Troll Hunter Rawks!

Thanks to Paul Rugg for alerting me to 2010's The Troll Hunter. This Nordic Blair Witch threads together tense spooky scenes of young filmmakers trailing an odd mysterious man through the Norwegian back country with absolutely hilarious deadpan moments. It's a tough sell but the filmmakers stay balanced between comedy and suspense throughout and avoid the bad-good label of movies like Troll—let alone Troll 2. On Netflix. I will only say that Paul and I watched it together and laughed at certain scenes in giddy delight.

Happy Birthday USMC!

236 years of shooting people and breaking stuff on behalf of the United States of America. In 1950 10,000 men of the First Marine Division were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Below is a trailer for a 2010 documentary detailing the Marines' fight to break free. An amazing tribute to amazing men.

Dragonfriend Fantasy Kid's Book Hits the Web

In Arthurian times, castle drudge Leonard needs a steady meal while depressed dragon Mantooth needs a reason to live. Can they help each other? Find out in Roger Eschbacher's latest book: Dragonfriend: Leonard the Great, Book One. Released today, the book is available in paperback and Kindle.

Roger is an old chum from the Warner Bros. days. He's got a brace of illustrated kid books under his belt as he slowly carves out a niche in the prose field. Give his most recent work a peek.

I Will Review at Forces of Geek

F.O.G editor-in-chief Stefan Blitz has kindly provided Write Enough a forum where I may post my inaccurate over-thought film reviews. I'll try and capture the same insight I demonstrated in last year's cinematic examinations of The Expendables and The Last Exorcism.

I'll sing out when the first post is up—should be within a week of two.

'Let's Kill Uncle' and Other Fine Films

Imagine a filmmaker roaming the Great Plains, filming in small towns and cities across Nebraska and Kansas; filming with little thought to continuity or quality; but casting locals as actors in a melodrama shot, written and directed by the same man who demands room and board for a month while he completes his latest opus.

There you have the life of Argentinian 'Ed Wood' Daniel Burmeister, a one-man, movie-makin' machine who shows little signs of slowing down. Read more here.

h/t: WSJ; Image: PoeForward.com

Carmine San Diego?

Carmen San Diego may be headed once again to the big screen with the title character played by Jennifer Lopez. Maybe it's my hearing, but I always thought the character was named Carmine San Diego and was being pursued for the murder of a bookie.

h/t and artwork: The Inquistir

Turbie the Turtle-Duck

Young Richie Evans and his turtle-duck experience a day filled with cupcakes, the lost isle of Anomoxie, and a mysterious creature in Lake Deep. Let your youngster discover more in the pages of Rich Aron's new book written and illustrated by the veteran animator. (And an old Warner Bros. chum.)