and Teresa Palmer was awesome!
My interpretation of their standoffish chemistry is that John wasn't used to feeling that way about a girl and didn't know what to do about it. Apparently I like awkward romances (Edward/Bella, Jace/Clary and John/Sarah). :)
I loved the movie and thought it was a great teen flick. Alex was gorgeous and did a good job and Teresa Palmer was awesome!
My interpretation of their standoffish chemistry is that John wasn't used to feeling that way about a girl and didn't know what to do about it. Apparently I like awkward romances (Edward/Bella, Jace/Clary and John/Sarah). :)
For sure, Shannen. I was going to send you a friend request but it won't let me do that for some reason.
Don't know why...sent one to you though!
I read the book and loved it so I saw the movie when it came out and I thought it was great. Like some of you I also noticed a lack of chemistry between John and Sarah, and Sam turned out to be much more interesting than in the book. I think that John and Number 6 would have much more chemistry ;) I think #6 definetly brought more spice to the movie..
Kerry wrote: "I think that John and Number 6 would have much more chemistry ;) I think #6 definetly brought more spice to the movie.. "Yes, Definitely! Number 6's scenes were my favorite, John and 6 look hot together lol! :)
Yes Four and Six go well together! A perfect ten!
The following is a blog post by YA author Maureen Johnson about how James Frey is getting rich with this series by screwing over authors:THE JAMES FREY PROBLEM
James Frey has done a bad thing, and the bad thing happens to involve a world I’ve very much a part of –the YA world. He’s gone into my old MFA program, along with several others, looking for young and hungry talent to write for him for pennies on the dollar.
Here, in a nutshell, is what happened. A few years ago, James Frey (author of “A Million Little Pieces,” the book that was claimed to be a memoir, was picked by Oprah, then turned out to be fictional, ending with an appalling session on Oprah’s couch) decided to put together a company in order to grind out YA books. The writers who sign up to this company sign mind-boggling contracts that essentially pay them more or less nothing and offer them zero protection. They might be legal, but they certainly aren’t moral. This story was busted wide open this week. You can read the full expose here, and you can read the actual contract here.
I think that for a lot of people, the initial reaction will be horror at the idea of this “fiction factory.” These sorts of things already exist, and they’re not ALL bad. I speak from experience here. This contract is completely beyond the pale.
Aside from being a huge sloppy mess, this contract is quite specifically designed to hose the writer. The only people who would sign this contract would be people who a). have no knowledge of contracts, or lack the appropriate representation to prevent them from signing such a contract, or b). are simply so desperate or desirous of signing ANYTHING that will get them published that they’d willingly hang themselves out to dry.
How bad is this hosening? Let’s look.
The contract says that the company can give you credit or not give you credit, as it desires. They can force you to write another book, or they can drop you like a hot potato, for no reason.
The contract has no audit provision. What does that mean? It means that they can pay you ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY and you just have to accept that the percentage you’re getting is the percentage you are due, and that you are getting an accurate reporting of the number of books sold. And let me tell you, even on good and honest contracts, human error is common. Companies make mistakes on their reports all the time. It’s not necessarily malicious—things just get messed up. So in James Frey world, his company could provide you with statements saying the book sold one thousand copies and that the advance was fifteen dollars, and you might know that the book has sold many thousands of copies and the advance was a hundred thousand dollars, but there would be nothing you could do about it. You will literally never be able to verify the advance the book sold for, the foreign rights deals, or the sales.
There’s a weird clause about expenses. If James Frey and Co. want to charge you $25 for every staple they use on your documents, they can do it!
I’m not a contract specialist. A contract specialist would probably go on ten times as long. I’m just giving you a few highlights.
I was asked on Twitter: “FatBaldFrank Why do u take offense at Frey’s contract? It’s one-sided, but nobody is forced to work for him, right? Just say no.”
I know where you’re coming from, Frank. I understand that no one is being forced to sign this contract at gunpoint. However, I do take offense at someone who is blatantly and knowing taking advantage of his own people—writers. People whose desire to work in publishing might blind them to the risks involved in signing on the dotted line. Or they might not understand the consequences.
There’s no point in just hand waving about how awful James Frey is, because I seriously doubt he cares. But we can draw some lessons.
The first is for aspiring writers. Don’t sign things you don’t understand. There are plenty of organizations that can help you, such as the Author’s Guild. For people who know the risks but are tempted to sign anyway . . . I’ve been in your position. I know it’s a hard call. But agents can help protect your from predators. There were times, back when I was getting started, when I was offered arrangements that were clearly awful, but they paid, and they offered “a shot.” The person who would later be my agent encouraged me to turn them down, and I did. It was hard at the time, but I have never once regretted those decisions. I celebrate them. Seek good counsel and listen to that counsel. Things that look too good to be true usually are, and uncredited projects with shady paperwork . . . well, those things don’t generally end well. Read this article and take notes.
The second thing is directed at those who run MFA writing programs.
MFA students have probably been hosed already. I’ve written about this topic before. I went to Columbia, where he pulled many of his writers, including the writer of “I am Number Four.” I know how much it costs. I know the sacrifices people make to go there. I still pay Columbia about $800 every month in student loans. I’m one of the few people I know paying off my MFA by working in the profession for which I was trained. If you’re in an MFA program, you’re probably already on the hook for a lot of dough, so if you see a job opportunity in writing, you’ll take it.
I’m going to go one step further and call Columbia and all writing MFA programs on the carpet here—if you don’t offer your students a class or seminar in the business of writing, you should be ashamed. They didn’t offer them when I was there, and I don’t think that’s changed. (If it has, please correct me at once. I’d love to be wrong about this point.)
Look, MFA programs, stop being so snobbish. You’re not making your students better artists by sending them out into their fields with NO KNOWLEDGE of the business side of things. You’re leaving them vulnerable to bad deals, and putting them into a position where they can be taken advantage of. You set up the conditions in which your artists end up slaving away because they didn’t know any better than to sign on the dotted line. You make this James Frey situation possible. Devote a few weeks to teaching your students some survival skills. After all the money you’ve taken from them, they’re going to need to know how to make some more.
In the article, James is quoted as saying, “Andy Warhol’s Factory is an example of that way of working. That’s what I’m doing with literature.”
You’re no Andy Warhol, James. He liked his money as much as you do, and he would probably have had a good and appreciative laugh over the comparison, but you haven’t got his style or his wit. Andy Warhol said cool stuff like, “I like boring things” and “It would be very glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor’s finger.” He got why it was funny to make paintings of money and then sell them off. The old shyster had class. You got yelled at by Oprah.
He also said, “I’ve decided something: Commercial things really do stink. As soon as it becomes commercial for a mass market it really stinks.” And when you find a Nico or a Lou Reed or a Candy Darling or a Billy Name or even a Valerie Solanas, then we can revisit the issue.
I realize that a lot of people will say, “But look at all the money he is making! Surely, he must have talent!” Talentless people make money ALL THE TIME. Do you know who’s writing a book now? Snooki. Money is no measurement of talent—it’s a measurement of money. This system isn’t James Frey’s fault. He’s not that important. And unlike Andy, he’s not going to develop the new Velvet Underground—more like Milli Vanilli.
But because he set out to deceive and abuse, on behalf of the YA community, I’d like to politely invite him to blow it out his ear.
http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/20...
I know about all this. And frankly, I don't care. If I worried about all the jerks who make money off others, the crooks involved in Hollywood, the ilicit affairs of the actors, producers, writers (of books or screen plays), then I would not enjoy the books and movies that entertain me. I read where people want this book and movie to be boycotted because of this man - well a whole lot of other people have invested time, money, talent and hopes in this book and movie and to punish them by it all failing isn't exactly right either. So if this guy broke the law then he will be punished. If he just took advantage of people not wise enough to look after themselves, then shame on him. Unfortunately it happens in every phase of life.
new_user wrote: "Are those gray streaks natural? "He has them in Justified and his brief stint on The Office.
Thanks, Heather, I wasn't sure. :)And AlbertaJenn, that article is much more an issue for aspiring authors than the readers-- being as only authors can enter into these contracts and readers have no bearing on them. Am I worried that these "book packagers" are the future of fiction? No. There's still non-commercial art.
Hi AllHave not read the book yet, went to the movies. Not bad at all. However did not like the blonde girl from Glee she drove me nuts B grade actor. :)
LOL. Same here, Tracey. I thought Pettyfer did a better job, and I believe he's had less experience.
It was a good movie, but I have yet to read the book.
Totally agree about the girl who played Sarah. Like NO personality and no chemistry there.
I have seen the movie but havent read the book but the film was class.Blonde girl from glee she day give the character any life she seemed dull? To be fair i would of thought she would of had a bit more personality. The actor didnt bring her to life for me.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but just wanted to add my two cents about Sarah. I found her dull in the book, so, like someone said, maybe the actress did a great job in portraying the character. :)And how did I not know Alex Pettyfer was in this??? Now I definitely HAVE to see it. Like now. Or this weekend anyway.
Laughing at that comment about Sarah, Kristie. I also found her dull in the book but hard to believe they would do that on purpose in a movie. At this point eleven members of my family have seen this movie, some several times, ranging from age 12 to 68 and all loved it - and want a sequel. And we don't all like the same types of movies. Some of us also with a large age range are Alex Pettyfer fans.
I'm sensing a trend here. I'm sooo agreeing with you guys too. Having just watched the movie. I thought it was great the pace was good kept me interested, the action was so awesome! All the actors except, that glee girl were fantastic! The Glee girl should just stick with glee.. I also found her dull too, but I also could tell she was really really feeling her.... hmm whats the word her co- actor? Co-Star.. If you watch her closely no matter what was going on... like that fact that she just found out the boy she had the hots for is an alien didn't freak her out she should have acted a bit scared of him... no this girl went falling from the sky to have him catch her and looked at him like " damn that was hot"! LOL I guess if I was in her place and he was my co-star I'd be the same way wouldn't be able to act right I'd be starring at him with my mouth open the whole time..:) Over all loved the movie I'd give it 41/2 stars just because I think #6 should have been the one he falled for... I'm just saying... :)
There was chemistry between #4 and #6!
Ronnie wrote: "Who has read I Am Number Four? I have seen the trailer for the movie and my daughters really want to see it, but I generally like to read the novel before seeing any adaption. If someone can t..."
I saw the movie and the whole time I was in the theater I kept thinking, "I Have got to read this boook."
I read the book first, then the movie. Loved both but then I kept imagining Alex Pettyfer as John when reading the book so not sure how much that added to it!
I read the book way before finally seeing the movie last night. The book was okay, a bit dull, and some of the points aren't well defined, but I read it in two days. I have to say I think I liked the movie better. That's pretty atypical for me, but the movie rocked. I can't wait for the next one! I was surprised though because in reading the book I didn't picture John as such a buff/athletic guy, I pictured him more like Sam. Also I was sad in the movie that they killed Henri off too soon and we didn't get to see any of the practicing they did together. The seasons were also off. #6 was amazing, her and Bernie Kosar were probably my two favorite chars in the movie. Also the guy who played Henri was pretty hot, I guess I'll have to start looking for him in other movies as well ^_^
Henri (I'm not sure what his real name is) is in a television series.. He's like a modern day cowboy or something. I agree, # 6 was bad ass... She (aside from the hotness that is Alex Petyfer) was my favorite in the movie.
I actually watched the movie last night and really liked it! I thought about reading the book but maybe I won't now if it wasn't as good, lol. I do hope they make another movie.
If you liked the movie, don't read the book. You'll just get mad. =(And Henri is Timothy Olyphant. He's yummy.
Jeanine wrote: "Henri (I'm not sure what his real name is) is in a television series.. He's like a modern day cowboy or something. I agree, # 6 was bad ass... She (aside from the hotness that is Alex Petyfer) was ..."Timothy Olyphant was in Deadwood and he's also in Justified.It's shallow but he's my main reason for watching them, and my main reason for watching I am Number 4.
I haven't read the book but I saw the movie. I wasn't a huge fan. It was entertaining but it didn't live up to my expectations.
I really need to get around to reading the book.
The movie is better than the book. I don't like seeing movies before the book and would rather do it the other way around. I know I was influenced on how well I liked the book because of Alex Pettyfer. He will always be my "Jace" and I guess now watching #4 over and over is the only way I will get my Jace-fix.
This is probably the first time I have ever heard more than one person state that a movie is better than the actual book... I am sooo not reading it.. lol.I didn't even like Alex until I saw that movie.. Now I am hooked :)
I actually thought the book was way better. The movie wasn't that great to me. =/
Jennifer wrote: "I actually thought the book was way better. The movie wasn't that great to me. =/"Well, thats got to count for something. I probably will end up reading it because I am a freak and need to know all the back story when a book is turned into a movie :)
If someone can tell me if the novel is a decent read then I would greatly appreciate it.