It’s that Time of Year Again: It’s Time to Debate Die Hard
I’m clearly on the correct side of history here. Die Hard IS a Christmas film.
Category: John McTiernan
Action, John McTiernan, Movies, Thriller, Timothy S. Johnston, Writing
TSJ Reflects on an Interesting Character Choice in DIE HARD
• 0 Comments
TSJ Reflects on an Interesting Character Choice in Die Hard
It’s no secret that I consider Die Hard the greatest Christmas movie ever made. I also feel it’s one of the best action movies, and also one-third of one of the greatest trifectas ever made by a film director.
Action, Article, John McTiernan, Movie Review, Movies, Thriller
Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
• 1 Comment
Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
This is an argument that has cavitated through every holiday season since 1988. I am hoping to put it to rest here, although obviously I realize there are always those out there who will continue to hold out and deny reality.
Action, Horror, Inspirations, John McTiernan, Movie Review, Movies, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Timothy S. Johnston’s Christmas Viewing List
• 1 Comment
Article updated December 2024.
This list is likely to change from year to year, so take it with a grain of salt. But if you’re looking for a more grown up slant to your Christmas holiday season, try one or more of these films.
Link
TSJ’s “My Favorite Things Related to the Oceans”
Over at Speculative Chic they’ve posted an article I wrote about the Science Fiction books and movies that I love most featuring the oceans. They helped inspire me to write THE WAR BENEATH. Some of them are novels from the tail end of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
Action, Alien, Horror, Inspirations, James Cameron, John McTiernan, Movie Review, Movies, Science Fiction, Star Trek, Steven Spielberg, The Terminator, Thriller
The Best Movie Sequels of All Time
• 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.
Action, Alien, Horror, Inspirations, James Cameron, John Carpenter, John McTiernan, Movie Review, Movies, Science Fiction, Steven Spielberg, The Terminator, The Thing, Thriller, Writing
The Greatest Trifectas in Film History
• 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.
Action, Inspirations, John McTiernan, Movies, Science Fiction, Video Games, Writing
TSJ at Forty-Seven
• 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.