Jody Cairns

Ho-hum for adults, fun for kids, Mar 4 2011

I hadn't heard of Astro Boy before this movie, but apparently it's popular somewhere ' was even a TV series.

Astro Boy the movie is a computer-animated movie about a robot kid. The movie has a dark tone similar to Wall-E, where humans abuse the environment and are complacent about their comfortable life style. Robots are self-aware but are predictably treated as inanimate objects. The movie's about the kid robot acceptance AS a robot and his place in society.

My nine year old daughter enjoyed it, but she found some scenes a bit intense: intense action, characters in dire situations, and uncomfortable moments for characters.

Roger Ebert thought Astro Boy was… Read more

The scissors have no edge, Feb 24 2011

I've stopped reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs; it's a memoir about a young boy growing up in an odd environment, with lots of unusual, often sad events that illustrate what's influenced the boy's perception of himself and the world. I grew tired of it, not caring about him or his mother. The writing seemed forced, as if the memoir was painful to tell; maybe that was the author's intent, but it didn't work for me.

Sawyer dumbing-down his writing again, Feb 20 2011

I'll read most anything Sawyer writes because his ideas are fascinating and original, but I'm beginning to lose my enthusiasm after reading this.

Sawyer has brilliant, intriguing ideas, and he conveys them well - it's the main reason I'll read most anything he publishes. Unfortunately, each new book appears to be pandering to the masses: simple reading level, shallow characters with some gimmick to keep one's interest, cultural references that are like ad placements... this story felt like filler to a bigger story, maybe detailed in its sequels. I devoured it quickly, but it'll be forgotten quickly too.

I know Sawyer can write brilliantly - many of his short stories… Read more