I had apprehensions about The Art of Getting By before watching it. I thought that it would just be another pointless teen movie about slacking off. The movie proved me wrong. George (Freddie Highmore) is a gifted artist but he feels that everything he does is futile. So he places his life on cruise control and hasn’t done any schoolwork during his senior year.

Then he meets Sally (Emma Roberts) and somehow his view on life changes. This moment brings a long of chances to George’s life. During career day he meets Dustin (Michael Angarano), an artist who inspires him to pursue his artistic passion. Then things get complicated as The Art of Getting By moves along. At one point, George has to deal with love problems as well as do a year-worth of homework or else he would be expelled from the school. The Art of Getting By shows that love can alter one’s life but it is not always for the better.

Dustin (Michael Angarano): You like her… You should like her if you don’t.

There are moments in The Art of Getting By where I’m frustrated with George. You want him to just say what he wants to say but he remains silent. Actually, I can relate with the character because life can be difficult being an introvert.

Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts deliver great performance in The Art of Getting By. It wouldn’t be long before Roberts will be known for her abilities and not just being Julia Roberts’ niece. Highmore’s George is a jerk but he manages to make the audience root for him.

The Art of Getting By also has Alicia Silverstone as Ms. Herman, one of George’s teachers. I still can’t see her as any character other than Cher in Clueless. And yet it’s a pleasure to see her again in a movie and could have been better if she has more scenes in it.

The Art of Getting By is a good movie even though it tends to drag in some parts. It is not your typical teen movie. Some don’t like how the movie left them hanging but I see it as a fitting ending. It doesn’t just get by and just like George in the end, the movie delivers.

Astro Boy featured voices of Freddie Highmore (Astro Boy), Kristen Bell (Cora), Nicolas Cage (Dr. Tenma), Samuel L. Jackson (Zog), Donald Sutherland (President Stone), Eugene Levy (Orrin), and Charlize Theron (narrator).

When Astro Boy rolled on the screen, nostalgia kicked in.  The opening sequence reminded me of the Jetsons though.  It’s a slight cue that we’re not in Japan anymore.  Then the familiar figure of Toby comes into the picture and we learn how Astro Boy came to be.  It deviated from the original anime but the story was well-made and it kept the audience entertained.

Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore): I was made ready.

The Westernized version of Astro Boy tackled complex issues such as robotics and yet you know it’s directed at the kids.  The characters were not two dimensional with some lingering in the gray side.  One thing missing from the movie is the anime’s classic theme.  But fanboys will surely recognize Osamu Tezuka’s animated self in this Astro Boy version.

The re-imagination of Astro Boy didn’t stick to the original story but it worked.  This is the Astro Boy of this generation.  The movie introduces him to the young ones and hopefully will influence them into watching the original anime series.