Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Three teenage girls are abducted and imprisoned by a man with 23 diagnosed personalities. They need to find a way to escape before his 24th personality, which is referred to as "the Beast" finds a way to make an appearance. Who's in it? The movie stars James McAvoy , Anya Taylor-Joy , Haley Lu Richardson , Jessica Sula and Betty Buckley . Review: My wife still wants to see the movie Glass so, since my daughter had her last community theater after party yesterday evening, we took the time to watch the film that precedes it, Split , so we were up to speed on the trilogy. While there were things about this movie I thought were interesting, I honestly wasn't as big of a fan as I thought I'd be. I'll start out by saying James McAvoy is awesome as the main villain, Kevin. He didn't just play a person with multiple personalities; he brought those personalities to life and was very believable, whether he was portraying the OCD-inflicted Dennis or th...

Synopsis: Prominent defense attorney John Morland is found dead in a crashed car, but police quickly determine it wasn't an accident and, instead, Morland had been murdered beforehand. The investigation leads to multiple suspects - Morland's wife, Catherine, his legal partner, James O'Neill, a wanted fugitive by the name of Red Bailey and even the district attorney, Richard Conroy. Who's in it? The movie stars Jean Rogers , Richard Travis , John Eldredge , Douglas Fowley and Robert Shayne . Review: I didn't have an opportunity to pre-select a movie for this morning because of getting home late last night (my daughter had another community theater performance). As a result, I picked Backlash solely because it was alphabetically one of the first movies saved in my library. As it turns out, it was a good choice. This movie is a solid murder mystery. In addition to the mystery surrounding Morland's (Eldredge) decision to drive to San Francisco, there were a ton...

Synopsis: Security guard David Dunn is the lone survivor when a passenger train derails. Even more amazing is the fact he escaped without a scratch, baffling investigators. Soon after, Dunn is approached by Elijah Price, an art gallery owner stricken with a disease that makes his bones brittle. Price believes Dunn may have superpowers like those in the comic books. Dunn is unconvinced, until he realizes he has never been injured or sick and is able to bench press an unbelievable amount of weight. Who's in it? The movie stars Bruce Willis , Samuel L. Jackson , Robin Wright , Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard . Review: My wife had never seen Unbreakable  and, since she is also interested in watching the sequels (which I haven't seen) we ended up picking it out for our movie night. It had been a long time since I last saw this movie and I couldn't remember much about it as a result. After seeing it again, I thought it was an OK film. This is a different kind of sup...

I've been out of college for a long time, and I've reached a point where I'm working toward retirement and no longer looking to further my career or start a new one. However, it never hurts to learn new things when you can, especially when you can do it for free (thanks to a partnership our local library has with Universal Class) so I took a Film Appreciation course. I am happy to say I passed it today with an A+. The class was a little more challenging than I had expected. It wasn't just learning about filmmaking history, I had to write essays about era-specific movies and a biography of the director of my choice (I went with Tod Browning). However, I made it through the 9-hour course and even got some extra credit for teaching the professor a couple things. I'll just add my certificate to my achievements while deciding what class I am interested in taking next.

Synopsis: After winning a medal for stopping a bomber and saving 13 people, Los Angeles Police officer Jack Traven learns the bomber, who police had believed to be dead, is still alive and has planted another bomb. This time, it is on a city bus and will detonate if it detects a speed below 50 mph or the passengers try to escape. When the bus driver is seriously injured, Jack needs to rely on the driving skills of passenger Annie Porter while he tries to figure out a way to save everyone. Who's in it? The movie stars Keanu Reeves , Sandra Bullock , Dennis Hopper , Jeff Daniels and Alan Ruck. Review: My wife and I had some time to kill while waiting for our daughter's last rehearsal before her final round of community theater shows this weekend and I decided to stick to our unintended Sandra Bullock theme by picking out a film we hadn't seen in a while, Speed . Overall, after re-watching it, I have to say it was a good choice. There are a couple things that stood out for...

Synopsis: Ten months after going undercover at the Miss United States pageant and stopping the bad guy while finishing as the runner-up, FBI agent Gracie Hart is a published author and talk show celebrity, causing her to grow conceited and shallow. When kidnappers abduct the pageant winner, Cheryl Fraser and contest host Stan Fields, Gracie travels to Las Vegas to help with the investigation. However, she soon learns her input in the case is unwelcome and is forced to once again ignore orders and investigate the case herself. Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Bullock , Regina King , Heather Burns , William Shatner and  Enrique Murciano. Review: After re-watching Miss Congeniality earlier this week, my wife and I decided to watch the movie's sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous , which we may had seen before but neither of us could remember. We did that last night and wound up with a mixed opinion. The overall concept isn't terrible. I thought the mystery s...

Synopsis: After two years of playing detective roles, Philip Trent is in need of a break and attempts to escape his fame by taking a cruise. However, in addition to being accosted by fans, his vacation is interrupted by a fake murder, staged by author Peter Dean, who wants him to star in a movie based on her latest book. If that isn't bad enough, Trent is soon caught up in a real murder mystery when a second and real dead body is found in his cabin. Who's in it? The movie stars Edmund Lowe , Elissa Landi , Ted Healy , Edmund Gwenn and Edgar Kennedy. Review: I came across Mad Holiday on one of my movie channels last night and decided to add it to my library to watch this morning. I wasn't completely sure what to expect from this mystery/comedy, but it ended up being an entertaining choice. I think the thing I liked most about this film was the chemistry between Trent (Lowe) and Dean (Landi). There was a mix of competitiveness and romance that made them fun to watch as a ...

Synopsis: When a domestic terrorist known as "the Citizen" makes a threat against a well-known beauty pageant in Texas, the FBI decides it needs an operative on the inside, posing as a contestant. This ends up being the tomboyish Gracie Hart, who reluctantly goes through a transformation to show off her feminine side. Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Bullock , Michael Caine , Benjamin Bratt , Candice Bergen , Ernie Hudson and William Shatner . Review: My wife and I had some time to kill yesterday evening while waiting for our daughter to get done at a community theater cast party. Since it was way too hot to be outside, we stayed in front of the air conditioner and re-watched Miss Congeniality for the first time in years. It ended up being as good as we remembered it. I'll start out by saying the movie does force you to suspend belief a bit because the idea of Sandra Bullock being considered "ugly" is only something that is going to happen in the mov...

Synopsis: USS Carolina has been selected for a new firing control system that must be installed by a firm deadline if the United States Navy is to have exclusive rights to it. However, when the equipment is first misdirected then subjected to acts of sabotage, it's clear someone doesn't want it installed. Things then take a deadly turn when two people are murdered. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Taylor , Ted Healy , Jean Parker , Una Merkel and Nat Pendleton . Review: I've had Murder in the Fleet in my library for a few months and attempted to watch it on more than one occasion only to wind up picking a different movie instead. I finally took the time to see it this morning, and it turned out to be a good choice. I think the thing I liked most about this film was the fact there was no clear suspect. Due to what had to be the worst security ever, with Carolina  allowing everyone from foreign dignitaries to jilted lovers onboard (despite the top-secret nature of ...

Synopsis: Fellworth "Fell" Dolphin has had a hard life. His parents were both abusive and misery and since his father's death, he has been forced to work as a waiter to support both himself and his controlling mother. As a result, when his mother dies, he is more relieved than sad and is shocked when he learns his parents were surprisingly wealthy. To fend off his mother's relatives, Fell convinces his co-worker, Maggie, to pose as his fiancée, not knowing Maggie is secretly in love with him. They soon find their lives upended when an investigation into where his parents' money came from both re-opens a long-forgotten train robbery case and unearths a family secret. Review: I originally checked out another book from my local library but lost interest with it after the first chapter (that sometimes happens). So, since I wanted something else to read, I returned to the library in search of something from a familiar/favorite author. Originally, I was going to give ...

Synopsis: Sometime in the near future, a biochemical weapon incident has wiped out most of the planet and left the air unbreathable. Bauer and Cartwright are among the few survivors and are in charge of maintaining a makeshift facility designed to house cryogenically frozen scientists until the air outside is breathable again. They are given two hours every six months to complete their tasks before returning to their sleep chambers. However, when Cartwright's chamber catches on fire, the men realize one of them will die if they don't find an alternative. Who's in it? The movie stars Norman Reedus , Djimon Hounsou and Sandrine Holt . Review: We finally had an evening that wasn't centered around my daughter's theater rehearsals and since it was reasonably early but raining outside, my wife and I found another movie to watch. She's a big Norman Reedus fan so when I came across Air on one of our movie channels, I chose it.  Even my Norman Reedus-loving wife tho...

Synopsis: After barely scraping by with two kids and one on the way, things are finally looking up for Denver resident Sandy Patterson when he is offered an opportunity to be part of a new finance firm with five times the salary. However, that financial security is put in jeopardy when a woman in Florida steals his identity, both destroying his credit rating and getting him in legal trouble. When he learns it could take a year or more for local police to clear him, Sandy takes matters into his own hands and travels to Florida to bring the thief back to Denver so he can trick her into confessing in front of the police. Who's in it? The movie stars Jason Bateman , Melissa McCarthy , John Cho , Amanda Peet and Jon Favreau. Review: Our 15-year-old had another late theater practice last night (thank God those are almost over) so, after watching Resident Evil for the umpteenth time and realizing we still had a couple hours to kill, my wife picked out Identity Thief . I wasn't su...

Synopsis: After spending time behind a desk because of a mistake that led to a witness death, U. S. Marshal Madolyn Harris is given a second chance, this time escorting a crime boss accountant, Winston, from his hiding spot in Alaska so he can testify against his former boss in New York. However, while flying to Anchorage on a small charter plane, Madolyn learns her pilot, Daryl Booth, is really an assassin hired to make sure Winston doesn't make it to New York. Who's in it? The movie stars Michelle Dockery , Mark Wahlberg , Topher Grace , Maaz Ali and Leah Remini. Review: My 15-year-old daughter is performing in a community theater version of Guys and Dolls  this weekend and the final rehearsals have been taking until 11 p.m. Since we needed to wait up anyway last night as a result of that, my wife and I wound up finding a movie to watch and settled on Flight Risk . I didn't know anything about this movie before coming across it on Starz and wasn't sure what to exp...

Synopsis: A group of celestial beings give assistant George Fotheringay near limitless powers as part of a social experiment. At first, Fotheringay is amused with his new abilities, which include being able to make things levitate, heal injuries, teleport to far-off lands and create things from thin air. However, as his secret gets out, he soon finds himself surrounded by people trying to exploit him. Who's in it? The movie stars Roland Young , Ralph Richardson , Joan Gardner , Ernest Thesiger and Sophie Stewart . Review: I added The Man Who Could Work Miracles to my library about a week ago, mostly because I saw it was based on an H. G. Wells' story and sounded somewhat unique. I finally got around to watching it this morning and wasn't disappointed.  While described as a comedy, I think I would consider the movie more of a psychological drama. The film does a great job exploring something I think a lot of us dream about and putting it up against human nature. If one ...

We had some nice weather yesterday and last night, something that looks to be short lived since there's rain in the forecast once again. So, I took advantage of the weather we did have by putting out one of my trail cameras last night. Here are some of the videos, which consist of a lot of rabbits, some opossums and another visit from a fox:

We have a lot going on the next few weeks so, since this was one of the few days nobody had anything important going on, I decided to take the family to the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh.  It's been several years since we last toured the museum and it ended up being a blast for all of us. There was a lot to see, some fun interactive games to play and my 15-year-old even got to go up in a plane and fly it (ages 8-17 only) as part of our admission.  I was also pleased with the price. Four tickets (3 adults and one child) were $52. It's one of the few places we've gone that didn't charge around $100 for a family of four, mostly because a lot of places consider anyone over the age of 10 an adult ticket. For the record, the family rate (2 adults and up to three kids) is $37. In other words, it's well worth the visit. Here are some of my photos and videos: ________________________________________________________________ The House on the Rock (Spring Green, WI) Menominee ...

Synopsis: After spending months trying to catch a serial killer calling himself "the Judge," Lt. Harry Grant is frustrated to the point he is thinking about quitting. To make matters worse, a persistent reporter, Ann Gorman, is following him around, looking for an inside scoop. Even Grant's brilliant idea to create a life-like mannequin replica of the Judge fails to prevent an eighth murder. However, with Ann's help, Grant is able to use a clue left behind at a crime scene to breathe new life into the case. Who's in it? The movie stars William Lundigan , Dorothy Patrick , Jeff Corey , Nestor Paiva and Edwin Max. Review: I had another movie picked out for this morning, but it must have disappeared from my library last night because I couldn't find it. Not wanting to spend too much time looking for it again, I opted to watch Follow Me Quietly instead. This, as it turns out, ended up being a great choice. Since the movie was only an hour in length, I was a b...