Category: Movies

Action, Character Development, James Cameron, JJ Abrams, Movie Review, Movies, Steven Spielberg, Thriller

TSJ Reviews MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT

August 6, 2018 • 0 Comments

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT

TSJ’s Spoiler-free Review of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT

Christopher McQuarrie has had quite the career as both a writer and director, and with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT he has cemented himself as one of those next-level action directors, in the club with Spielberg, Cameron, Miller, Abrams, Nolan et al. His directing in FALLOUT is impeccable. The movie moves from one incredible set piece to another, with a good amount of exposition between them to keep the story leaning forward, and the result is

The GLASS Trailer is Here

July 20, 2018 • 0 Comments

GLASS — Coming January 2019

POSSIBLE SPOILERS about UNBREAKABLE and SPLIT below. You’ve been warned.

M. Knight Shyamalan exploded onto the movie scene with THE SIXTH SENSE in 1999. The movie was not just a hit; it was a pop culture phenomenon. He followed up the supernatural thriller with UNBREAKABLE in 2000, a movie many found even better than THE SIXTH SENSE. UNBREAKABLE featured an everyday man (Bruce Willis, playing David Dunn) who was the lone survivor of a train crash that killed hundreds.

SF Author Timothy S. Johnston Reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

July 3, 2018 • 0 Comments

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS — A Review by Timothy S. Johnston

(Previously Published at TrekWeb on 18 May 2013)

Format: Digital 2D
Studio: Paramount
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof

Rating of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS: 9/10
Rating of STAR TREK (2009): 9.5/10

The First Time I Saw JURASSIC PARK

June 16, 2018 • 0 Comments

The First Time I Saw JURASSIC PARK

It’s hard to believe that JURASSIC PARK was released 25 years ago this week. I still remember seeing it at the Galleria. My friend Adam turned to me as the lights went down and said, “So what’s this film about?” He had no idea. It was a Friday night and our group of friends always hung out on the weekends.

A Look at the New HALLOWEEN Trailer

June 10, 2018 • 0 Comments

A Look at the New HALLOWEEN Trailer

Michael Myers is back.

He’s one of the greatest slasher villains of all time and featured in a franchise that co-created the genre. (Many also give credit to BLACK CHRISTMAS in 1974.) John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978) could be considered one of the most successful independent films ever. Made on a budget of only $375 000, it earned $70 000 000 at the box office the year it was released and spawned a series that currently consists of eleven films. John Carpenter really hit it out of the ballpark and he exploded onto the horror scene and never looked back. (I spoke on a radio show about my love for this film and how it inspired me here.) Of particular note was the soundtrack that he created out of desperation: they didn’t have a budget to hire someone to score the film, so Carpenter did it himself.

TSJ’s Spoiler-Free Review of SOLO — A STAR WARS STORY

May 27, 2018 • 0 Comments

REVIEW: SOLO — A STAR WARS STORY

Time for another TSJ #ShortMovieReview.

SOLO — A STAR WARS STORY is a highly entertaining movie, delivering the history of Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon, Chewie and others in a fast-paced, f/x-filled joyride. Despite the tumultuous filming history, the changing directors and the re-writing and reshooting of over 70% of the film, it all works.

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)

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 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.