Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: A group of New York City bar patrons are being interviewed by a local television reporter about their political views when an enemy attacks Alaska.  As the successful invasion, aided by the use of atomic weapons, spreads to other parts of the country, the patrons find themselves facing the consequences of their apathy and opposition to the government's efforts to build its military defenses. Who's in it? The movie stars Gerald Mohr, Peggie Castle , Robert Bice , Tom Kennedy , Wade Crosby and Dan O'Herlihy . Review : I have come across Invasion, U.S.A on multiple occasions but always found an excuse not to watch it (usually because there was another movie I wanted to watch more). I finally decided to correct that this morning and, while it ended up being what I expected it to be, I was admittedly still entertained. A lot of war movies from the 1950s are basically pro-USA propaganda pitches and this film is most definitely not an exception to that. It's not-so-...

Synopsis: Still mourning her divorce from James Lacey and the way their unhappy marriage ended with him choosing a life at monastery over her, Agatha Raisin takes a vacation at the remote Robin Crusoe Island. When she returns, she is determined to get on with her life and starts by joining a Pilates class and visiting a beauty salon. She crosses paths with the soon-to-be-married Kylie at the latter and keeps her mouth shut when she thinks the young woman is making a mistake.  Soon after, a heavy rainfall causes flooding and Agatha spots Kylie's body, dressed in her wedding dress, floating on top the water. When she learns it was murder, Agatha makes it her mission to find the killer. This time, she's getting help from her new neighbor, a divorced, successful mystery writer by the name of John Armitage.   Review: I must admit, I was looking forward to reading Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came , mostly because I was curious how the title character would start over foll...

Synopsis: A brilliant but underachieving teenager attempts to use his home computer to hack a software company and steal their new games. Instead, he accidentally hacks a defense computer that is in charge of all the United States’ nuclear weapons and triggers a simulation that has the potential to cause World War III. Who's in it? The movie stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman , John Wood, Ally Sheedy, Barry Corbin and Dennis Lipscomb. Review: I wasn't sure what movie I wanted to watch this morning, so to be safe, I decided to go with something familiar. That ended up being one of my all-time favorites, WarGames . Even though I've seen this film many times, it still manages to be entertaining. The thing I really like about this movie is it is really two stories. The first, and obvious, one is about the dangers of computers in the wrong hands, something that is even a bit more relevant today with so much being done online and the increase in hackers. In this particul...

  I rarely manage to eat breakfast before heading into the office in the morning, so I always try to keep something in my mini fridge/freezer to fill that void. I picked up a box of Jones Dairy Farm All-Natural Pork Sausage last week for this purpose, primarily choosing this brand, despite it being slightly more expensive, because it was made in near-by Fort Atkinson and I try to support Wisconsin businesses whenever I can. Overall, I have to say this ended up being a good choice. I've made a few of the sausage links in the microwave to go with a bowl of oatmeal and it has proven to be a good complement. The sausage has a good flavor, not too spicy but seasoned, and is filling. One thing I found I liked about this brand is it doesn't seem to get as dry/tough when microwaved as some other frozen sausage links. I can cut through them with a plastic fork while so many other brands end up requiring a knife if I want to cut them into smaller pieces. I am always going to like that co...

  I decided to keep things simple tonight and just make some Hamburger Helper for dinner. As I dug through my freezer for ground beef, I was reminded of the Honeysuckle White All-Natural Ground Turkey I purchased at Costco last month and decided to get a pack of that out instead. Even though I've heard ground turkey is supposed to be better for me, I've been reluctant to buy it after the last pack I purchased ended up having a lot of bones in it. After using this brand however, I am more willing to use it more often. One of the first things I noticed with this brand was there wasn't much grease. I cooked this up like I would with ground beef and had almost nothing that needed to be drained. The turkey did give the Hamburger Helper a different look because it came out gray in the frying pan rather than brown. However, I admittedly didn't notice any real difference in taste once it was seasoning. If I wasn't the one making dinner, I probably wouldn't have even not...

Synopsis: While driving to San Diego with her brother, Cal, Becky Demuth gets sick and they need to pull over on the side of the road. When they hear a child calling for help from the nearby tall grass, they decide to find him. However, when they get separated and can't find each other or the road, it becomes apparent there is something else going on. Who's in it? The movie stars Laysla De Oliveira, Patrick Wilson , Avery Whitted, Will Buie, Jr.  and Harrison Gilbertson. Review: My wife had a photoshoot yesterday and as is often the case, was wiped out afterwards. She ended up in bed early last night as a result, so I found a movie to watch. This ended up being In the Tall Grass. I saw this movie when it originally became available on Netflix and, while I remembered parts of it, couldn't remember if it was a movie I enjoyed. After re-watching it, I decided it was an OK film but nothing I'd consider memorable. I think the biggest problem with this movie (and possibly t...