Timothy S. Johnston

Action, Character Development, Inspirations, Magnum PI, The 1980's

Rebooted MAGNUM PI Trailer is Here

May 19, 2018 • 0 Comments

Rebooted MAGNUM PI Trailer Online — See it Here

I’m not sure how I feel about this. Tom Selleck’s Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV is so ingrained in my memory due to my teen years in the 80’s. (I was born at the perfect time. See my thoughts on this here.) The series was watershed for me — it featured a strong cast of male characters who had bonded during war and were now living in the years after, still as close as brothers, but each dealing with their own memories and trauma from Vietnam. It was a show that portrayed Vietnam vets in a positive light, and Tom Selleck was the Alpha who held it all together. His humor, his self-deprecating portrayal of Magnum, and the great chemistry between the leads — including Jonathan Hillerman (Higgins) — kept the show going for eight years. It was also the first time a Navy SEAL had been portrayed in popular culture. When it finally ended, it went out on top, and almost from the instant it went off the air fans have been clamoring for more MAGNUM PI.

TSJ Reviews AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

May 5, 2018 • 0 Comments

TSJ REVIEWS AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

I had the good fortune to attend a screening last weekend as the guest of an old friend.

(No Spoilers)

Pre-Order THE WAR BENEATH!

April 14, 2018 • 0 Comments

THE WAR BENEATH by TSJ is Available for Pre-Order at Amazon

First the bulkheads sweat, then there’s a trickle of water, and then in an instant you’re gone. The only thing left is a bloody pulp in the dark water and crushed bone fragments on the seafloor …

It’s Murder … in Space by Timothy S. Johnston

March 24, 2018 • 0 Comments

TSJ’s Thoughts on His Second Novel THE FREEZER

What Really is the Most Dangerous Life Form in the Solar System?

THE WAR BENEATH Jacket Copy Reveal by TSJ

March 16, 2018 • 0 Comments

THE WAR BENEATH Jacket Copy

Here it is — the book description for my upcoming underwater thriller.

I’ve always been excited by books and films set in this interesting, unique and dangerous environment. In many ways the undersea world is more hazardous for humans than outer space. With great depth comes great pressure. This means that structures face implosion at almost any time. It also means that more nitrogen and other gases dissolves in our bloodstream and tissues, and this results in The Bends if a character bolts to the surface. There’s therefore no escape in an emergency. Characters must solve issues on the spot.

They are prisoners of the deeps.

Throw in the superpowers of the world engaged in a new cold war, cities on the ocean floors, submarine warfare and espionage, love and family and greed and revenge, and it makes for an exciting and action-packed undersea world. I hope you enjoy it; the book is coming this fall.

Here’s the book’s jacket copy:

The Best Movie Sequels of All Time

March 14, 2018 • 0 Comments

The Best Movie Sequels of All Time

Before I begin, here are a few basic facts about me that you might already know by now:

I love movies.

I love genre movies — thrillers, action, adventure, horror, science fiction.

I love sagas, series, and trilogies. Call them what you want; I love to revisit characters and storylines that captivated my attention in the first film.

The War Beneath by TSJ Cover Revealed

February 23, 2018 • 0 Comments

Coming this Fall: THE WAR BENEATH by TIMOTHY S. JOHNSTON

Coming this Fall from ChiZine Publications

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of this underwater thriller, coming from ChiZine Publications this fall!

It has been a long wait for a new novel since THE VOID, released in March 2015, but I promise it will be worth it. This new novel is action packed and exciting, and is set in the next frontier — the Earth’s oceans — during a new cold war. The environment is dangerous but compelling, and the novel takes place at a time when the world’s superpowers are fighting with each other to colonize and exploit the ocean floor.

Here is the cover, below!

The Greatest Trifectas in Film History

January 31, 2018 • 3 Comments

The Greatest Trifectas in (Recent) Film History by TSJ

While writing the blog entry “Where Has the Character-Driven Action Film Gone?” (found here) I mentioned the idea of a trifecta — or “triple” — in film history. There are few directors who can create successful film after successful film. Having one critical and commercial hit is difficult enough. Having two in a row is even harder. And three? Nearly unheard of.

I decided to create a list of the greatest triples in film history. Even the concept seemed absurd, however — what gives me the right to create such a list? Who am I to say one director created a “better” trifecta than another? Moreover, how does one define success or failure in the creative/artistic industry? Sometimes a box office hit can be a critical failure, or vice versa. Well, to be blunt, this is my blog. I’ll write what I want. However, to identify triples and narrow the field it was necessary to create a list of criteria that I would follow.

TSJ at Forty-Seven

January 20, 2018 • 0 Comments

Forty-Seven. Can’t really believe it, but there it is. It’s been quite a ride so far.

I couldn’t have been born at a better time, really. I was born in 1970 and grew up with the explosion of science-fiction films that coincided with the birth of modern f/x. I also had the benefit of discovering novelists from the Golden Age of Science Fiction — Isaac Asimov, Fred Pohl, and Robert Heinlein to name just a few.

TSJ’s Top Three Movies of All Time

January 13, 2018 • 3 Comments

People often ask me about my favorite movies. I try to watch a lot of thrillers and horror, especially in the Science Fiction genre, I like to talk about movies, and I enjoy reviewing great ones on my blog. So, I figured that this might be a good place to write an article about my top three films of all time.