I’m pleased to welcome author James R. Tuck to the blog today. Blood & Bullets is James’ debut urban fantasy novel featuring tough-guy hero, Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter, published by Kensington. Please give him a warm welcome.

First off, this is NOT a knock against Underworld. Everyone knows that it is an Urban fantasy in every sense of the word and would be number one on the list if for no other reason than it does have every single element that makes a story an Urban Fantasy.

So these are some movies that are also Urban Fantasy in my opinion, but might be off your radar.

10) The Lost Boys

I know. Seems obvious. Kids discover there are vampires in their small beach town and decide to fight them. Using comic books as training manuals. I like the movie alright. I don’t hold the love for it that a lot of folks do, but it’s pretty good. The first one only though, steer clear of the sequels.

9) Dylan Dog

A new movie made the list. I enjoyed it. I could see plenty of room for improvement but it had some really cool things that if done just a slight bit differently could have totally rocked on screen. It’s a rental now, so put it in your Netflix que if you haven’t seen it.

8) Hellboy 1 & 2

I love Hellboy. Seriously. I have the big lug tattooed on my shin I love him so much. Hellboy rocks and there is a LOT of awesome in these movies. The reason they are this low on the list is because everywhere they deviated from the source material was a bit off. Still, hella good movies.

7) Constantine

Another great comic book character brought to life on the big screen. Fanboys around the world flipped when Keanu Reeves was cast as blonde-haired, British, street-wise magician John Constantine, but really, he did a pretty good job. Was it as good as the comic? No. But it was well worth watching.

6) Ghostbusters 1 & 2

Zany, crazy fun. These movies still hold up, despite the difference in effect nowadays. They are pure camp and a total blast. Wal-mart has them for like ten bucks so go get them and enjoy the romp.

5) Gremlins 1 & 2

More awesomeness in the zany mode. Gremlins is a crazy movie. Watching it now I can’t believe it was ever marketed to kids. I know Mogwai is cut as hell, but really there is some terrifying stuff in these movies. A Must See.

4) Brotherhood Of The Wolf

THIS is a GREAT movie. It is excellent from start to finish. Dark and spooky, and filled with some truly kick ass ass-kicking. And it stars the host of Iron Chef, which is bizarre and surreal. You can just go and buy this movie, it’s that good.

3) Fright Night (2011)

OMG. I hate Colin Farrell. I do. Not as a person, but as an actor. I have never seen him do anything but be bland on screen with bushy eyebrows. But he was off the hook in this. I went to see it because the screenplay was by Marti Noxon and it has David Tennant playing a washed up stage magician and half-ass vampire hunter. (Both of which are excellent reasons to see this movie) But I must say old Colin really brought it. He plays Jerry as dark and creepy and really freaking scary. Another one to just buy.

2) Big Trouble In Little China

You haven’t seen this? Are you crazy? Jack Burton is one of the greatest characters to ever grace the screen. He is absolutely hilarious and kicks more ass than a three-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. Kurt Russell’s greatest role after Snake Plisskin.

1) Blade (the first one)

I am not even going to say anything about this truly spectacular outing of the original Daywalker and his badass sword. I will not tell you that Blade is the penultimate on-screen vampire hunting half-human/half-vampire. I will not tell you that this is a terrific movie that captures everything you are looking for in an Urban Fantasy. I won’t tell you any of that because you should already know.

So that’s it. I recommend all of these. Go forth and watch and enjoy. I’ll bring the popcorn.

James R. Tuck is the author of the Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series from Kensington. Book one, Blood and Bullets will be available everywhere on February 7, 2012 and will be preceded by the e-novella That Thing at the Zoo on January 12, 2012.

James is a former bouncer and has been a professional tattoo artist for over 15 years. His tattoo work has been published in national tattoo magazines and he owns Family Tradition Tattoo in Marietta, Ga. He lives near there with a wonderful wife, three wonderful children, and six dogs of varying degrees of wonderfulness.

To find out more about James and his books, visit his website, www.jamesrtuck.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter (@JamesTuckwriter) and Facebook.

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