Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Prominent defense attorney John Morland is found dead in a crashed car, but police quickly determine it wasn't an accident and, instead, Morland had been murdered beforehand. The investigation leads to multiple suspects - Morland's wife, Catherine, his legal partner, James O'Neill, a wanted fugitive by the name of Red Bailey and even the district attorney, Richard Conroy. Who's in it? The movie stars Jean Rogers , Richard Travis , John Eldredge , Douglas Fowley and Robert Shayne . Review: I didn't have an opportunity to pre-select a movie for this morning because of getting home late last night (my daughter had another community theater performance). As a result, I picked Backlash solely because it was alphabetically one of the first movies saved in my library. As it turns out, it was a good choice. This movie is a solid murder mystery. In addition to the mystery surrounding Morland's (Eldredge) decision to drive to San Francisco, there were a ton...

Synopsis: Security guard David Dunn is the lone survivor when a passenger train derails. Even more amazing is the fact he escaped without a scratch, baffling investigators. Soon after, Dunn is approached by Elijah Price, an art gallery owner stricken with a disease that makes his bones brittle. Price believes Dunn may have superpowers like those in the comic books. Dunn is unconvinced, until he realizes he has never been injured or sick and is able to bench press an unbelievable amount of weight. Who's in it? The movie stars Bruce Willis , Samuel L. Jackson , Robin Wright , Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard . Review: My wife had never seen Unbreakable  and, since she is also interested in watching the sequels (which I haven't seen) we ended up picking it out for our movie night. It had been a long time since I last saw this movie and I couldn't remember much about it as a result. After seeing it again, I thought it was an OK film. This is a different kind of sup...

I've been out of college for a long time, and I've reached a point where I'm working toward retirement and no longer looking to further my career or start a new one. However, it never hurts to learn new things when you can, especially when you can do it for free (thanks to a partnership our local library has with Universal Class) so I took a Film Appreciation course. I am happy to say I passed it today with an A+. The class was a little more challenging than I had expected. It wasn't just learning about filmmaking history, I had to write essays about era-specific movies and a biography of the director of my choice (I went with Tod Browning). However, I made it through the 9-hour course and even got some extra credit for teaching the professor a couple things. I'll just add my certificate to my achievements while deciding what class I am interested in taking next.

Synopsis: After winning a medal for stopping a bomber and saving 13 people, Los Angeles Police officer Jack Traven learns the bomber, who police had believed to be dead, is still alive and has planted another bomb. This time, it is on a city bus and will detonate if it detects a speed below 50 mph or the passengers try to escape. When the bus driver is seriously injured, Jack needs to rely on the driving skills of passenger Annie Porter while he tries to figure out a way to save everyone. Who's in it? The movie stars Keanu Reeves , Sandra Bullock , Dennis Hopper , Jeff Daniels and Alan Ruck. Review: My wife and I had some time to kill while waiting for our daughter's last rehearsal before her final round of community theater shows this weekend and I decided to stick to our unintended Sandra Bullock theme by picking out a film we hadn't seen in a while, Speed . Overall, after re-watching it, I have to say it was a good choice. There are a couple things that stood out for...

Synopsis: Ten months after going undercover at the Miss United States pageant and stopping the bad guy while finishing as the runner-up, FBI agent Gracie Hart is a published author and talk show celebrity, causing her to grow conceited and shallow. When kidnappers abduct the pageant winner, Cheryl Fraser and contest host Stan Fields, Gracie travels to Las Vegas to help with the investigation. However, she soon learns her input in the case is unwelcome and is forced to once again ignore orders and investigate the case herself. Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Bullock , Regina King , Heather Burns , William Shatner and  Enrique Murciano. Review: After re-watching Miss Congeniality earlier this week, my wife and I decided to watch the movie's sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous , which we may had seen before but neither of us could remember. We did that last night and wound up with a mixed opinion. The overall concept isn't terrible. I thought the mystery s...

Synopsis: After two years of playing detective roles, Philip Trent is in need of a break and attempts to escape his fame by taking a cruise. However, in addition to being accosted by fans, his vacation is interrupted by a fake murder, staged by author Peter Dean, who wants him to star in a movie based on her latest book. If that isn't bad enough, Trent is soon caught up in a real murder mystery when a second and real dead body is found in his cabin. Who's in it? The movie stars Edmund Lowe , Elissa Landi , Ted Healy , Edmund Gwenn and Edgar Kennedy. Review: I came across Mad Holiday on one of my movie channels last night and decided to add it to my library to watch this morning. I wasn't completely sure what to expect from this mystery/comedy, but it ended up being an entertaining choice. I think the thing I liked most about this film was the chemistry between Trent (Lowe) and Dean (Landi). There was a mix of competitiveness and romance that made them fun to watch as a ...