I went to see Beowulf in IMAX a couple weeks ago. It was ... well, it was big, that's for sure. This Hollywood blockbuster is very true to the original story all the way up to the part where it completely veers. It's like, pretend you're driving down a highway behind a tractor trailer and you're thinking to yourself, "That tractor trailer is doing exactly everything it should. The driver of that big rig is very good at what he does." And then all of a sudden, the tractor trailer plunges headfirst into a volcano. "That's odd," you think, "I don't remember there being a volcano here."

Yeah well, that's Hollywood for ya.

Beowulf is the classic tale of a hero, the likes of which the world has never seen. This guy is sheer muscle and brawn. When the gods look down on him, they think, "Why can't I be more like Beowulf?" That's not in the story, I'm just saying. Beowulf is pretty much the toughest dude you'll ever meet.

One day, this monster named Grendel goes and kills and eats a whole bunch of Danish King Hrothgar's men in the great hall of Heorot. These scenes are violent and bloody and, let's face it, pretty cool. Grendel is a terror that, it seems, no man or army of men can defeat. Heh. Not so fast...

Enter Beowulf, a hero from Geatland. He brings a small army with him over the seas to come and fight the beast. Beowulf is pretty much pride incarnate. If anyone was every a glory hound, Beowulf is it. He wants all the glory of all the world. And, it's no lie to say, he's also very full of himself. That's ok though, he has the resume to prove it. All his life, Beowulf has been killing monsters. Grendel, he assumes, will just be one more notch on his belt.

When he fights Grendel, Beowulf chooses to do so without weapons or armor. In fact, um, he, ehhh, kind of fights the monster wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Yikes.

Anywho, Grendel is just the beginning. After Bewoulf and Grendel have their massive fight, Beowulf has to go and meet, um, Angelina Jolie.

Yeah. Angelina Jolie plays Grendel's mother. And this is where the movie takes a turn for the bizarre. If you're looking for literary accuracy, walk out of the theater now because the film is about to drive itself right into a volcano.

It's cool though. It's entertaining. It's animation. It's Beowulf... kinda.

All told, I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was packed with plenty of action and gore and heaven knows I love me a good literary adaptation. Even if it is a little off the mark at times.

I highly recommend you see this movie in IMAX. Don't wait for the DVD to come out. The IMAX experience is killer. And you'll be missing out on some beautiful scenes if you do wait. IMAX has a way of taking you over. There's one scene in particular, where a hawk snatches up a rodent and flies off away from Heorot. The flight goes on for a few minutes and you start to feel as if you are the rodent trapped in it's claws. Neat-o.

If you have yet to read the original Beowulf, we have a three part Reader's Theater adaption of it here. Knock yourself out. It's really quite good. One of our freelance writers, Wim Coleman, did a fantastic job adapting it.

Oh, and just for a taste of what to expect at the movie, here is a preview. Enjoy.

I just got my 2008 calendar, which made me realize that 2007 is almost over. There are only ... (wait, give me a minute, math isn't my strong suit) 12 days left! And I haven't even started thinking of my resolutions yet!

Well, I know it's a little early, but the early bird catches the worm (or something slightly less cliche). So, just now I thought of my top ten literary resolutions for the next year.

1. Read more books. Good books--not just trashy magazines. Why find out more about Britney, Paris, and Lindsay when I could be catching up on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Speaking of which ...
2. Read a Harry Potter book. Any Harry Potter book. Bad WORD blogger! I know, I know, how could I not have read Harry Potter yet? Well, stop yelling at me. I've been ... busy with ... stuff. OK, there's really no exuse.
3. Buy and actually read the new Gone With the Wind spin off. I know I shouldn't judge it until I read it, even though I know it's not going to be as good as the original.
4. Write a television pilot. Well, as of now the writers are still on strike. I want my TV!
5. Lose 5 pounds. It's not exactly a literary resolution. OK, it's not a literary resolution at all. But still ...
6. Start keeping a dream journal. Dreams can sometimes be great story starters, but who can remember them after awhile? Plus I'd like written proof of every time Justin Timberlake asks me to marry him.
7. Reread some of my favorite books that I haven't read in years. Maybe I'll get some new insights. And maybe this time when I read The Shining by Stephen King, I'll be able to go to the bathroom without checking to make sure there isn't a dead woman in the bathtub ... if you don't know what I mean, you should read the book yourself. And if you have read the book and aren't afraid of the bathtub corpse lady ... well, you are far braver than I.
8. Read the book first before I see the movie. Because the book is always better anyway.
9. Write more by hand. It's so much more satisfying than typing on a computer. Plus, as a lefty, I don't get that nice smudge across what I've just written when I'm typing.
10. Write the Great American Novel. A girl can dream, can't she?

OK, so those are my early resolutions. Hopefully, as it gets closer to New Year's eve, I can think of a couple more, because you can never have too many goals when it comes to reading and writing.

So (OK, you know what's coming ...) what are some of your literary goals for the new year?

Fantasy aficionados, rejoice! Because those of you who have felt a void in your hearts after all the Lord of the Rings movies and Harry Potter books were done with, your prayers have been answered. Peter Jackson, the director of all three Lord of the Rings, has just signed on to produce The Hobbit.

In case you don't know (and maybe you shouldn't call yourself a fantasy fan if you don't), The Hobbit is a book by J. R. R. Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings.

So, are you excited about a return to Middle Earth? Do you think this movie is going to be awesome? And if you read The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings books, can you fill me in on what happens? Sadly, I've never read any of them. I did sit through the first Lord of the Rings movie, but I must admit, it was under much duress. I'm not a huge fanasy fan (although I did enjoy the Orlando Bloom aspect of the movie). OK, well then, let's get some comments that we all [read: I] can understand. Who would you cast in this movie?

Well, we asked you before what you would pay to get your hands on J.K. Rowling's new book The Tales of Beedle the Bard. And no, you wouldn't be able to wait for this book to go into the bookstore bargain bins [side note--yay for alliteration!] and you wouldn't be able to get it for free at the library. There were only seven copies of this book that were published. What would you pay? $19.95? A hundred? A million?

How about $4 million?

Yup, that's right. That's how much the book was auctioned off for. Wow, too steep for my blood. (Unless my boss wants to give me a raise. Crickets. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? No? Didn't think so.)

The money raised at the auction goes to The Children's Voice, which is a charity set up by Rowling. I guess that softens the blow, well a bit anyway. It still would have been cool to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard--and to have a spare $4 million lying around. Ah well.

So now that you don't have to worry about saving up for the book, what are you going to spend your hard-earned cash on? (OK, don't tell me you're going to buy Guitar Hero 3, even though that game does sound awesome. What books are you going to spend your hard-earned cash on?)

As I suspect none of you are as into the chick lit genre as I am, how about Artemis Fowl? A bunch of you who have posted comments on WORD reccomended it, and I trust you guys. I've never read the series myself, but a quick Wikipedia search says that it's a fantasy series with a style similar to Rowling's. So there you go.

So, what's on your book wish list? Should I check out Artemis Fowl? And are you still bitter about not being able to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard? I know I am. The only thing that would make me feel better is a brand new book. Or Guitar Hero 3. No, no. A new book is better. Definitely the book.