Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Years after becoming a hero by saving Trans American Flight 209, Ted Striker has been committed to an insane asylum following a failed test flight of a new passenger space shuttle, a crash he blamed on computer issues. In an effort to save his relationship with Elaine, he escapes the asylum and boards the inaugural Mayflower flight only to once again be forced to take the pilot controls after the ship’s computer malfunctions and sends the craft toward the sun.
You can read my review here: https://wizzley.com/movie-review-airplane-ii-the-sequel-1982/

Synopsis: A team of scientists flying in a vessel deep in space come across a giant black hole. Upon further investigation, they discover a long-lost space ship hovering above the black hole unaffected by its immense gravity. The ship, they learn, is commanded by Dr. Hans Reinhardt and controlled by a series of androids he says he created after his crew abandoned ship 20 years earlier. His goal is to pilot the spaceship through the black hole but the visiting team believes there is something he is hiding from them.
You can read my review here: https://wizzley.com/movie-review-the-black-hole-1979/

In total, I was at the ice rink yesterday for about 5 1/2 hours. I showed up to help with the Skate with Santa Open Skate and skating exhibition (both fundraisers for People Against a Violent Environment). Then, after that, they had ice show auditions so I hung around while my daughter had her tryout and got measured for a costume.

By the time we got home, there was enough time to grab a quick dinner and get caught up on Supernatural before going to bed.

For her part, my daughter held up pretty well, considering she was on the ice for a good chunk of that. She did a great job during her two exhibition numbers, despite having a music screw up on the first one (forcing her to help a bunch of younger skaters improvise). And, her audition (at least from what I could see of it since they don't allow parents out of the warming room) looked solid. I don't think she'll get a solo but maybe has a shot at a trio or quartet. We'll find out in a couple weeks.

She's going to ge…

My wife and I watched this movie (as we do every year) about a week ago and, as always, I enjoyed watching it.

However, here it is a week later and one scene, well, actually, a line, keeps replaying in my head because it's stumping me a bit.

The scene is the one where Jamie Lee Curtis returns from the store with smoked trout instead of ham:


How in the world is smoked trout a better choice than frozen pizza, as she suggests? Not only does that sound like it would be something many people wouldn't enjoy, she didn't even buy enough to feed a group of people. I would think frozen pizza would have been perfectly acceptable, Christmas party or not.

Now maybe if she would have said something like "it was better than liver tartar," I probably wouldn't be so bothered by that line today.

Synopsis: A year after surviving a coal mining accident that left him and 5 other miners trapped, Harry Warden, already guilty of killing the other five in an effort to save himself, wakes from his coma and goes on a killing spree. He is stopped but, on the 10th anniversary of his slayings, more people are murdered in a similar fashion. With Warden presumed dead, suspicions begin to fall on Tom Hanniger, the son of the mine's owner and the man who caused the accident that trapped Warden and the other miners.
You can read my review here: https://wizzley.com/movie-review-my-bloody-valentine-2009/

I'll be spending a good chunk of my afternoon at the Beaver Dam Family Center today as it holds its annual fundraiser for People Against a Violent Environment (our local battered spouse shelter).

Santa Claus will be stopping by the rink from 3:00-4:30 to skate with the kids and, afterwards, the Swan City Ice Skaters will hold their annual Christmas exhibition. This always ends up being fun for everyone and usually results in dozens of food items being donated to PAVE.