Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis : A team of documentary filmmakers, led by aspiring director Terri Flores, embarks on a boat trip down the Amazon River in search of a long-lost tribe. When they come across a stranded snake hunter, Paul Serone, they offer him a lift and accept his offer to help them find the tribe. However, when one of their own gets injured and needs medical attention, Serone uses it as an opportunity to take control of the boat and force the crew to help him capture a giant, man-eating anaconda.  Who's in it? The movie stars Jennifer Lopez , Jon Voight, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz and Owen Wilson . Review: Despite Anaconda coming out when I was still in college and the movie having a remake come out nearly 30 years later, I realized I had never seen the film in its entirety. So, when I came across it on one of my movie channels last night, I decided to finally correct that. As it turns out, this movie was considerably better than I thought it was going to be. One of the reasons I never made ...

Synopsis: Needing a break after one of her sources was murdered in front of her, investigative reporter Laura Blacklock accepts an invitation to join a cancer-stricken billionaire onboard a superyacht sailing to Norway as part of a one-of-a-kind cancer research fundraiser. Laura believes the trip, which includes many other wealthy elites, will allow her to restore her faith in humanity by writing a soft feel-good story. However, on the first night of the cruise, she witnesses the woman in the cabin next to hers go overboard, only to be told she was mistaken and there was nobody in Cabin 10. Then, when Laura digs further and finds evidence she didn't imagine the event, she finds her own life in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Keira Knightley , Guy Pearce, David Ajala, Lisa Loven Kongsli and Gitte Witt. Review: I've had The Woman in Cabin 10 saved to my movie library for several months because, from the description, it sounded like it would be an intriguing mystery a...

Synopsis: High school senior Cal has a deceased dad, a mom he rarely sees and is constantly bullied at school by members of the football team, especially the star quarterback, Vic. The only things he has going for him as he waits until graduation and the opportunity to escape via college are his new girlfriend, Cecily, and the stray dog he adopted, Runt. When his confrontations with Vic lead to both Cecily and Runt becoming victims, it triggers a downward and violent spiral Cal may not be able to recover from. Who's in it? The movie stars Cameron Boyce, Jason Patric , Aramis Knight, Gabrielle Haugh , Cyrus Arnold , Charlie Gillespie and Brianna Hildebrand . Review: My wife decided to pick out last night's movie and ultimately settled on Runt , which was a film she saw a clip from some time ago and added to our library. I don't think the movie turned out to be what she was expecting it to be. It turned out to be, however, an intriguing albeit depressing drama. What helpe...

  My wife and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend and decided to change things up a bit by having an overnight trip out of town. As luck would have it, there was a Michael Jackson tribute concert at Ho-Chunk Gaming and Resort in Baraboo, WI so we decided to go there. We've been here before, but the last time was when they were still going through a major remodel. Unfortunately, our most recent stay wasn't as enjoyable as we were hoping. To start, for the record, yes, we did gamble at the casino and did not do very well on the slot machines. However, we also went to the casino fully expecting that as a possibility and because of that, kept to a very strict limit on what we were willing to lose. So, as far as that is concerned, it wasn't a positive nor a negative as far as my overall opinion is concerned. I'll start out with the good. The concert, which featured tribute artist Barry Dean, was better than expected. The sound quality probably could have b...

Synopsis: American newspaperman John Lawrence travels to a remote village in Scotland where Professor Elliott and his assistant, Dr. Mears, are using a telescope to study the newly discovered Planet X. When the professor's daughter, Enid, discovers an alien from the planet has landed in the moors, the men attempt to communicate with the creature. However, it instead uses a ray to take of control Prof. Elliott, Mears, Enid and several villagers and forces them to help it prepare for an invasion. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Clarke , Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert and David Ormont. Review: I've had The Man from Planet X in my movie library for some time now but, every time I planned on watching it, I always ended up picking a different movie instead. I finally changed that this morning. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining film despite falling short in some areas. As far as the premise is concerned, I thought it was a good one. This was mostly...

Synopsis: The evil scientist Dr. Who has discovered a large deposit of Element X at the North Pole and his excavation is being financed by a rogue nation that is looking to use the element as part of its plan for world domination. When his robot replica of King Kong fails to function correctly because of the element's radiation, he instead captures the real King Kong and enslaves him. Who's in it?  The movie stars Rhodes Reason , Mie Hama, Linda Miller, Hideyo Amamoto and Akira Takarada. Review: I've been a classic Japanese monster movie fan since I was a kid and do occasionally find time to re-watch some of my favorites. This included this morning, when I came across King Kong Escapes . It had been a while since I last saw the film and didn't remember a whole lot about it, but it ended up being a good choice. And that isn't just because of the main villain's name (which sounds like the title character from Doctor Who ). One thing I liked about this movie was ...