tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64464685002232524842024-03-17T22:01:41.773-05:00Steven Helmer PublicationsBlog site from internationally-selling poet and children's book author Steven Helmer showcasing movie and product reviews, nature photography and more.Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.comBlogger2236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-44138738560305700922024-03-15T17:14:00.003-05:002024-03-16T08:38:49.753-05:00Lunchtime Walk 3/15/2024<p>The rain we had yesterday left the park fairly flooded, and I ended up cutting my walk short to avoid getting soaked feet. I did, however, manage to get a few photos, mostly of geese. Here they are.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNySb-7rapwMO8-IRkEGkSSoN1CLKh0mnd7fJUbgdJbu3dta1SiFkvfDSMpX8CRQZgCdlJepb7wqn0ekJvlBjDkvsYswX7PJ0gJdgA2UAXK5OS0MrNHB7uPW68lVo8erJyW8bM-gUq6eZbskGirA9tcwwmKAeyx_hkXic8_E8VlAardEDstp7J0ZppO5s3/s4640/March%2014.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3554" data-original-width="4640" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNySb-7rapwMO8-IRkEGkSSoN1CLKh0mnd7fJUbgdJbu3dta1SiFkvfDSMpX8CRQZgCdlJepb7wqn0ekJvlBjDkvsYswX7PJ0gJdgA2UAXK5OS0MrNHB7uPW68lVo8erJyW8bM-gUq6eZbskGirA9tcwwmKAeyx_hkXic8_E8VlAardEDstp7J0ZppO5s3/w640-h490/March%2014.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKo2CjR4JxymT3-w9pnbWzjfyDy37b-cDA4EBLYQqiKblWnL14k2pXof1CAy6AGk4fw7e032qu2a3iOYn0DzWyUqvScUVyHaC5moUDBzBMLtoQVHHLyPILjCLOlMsbsRJZhVgZHwp5U7jvy5nTNE4PFaYZNSEUF1pbvvdXNRv83GxBQ0ow3qFtVR3yJJ3g/s3952/March%2014.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3707" data-original-width="3952" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKo2CjR4JxymT3-w9pnbWzjfyDy37b-cDA4EBLYQqiKblWnL14k2pXof1CAy6AGk4fw7e032qu2a3iOYn0DzWyUqvScUVyHaC5moUDBzBMLtoQVHHLyPILjCLOlMsbsRJZhVgZHwp5U7jvy5nTNE4PFaYZNSEUF1pbvvdXNRv83GxBQ0ow3qFtVR3yJJ3g/w640-h600/March%2014.2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2vay-Y1-n2fa61dBcBajdqRHhjOzwv6AHc1q8X4qFphlCCia8meTmJkm6B65f-uYBt8J4bhB1qaBYkt6VmZW9Ggk4WF6cNeaAIzVNldfO3PKvjH0qk0Yhfz0YzdeY54o6k46DICLxWyB3CLwv1LekfBXSpMK-5HWJqo9z2qJwwZWtvvIfJ93Z4lqPfrs/s4268/March%2014.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3122" data-original-width="4268" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2vay-Y1-n2fa61dBcBajdqRHhjOzwv6AHc1q8X4qFphlCCia8meTmJkm6B65f-uYBt8J4bhB1qaBYkt6VmZW9Ggk4WF6cNeaAIzVNldfO3PKvjH0qk0Yhfz0YzdeY54o6k46DICLxWyB3CLwv1LekfBXSpMK-5HWJqo9z2qJwwZWtvvIfJ93Z4lqPfrs/w640-h468/March%2014.3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB1cpKPEiExMPc8HLnNP0dshLujoP2YDn1kSow1yBjU0JRA-8GbLWN7jzorXngKTrhCbJ2_M-djKgcPQ3flRt_-vEIZBW4AMkci_dBZg0LsJO-NOAZVH3CTzqLiYozxFhDCxg39VP3UiscpME8npI_s9eEHkbYvsGGyz99KQXZkFNI72-Zd_zhfIYH6zr/s5184/March%2014.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3536" data-original-width="5184" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtB1cpKPEiExMPc8HLnNP0dshLujoP2YDn1kSow1yBjU0JRA-8GbLWN7jzorXngKTrhCbJ2_M-djKgcPQ3flRt_-vEIZBW4AMkci_dBZg0LsJO-NOAZVH3CTzqLiYozxFhDCxg39VP3UiscpME8npI_s9eEHkbYvsGGyz99KQXZkFNI72-Zd_zhfIYH6zr/w640-h436/March%2014.4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6kLI4bpCmeuUTXdysIRxCbxjCsMm2Z2ldtfoqqiLcVaOGAHOalyPAmfc706fFU26QOqQpssvHEp6uF2rv_T2AxpT1E7iS3TfXieLBUidJ60ox1Jviigb0gpzRZGllF0VeqT0Hk-Ud2ERWF2NOtrMBK4GvkyV6QjrsW_VVlJ9PmO2-JlTCyu0vYm5LN9n/s4826/March%2014.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3380" data-original-width="4826" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6kLI4bpCmeuUTXdysIRxCbxjCsMm2Z2ldtfoqqiLcVaOGAHOalyPAmfc706fFU26QOqQpssvHEp6uF2rv_T2AxpT1E7iS3TfXieLBUidJ60ox1Jviigb0gpzRZGllF0VeqT0Hk-Ud2ERWF2NOtrMBK4GvkyV6QjrsW_VVlJ9PmO2-JlTCyu0vYm5LN9n/w640-h448/March%2014.5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPq7sctkif-RRRZfBUctTAo4orDF1ZMKyN9QNuVqidBcwm_sfebeSR5jVc94bmmsnPITrjRbZdv9IgivtvyvozM8h9-ubZNOB2tlQETIQdmJJYeeOvj_-CncdRadHobTkDxsAjOijYfHh5QfYsEON1kv-EDNwESUWw1IcUVsOCBYmM761CGNYr6A908Ao/s3936/March%2014.6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3027" data-original-width="3936" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPq7sctkif-RRRZfBUctTAo4orDF1ZMKyN9QNuVqidBcwm_sfebeSR5jVc94bmmsnPITrjRbZdv9IgivtvyvozM8h9-ubZNOB2tlQETIQdmJJYeeOvj_-CncdRadHobTkDxsAjOijYfHh5QfYsEON1kv-EDNwESUWw1IcUVsOCBYmM761CGNYr6A908Ao/w640-h492/March%2014.6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNnN8qxCVqNmOPPB1kOP1U1E6E3dQdSX-HMvACyUDvmW8xF_VxWnCIUIj-V-_gcFEwUQm_9bdYLhOlK16uEI52mXXm2VK3BkXF5S_0mlXn1Jl-nl6uGgSm7OrLWWCvcFGltJ5SVAoB88tR_4x3VPZ1sJWf5Fl2IT8BxASGQBgYhuNCtmaZQtEltdWXh2H/s4318/March%2014.7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3276" data-original-width="4318" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNnN8qxCVqNmOPPB1kOP1U1E6E3dQdSX-HMvACyUDvmW8xF_VxWnCIUIj-V-_gcFEwUQm_9bdYLhOlK16uEI52mXXm2VK3BkXF5S_0mlXn1Jl-nl6uGgSm7OrLWWCvcFGltJ5SVAoB88tR_4x3VPZ1sJWf5Fl2IT8BxASGQBgYhuNCtmaZQtEltdWXh2H/w640-h486/March%2014.7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-29255414627902268992024-03-14T09:05:00.000-05:002024-03-14T09:05:02.614-05:00Movie Review: Leave the World Behind (2023)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> In a spontaneous moment, Amanda Sanford decides to rent a luxurious home near the ocean beach outside of New York City and have an impromptu weekend getaway with her husband, Clay and her two kids, Rose and Archie. Shortly after arriving, a series of strange occurrences begin to happen, ranging from an oil tanker grounding itself on the beach to their cell service no longer working. When the home's owner, G. H. shows up in the middle of the night with his daughter, Ruth, talking about a major power outage in the city, it's clear something massive is happening, though they have no way of learning exactly what that is or even if they can trust each other.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/11/movie-review-smurfs-lost-village-2017.html">Julia Roberts</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2023/03/movie-review-regression-2015.html">Ethan Hawke</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0991810/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2">Mahershala Ali</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9684601/?ref_=tt_cl_t_4">Myha'la</a> and <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/07/movie-review-friday-13th-1980.html">Kevin Bacon</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMVBi_e8o-Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="cMVBi_e8o-Y"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> The first time I heard about this movie was last night, when I came across it on Netflix. To be honest, the description and the limited information from the Netflix trailers left a lot to be desired. However, since it had at least three actors I recognized, I decided to give it a chance. As it turns out, it was pretty good.</p><p>There were a couple things I really enjoyed about this movie. One of the main ones was the mystery surrounding the series of events they were witnessing. Since all forms of communication were cut off and they weren't even able to return to the city because of a massive highway pile up caused by self-driving cars, the characters (and the audience) were left in the dark for almost the entirety of the movie and what first seemed like a simple cyber-attack was clearly a whole lot more, especially with the weird way animals were behaving as well.</p><p>I also found I liked the constant tension/distrust between Amanda (Roberts) and G. H. (Ali). Or, more accurate, Amanda and Ruth (Myha'la). As my wife agreed, Amanda seemed to be a character that was unlike any we've ever seen Roberts play before. If anything, I would probably consider her more of an antagonist than a protagonist because that woman seemed to just be angry at everyone. </p><p>While I could probably understand having some distrust of the two strangers who arrived without any form of identification, it wasn't as though she was overly affectionate toward her husband and kids either. In any case, this dynamic did create a fairly large wildcard as far as the movie went because it was something that could implode at any moment. </p><p>The big reveal at the end (or at least the theory that was presented) was also something that was surprisingly eye opening. While it was an extreme thing and the movie never reveals who was behind it, the way G. H. described it made a lot of sense and was believable enough to be downright scary. At the same time, the somewhat funny final scene did manage to at least end the movie on a little less dark of a note.</p><p>My only real problem with the movie is there were some things I felt weren't explained very well. For example, I didn't understand how the vacation home continued to have electricity when it was likely getting that electricity from the power plants that were supposedly shut down by the attack. I highly doubt that small community had its own power supply. Plus, the weird migration patterns of the deer and flamingos didn't quite fit in with G. H.'s theory.</p><p>I also kind of felt like Bacon didn't get enough of a role in the overall plot. His survivalist character, Danny, seemed intriguing but, other than a brief scene in the beginning, we don't even see him until near the end. The movie was good without him, but I feel like it could have been considerably better with him. </p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> It was a surprising movie that kept me interested throughout and had an ending that made me think. I'd recommend giving it a chance.</p><p><b>My Grade: A</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-16213097642852598152024-03-13T14:43:00.001-05:002024-03-13T14:43:35.135-05:00Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/13/2024<p>I took advantage of the warm weather today and got a walk in without even needing a jacket. It looks like the turtles are starting to emerge, though I suspect they will go back into hiding when the temperatures drop again in a day or so. Anyway, here are some photos:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7ubLXMrg8fkj4jT_3XCZyITAccCkX_KhB29DGKWEf8xK5G4dIH-S1knB4Fob-KJtzacOdGgQk90JyDYr-wJnvpCP_xRrzt3zSkMQdgG7jQNDpqhG0M8eWyiL5-EVPcSrRFaEWIFl43oLKOo5YY3pt1Dnr8A1GG2oiTGIN7U-Qmcx_IhJQloN6kuhOp4d/s4388/March%2013.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2445" data-original-width="4388" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7ubLXMrg8fkj4jT_3XCZyITAccCkX_KhB29DGKWEf8xK5G4dIH-S1knB4Fob-KJtzacOdGgQk90JyDYr-wJnvpCP_xRrzt3zSkMQdgG7jQNDpqhG0M8eWyiL5-EVPcSrRFaEWIFl43oLKOo5YY3pt1Dnr8A1GG2oiTGIN7U-Qmcx_IhJQloN6kuhOp4d/w640-h356/March%2013.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZ3IR-_rD-BoNCfWqxWedVNMyr1xKBujTz6Y4F2JaHYrKqdOeLopW_QbxOGaaooFLILOPUs-WKuuGjNb3S1LXcqL4uXygaOYg4UvobtZZ03KqYNTkoydprX-1XX_xbC9TQgGOeOBWXykUbFA5lh_6tSlNQEFNkcgm3_OkDrLpxpZmUMlC-E8trm4ZWmHo/s3900/March%2013.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="3900" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZ3IR-_rD-BoNCfWqxWedVNMyr1xKBujTz6Y4F2JaHYrKqdOeLopW_QbxOGaaooFLILOPUs-WKuuGjNb3S1LXcqL4uXygaOYg4UvobtZZ03KqYNTkoydprX-1XX_xbC9TQgGOeOBWXykUbFA5lh_6tSlNQEFNkcgm3_OkDrLpxpZmUMlC-E8trm4ZWmHo/w640-h262/March%2013.2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7kfndZKuq1voGeUtv5eXQFDq1z1ospifPf1r7msBzTk0Xkrgqv9Fb0Av6EpgLwoykv6UT2IdgXk5vUFmxPygBzCT2zheY0kdTWbckcitXxsBQdLBXiI5_O3ZFY7-hkjdWNW_uQFKr7u7DKvImpWyU2RSros4Ck2J5zUArWJOnehElMp-Wpv3ciwFkiui/s3343/March%2013.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2281" data-original-width="3343" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7kfndZKuq1voGeUtv5eXQFDq1z1ospifPf1r7msBzTk0Xkrgqv9Fb0Av6EpgLwoykv6UT2IdgXk5vUFmxPygBzCT2zheY0kdTWbckcitXxsBQdLBXiI5_O3ZFY7-hkjdWNW_uQFKr7u7DKvImpWyU2RSros4Ck2J5zUArWJOnehElMp-Wpv3ciwFkiui/w640-h436/March%2013.3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pd7JqC8V2Suagnf7aT8VqikvhXzERenbgvGIT6xNanvrWL792zID4In7IHkgnhFOgizqQcRel7emigz_8axnh2TQQrHrgcBv3bbKFpZk5_PiMaegKuozLxujyBAWikLxN5Amexcl-yF80fGC_pUsOp4FUXNZvBx2zoD_luFfpWXCcSch24Zh4LphLr-5/s4209/March%2013.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2836" data-original-width="4209" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pd7JqC8V2Suagnf7aT8VqikvhXzERenbgvGIT6xNanvrWL792zID4In7IHkgnhFOgizqQcRel7emigz_8axnh2TQQrHrgcBv3bbKFpZk5_PiMaegKuozLxujyBAWikLxN5Amexcl-yF80fGC_pUsOp4FUXNZvBx2zoD_luFfpWXCcSch24Zh4LphLr-5/w640-h432/March%2013.4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMBBLlKamuWL53A1oXkffTny_9Lpvwf2EJKAJe68PvN7vf8FjixP4raGIlMpMRg3Y0dvBPa-D9afk6TXElZfflr6sXHkDgLkjYMGBPCpGQ1ly3y1EqNd1SCoUIA6xSnGwphrMCS35kD3H2UJ849zWkBcRoC8HSG3nFmpv87hYbyZ0SLZWlYTUj0XWoHix/s2248/March%2013.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1584" data-original-width="2248" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMBBLlKamuWL53A1oXkffTny_9Lpvwf2EJKAJe68PvN7vf8FjixP4raGIlMpMRg3Y0dvBPa-D9afk6TXElZfflr6sXHkDgLkjYMGBPCpGQ1ly3y1EqNd1SCoUIA6xSnGwphrMCS35kD3H2UJ849zWkBcRoC8HSG3nFmpv87hYbyZ0SLZWlYTUj0XWoHix/w640-h450/March%2013.5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHyM-cDzDtwpcmWDf0OrASG7UocYfGWsNl8TEnVgTYHPNXCKG0dSyeeviS-BNuUEq8RT1Wagj6xqhXUiI_Q6E1Zypj5fBb_ZWzzQeFlyhIL3RHaLfNHqvz7BfHgSeW13m1G9a_a2bdwgjdslzduOxJOTVI-9vcTLCKEVvgE8gKVnmWFnvHEmSNMvVPwfQ/s4548/March%2013.6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2891" data-original-width="4548" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHyM-cDzDtwpcmWDf0OrASG7UocYfGWsNl8TEnVgTYHPNXCKG0dSyeeviS-BNuUEq8RT1Wagj6xqhXUiI_Q6E1Zypj5fBb_ZWzzQeFlyhIL3RHaLfNHqvz7BfHgSeW13m1G9a_a2bdwgjdslzduOxJOTVI-9vcTLCKEVvgE8gKVnmWFnvHEmSNMvVPwfQ/w640-h406/March%2013.6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70E-awO3Dc4CmSL4nZXEaLqyuXtpKAQjifLhbGdwln3SVJsECxvuiG4k8Ni8YoSCiE6cdVqO37rG43NopUNtkB-ayPJHMBkb0OIlOzZJ_XcK29Yj6kD0ouaB0vthSSHJdrBg-8BSifwpaNPxvZr_Bx6bdjO0lJmKNsxSHsJf5R03epYEC79NCaNRRl0qe/s4320/March%2013.7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3049" data-original-width="4320" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70E-awO3Dc4CmSL4nZXEaLqyuXtpKAQjifLhbGdwln3SVJsECxvuiG4k8Ni8YoSCiE6cdVqO37rG43NopUNtkB-ayPJHMBkb0OIlOzZJ_XcK29Yj6kD0ouaB0vthSSHJdrBg-8BSifwpaNPxvZr_Bx6bdjO0lJmKNsxSHsJf5R03epYEC79NCaNRRl0qe/w640-h452/March%2013.7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-54351312933364254882024-03-12T17:59:00.001-05:002024-03-12T17:59:08.800-05:00Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/12/2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was still a bit cool and breezy when I went for my walk, though it did warm up quite a bit later in the day. Here are some of the photos I was able to get. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwuCXlVc3_B1c4X2Nh5UoJXUtuL1asqWhRHo2-IBwYX9EaVZeUMg4rvu30IkTkP_iOxom2ddhi7XJ2ztxE8laLm8GUT_VRulPVVEYsBqH_bylLX_xWcyMa1Yo6403xrntN0427B6BB8_DtvHrFCrblAYf779xFDuB1n8qmTEiQY6TeN34gdLq2QCU7cX3/s4727/March%2012.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2893" data-original-width="4727" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwuCXlVc3_B1c4X2Nh5UoJXUtuL1asqWhRHo2-IBwYX9EaVZeUMg4rvu30IkTkP_iOxom2ddhi7XJ2ztxE8laLm8GUT_VRulPVVEYsBqH_bylLX_xWcyMa1Yo6403xrntN0427B6BB8_DtvHrFCrblAYf779xFDuB1n8qmTEiQY6TeN34gdLq2QCU7cX3/w640-h392/March%2012.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YqpB7V8FoCnzot4ko-bp97RM0y86tpMru5CZpp18SscVOmK4mZu95xvcmgmblyngHD2-4l5fA1hkjLR_gFIWdhFAiRoORrFTrjLpaNOk7JSD9b32mw-ffxIdzSiHtJQhD37Zb-dmBgCWXCarDKYqiKxASRVa7VgNB_mqwfBHj2W0bizZ70S4kp0bLYUK/s3313/March%2012.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2014" data-original-width="3313" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YqpB7V8FoCnzot4ko-bp97RM0y86tpMru5CZpp18SscVOmK4mZu95xvcmgmblyngHD2-4l5fA1hkjLR_gFIWdhFAiRoORrFTrjLpaNOk7JSD9b32mw-ffxIdzSiHtJQhD37Zb-dmBgCWXCarDKYqiKxASRVa7VgNB_mqwfBHj2W0bizZ70S4kp0bLYUK/w640-h390/March%2012.2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOtWsdswwvpWJjdZiZ98fMJdoiHDqEIAh69NdapJ53hgeFZefRSKiDnckIHqgVtO_YMUcrBd9HNLukEZZGr7e8-dMAPySnf9ssLJGLJFbkxDLCqt_CFJ4xOVBXpvGSGBIDA97eBtPMgmKMXj1hoM8-SCIWFttKTw9hqO9oVcctWZt8WRVt7LP7cQniDPz/s3378/March%2012.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="3378" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOtWsdswwvpWJjdZiZ98fMJdoiHDqEIAh69NdapJ53hgeFZefRSKiDnckIHqgVtO_YMUcrBd9HNLukEZZGr7e8-dMAPySnf9ssLJGLJFbkxDLCqt_CFJ4xOVBXpvGSGBIDA97eBtPMgmKMXj1hoM8-SCIWFttKTw9hqO9oVcctWZt8WRVt7LP7cQniDPz/w640-h386/March%2012.3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTQHshpmXVzYiZsKej2A04tGyJW4WqSUz9RKgXng4p93DB37zwj0yMIOkBh78a4sETJTlJoTSwBgAUzBuwu0pPtltW4GZq6kC-uXKdsbdkop5LUQ86LW_RBeR5-3fawN3nlg_FRKCAzZy3I6YNiORTOaJANLZ6ZdH6WFvM7NSin4pSREyfUfxiqUJsUTt/s3572/March%2012.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2358" data-original-width="3572" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTQHshpmXVzYiZsKej2A04tGyJW4WqSUz9RKgXng4p93DB37zwj0yMIOkBh78a4sETJTlJoTSwBgAUzBuwu0pPtltW4GZq6kC-uXKdsbdkop5LUQ86LW_RBeR5-3fawN3nlg_FRKCAzZy3I6YNiORTOaJANLZ6ZdH6WFvM7NSin4pSREyfUfxiqUJsUTt/w640-h422/March%2012.4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRiamrms2ZTDoQAF5xzAVegIOUkRGStUiW4XQBIAzVck8wLwtPpYZLcovo6KvqnVIhpZMetfNCz7q-vNZ_5bjFsBtwlHui6x3syRXA-TFSG3UCeu0SOwQ-VA81py6-VgPs0Z6nLg5QVIn2eYkS2fAvtNf6DOOaRSEPCGiTfIWLUCMLDPn1jvkxd5p8Acu/s3576/March%2012.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2875" data-original-width="3576" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRiamrms2ZTDoQAF5xzAVegIOUkRGStUiW4XQBIAzVck8wLwtPpYZLcovo6KvqnVIhpZMetfNCz7q-vNZ_5bjFsBtwlHui6x3syRXA-TFSG3UCeu0SOwQ-VA81py6-VgPs0Z6nLg5QVIn2eYkS2fAvtNf6DOOaRSEPCGiTfIWLUCMLDPn1jvkxd5p8Acu/w640-h514/March%2012.5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyejv9d3adLFVCGVzv5M_I_B9iAfBFgAvtPzCHY3mnMBtb8vYyr2Nv1uhyphenhyphenKWWmKzLHTp1AJ4FNufKX1_9G4Cd-Y8-ssHNDQ0GoMBrBihvud3hDIbCu7sxws0hUhh4y1hG9CTnsdioTGlgfRda3mF3HMvmdfU7HGxtScaDGHPl5rjK2IY-Z1G3t0RQiGj88/s3521/March%2012.6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="3521" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyejv9d3adLFVCGVzv5M_I_B9iAfBFgAvtPzCHY3mnMBtb8vYyr2Nv1uhyphenhyphenKWWmKzLHTp1AJ4FNufKX1_9G4Cd-Y8-ssHNDQ0GoMBrBihvud3hDIbCu7sxws0hUhh4y1hG9CTnsdioTGlgfRda3mF3HMvmdfU7HGxtScaDGHPl5rjK2IY-Z1G3t0RQiGj88/w640-h530/March%2012.6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0Edgewater Park, Beaver Dam, WI 53916, USA43.486025 -88.842803815.175791163821152 -123.9990538 71.796258836178851 -53.6865538tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-72467324161921228162024-03-12T07:54:00.002-05:002024-03-12T07:54:31.519-05:00Movie Review: Organ Trail (2023)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> A harsh 1870s Montana winter forces young Abigale (Abby) Archer and her family from the mountains and make camp in the valley below. While out hunting for food, her father and brother discover another camp that has been attacked and has one lone survivor, a woman, Cassidy, who is pinned by two arrows through her hands. They rescue Cassidy only to learn she is part of a gang of thieves who slaughter Abby's family during the night and take her hostage, determined to force her to be part of the gang. Abby resists and escapes but with the help of a rancher, soon returns to rescue her horse, the only family she has left.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5046516/">Zoé De Grand Maison</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5703842/">Olivia Grace Applegate</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/08/movie-review-i-am-wrath-2016.html">Sam Trammell</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3485972/">Nicholas Logan</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0071680/">Clé Bennett</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M-G4TuwVmwA" width="320" youtube-src-id="M-G4TuwVmwA"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> This was one of the first movies I came across after re-adding Paramount Plus as one of my movie sources. It looked intriguing so I added it to my list and watched it last night. I have to say, it was a surprising film.</p><p>This movie was not at all what I was expecting it to be. Based on the title and the very brief description Parmount gave, I assumed it was going to be a campy, blood-and-guts film with a simple plot, lots of unnecessary violence and gore and probably some gratuitous nudity. Heck, the movie even has the "R" rating you would expect to see with a film like that. Instead, it was a relatively tame drama/thriller with an intriguing plot.</p><p>Abby (Maison) proved to be a pleasant surprise as well. When she's first introduced, she seemed like such a meek character and, when she was taken hostage, it was easy to assume the bad guys would easily have their way with her. Instead, she proved to be very resourceful and stubborn, making it easy to root for her, even though her decision to return for her horse, rather than trying to get help from authorities, seemed a bit much (and that was with me understanding her motivation).</p><p>I also liked the wild card element Cassidy (Applegate) brought to the film. She too was a victim and seemed to genuinely want to protect Abby from the men who had force her to do things she didn't want to do. At the same time, her general fear of the men also meant she might cave in and turn against Abby at any time just to save herself. </p><p>The end of the movie is a little crazier than I would prefer, both because the bad guys made it a little too easy for Abby to get her horse and because the one villain, Rhys (Logan) was a bit over the top as far as what he was able to survive, especially since there was no indication he was anything other than a human being (albeit a very sadistic one). That said, it also wasn't an ending that was overly predictable either, so I'll give it points for that.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> This wasn't what I was expecting, mostly because the title really doesn't fit the film's plot. However, I thought it was an interesting movie and would recommend taking the time to watch it.</p><p><b>My Grade: B</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-90081555554244074372024-03-11T13:59:00.002-05:002024-03-11T13:59:42.557-05:00Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/11/2024<p> A little cool out yet but sunny so I got a walk in at lunch today. Here are some of the photos I took.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbdWyBwubyhyVkb7N1vKAAKH8ezelUw61bYPw9O5FCuOOESQl-ZjvWZ7yvmJxJYM71zR27NaZHqUeQ67oQZqvfsHALLx_UdPFUixgIXi0Up8M81Uh_wlnhLXbLj48Shc32ma77BjB36wPm3REDfHtDj6eQnJk7t4ml8xHF-j04XUSj87NzNf7nh3pj_BZ/s3696/March%2011.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2618" data-original-width="3696" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbdWyBwubyhyVkb7N1vKAAKH8ezelUw61bYPw9O5FCuOOESQl-ZjvWZ7yvmJxJYM71zR27NaZHqUeQ67oQZqvfsHALLx_UdPFUixgIXi0Up8M81Uh_wlnhLXbLj48Shc32ma77BjB36wPm3REDfHtDj6eQnJk7t4ml8xHF-j04XUSj87NzNf7nh3pj_BZ/w640-h454/March%2011.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEQPgo7fN0otZlTd6dsuZbjiUIb17wl2O54rXnw8LivIU7pVdbr05kD3dZ8NZfM-Jt7_KbXtpVPjwm512PxNnX4B1FsjZqUMmI38yg-AXsJ7uoxVcDJiWqRmKx3dn-4fQyBPVmRyEZ7YHcrVdecTeSdCNWQaDt0r9oxTDIypyZWVVUUsXhLx9uUCp6aoa/s4498/March%2011.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3711" data-original-width="4498" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEQPgo7fN0otZlTd6dsuZbjiUIb17wl2O54rXnw8LivIU7pVdbr05kD3dZ8NZfM-Jt7_KbXtpVPjwm512PxNnX4B1FsjZqUMmI38yg-AXsJ7uoxVcDJiWqRmKx3dn-4fQyBPVmRyEZ7YHcrVdecTeSdCNWQaDt0r9oxTDIypyZWVVUUsXhLx9uUCp6aoa/w640-h528/March%2011.2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_L-4zrqQQIFacSA8Yq03iTIxma0zLCAUgR8qd2GtD23moo5ZsntyooBoHooPGwTgtt7ywsrILB8OHEYCLXLwiuRwFgXWHCk3H44vNc_PHoBHQ8IsnbUvBrnhUZhI7xV_lluJnG_oRJ9N3k4PhLtirpjDHp0ojdkHKHEvP4HUcv21QxnVZzjq3ldcaQjW/s4665/March%2011.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2964" data-original-width="4665" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_L-4zrqQQIFacSA8Yq03iTIxma0zLCAUgR8qd2GtD23moo5ZsntyooBoHooPGwTgtt7ywsrILB8OHEYCLXLwiuRwFgXWHCk3H44vNc_PHoBHQ8IsnbUvBrnhUZhI7xV_lluJnG_oRJ9N3k4PhLtirpjDHp0ojdkHKHEvP4HUcv21QxnVZzjq3ldcaQjW/w640-h406/March%2011.3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m0nGoAeMfc_GPE_U1WIiQUuBcsihS8Us6X5rDLo1wVxm4Df0b3cJ2A3lwZ2wdRrMjoeUnFMBxw22-6Fl9UHKl19CJdN0p3Ao4lO-E_teENgDxlg4rjb-FE6EH9DMkFsqk4ht65VdqinAKyGSjN0YLYHv8Gws6B79zKX01x35TVWa04eqf1mhXVtDHgva/s5184/March%2011.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2671" data-original-width="5184" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m0nGoAeMfc_GPE_U1WIiQUuBcsihS8Us6X5rDLo1wVxm4Df0b3cJ2A3lwZ2wdRrMjoeUnFMBxw22-6Fl9UHKl19CJdN0p3Ao4lO-E_teENgDxlg4rjb-FE6EH9DMkFsqk4ht65VdqinAKyGSjN0YLYHv8Gws6B79zKX01x35TVWa04eqf1mhXVtDHgva/w640-h330/March%2011.4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RB8ELEKiZ3mwM1kIMBCJkGhTutgDROhlBZvp7ftHuz5YmTbkZBIdF7nw5ZpiIeYx0MX12AqWFCldUjNIAhVffHNT56GSXCq0Buvqyhb_M2APwcGAjIwZHvbZoP-N7vgDVDme6aK1HnSGKdFrwHYkBQapzOrhHvEx_Cmtuv4FrEW18jRKSBJyY3W4L_2w/s4173/March%2011.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="4173" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RB8ELEKiZ3mwM1kIMBCJkGhTutgDROhlBZvp7ftHuz5YmTbkZBIdF7nw5ZpiIeYx0MX12AqWFCldUjNIAhVffHNT56GSXCq0Buvqyhb_M2APwcGAjIwZHvbZoP-N7vgDVDme6aK1HnSGKdFrwHYkBQapzOrhHvEx_Cmtuv4FrEW18jRKSBJyY3W4L_2w/w640-h450/March%2011.5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-32790121445124089102024-03-11T08:12:00.002-05:002024-03-11T08:12:52.821-05:00Movie Review: The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)<p><b>Synopsis: </b>The merchant ship <i>Demeter </i>takes on cargo in Bulgaria and sets sail for London. At first, things seem to be going smoothly but a half-dead female stowaway is soon discovered in one of the crates and not long after that, crewmembers are brutally killed one-by-one whenever the sun goes down. The deaths are eventually blamed on a terrible evil known to many by the name Dracula.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3659660/">Corey Hawkins</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4957233/">Aisling Franciosi</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/11/movie-review-dog-soldiers-2002.html">Liam Cunningham</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2810287/">David Dastmalchian</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2306701/">Javier Botet</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eQUBghzpgzA" width="320" youtube-src-id="eQUBghzpgzA"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> My wife wanted to see this movie when it was out at theaters, but I had a lot of doubts about it. My biggest concern was, since it is a movie based off a chapter in the book <i>Dracula, </i>and <i>Demeter</i>'s fate is fairly common knowledge, I thought it would end up being too predictable to be entertaining.</p><p>We finally got around to watching the movie last night on Paramount Plus and it turns out I was wrong. The movie was much worse than I was expecting it to be.</p><p>The foreknowledge of what becomes of <i>Demeter </i>wound up being a big part of that, as I suspected would be the case. And it's not as though the movie tries to hide it in the hopes people haven't read the book or seen any other movie based off of Bram Stoker's creation. The very opening scene reveals the deserted ship and the fate of its crew. This in turn really does detract from the scarier elements in the movie. Half the fun of horror films is not knowing who will live or die and, while there is one survivor, it's not enough of a twist that has enough impact to make up for this.</p><p>My bigger problem with the movie, however, turned out to be the lack of urgency displayed by the crew, even as their numbers dwindled. It's not like they didn't know what was happening. The stowaway, Anna (Franciosi) pretty much spelled it out for them. Heck, they even figured out where Dracula (Botet) was hiding during the day. Yet, instead of being proactive and trying to kill the vampire when he was most vulnerable, they instead just waited around until after dark and continued to give him the advantage. It was almost as though they wanted to die horrible deaths.</p><p>Even their big plan at the end made zero sense in this regard. It probably would have worked had they done it right away. Instead, they waited until nightfall for reasons that just didn't make any sense. I was honestly getting kind of irritated with the overall stupidity.</p><p><b>Final Opinion: </b>I can see what the filmmakers were attempting to do and there were some scenes in the movie that were somewhat entertaining. However, the combination of knowing in advance what was going to happen and the crew members seeming to go out of their way to make things easier for Dracula made this movie difficult for me to watch.</p><p><b>My Grade: C-</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-30278072247859208732024-03-10T08:15:00.001-05:002024-03-10T08:15:24.178-05:00Movie Review: Ricky Stanicky (2024)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> After a Halloween prank ends in an accidental arson, friends Dean, Wes and JT leave a piece of evidence behind tying the crime to the fictional Ricky Stanicky and get away with it. Years later, the now-adult trio still keeps up the illusion of Stanicky being a real person, even going as far as updating Ricky's social media account, as a way of skipping out of things with their significant others. However, when their latest deception results in JT missing the birth of his son, the pressure is on to provide proof of Ricky's existence. The three desperate friends end up hiring an actor they met while in Atlantic City and soon discover their accomplice is a little too good at his job.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2019/08/movie-review-greatest-showman-2017.html">Zac Efron</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2023/03/movie-review-ferdinand-2017.html">John Cena</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/07/movie-review-sahara-2005.html">William H. Macy</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2747668/">Andrew Santino</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1854664/">Jermaine Fowler.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WXpBN_31-Cw" width="320" youtube-src-id="WXpBN_31-Cw"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I had never heard of this movie until coming across it on Amazon Prime yesterday morning. It looked interesting and my wife and I both have enjoyed other John Cena films, so I wound up making a movie date with her for yesterday evening and gave it a chance.</p><p>It turned out to be a fun and entertaining movie.</p><p>I think the thing I enjoyed most about this film was it wasn't quite as predictable as I thought it would be. A big part of the reason for this was their fake Ricky Stanicky (Cena) was such a quirky character, it was unclear what he would end up doing next, whether it was performing a circumcision to showing up at the airport suffering alcohol withdrawals. </p><p>On top of it, while there was no doubt Ricky's real identity, Rod Rimestead, would eventually come out, it was unclear who would be the one to out him. JT (Santino), for example, had a mother-in-law who suspected the men were lying. Ricky/Rod also had people chasing after him while Dean's (Efron) girlfriend, Erin (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6280112/">Lex Scott Davis</a>) was a news reporter looking for a story. In other words, the whole Ricky deception was a powder keg, and multiple people could light the fuse, including the local police, who might show up to arrest the guy they believe set a fire when he was younger.</p><p>I even counted Ricky/Rod himself in that since he chose to stick around, going to work at the same company as Dean and JT, and putting himself in a position where he could easily ruin the three friends if he wanted to. And the fact Dean was freaking out about that to the point he could also inadvertently give things away didn't help with that. And based on the reasons behind the deception, I wasn't so certain a big reveal would result in a happy ending.</p><p>My only real complaint is the movie does get unnecessarily raunchy at times, at least as far as some of the jokes are concerned. It wasn't a huge deal, but this was a movie that probably could have been a decent family film if it weren't for that comedy and the jokes didn't really add a whole lot to the plot.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> This is a surprisingly good movie with a great performance by Cena and a plot that has just enough twists and turns to keep it from getting too predictable. I wouldn't recommend watching it with young kids but it's worth taking the time to see it.</p><p><b>My Grade: A</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-22397435845523123952024-03-09T08:33:00.001-06:002024-03-09T08:33:22.416-06:00Movie Review: Frost Giant (2010)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> An arctic expedition uncovers a 19th century ship purposely sunk by its crew. While excavating the wreckage, the team accidentally releases an alien attracted to any source of heat and able to freeze people to death with one touch.</p><p>The movie is also sometimes referred to as <i>Arctic Predator</i>. </p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001002/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1">Dean Cain</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905357/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2">Steven Waddington</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1374033/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3">Lucy Brown</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165977/?ref_=tt_cl_t_4">Louisa Clein</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2467178/?ref_=tt_cl_t_9">Mike Straub.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4rIhEsOZtME" width="320" youtube-src-id="4rIhEsOZtME"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I came across this movie on SyFy a couple days ago and my first thought was the description made it sound like a rip-off of the movie The Thing. However, we gave it a try and discovered it was nothing like that horror film. I don't mean that in a good way.</p><p>I think my biggest problem with this movie was it was hard to take it seriously. I know it was a made-for-television film with a lower budget, but those special effects were so bad, they were humorous. Most of the movie seemed like the actors were just standing in front of a green screen and everything else was filled in.</p><p>It also didn't help that the actors seemed to be phoning it in. The various deaths had zero impact because they happened with no emotion. It's really hard to care if someone dies if the people who were supposed to be their friends don't.</p><p>One thing I did like about the movie was the seemingly impossible task of stopping the alien, which had the ability to kill in both ice form and gas form. However, that was ruined a bit by the surprisingly easy way it was defeated at the end, something that was also somewhat ruined by a completely unnecessary sacrifice. </p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> The movie wasn't all bad. However, I think a limited budget and some half-assed acting made this film a lot worse than it needed to be.</p><p><b>My Grade: D</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-15146126087027196342024-03-08T08:17:00.002-06:002024-03-08T08:17:57.327-06:00Movie Review: Cucuy: The Boogeyman (2018)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> After being placed under house arrest for protecting her deaf sister, Sofia begins to suspect recent child abductions might be related to her new next-door neighbor. However, she soon realizes the abductions are instead being orchestrated by Cucuy, a Mexican legend known for punishing wicked children. Things go from bad to worse when her sister is snatched by the demon.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4937548/">Jearnest Corchado</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5604387/">Bella Stine</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/09/movie-review-be-afraid-2017.html">Brian Krause</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2021/11/movie-review-christmas-ceo-2021.html">Marisol Nichols</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3190746/">Morgana Ignis</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-7hOe6cPVys" width="320" youtube-src-id="-7hOe6cPVys"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> My wife and I were able to settle down on the couch early enough to watch a movie last night and, since it has been a while since I've checked out some of the films on SyFy, I went through that list. This one seemed interesting, so we gave it a try. Overall, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.</p><p>I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the mystery surrounding the Cucuy (Ignis). In particular, there was a mystery about who summoned the creature (and it turns out I was wrong with my guess). Plus, there was also the possibility it wasn't a supernatural being at all and, instead, just someone dressed as the legend to hide their identity when they abducted children. </p><p>I also liked the added complication of the movie's main protagonist, Sofia (Corchado) having an ankle monitor that prevented her from leaving her property for more than three minutes. This meant she had to worry about being arrested, even as she was trying to do something heroic though, admittedly, that problem was ultimately solved a little too easily (and without any real explanation).</p><p>I think my biggest problem with this movie is there aren't a whole lot of likable characters. The kids the Cucuy was abducting were psychopaths that frankly were scarier than the monster itself. I mean, seriously, who bullies a deaf kid and mocks someone who killed herself? I'm also still a little confused about why Sofia's sister, Amelia (Stine) got caught up in it. I know the movie sort of explains it, but she was probably the furthest from being a bad kid as you're going to find in a movie like this, especially compared to her classmates. </p><p>Oh, and don't get me wrong, it wasn't just the kids that were terrible, the entire town seemed to be a bit unfriendly. Plus, don't get me started on that police department. As I said, Sofia's house arrest added an interesting element. Her both being arrested and convicted in the first place was kind of ridiculous given the circumstances.</p><p>This is also a movie that also could have used a bit of a twist at the end because the finale was both a little predictable and a bit too easy for the protagonist. I would have loved to see some sort of secret bad guy or something.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> It's a low budget, made-for-TV horror flick, so it's a movie you shouldn't expect too much from. However, despite some clear plot flaws, we still were reasonably entertained by it.</p><p><b>My Grade: C+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-56060162819246057232024-03-07T19:00:00.003-06:002024-03-07T19:00:19.554-06:00Lunchtime Walk Photos 3/7/2024<p>We're supposed to get rain tomorrow, so I made sure to get out while it was still sunny. Here are some of the photos I took.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsljo3P6JPvzzfW7tLI2-ltoNfSZ7sQwuWsxe_4_7DM0snUcom1Ar9-dmFG921Q9T_F3MFcKyJ_jVI0mOfoutz7gs6hugzMqZ79XTxdM4gG80PCVaCenKSPDOo3FIXWgSFBU8UDEqlkvNAcgu2kd0XqPxh59Q8RunO_IqRMWVtnh1x5bnQveiMdUCN4V7/s4183/March%207.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2243" data-original-width="4183" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsljo3P6JPvzzfW7tLI2-ltoNfSZ7sQwuWsxe_4_7DM0snUcom1Ar9-dmFG921Q9T_F3MFcKyJ_jVI0mOfoutz7gs6hugzMqZ79XTxdM4gG80PCVaCenKSPDOo3FIXWgSFBU8UDEqlkvNAcgu2kd0XqPxh59Q8RunO_IqRMWVtnh1x5bnQveiMdUCN4V7/w400-h215/March%207.1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaFmAzjTby4rHT8Su5pVxbxGCt8_O2jhfjFzrSDd8yJ6kgX8HzS_v9B8tfDiNUigCuGesJ-zRvMB3bwtRiD2FYlyU43P4PbPXo4dZnNQCd3I-TTAIknLZdAfd8Cig60ORiGu-AJCN5DnUw4W8umSULMADfvL7bgfKkho2c9H_B6ecOskb1jbobNLaFB6p/s4468/March%207.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3458" data-original-width="4468" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaFmAzjTby4rHT8Su5pVxbxGCt8_O2jhfjFzrSDd8yJ6kgX8HzS_v9B8tfDiNUigCuGesJ-zRvMB3bwtRiD2FYlyU43P4PbPXo4dZnNQCd3I-TTAIknLZdAfd8Cig60ORiGu-AJCN5DnUw4W8umSULMADfvL7bgfKkho2c9H_B6ecOskb1jbobNLaFB6p/w400-h310/March%207.2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivMWrA8GIC4EHp7OFIL2a84kmauoRxGsxGssU2-7qkvd7KO29rImimkFZIGydFvWnNWcwh7fdyIlz5fKk9oJpexZ_ozjcZOW4Y-WyTK2IlzWPI_v1ZqVC2oYSxxKi9vG8TJJx6J-yF0jU21XMOhnwpQ2y60LQkptqidCNzEBw__WrIMpFlRdWhFSYzTbw/s4648/March%207.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3292" data-original-width="4648" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivMWrA8GIC4EHp7OFIL2a84kmauoRxGsxGssU2-7qkvd7KO29rImimkFZIGydFvWnNWcwh7fdyIlz5fKk9oJpexZ_ozjcZOW4Y-WyTK2IlzWPI_v1ZqVC2oYSxxKi9vG8TJJx6J-yF0jU21XMOhnwpQ2y60LQkptqidCNzEBw__WrIMpFlRdWhFSYzTbw/w400-h284/March%207.3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkBTyE-HSNWVbUstB6-DRCA1mYSoO97M5wpJzvdYHzxAylEEalW5bkgWo-0sE1Mtef5AXU2EHFFCkpFGVX-nBOEnj8HiUisFSypWvBeNZeJAizMvyFFkjSuskGT0vbsAsGFOW8g_396kfObHqcQQr8G3APC6G97yjF3vTmE7nfyXOhLUAROpiyjSpr6iV/s4222/March%207.4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3788" data-original-width="4222" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkBTyE-HSNWVbUstB6-DRCA1mYSoO97M5wpJzvdYHzxAylEEalW5bkgWo-0sE1Mtef5AXU2EHFFCkpFGVX-nBOEnj8HiUisFSypWvBeNZeJAizMvyFFkjSuskGT0vbsAsGFOW8g_396kfObHqcQQr8G3APC6G97yjF3vTmE7nfyXOhLUAROpiyjSpr6iV/w400-h359/March%207.4.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSOh1AUVtqQ9Hp2v6CBRREa71fj8RXLrJ4V_j6B0CltYLibj-jbgwJ0wYOL5_aKknFe4yi6MyfxaB7f3esxPR3oMifjKxTr3LZLd5tfWbTGn3yZfEwg40PkDGCcBf14wC1yTb347dNban7KOxXOl8kQBsNtAyFAgzKtHnPszxaxyoGu8boTSyeZXMGsPy/s4969/March%207.5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2825" data-original-width="4969" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSOh1AUVtqQ9Hp2v6CBRREa71fj8RXLrJ4V_j6B0CltYLibj-jbgwJ0wYOL5_aKknFe4yi6MyfxaB7f3esxPR3oMifjKxTr3LZLd5tfWbTGn3yZfEwg40PkDGCcBf14wC1yTb347dNban7KOxXOl8kQBsNtAyFAgzKtHnPszxaxyoGu8boTSyeZXMGsPy/w400-h228/March%207.5.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgLbkRtadpbIKqiQU68zrFsbJZ0IhXXG7AWzweWSvBoauQKe8bkGHWhAZOci9DL1dgQzwp7fCuDocuXDYZq4WefJ9ZN07w1Df1pfB3SK7XQk6eAW5fh3MVinvQNG76GGI9vk2bjnddfkCjjdMHuk7xNZVCDEkl8vP0VSijTzqK14HQDUUTXOfZGd028v7/s3835/March%207.6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2947" data-original-width="3835" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgLbkRtadpbIKqiQU68zrFsbJZ0IhXXG7AWzweWSvBoauQKe8bkGHWhAZOci9DL1dgQzwp7fCuDocuXDYZq4WefJ9ZN07w1Df1pfB3SK7XQk6eAW5fh3MVinvQNG76GGI9vk2bjnddfkCjjdMHuk7xNZVCDEkl8vP0VSijTzqK14HQDUUTXOfZGd028v7/w400-h308/March%207.6.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-10156497732853480092024-03-06T18:19:00.001-06:002024-03-06T18:19:16.276-06:00In Flight<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapxNzSrrQyvl2_js06fHScXYb3GG_9X93VivfgTn7XiIT1cJ8qYDPlNomsMqCspjgHPbEBYNzap13RkkDMKJFWVxYDjQGhSqDb8LkO18KGUTrfCQjkQAi7F4vlYyridm4c7AXmJHcLgtQyaCo9C7T49KAx7wmH1JlCTF6hT_Po42IrUNpTh8-37tdIuTd/s3859/March%206.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3034" data-original-width="3859" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapxNzSrrQyvl2_js06fHScXYb3GG_9X93VivfgTn7XiIT1cJ8qYDPlNomsMqCspjgHPbEBYNzap13RkkDMKJFWVxYDjQGhSqDb8LkO18KGUTrfCQjkQAi7F4vlYyridm4c7AXmJHcLgtQyaCo9C7T49KAx7wmH1JlCTF6hT_Po42IrUNpTh8-37tdIuTd/w640-h504/March%206.1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />A photo from my walk at lunch today. I inadvertently started a chain reaction. These birds were startled by me at one pond, and they scared a much larger flock of birds in a different part of the park, causing them to fly off as well.<p></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-81556295860690407832024-03-04T13:43:00.006-06:002024-03-04T13:43:54.988-06:00Some Canadian Geese Photos<p>I was able to get out for a walk at lunch today. While there were quite a few things I could have gotten photos of, most of them weren't overly cooperative, especially the muskrat and garter snake. However, I was able to get some photos of the Canadian geese on their way back from heading south for the winter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-ijPAB1iXar7dzOQlpRZUmQI71TWRKFgihTEeFThvfgIERxOEpY804s2uQ36JDFgtSPJPAbkNbZ6WeFLymigCLq5abQ70T8vDn4t3ex_QiY-YzKaC_yj8wuoccVqXNJ65eTNKPk-HJuq9sLUXbnuU7d4-SHSxqAlsUZI7-VslRODIk-8E5O4iB3FMBS8/s4341/March%204.1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2536" data-original-width="4341" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-ijPAB1iXar7dzOQlpRZUmQI71TWRKFgihTEeFThvfgIERxOEpY804s2uQ36JDFgtSPJPAbkNbZ6WeFLymigCLq5abQ70T8vDn4t3ex_QiY-YzKaC_yj8wuoccVqXNJ65eTNKPk-HJuq9sLUXbnuU7d4-SHSxqAlsUZI7-VslRODIk-8E5O4iB3FMBS8/w400-h234/March%204.1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5rgUhjtjqd3ogRLDZCx7LjzBvls-jh5Vh5LajXI1TaTB1UxLsdm0BqOqzLV4E2t_KNlIK69PObtn6JYrD0jRPbDeKOxfkX7IL1avsQ5mGtirz6euAZhawF9czfPpcyJXupIgdxb7FtT3Pii9YSJ4e3DO-81e2q0J5ZXSjJ8UFJM6vQnKcIwAN40ZS94s/s4631/March%204.2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3114" data-original-width="4631" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5rgUhjtjqd3ogRLDZCx7LjzBvls-jh5Vh5LajXI1TaTB1UxLsdm0BqOqzLV4E2t_KNlIK69PObtn6JYrD0jRPbDeKOxfkX7IL1avsQ5mGtirz6euAZhawF9czfPpcyJXupIgdxb7FtT3Pii9YSJ4e3DO-81e2q0J5ZXSjJ8UFJM6vQnKcIwAN40ZS94s/w400-h269/March%204.2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudTLYuwNBF1uJCDq44reBkcbXimOoMVhNvWisAfv6hj4eG8cF9K4XEd6VVuG5mqi4vZ9z5yhzFQiSOi3iuqxtgPoQjdKRgkv7jZwmyLWjjbJ_2vVLFxPpfRM_tQ9Zjim178TU1uA5CYQ6-gFQxsRcJQu88bL8qp5C3xgnFa9bAsoAKB4NmPu1tQcfZmh1/s4380/March%204.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2892" data-original-width="4380" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudTLYuwNBF1uJCDq44reBkcbXimOoMVhNvWisAfv6hj4eG8cF9K4XEd6VVuG5mqi4vZ9z5yhzFQiSOi3iuqxtgPoQjdKRgkv7jZwmyLWjjbJ_2vVLFxPpfRM_tQ9Zjim178TU1uA5CYQ6-gFQxsRcJQu88bL8qp5C3xgnFa9bAsoAKB4NmPu1tQcfZmh1/w400-h264/March%204.3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0Edgewater Park, Beaver Dam, WI 53916, USA43.486025 -88.842803815.175791163821152 -123.9990538 71.796258836178851 -53.6865538tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-88313271975774749492024-03-04T07:59:00.001-06:002024-03-04T07:59:40.431-06:00Movie Review: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> While on a flight to Amsterdam, a drug-related misunderstanding results in friends Harold and Kumar being arrested as terrorists and sent to the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. They manage to escape after only an hour and find a ride back to the United States. However, now fugitives from the law, their only hope is traveling from Florida to Texas to get help from the influential Colton, the man who is about to marry Kumar's ex-girlfriend, Vanessa.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://wizzley.com/movie-review-a-very-harold-kumar-3d-christmas-2011/">Kal Penn</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158626/?ref_=nmbio_ov">John Cho</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1117791/">Rob Corddry</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1566486/">Danneel Ackles</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2023/03/movie-review-bring-it-on-cheer-or-die.html">Missi Pyle</a> and <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/08/movie-review-house-bunny-2008.html">Beverly D'Angelo</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GLm78mqgro0" width="320" youtube-src-id="GLm78mqgro0"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> My wife decided to run some errands yesterday evening, while waiting for our daughter to get done with work. While she was gone, I ended up watching the last few minutes of <i>Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure</i> and, since this movie came on right after that one, wound up watching it as well. </p><p>My wife insists we've seen this movie before, and I have no reason to doubt her. However, I couldn't remember a thing about this film and, as I watched it, none of the scenes seemed familiar. To be fair though, I don't think this is a very memorable movie.</p><p><i>Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle </i>was a goofy but still very funny film with a lot of memorable and surprisingly hilarious scenes. This sequel seemed to be trying to build on that but just fell flat in my opinion.</p><p>One thing in particular I noticed about this film is it seemed to be a lot raunchier than the previous movie. I'm not saying the first film didn't have those types of scenes too, this one just seemed to be built around them a lot more, finding excuses to show naked women whenever possible. It's not unlike my opinion of the <i>American Pie</i> movies. I thought the first one was clever while the sequels spent a bit too much time on the sex jokes.</p><p>I thought even the various cameos fell a bit flat. <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/08/movie-review-i-am-wrath-2016.html">Christopher Meloni's</a> KKK Grand Wizard performance was too good to be that short while <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000439/">Neil Patrick Harris</a> just seemed to be phoning things in a bit compared to the first movie. And why bother casting someone as well-known as Beverly D'Angelo only to give her a couple minutes of screen time?</p><p>I had mixed feelings about Kumar's love story with Vanessa (Ackles). It was a great way to show how he became the guy he was but also seemed a bit forced at times. I kind of feel like it would have had more of an impact had she been a prominent character in the first movie because, by the time we reached a point where I knew enough about her to see why he was obsessed with her, the film was almost over.</p><p>The one thing I did find I liked about this movie was the way it focused on racial profiling and stereotypes. Harold (Cho) and Kumar in particular were mistaken for everything from Muslims to Mexicans while it was also used as a plot device in a few other scenes involving other characters. It was one of the few things where I felt like the lack of subtly did work.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> It's a funny movie, at least at times. However, it does lack the magic of the first film and, if my wife is right and I did see it before, I can understand why I quickly forgot everything about it.</p><p><b>My Grade: C</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-5097619054907129432024-03-04T07:07:00.001-06:002024-03-04T07:07:14.844-06:00Movie Review: Mine Games (2012)<p><b>Synopsis</b>: A group of young friends travel to a remote cabin, hiking part of the trip after a near miss with a pedestrian causes them to damage their van. They explore an abandoned mine until some strange occurrences cause them to get scared. Soon after, they experience some strange occurrences, including finding their own bodies inside the mine, an indication something bad is about to happen. </p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0189200/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1">Joseph Cross</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263759/">Briana Evigan</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2019/09/movie-review-star-is-born-2018.html">Rafi Gavron</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1566474/">Julianna Guill</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3762369/">Rebecca Da Costa.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nOhn2TXm-6A" width="320" youtube-src-id="nOhn2TXm-6A"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I let my wife pick out Friday night's movie and, after scrolling through a few options on Amazon Prime, she picked this one out. Overall, it ended up being a better choice than expected.</p><p>There honestly isn't anything overly special about the plot of the movie, it's very similar to other films we've seen before. A lot of the movie also tends to be somewhat predictable, including the main twist, which I figured out only a few minutes into the film. I even correctly called my shot to my wife.</p><p>That said, the execution of this movie was still pretty good. The film does a good job building up some suspense while also keeping some parts of the plot a mystery. One thing, in particular, the movie doesn't answer, for example, is whether or not they wound up at the right cabin.</p><p>The parts with the mine were exactly what I would expect them to be, dark and claustrophobic, something that always adds an extra element to a film even when there's not a whole lot of action because you always are left wondering if there's going to be a cave in or something. I'm also going to give the movie some credit for not being over the top with the gratuitous nudity. Other than one sex scene (which really wasn't needed), the focus was on the events happening at the cabin and mine and the psychological effects.</p><p>Plus, even though I figured out the main surprise twist, it was still kind of cool watching the events play out and seeing how some of the clues they discovered earlier fit in with the story.</p><p>I think my biggest problem with this film was the beforementioned predictability. Some of it couldn't be avoided. Other parts were somewhat intentional. This includes the killer, which is revealed pretty much immediately. This is a film that could have used a surprise twist in that regard, either by having the presumed killer be a red herring or that person having an accomplice. I also would have loved to see a much better motive than the person being mentally ill.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> It's not a great movie and does have some flaws. However, there were just enough good things about this film to make it watchable and we didn't hate it.</p><p><b>My Grade: C+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-58028600910750323292024-03-02T15:09:00.001-06:002024-03-02T15:09:04.855-06:00Horicon Marsh 3/2/2024<p>It was a nice, albeit a bit windy, day today so we took a trip out to Horicon Marsh for a short while. Here are some of my photos. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LVLp2BvkC6l0RWZcNPcZnAaEgxQpyr95rBIWrcg5dCZ4E5qM3ILtt6e5e4YGF2eCU-gXIk_u-QF_LT2e0LFIXki3YL1tcwpDQy2vu8QsA2JoWe5cDH3NZeRcU0xRkFaohWDZ7zWNuwM8Z_XEmcfkfGoHhouAICic8SKSJJk7Aohc4Hg2VfJ4bcvEexKX/s3814/Horicon%20Marsh%201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3342" data-original-width="3814" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LVLp2BvkC6l0RWZcNPcZnAaEgxQpyr95rBIWrcg5dCZ4E5qM3ILtt6e5e4YGF2eCU-gXIk_u-QF_LT2e0LFIXki3YL1tcwpDQy2vu8QsA2JoWe5cDH3NZeRcU0xRkFaohWDZ7zWNuwM8Z_XEmcfkfGoHhouAICic8SKSJJk7Aohc4Hg2VfJ4bcvEexKX/w400-h350/Horicon%20Marsh%201.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFsdZgn5AGLS2sjPfVAPXK2qQfNwh72w_qARZVxe9d0RuHE1u7HqFa278icb3iOg4noYBs5QqdazcsEs0LmiVjN6fKjzfYHp60pWut0rHmlDvMTe1sue1mjUpTsP_iTqQJL1g5OvGgiRZxaTMDY7OQrcOJTzzcxMrnmepcBBTm2_7LLRbMp_o6fhVuD3Q/s4324/Horicon%20Marsh%202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3499" data-original-width="4324" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFsdZgn5AGLS2sjPfVAPXK2qQfNwh72w_qARZVxe9d0RuHE1u7HqFa278icb3iOg4noYBs5QqdazcsEs0LmiVjN6fKjzfYHp60pWut0rHmlDvMTe1sue1mjUpTsP_iTqQJL1g5OvGgiRZxaTMDY7OQrcOJTzzcxMrnmepcBBTm2_7LLRbMp_o6fhVuD3Q/w400-h324/Horicon%20Marsh%202.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZs10n_iGFitvM01ZV38cSKtIEdbSUBBURshdub3TCo8GXY8T0GQgC9uI617R1_ha4v-AheuV5PBLa2hewBIOIRxIk2ecsGii0LlY1ELj_GIDCpKdoSNu-Qp8C4ZIujRG0hFyubhEjGSyGmJ0hSLndRyg_WZjeTKlJQs2uxPBm-ISYgAeNTKmoYvlE_KrD/s3928/horicon%20marsh%203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2596" data-original-width="3928" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZs10n_iGFitvM01ZV38cSKtIEdbSUBBURshdub3TCo8GXY8T0GQgC9uI617R1_ha4v-AheuV5PBLa2hewBIOIRxIk2ecsGii0LlY1ELj_GIDCpKdoSNu-Qp8C4ZIujRG0hFyubhEjGSyGmJ0hSLndRyg_WZjeTKlJQs2uxPBm-ISYgAeNTKmoYvlE_KrD/w400-h264/horicon%20marsh%203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA5H-mEN2rESqS8yehOaz8PwC4prFfwh2S5GhP1P0GbTF1Eklf2M1k4sy4tGSef4sEffuTRCuw5zOZ1dBJdMReeWccQJAWulO3Q62Ay1agBECTrazZskOZUxHcvR6O6kmmxNoPTIRY5qiRfg6fTP5Cr5gxEwiaPPHgcQn2v5Vv-bWlZmK8qG12bNHSxzJ/s4654/Horicon%20Marsh%204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3569" data-original-width="4654" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcA5H-mEN2rESqS8yehOaz8PwC4prFfwh2S5GhP1P0GbTF1Eklf2M1k4sy4tGSef4sEffuTRCuw5zOZ1dBJdMReeWccQJAWulO3Q62Ay1agBECTrazZskOZUxHcvR6O6kmmxNoPTIRY5qiRfg6fTP5Cr5gxEwiaPPHgcQn2v5Vv-bWlZmK8qG12bNHSxzJ/w400-h306/Horicon%20Marsh%204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4VvOwqEREP5x9MuSRsp1XVxW9_L8kGCbBshtBl1m_HcAKCzp9Q_3tzSDqRtCTcRYdg2y82FVRWfxPaUjLyOLhL-GfMsXLFFawZ4d_8ycFOxbTXxIysrfuhpZTSVhdU5JScmmFMel_rrQg1xZLhxy1i-R4BwjuvQ4ZhnNVNTZ3HFrOCKMh-kJ26CdQ8xP/s4739/Horicon%20Marsh%205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3206" data-original-width="4739" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4VvOwqEREP5x9MuSRsp1XVxW9_L8kGCbBshtBl1m_HcAKCzp9Q_3tzSDqRtCTcRYdg2y82FVRWfxPaUjLyOLhL-GfMsXLFFawZ4d_8ycFOxbTXxIysrfuhpZTSVhdU5JScmmFMel_rrQg1xZLhxy1i-R4BwjuvQ4ZhnNVNTZ3HFrOCKMh-kJ26CdQ8xP/w400-h270/Horicon%20Marsh%205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6sekOPjhXwYLO6kS1l-Y_uuvzNSNTalSsbZ4B5jcRn1Y5prHXBHbA2af7LRWMPWJ8H-lkmhKSRdf1WgRZiqltnFOOKTvPxK3Ax_ElUzb9vSK-h3FFTU7rBp3lzUUnOGozDBX1FpRWp6iUQSRP2ihYEwZJ0YZbsS7NwmXNKYqijDrdCxsNwqSd4SFQcNx/s4246/Horicon%20Marsh%206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3637" data-original-width="4246" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6sekOPjhXwYLO6kS1l-Y_uuvzNSNTalSsbZ4B5jcRn1Y5prHXBHbA2af7LRWMPWJ8H-lkmhKSRdf1WgRZiqltnFOOKTvPxK3Ax_ElUzb9vSK-h3FFTU7rBp3lzUUnOGozDBX1FpRWp6iUQSRP2ihYEwZJ0YZbsS7NwmXNKYqijDrdCxsNwqSd4SFQcNx/w400-h343/Horicon%20Marsh%206.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SDZMK0zB_VqWZH62ruTn_KLIjq55nFrh-3XqfDkNfsRyfHt2SWrN0hP5Bms_zSH8w-ogivK92_GsElYstHuWmy3JoV1pRDqi554MEiEVXOb_z4Kkhb09g-Nl2fBuHtlUfFsApKHOnrVmrtXLZbendX-NWN-URolUOeifjWpgMaZKvA-3VUUJcyIeVlD0/s3948/Horicon%20Marsh%207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3948" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SDZMK0zB_VqWZH62ruTn_KLIjq55nFrh-3XqfDkNfsRyfHt2SWrN0hP5Bms_zSH8w-ogivK92_GsElYstHuWmy3JoV1pRDqi554MEiEVXOb_z4Kkhb09g-Nl2fBuHtlUfFsApKHOnrVmrtXLZbendX-NWN-URolUOeifjWpgMaZKvA-3VUUJcyIeVlD0/w400-h306/Horicon%20Marsh%207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0Horicon Marsh, Wisconsin, USA43.5671471 -88.648253315.256913263821154 -123.8045033 71.877380936178838 -53.492003299999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-53266091073330840992024-02-29T09:50:00.002-06:002024-02-29T09:50:55.548-06:00Movie Review: Meet Cute (2022)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> After experiencing the worst day of her life and wanting to kill herself, Sheila is given the opportunity to travel 24 hours into the past for a fresh start and ends up on an impromptu date with Gary. Wanting the moment to last forever, she continues to travel back in time, re-living the same day and date over and over again. However, when she grows bored with Gary, she decides to try to change him, creating problems.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2023/01/book-review-big-bang-theory-definitive.html">Kaley Cuoco</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203457/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2">Pete Davidson</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0180984/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3">Kevin Corrigan</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185832/?ref_=tt_cl_t_4">Deborah S. Craig</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1527941/?ref_=tt_cl_t_5">Rock Kohli</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ADrWgBntlEE" width="320" youtube-src-id="ADrWgBntlEE"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> This movie has been on my list for some time now, but I didn't get an opportunity to watch it with my wife until last night. As it turns out, this movie was nothing like I was expecting it to be, and I mean that in both a good and bad way.</p><p>First of all, everything about this movie, the main stars, the preview and the IMDB description screams "comedy." After seeing the film, I honestly couldn't see any way of classifying it as one. This movie does have a couple somewhat funny scenes but, as the plot progresses, it is actually a fairly dark (and a bit depressing) drama.</p><p>Sheila (Cuoco) in particular is someone that is surprisingly difficult to like. She basically manipulates Gary (Davidson) by repeating the same date over and over again, learning all there is to know about him then, when she starts getting bored and realizes there are things about him she doesn't like, adds additional manipulation to completely change who he is. Oh, and let's not forget how she also kills her time-travel-created duplicate each morning. Her depression and wanting to kill herself are one thing. She showed signs of other mental health issues, and it was unclear how many of them were the result of the repeated time travel and how many existed before that.</p><p>I also wasn't loving Gary all that much either. I know he didn't believe Sheila when she said she was a time traveler but clearly there were some red flags he was also ignoring to allow the date to progress as far as it did. I didn't dislike him but also had a hard time seeing what Sheila saw in him and, while it was unethical, also didn't fault her for wanting to change him.</p><p>All that said, the movie's plot was made better as a result of that, I think. It was kind of a reverse <i>Groundhog Day </i>with the main character wanting to re-live the day over and over despite plenty of reasons to try to give things a chance. This, along with Sheila's deteriorating mental state after dozens of rejections from Gary as she attempted to get things right, made it less predictable than expected. </p><p>I also found I liked some of the twists involving the time machine itself and the various capabilities that were revealed as the movie progressed which, in turn, allowed Sheila and Gary to impact each other's lives more than they realized. </p><p>After a lot of thought, I'm also going to say I liked the ending. A lot of films try too hard to end things on a happy/upbeat note. This film's ending, while not sad, also stopped short of just ignoring all the damage that Sheila's time travel had done. It was one of those endings where the couple could live happily ever after, or Sheila might ultimately still kill herself. In other words, it worked for this particular film.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> If you are watching this movie expecting a lot of laughs, you'll be disappointed. However, it is a decent film with some intriguing characters that will make you think.</p><p><b>My Grade: B+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-31855915962371607202024-02-28T07:25:00.001-06:002024-02-28T07:25:24.522-06:00Movie Review: The Mothman Prophecies (2002)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> Two years after his wife sees a moth-like creature before dying from a brain tumor, Washington Post reporter John Klein somehow manages to make a 6-hour drive in just 90 minutes and ends up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. While there, he learns about strange occurrences that had been happening around town, including multiple people spotting the same creature his belated wife did. As he investigates and even has a conversation with the creature, which seems to have the ability to predict the future, it's clear something very bad is about to happen to the town.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000152/">Richard Gere</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2017/07/movie-review-sullly-2016.html">Laura Linney</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0251678/">David Eigenberg</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005226/">Debra Messing</a> and <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2019/09/movie-review-halloween-2018.html">Will Patton.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yt42df3AscE" width="320" youtube-src-id="Yt42df3AscE"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> My wife and I had some free time last night since none of our shows were on this week. As a result, when I came across this movie on one of our premium channels, I decided to watch it with her.</p><p>I've only seen this movie once or twice before. The first time, it scared me. The second time, it intrigued me. This time around, six years separated from the last time we watched it, I still found it entertaining.</p><p>I think the thing I like best about this movie is the mystery surrounding the Mothman. Nobody knows what it is but its ability to predict tragic events before they happen, giving clues in riddles and premonitions, adds quite a bit of mystery. When you throw in the connection between the creature and Klein's (Gere) deceased wife (Messing), it only makes the mystery more interesting, especially since Klein himself seemed to be on the verge of insanity.</p><p>One thing I found I appreciated about this movie was the way the two main characters, Klein and the police sergeant, Connie Mills, were able to work together and have a friendship without necessarily having their relationship become romantic. Yes, there were hints of that happening eventually, but I feel like a full-blown romance between the two would have detracted from the overall plot and the ominous tone the movie was setting.</p><p>I also liked the supporting character, Gordon Smallwood (Patton) because he added a bit of a wild card element to the movie. Plus, since he had been interacting with the Mothman (who called itself Indrid Cold) longer than Klein, he gave a possible foreshadowing to what the reporter might end up acting like.</p><p>I do feel like the movie does have a tendency to drag things out a bit. It's nearly two hours long and probably could have cut 15-20 minutes without any impact to the plot. This is especially true early on in the film, when the focus is on Klein's wife. That was part of the story that could have easily been told through brief flashbacks.</p><p>I also thought it was somewhat interesting the movie would choose to use a real tragic event in a real town but, rather than have the film take place at the same time as the event, instead have the movie set in present time. I could understand that on some level, wanting to take some liberties for the sake of the film. However, if you're going to do that, then why not make up a completely fictitious town/tragedy? In any case, the decision did leave me with some mixed feelings.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> Looking back, I'm not completely sure why this movie scared me the first time I saw it. Since it was one of very few movies that do, I'm going to just assume I was having an off night. Overall, I no longer think of it as a scary movie but do think it has quite a bit going for it in the mystery category, especially if you haven't seen it before.</p><p><b>My Grade: B+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-80704523656391773792024-02-26T10:07:00.001-06:002024-02-26T10:07:15.862-06:00Movie Review: Thanksgiving (2023)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> When the RightMart department store in Plymouth, Massachusetts decides to get a jump on Black Friday shopping by opening Thanksgiving night, multiple people are trampled to death. A year later, with the community still mourning the tragedy, RightMart plans a similar sale, angering many. This includes a serial killer dressed as Plymouth's founder, John Carver, and stalking those most responsible for the fatal event.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/01/movie-review-scream-3-2000.html">Patrick Dempsey</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/">Ty Olsson</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9321325/">Nell Verlaque</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166566/">Karen Cliche</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9780469/">Jalen Thomas Brooks.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2SqZe6THOpk" width="320" youtube-src-id="2SqZe6THOpk"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review: </b>I came across this movie on Netflix a couple days ago and, while I had some doubts about it, decided to save it for a rainy day. Well, it didn't rain yesterday but my wife and I were in the mood for a movie before bed and I gave it a try. Overall, I have to say it exceeded my expectations.</p><p>I think the thing that surprised me most about this movie is it wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. Ultimately, I wound up guessing who the killer was but wasn't completely sure until toward the end. This is mostly because there were so many potential suspects with a motive, ranging from the store manager who lost his wife to the high school baseball star who got his arm broken. Plus, there were a few others thrown in as the movie progressed.</p><p>Having this take place in Plymouth with the serial killer dressed as the guy who played a role in the first Thanksgiving was a nice touch as well. It's a fairly unique idea and, since the town was celebrating the holiday with a parade, the killer being able to find a John Carver mask and pilgrim costume without being too obvious made sense.</p><p>Another thing I liked about this movie was, while some of the people the John Carver-dressed killer attacked had it coming, not all of that killer's potential victims were terrible people. The main character, Jessica (Verlaque), for example, was actually kind of likable and her friends weren't as deplorable as other teenagers in similar movies. This is important to me because movies like this lose a little something if you don't care if someone survives.</p><p>In fact, if I had any real complaint about the movie is the killer seemed to be targeting only the minor culprits in the tragic and fatal sale the year before but showed almost no interest in going after the store's owner (Hoffman) despite it being his decision to have the sale and to hold another sale a year later. Maybe it's just me, but that would be the first person I'd go after, though I guess you could also argue harming his daughter, Jessica, was an even better plan. In any case, I felt like the real bad guy never got justice (though maybe that's being saved for the sequel).</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> I'll stop short of saying it's the best slasher movie I've ever watched but compared to many, especially recent films in this genre, it's pretty good. I'd recommend watching.</p><p><b>My Grade: B</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-71931073813675187092024-02-25T18:43:00.001-06:002024-02-25T18:43:52.237-06:00Movie Review: Wait Until Dark (1967)<p><b>Synopsis: </b>While on his way back from a trip to Canada, Susy Hendrix's husband, Sam, is handed a child's doll by a beautiful stranger and asked to hold onto it, not knowing it is being used to smuggle heroin. Unfortunately for Susy, who is blind thanks to a car accident, a group of men determined to get the doll back, attempt to trick her by making her believe her husband is the main suspect in the murder of the woman who gave him the toy. There's one major problem, Susy doesn't know where the doll is.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1">Audrey Hepburn</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/10/movie-review-minions-rise-of-gru-2022.html">Alan Arkin</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/09/movie-review-first-blood-1982.html">Richard Crenna</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0922967/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t5">Jack Weston</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429208/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t6">Samantha Jones</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MKeTME_tRUI" width="320" youtube-src-id="MKeTME_tRUI"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I came across this movie yesterday afternoon and, thinking it looked like something my wife and I would both enjoy, added it to my library. We wound up watching it this evening and, while I didn't hate it. My opinion was mixed.</p><p>I'll start out by saying I loved Hepburn in this film and could see why she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about her character, Susy. However, while she was somewhat gullible, she also proved to be surprisingly clever at times too, figuring out something was off from the sound of one of the bad guy's shoes and the way they kept opening and closing her kitchen window shade.</p><p>The last several minutes of the movie were also interesting, with Susy using her cleverness to gain the upper hand against the murderous Roat (Arkin), only to lose it and then have the audience left in the dark for a while about how things turned out for her. Of course, it helped that Roat was equally as clever, figuring out ways to overcome some of the pre-planning that Susy did, which should have given her more of an advantage than it did.</p><p>I think my biggest problem with this movie is Roat's plan to get the doll seems a bit convoluted and much more complicated than was needed. As my wife and I both pointed out, why put on all the play acting to trick Susy when they could have simply taken her hostage and used her as leverage to get her husband to give them the doll. In fact, I'm still not sure why they didn't just do that.</p><p>Also, while I liked Susy's neighbor, Gloria (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0380783/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t7">Julie Herrod</a>) despite not normally liking kids in movies like this one, I was a little curious where her mother was. I know it was the 1960s but Susy was asking that girl to do an awful lot, including leaving the building in the middle of the night. It made me worry about the kid's homelife as a result.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> The film has some interesting characters, and a great performance by Hepburn, but the bad guy's plan is ridiculously complicated to the point it is difficult to take it seriously as a thriller. </p><p><b>My Grade: B-</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-86557829383437889362024-02-22T08:10:00.004-06:002024-02-22T08:10:36.826-06:00Movie Review: The Abyss (2023)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> Honoring her father's legacy by being the safety officer for the Kiirunavaara mine in Sweden, Frigga, in the middle of divorcing her husband, Tage (CEO of the mine), involved with another man, Dabir, and trying to keep her family together, is also watching as the neighboring town is systematically relocated due to the dangerous conditions the mine is starting to create. This evacuation plan is accelerated when the mine begins to collapse, threatening the total destruction of the town. However, Frigga's son, Simon, is missing, and needs to be found before they can leave.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637259/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1">Tuva Novotny</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2748295/?ref_=tt_cl_t_2">Kardo Razzazi</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4739992/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3">Felicia Maxime</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291918/?ref_=tt_cl_t_4">Peter Franzén</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4454344/?ref_=tt_cl_t_6">Edvin Ryding</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oknl5ZfSxoE" width="320" youtube-src-id="oknl5ZfSxoE"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I was in the mood for a movie last night and, since I didn't have any pre-planned, scrolled through Netflix until I came across this one. At first, I thought it was a remake of the 1987 film by the same name but, after reading the description and seeing it was something different, my wife and I decided to watch it. We didn't hate the film, but it wasn't as good as we hoped it would be.</p><p>I'll start out by saying there were a couple things about the movie I thought were refreshingly unique. In particular, it was a disaster film featuring a disaster everyone expected and were even preparing for but were just caught off guard with the timing. This, in my opinion, added a whole new element by showing even the most prepared people may not be as prepared as you think. Frigga (Novotny), for example, was good at her job but still didn't know about an old mine shaft that had been hidden, leading to the sudden collapse.</p><p>I also thought some of the townspeople's responses were pretty realistic as well. They were being relocated for their safety but were taking time out of packing to protest the decision to leave historic buildings behind. It's the kind of thing I get but, priorities people.</p><p>The family dynamic in the movie worked but was also very predictable. The second the love triangle between Frigga, her ex-husband (Franzén) and her boyfriend (Razzazi) was introduced, I told my wife one of the two men would die to make it easier for her (spoiler alert, I was right). The rebellious teenagers meanwhile were basically carbon copies of plenty of other teenagers from similar movies. I'll agree they weren't as bad as some of them but still nothing overly special.</p><p>My biggest problem with this movie was, for a disaster film, it was actually kind of dull. The movie spent way too much time on the family drama, even long after it should have taken the backseat to the more pressing issue of the mine collapse. And while there were some decent action scenes, some of them seemed a bit forced. In other words, some of the action probably could have been avoided completely had the characters just made a better and more logical decision, such as lowering Frigga into a trench to rescue Simon (Ryding), a situation that ultimately put five people in danger, rather than just throwing the latter a rope and pulling him out. It kind of felt like the filmmakers were just trying to pad the runtime with stuff like that.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> It's honestly not a terrible movie and does have a valuable lesson about the potential dangers from mining. I just wish it would have had a bit more "oomph" to it.</p><p><b>My Grade: C+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-72984470047932737462024-02-19T20:53:00.002-06:002024-02-19T20:53:37.168-06:00Movie Review: House of Horrors (1946)<p> <b>Synopsis:</b> A struggling sculptor rescues a deformed mad man from the river, nurses him back to health and uses him as a model for his next work of art. However, frustrated by bad reviews, he eventually uses "The Creeper" to get revenge on the critics that have left him hungry and unable to pay his bills.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0369061/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Rondo Hatton</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523225/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Robert Lowery</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2018/08/movie-review-whistling-in-dark-1941.html">Virginia Grey</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0467170/">Martin Kosleck</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621002/?ref_=tt_cl_t6">Alan Napier</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329433/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Bill Goodwin</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PDdYEFWikuM" width="320" youtube-src-id="PDdYEFWikuM"></iframe></div><br /><p>You can read my review here: <a href="https://wizzley.com/movie-review-house-of-horrors-1946/">Movie Review: House of Horrors (1946) (wizzley.com)</a></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-34720603697635990992024-02-11T20:22:00.002-06:002024-02-11T20:22:59.513-06:00Movie Review: Upgraded (2024)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> After running up a ton of student loan debt as an art history major, Ana's dreams of owning her own gallery hinge on being able to make an impression with her new boss, Claire, at a prestigious auction house. She gets that opportunity when she's invited to serve as an assistant on a trip to London, where a rare collection is about to be auctioned off. After receiving a surprise upgrade to first class, Ana meets William, the son of a British actress, and when he mistakenly believes she has her boss' job, she doesn't correct him. This creates complications as she begins to fall for William and learns his mother is the one selling the art collection.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2020/05/movie-review-dangerous-lies-2020.html">Camila Mendes</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8850556/">Archie Renaux</a>, <a href="https://wizzley.com/movie-review-my-cousin-vinny-1992/">Marisa Tomei</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000565/">Lena Olin</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372117/">Anthony Head.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P3_dj7BnHp8" width="320" youtube-src-id="P3_dj7BnHp8"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I came across this movie on Amazon Prime yesterday and since it sounded like something my wife and I would both like, I added it to my list. We watched it tonight and, overall, I thought it wound up being a good decision.</p><p>I'll start out by saying if you've ever seen the movie <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i>, there will be a lot of elements that are familiar in this film. Ana (Mendes) works for a perfectionist boss (Tomei), has to overcome abusive coworkers and is introduced to what is a cutthroat business. As I told my wife, the only thing missing was the uncaring boyfriend. </p><p>On top of that, the movie also had many of the same predictable elements most romantic films have. In fact, there were some things about this movie that were so predictable (such as Ana being photographed wearing one of Claire's dresses) I could have practically written the script. </p><p>All of that said, this movie had a lot of great qualities as well. I thought Mendes played her role perfectly, though probably not as perfect as the Oscar winner, Tomei, was as Claire. Their interactions were a lot more entertaining than Ana and William (Renaux) and frankly had a lot more impact when Claire's deception was inevitably discovered because it seemed like so much more of a betrayal. </p><p>I also thought the movie had a strong supporting cast, adding some interesting characters and a few unexpected twists. Sometimes that's all a movie really needs to be entertaining, regardless of how basic the overall plot might be.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> I don't think there was anything overly unique about this movie. However, a strong cast and stronger execution do make it entertaining to watch. We both enjoyed it, and I would recommend it.</p><p><b>My Grade: B+</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-35364477280421536822024-02-10T08:37:00.002-06:002024-02-10T08:37:47.377-06:00Movie Review: X (2022)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> In 1979, a group of young adults rent a Texas farmhouse from an elderly couple so they can make a porn movie. All is going well until the elderly wife, Pearl, becomes obsessed with one of the actresses to the point she's ready to murder.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2018/05/movie-review-pitch-perfect-3-2017.html">Brittany Snow,</a> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5301405/">Mia Goth</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/01/movie-review-scream-2022.html">Jenna Ortega</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0376540/">Martin Henderson</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881831/">Stephen Ure.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ur6CRvhAjdk" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ur6CRvhAjdk"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I came across this movie on Netflix a couple weeks ago but was unsure whether it would be worth watching. On one hand, I like slasher movies. On the other, this seemed like a movie that could easily just be a softcore porn film. I finally got around to watching it last night and while it proved to be the former, it also proved to be much more of the latter.</p><p>Let's put it this way. If you want to watch a slasher movie, fast forward past the first hour or so. Otherwise, be ready to watch a lot of sex. </p><p>To be fair, once the movie does enter slasher mode, it is pretty good. Pearl (Goth) manages to be somewhat creepy with her obsession over the actress, Maxine (also Goth) and the way she lives vicariously through the younger woman. Meanwhile, her husband, Howard (Ure), provides a bit of a wild card because he loves his wife enough to protect her.</p><p>I felt like the movie needed some sort of unexpected twist. For example, I thought it would have been kind of cool for Pearl and Howard to be red herrings and the killer turn out to be the cameraman, R J (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3338805/">Owen Campbell</a>). In fact, I thought that would turn out to be the case when he looked like he was going to snap from a jealous rage. On that note, I did like the surprise twist involving the television preacher that kept being shown. It was a minor thing but at least proved to be a little interesting.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> There's a bit too much sex in it, even for a movie that is about making an adult movie. At minimum, it should have been spread out a bit more to allow for the killing to happen sooner. Overall, it did still turn out to be an OK film. Just not something overly memorable.</p><p><b>My Grade: C</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6446468500223252484.post-5488422589480567132024-02-07T10:49:00.002-06:002024-02-07T10:49:44.448-06:00Movie Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016)<p><b>Synopsis:</b> John Clayton, formerly known to the world as Tarzan after being raised by apes in the African jungle, now lives in Britain with his wife, Jane, claiming his birthright as Earl of Greystone. He is content remaining in Britain but is convinced to return to his former home when he learns King Leopold II of Belgium may be enslaving the people living in the Congo Basin while he searches for diamonds. His return, which is made with Jane accompanying him, puts his life in danger as Leopold's envoy, Léon Rom, intends to capture Clayton and trade him to a tribal chief seeking revenge for the death of his son.</p><p><b>Who's in it?</b> The movie stars <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002907/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1">Alexander Skarsgård</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2022/09/movie-review-suicide-squad-2021.html">Margot Robbie</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2023/05/movie-review-cell-2016.html">Samuel L. Jackson</a>, <a href="https://www.stevenhelmerpublications.com/2020/07/movie-review-green-hornet-2011.html">Christoph Waltz</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3247700/?ref_=tt_cl_t_8">Osy Ikhile</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dLmKio67pVQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="dLmKio67pVQ"></iframe></div><br /><p><b>Review:</b> I've known about this movie for a while but have never been fully invested in the idea of watching it. However, my wife and I recently finished binge watching the series <i>True Blood </i>and since she's now an Alexander Skarsgård fan as a result of that, I figured it would be worth giving it a try after rediscovering it on Netflix. Overall, I have to say I didn't hate the movie.</p><p>At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the plot, which kind of reminded me of the movie <i>Hook, </i>which also featured a former hero who was forced to return to his past and deal with unsettled scores. Plus, the movie did drag on a bit in the beginning, which didn't help matters. However, once it did get going, I thought the whole idea did manage to work. There are just enough flashbacks to tell Clayton/Tarzan's (Skarsgård) backstory, for those who don't already know it, while still presenting a whole new chapter in his life.</p><p>The love story between him and Jane (Robbie) was also a nice touch. I loved how she was fully independent but also still needed her husband (who is, after all, the hero in the movie) to save the day. And frankly, had she not been in danger, I'm not really sure this movie's plot would have had the same sense of urgency.</p><p>As far as bad guys go, I thought Léon Rom (Waltz) was a decent antagonist. I think the thing that impressed me most with him was how deceptively skilled he was in a fight. At first glance, he seemed like someone who would easily be beaten by Clayton but once the movie gave us more details, it was clear that wouldn't be the case, especially since he both had Jane as a hostage and an army backing him up.</p><p>The movie did have some flaws. For one, there was way too much CGI. It's one thing to use it to avoid putting animals (or actors) in danger. However, this film had a bit of a cartoonish feel to it because of the excessive amount used. As I told my wife, even the actors themselves didn't seem real at times.</p><p>I also kind of wish the movie would have given us a bit more detail about why Clayton returned to Britain in the first place. The backstory just sort of ends with him meeting Jane and being injured to the point of hospitalization. It doesn't discuss how they figured out Clayton's real identity or why he would want to leave the only home/family he ever knew. I mean, I know Jane had a role in that probably, but she didn't seem like the type who would willingly leave Africa (where she also grew up) either.</p><p><b>Final Opinion:</b> I don't think it's the best Tarzan movie I've seen. However, despite some things I didn't like about it, I still thought it was an entertaining film. At minimum, I liked it more than I thought I would.</p><p><b>My Grade: B-</b></p>Steven Helmer Publicationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14611404865632971490noreply@blogger.com0