Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: In the 19th century, American Elizabeth Blackwell, frustrated with the lack of adequate medical attention for women, decided to become a doctor herself. Her uphill battle to be the first woman to earn a medical license later inspired Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake to do the same in the United Kingdom. This non-fiction book details their struggles and successes. Review: I came across this book at our local library a couple weeks ago and, while it normally wasn't a topic I would find interesting, I was intrigued enough by the description to at least give the book a chance. After finishing it yesterday afternoon, I can honestly say I am glad I took the time to check it out. I think the best way to describe this book is it does a great job of giving the reader a glimpse of the early days of the women's rights movements in America and the United Kingdom by focusing on three women who challenged the male-dominated medical field. The narrow focus made it e

Synopsis: Twenty-five years after Billy Loomis and Stu Macher committed a series of murders in Woodsboro, a copycat Ghostface emerges and begins attacking people who were related to the original crime. This includes Billy Loomis' illegitimate daughter, Sam, who convinces a retired Dewey Riley to help figure out who is behind it. Who's in it? The movie stars Melissa Barrera , David Arquette , Courteney Cox , Neve Campbell and Jenna Ortega. Review: As I've mentioned multiple times before, I am very selective about movies I pay to see at the theater. Basically, I have to think the film will be worth the $30+ for my wife and I to attend. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, it immediately became one of those films, not necessarily because I thought it would be better on the big screen as much as I didn't want to wait longer than I needed to see it. The first Scream film remains one of my favorite slasher movies and, when my wife and I started watching this movie

Synopsis : After learning her husband, John, is having an affair with one of his students, a real estate agent, Jessica, decides not to divorce him and, instead, insists they take a vacation to Louisiana with their 14-year-old daughter, Anna, and stay in a remote mansion she has been assigned to sell. On their first day there, they meet Isaac and his grandfather, who offer to prepare dinner for them. Jessica and John accept but quickly learn the pair aren't what they seem and their lives may be in danger. Who's in it?   The movie stars Angela Sarafyan , Paul Schneider , Lia McHugh , Jacob Lofland and Doug Van Liew. Review: I came across this movie a few weeks ago and, while I never officially added it to my library, kept it in the back of my mind as a possibility if we couldn't find anything else to watch. I finally decided to watch it with my wife last night and the film ended up exceeding my expectations. I think the thing I like best about this movie is the mystery sur

Synopsis: Joseph Reynolds secretly owns the boarding house he rents a room from while conducting mysterious business with his partner, Ram Singh. and carrying out an affair both with the mistress of the house and the maid. When he is found brutally stabbed in his room, all the house's tenants become murder suspects. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Shadows on the Stairs (1941) (wizzley.com)

Synopsis: As American forces advance in Italy during World War II, a demolition unit is given the task of figuring out how the Germans are getting tanks across a river. They eventually enlist the help of an Italian boy who is grieving the loss of his parents and knows the location of a secret underwater bridge. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Barron , Maggie Lawrence , Donato Farretta , Wally Campo and Anthony Rich . Review: I wasn't really in the mood for a war movie but wanted something I could watch in a short amount of time after the rest of the family went to bed last night and this particular film met that criteria. After seeing it, my opinion of it was mixed at best. Overall, I liked the premise of this movie. The demolition squad was given a task it wasn't trained to do and, even if they were, it was a mission that seemed to be pretty much impossible given the fact they had to obtain information with the German Army blocking their way. And, the twist of havin

Synopsis: A pair of thieves break into a mansion, seeking to steal valuable artwork hanging on the wall. However, things don't go as planned when 11-year-old Casey, who watched the thieves kill her babysitter, manages to elude them. Meanwhile, a bartender, Rose, gives a pair of wealthy art dealers a ride home but has an ulterior motive. Who's in it? The movie stars Bella Thorne , Alyvia Alyn Lind , Skyler Samuels , Mircea Monroe and Austin Nichols . Review: I came across this film a couple weeks ago and, thinking it looked interesting, added it to my movie library. My wife and I ended up watching it last night and, unfortunately, it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. I usually try to give a movie credit for at least trying to be somewhat unique and throw in a surprise twist and this film did attempt to do that. However, the overall execution of the surprise twist was poor, making the movie's ending much more confusing than entertaining. In fact, it took sever