Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Isabel takes her job as an inspector for Santa's naughty-or-nice list seriously and is in line for a promotion. However, when doing a re-evaluation of Charlie, an 11-year-old girl on the naughty list, she falls for Charlie's widowed father, Jason, and breaks a number of rules by dating him. As she puts her job in jeopardy, Isabel realizes there is a lot of gray area between naughty and nice and begins to question the overall system. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert , Andrew W. Walker , Cadence Compton, Steve Bacic and Louriza Tronco. Review: My wife and I still haven't found much time to do our annual Hallmark Christmas movie watching but since we were both home at a reasonable hour this evening, I convinced her to at least watch Lacey Chabert's latest film, She's Making a List . Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the magical film we were hoping for. One common complaint I have with films is many get ruined by trying to do too much. This ...

Synopsis: After losing his job, Chris Carver becomes determined to win an annual Christmas decorating contest and its $100,000 prize. His search for additional decorations leads him to a Christmas shop located under a freeway and to the elf running the place, Pepper. Chris purchases a tree based on the song "12 Days of Christmas" but doesn't read the fine print on the receipt. Soon after, the various gifts from the song become real, wreaking havoc on Chris and his family. He then learns he must retrieve the golden rings by 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve or he will be turned into a glass Christmas figurine. Who's in it? The movie stars Eddie Murphy , Jillian Bell, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Alan Grier and Madison Thomas. Review: As someone who is Gen X, I still prefer the 1980s/early 90s Eddie Murphy to the family-friendly movie version today. However, when I came across Candy Cane Lane , I was intrigued enough by the plot to give him and the movie a try. After watching it ...

Synopsis: The 1980 film Airplane! is a movie that has inspired generations of comedy films despite casting actors that, up until that point, had no comedic experience. This book, written by the men who made the movie, tells the story of how the film came to be along with behind-the-scenes tidbits. Review: I first saw Airplane! when I was too young to understand why a good chunk of the jokes were supposed to be funny. As I got older and re-watched the film easily a dozen or more times, I began to appreciate both the comedy and the cultural impact the movie had. So, when I came across Surely You Can't Be Serious at the library, I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed by this choice. The thing that I like most about this book is how it is how the story is told by the people who were involved with the film instead of someone telling the story second-hand. The anecdotes relating to how the film came to be and what happened when the cameras weren't rolling just hit diff...

Synopsis: Gotham City is facing a new villainous threat, Shredder and his Foot Clan have teamed with Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins to turn all Gotham's residents into mutants. As Batman attempts to save the day, he finds himself teaming with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, their alliance is threatened when the turtles prove to be too undisciplined for Batman. Who's in it? The animated movie uses voices from Troy Baker, Eric Bauza, Tom Kenny , Tara Strong and John DiMaggio. Review: I was flipping through channels this morning, looking for something to watch (or at least provide some background noise) while I had breakfast and came across Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . While I rolled my eyes at first, I was also admittedly intrigued and decided to watch it.  It was about what I expected, and I mean that both in a good and bad way. I'll start out by saying the plot of the movie was surprisingly good. The team-up between Shredder (Andrew ...

Synopsis: An apartment building manager and his two friends check up on an elderly scientist who is behind on his rent and discover a machine that has been taking photographs of their apartment and showing scenes that take place 24 hours into the future. After learning the scientist is now deceased, they decide to pretend he is still alive and use the machine to make money. Their plan works. However, the stress of having to pose exactly like the photos show (or risk the consequences of stopping their timeline) and various other obstacles quickly begin to take their toll. Who's in it? The movie stars Danielle Panabaker , Matt O’Leary, George Finn, Amin Joseph and Jason Spisak. Review: I came across Time Lapse a couple nights ago and even though I had seen it before, I couldn't remember it and decided to give it another watch. I have to admit it was better than I expected. The thing I found I liked best about this film was the overall mystery. At first, the premise seemed simp...

Synopsis: 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. Who's in it?  The movie stars Rondo Hatton, Robert Lowery , Virginia Grey , Martin Kosleck, Alan Napier and Bill Goodwin. Review: My oldest daughter and I watched House of Horrors some time ago but when I came across it again this evening, I didn't remember much about it. I gave it a chance, and it proved to be as good as I remembered. There is an award celebrating classic horror research creativity and preservation named and modeled after actor Rondo Hatton. This movie is a great example of the reasons why. His performance as the Creeper is one that stands the test of time, even nearly 80 years after this movie first was released. His character was a remorseless ki...