Several years ago, when I started regularly using the name Bullgrit online, I jokingly referred to my wife as Cowgrit. She thought it slightly humorous, and didn’t mind its use in the context of “Bullgrit’s wife.” So I started using it when referring to her online, and I referred to our first son (then only son) as Calfgrit. When I started this blog, my wife was unsure about letting me use the name so publicly, but recently she’s come around to OKing it.

So, let me officially introduce my wife, by her online name: Cowgrit.

And my sons (with current ages): Calfgrit6 and Calfgrit3.

From now on, instead of saying, “my wife” or “the 6 year old,” I’ll call them by their online names.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

Viewed: Theater (not 3-D)

I knew beforehand that this movie was computer graphics over real actors, so the the concept didn’t surprise me. But after seeing the movie, I can’t figure the reasons for making it that way. Most of the CG characters look enough like the real actors that you can identify them, and the end credits tell there were stuntmen involved in the filming. If the whole movie was filmed live anyway, why change it all over to CG?

As for the CG quality, most of the close ups and small movements were fantastically realistic (again, why not just use the real?), but some of the wider scenes and the larger body movements were not so good. Some character movements looked wooden. As one of my friends commented, “There were parts that looked like we were watching Shrek.” The movement of clothes seems to be harder to CG than naked flesh movements. And the running horses nearly made me laugh.

The story itself was good. It does deviate some from the original poem, but it does so to tie everything into one overarching plot. I didn’t think the alteration was a bad idea. But the end battle did start to stretch out a bit much, especially when the standard Hollywood action device of threatening the hero’s loved ones went on and on and on.

The scenes with Beowulf naked got out-of-character comical after the first instance of people and objects conveniently blocking the view of his genitals. If showing the full nudity is a problem (and I wasn’t interested in seeing B’s bits), then let him keep on his underpants—he kept them on in a later scene where he was otherwise naked. And ironically, the scene with him in underpants had Grendel’s mother fully naked but for a thin, liquid, gold coating over her specifics.

Overall, it’s not a fantastic movie, or an instant classic, but it is decently entertaining for a matinee price. The computer graphics work is really good, but not perfect. Unfortunately, the imperfections in the CG kept bumping me out of the movie world. Done as regular, old, live action (except, of course, for the monsters), I think this movie would have been great.

There is no extra scene at the end of the credits.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

Our 6 year old requested a Playmobil castle for Christmas. He’s really into the Playmobil and Lego knights and castles, right now. He has a few pieces, already, and he can play with them for a couple hours at a time.

Anyway, my wife started looking for it. She found it in a Target paper, on sale for 25% off, and called the store nearest us. They didn’t have it. She called another, and they didn’t have it. She ended up calling all the Target stores in the county, and found only one store had just one in stock. They agreed to hold it for us.

That night, her mother came over to sit with the sleeping kids while we went out to get Christmas stuff. We drove about 45 minutes to the store in another town. In the store, we decided to first go around and pick up other things on our list and then stop by the Customer Service desk to get the castle when we were ready to check out. We spent an hour in the store, collecting toys and stuff, and then pushed our cart up to the front desk.

The front desk didn’t have the item on hold for us. The clerk called the Toy department to see if they had it back in their warehouse. We were getting a little concerned, especially when the clerk mentioned she had looked for that very toy, herself, and it was sold out. As we talked to the clerk, awaiting information from the Toy department, she mentioned the other store in the town. The other store?!

We asked her to call the other store. I also asked when the stores closed: 10:00. I looked at my watch: 9:35. While the clerk was on the phone, my wife pushed our cart off to the checkout line to pay so we could run out if we were at the wrong store. Sure enough, the other store had the toy on hold for us.

We casually rushed out of the store and loaded our purchases into the van. Then we headed out for the other store, which we only had a general idea of its location.

We found the store. My wife pulled up to the curb and I went in. It was 9:55, and the workers were in closing mode; the Customer Service desk was vacant. I found a manager-type and he was friendly and helpful. They had the castle, I paid for it, and left the store with two minutes to spare. Yes!

We rock! We’re the best and smartest parents in the world. We got the apparently hot item over a month in advance.

Two days later, my wife was in the nearby Target, checking out the toys for other little things. Guess what she found in stock. Yep. Oh well, it was a fun little adventure, and we have the item.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

A few days ago, my friends mentioned going to see a movie together. Noon or one o’clock, Sunday, was the general time agreed upon. Come 11:00 Sunday, I hadn’t heard from anyone about a definite time or theater.

I called the friend who ostensibly was to be the organizer, and asked if we were all still going to the movie. He said he usually waited till 11:30 to call the other guys, to give them time to wake up.

Oh, to have that kind of freedom. To stay up all night and sleep half the day. I was awake at 6:00 Sunday morning, and it was a treat to be able to stay in bed till nearly 6:30.

But even without the parenting responsibilities, I just can’t imagine sleeping to 11:30. I remember doing that as a teenager, and even into my college years, but past 30 years old, I don’t think I could do it, physically. I think my body would start to atrophy by 10:00.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com