Category: Action

Action, Character Development, Horror, Inspirations, James Cameron, Mystery, Science Fiction, THE FREEZER, Thriller, Writing

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

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

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.

Writer Timothy S. Johnston takes a trip back in time to review EDGE OF TOMORROW on DVD and Blu

January 8, 2018 • 0 Comments

Title: LIVE DIE REPEAT: EDGE OF TOMORROW
Runtime: 113 min
Theatrical Release: 6 June 2014
Domestic Gross: $100 million
International Gross: $370 million
DVD/BLU/Digital Release: 7 October 2014
MPAA: PG-13
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Director: Doug Liman
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth

Title Change for Book 1 of the New Series

January 2, 2018 • 0 Comments

ANNOUNCEMENT:

We are changing the title of the first book in The Rise of Oceania. It is now THE WAR BENEATH by Timothy S. Johnston.

SF Author Timothy S. Johnston Looks Back at STAR TREK (2009)

December 28, 2017 • 0 Comments

STAR TREK (2009): A PERFECT REBOOT AND A SOARING THRILL-RIDE

(Originally published by TrekWeb on 14 February 2012)

J.J. Abrams and writers Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman did in 2009 what I thought impossible: they rebooted a franchise with over forty years of history, including seventy-nine episodes, six motion pictures, four spinoffs, an animated series, countless books, comics, video games, and references in popular culture. It seemed a task that only a fool would tackle. To face the criticism of rabid fans — a group in which I include myself — and the most critical eyes focused on every bit of the film, including story, f/x, sound, acting and music, a failure could have potentially resulted in complete disaster for the franchise and also the death of careers. But J.J. & Co. faced it head on, with fresh eyes, a new perspective, and with intense creativity.

Where Has the Character-Driven Action Film Gone?

December 12, 2017 • 0 Comments

#Thriller #Action #Movies

First, I have to define the concept. A “Character-Driven Action Film” would be a sub-category of the action genre, set in any time or place that focuses on the character and history of the leads as much as it does on the action elements of the story. Simple enough, right? Right.

So where have these movies gone?