Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Professor Clifford Groves has a controversial opinion about neanderthals, while his colleagues believe they lacked intelligence, he argues they were smarter than modern man. Determined to prove his theory, he injects himself with a serum that de-evolves him to neanderthal form. Meanwhile, local authorities are hunting for answers relating to the sabretooth tiger Groves created from a cat using the same serum. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Shayne , Joyce Terry, Richard Crane , Doris Merrick and Robert Long. Review: I had another movie in mind this morning but came across The Neanderthal Man first and decided to give that one a try instead. It turned out to be what I would expect from a 1950s monster movie but was also slightly better than I thought it would be. I'll start out by giving the film some credit, unlike many "mad scientist" movies, the mad scientist in this one, Groves (Shayne) at least had a reason for conducting his experiment. I'm ...

My wife and I decided to give each other birthday experiences this year instead of birthday presents. This is why I took her to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum last month and, for my birthday this week, she took me to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, WI. This is a museum I've wanted to visit for some time now but never seemed to find a free weekend to do so. Now that I was finally able to do just that, I can say it didn't disappoint. The museum isn't overly large and only took us about an hour or so to go through it. However, there were quite a few items on display, and we learned a lot about ships and the Manitowoc community, especially during World War II, when dozens of freshwater submarines were constructed there. Sadly, the USS Cobia submarine is currently in dry dock and wasn't available for us to tour. However, there were quite a few other things in the museum we found entertaining. My personal favorite (and my wife's) was the submarine simulator...

I got most of my chores done yesterday and didn't have much going on today so I decided to put out one of my trail cameras just to see what visited the bird feeder on the table in front of our house. I wasn't disappointed, and neither were the cats watching through the window, despite the noticeable lack of birds. Here are some of the photos:

One day you're young, energetic and ready to take on the world. Then, another day, you look at the calendar and realize you're going to be turning the big 5-0. Of course, to be fair, my knees have felt much older than that for years. In honor of my 50th birthday this week, here are 50 thoughts, observations and even pieces of life advice, one for each year. 1.         Nobody has traveled from the future to kill me so I must be doing something right. 2.         The overreaction to a problem is usually worse than the problem itself. 3.         We were lied to as children – stupid questions do exist. But to be fair, so do stupid answers. 4.         My life became a lot less stressful when I stopped searching for approval, accepted some people would see me as a villain, became willing to burn bridges and no longer cared if I got the last word. 5...

Synopsis: Twenty-eight years after the Rage virus was released, the world has it contained to the British Isles, which are under quarantine with the remaining survivors cut off to from the outside world. Twelve-year-old Spike is one of those survivors and as a rite of passage, is taken into the wilderness by his father to learn how to kill the infected. When Spike learns a doctor lives in isolation among the infected, he takes his mother, stricken with an unknown illness, back into danger to try to get her help. Along the way, they end up with a newborn that was birthed by one of the infected but appears perfectly healthy. Who's in it? The movie stars Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer , Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry. Review: I'm not going to lie, even after trying to give 28 Days Later another chance, I just wasn't a big fan of that film. I didn't hate it, I just thought it wasn't as good as so many other zombie-themed movies and the sequel ...

Synopsis: By 1921, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was one of Hollywood's first big stars and recently signed a contract with Paramount worth millions of dollars. Separated from his wife and living the high life, he rented three rooms at the Hotel St. Francis and celebrated with his friends and other guests, including actress Virginia Rappe. Days later, Rappe was dead and Arbuckle, who had been alone with her for fifteen minutes in room 1219, faced murder charges. This book details Arbuckle and Rappe's lives and the Labor Day scandal that both impacted Arbuckle's career and Hollywood history. Review: As someone who loves classic movies and the Hollywood history surrounding them, I was familiar with the Fatty Arbuckle scandal that in some ways still impacts the movie industry today. So, when I came across Room 1219 at my local library, I decided to give it a try. It proved to be a good choice. The book does a great job of telling Arbuckle and Rappe's individual stor...

I decided to change things up a bit last night and both put one of my trail cameras in the new spot near the birdfeeders and set it up to record videos. It turned out to be a busy night last night with the rabbits and opossums taking turns, so I ended up with quite a bit of footage. Here are some of the videos:

Synopsis: Eight years after witnessing a rape and testifying against Max Cady, attorney Sam Bowden is visited by the man he helped send to prison and he and his family are soon stalked by the ex-con. Since Cady is both careful to avoid breaking any laws and has an attorney of his own representing him, the local police are powerless to do anything. This forces Sam to test the limits of the law himself in an effort to protect his wife and daughter. Who's in it? The movie stars Gregory Peck , Robert Mitchum , Polly Bergen , Lori Martin and Telly Savalas. Review: I came across and added Cape Fear to my library a few weeks ago. I had seen the 1991 remake a long time ago but never had an opportunity to watch the original and finally changed that this morning. I was not disappointed. This is what I would describe as a clever psychological thriller. Cady (Mitchum) is established as the ultimate movie villain, absolutely ruthless and possibly insane but also extremely intelligent. The w...

Synopsis: After being caught with a plantation owner's wife, American expatriate Sam Wilton needs to get out of South America in a hurry and does so by taking the passport of the recently deceased Mr. Kroll and boarding a cargo ship on its way to the United States. Wilton is suspicious of the ship's captain, the heavily scarred Capt. Trednor, and his interest in two passengers, Dr. Yeager and his daughter, Elsa. He later learns Trednor and his crew are Soviet agents on a suicide mission to blow up the Panama Canal with an atomic bomb. Who's in it? The movie stars Barton MacLane , Leif Erickson , Virginia Grey , Peter Coe and Rudolph Anders. Review: I came across Captain Scarface last night and while it was different movie from what I was originally looking for, I was intrigued enough by the description to give it a try. I watched it this morning and decided it was a good decision. The film takes a while to get started, taking the time to introduce each of the passengers,...

Synopsis: New Orleans musician Stan Grayson has a vivid dream about him struggling with and killing another man. When he wakes the next morning, he discovers an unknown key and torn off button, injuries on his neck and blood on his arm. Shaken by the experience, he goes to his brother-in-law, Rene, a police detective, for advice. Rene believes Stan is just having a nervous breakdown until they are driving home from a picnic and, needing shelter from a storm, Stan leads them the house where the murder occurred. Who's in it? The movie stars Kevin McCarthy, Edward G. Robinson , Virginia Christine , Connie Russell and Rhys Williams . Review: I came across Nightmare last night and, after semi-recently gaining an appreciation for Edward G. Robinson, decided to add it to my list and watch it this morning. It ended up being a good choice. There were a couple things that really stood out for me regarding this movie with the main one being the mystery surrounding Stan's (McCarthy) dr...

It's been a while since I've posted some photos of Stormcloud and Echo, so here are a few of them. Echo is in the boxes while Stormcloud is stretched out on our couch. _____________________________________________________________________ Here are some other photos of our cats: Just a Cat Photo I Don't Know About that Cat King of the Cat Tree

Synopsis: When several young women go missing before being found dead, the police and assistant district attorney are baffled. Reporter Nora Page, however, conducts her own investigation and finds a link between the women and a school of fine arts owned by a local gangster. There is just one problem, Nora's father, a talent agent, may be connected. Who's in it? The movie stars Astrid Allwyn, John Archer , H. B. Warner, Philip Van Zandt and Boyd Irwin. Review: I came across City of Missing Girls last night and, since I'm always game for a classic mystery/film noir, decided to add it to my list for this morning. Overall, I would describe it as an OK film but also in need of something a little bit more. I thought Nora Page (Allwyn) was an interesting character, a strong woman who wasn't afraid to stick her nose into situations, even if it put her in danger while, at the same time, clearly keeping her heart open for the assistant district attorney, James Horton (Archer)...

I've had my trail cameras out several times the past couple weeks but haven't seen a whole lot of activity, so I decided to relocate them last night, to near where I moved the birdfeeders (in an attempt to keep the squirrels out of them) to see if it made a difference. For the most part, it did. I had a bit more activity, though it was mostly just the same critters we normally get back there. Here are some of the photos.

Synopsis: When Knuckles Dolan is placed on death row for a murder he did not commit simply because he refuses to name names, Det. Pat O'Day forms an athletic club so Knuckles' younger brother, Danny, and Danny's friends can get off the street and not turn to a life of crime too. His efforts are sabotaged when a local counterfeiting ring run by Milton Franklin "Mileaway" Harris tricks the boys into helping him and O'Day is framed as being the person behind it. Who's in it? The movie stars Leon Ames , Dennis Moore, Dave O'Brien , Joyce Bryant, Harris Berger and Jim Farley. Review: When it comes to a movie series, I naturally try to watch the films in order. However, with older movies, that's not always as easy to do as it sounds because of availability. That's why, after watching quite a few East Side Kids/Bowery Boys films, I just now had the opportunity to watch the movie that started them all, East Side Kids .  The film turned out to be wor...

Six months ago, I helped my oldest daughter buy her first car. She's still in college and doesn't have a lot of money and had even less credit so, despite my apprehension, we ended up buying her a used 2016 Chevy Cruze. A little background. My history with used cars is long and full of disappointment. My very first car, an 80s Ford Escort that had severe deer damage was the lone exception. Everything from that point forward, not so much. The Dodge Aries I owned right after had the gas tank rust off. The Ford Mustang I had in college had a long list of issues, the wrong head gasket, a bad fuel pump, a carburetor that would stick shut to name a few. I had a Pontiac that had the paint come off it in flakes, a PT Cruiser that would stall out at random for unknown reasons, a Chevy Sebring that had the front tire break off it, a Mitsubishi that blew out a transmission and another (2017) Cruze that, after I bought out my lease, began to burn out oxygen sensors on a regular basis. We c...

Synopsis: In 1986, Olive Oyl joins her brother Castor and their friends in rural Northern California to watch a meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet. When a meteorite strikes near an old fisherman, Popeye, it transforms him into a violent mutant, and he is soon hunting down the friends while smoking from a pipe made out of a human bone. Who's in it? The movie stars Amy Mackie, Brendan Nelson, David Hallows, Tony Greer, Niamh Parrington and Leona Roberts. Review: I was unimpressed with the horror movie Popeye's Revenge several days ago and as a result of that, did have a few doubts about the similar movie, Shiver Me Timbers . Ultimately, I decided to watch it with my wife tonight because I figured "it can't be any worse." It turns out I was wrong. OK, so where to start with this. I think I'll begin with the characters, which I felt the movie was a bit half-assed on. You are basing this movie on a recognizable character, have a main protagonist w...

Synopsis: Rocky Jones and the rest of his Space Ranger team attempt to rescue the inhabitants of the planet Ophecius before it collides with a roaming "gypsy" moon. However, the planet's ruler, Cleolanta, doesn't trust outsiders and she may prevent the evacuation from happening as a result. Who's in it? The movie stars Richard Crane , Scotty Beckett, John Banner , Patsy Parsons and Maurice Cass. Review: I came across Crash of Moons about a week ago and, while the description left me wondering if it was worth my time, I decided to add it to my list anyway. After watching it this morning, I realized it was a film that I should have just passed by. My understanding, after doing a bit of research afterwards, is this wasn't a movie in the traditional sense and, instead, was three episodes from a 1954 television series that were combined to make a feature-length film. After reading that, things started making a bit more sense, but it didn't help my opinion. ...

Synopsis: After Danny, Muggs and the rest of the East Side Kids once again get in trouble with the police, they are given a choice - reform school or summer camp. They choose the latter and are put under the supervision of Danny's brother and ex-criminal, Knuckles. While traveling, a pair of car troubles result in them running into Judge Malcolm Parker and his niece, Louise, and an invitation to stay with them to stay in a creepy manor owned by his deceased wife's family. When the judge is murdered and Louise goes missing, the boys know Knuckles will be the one blamed and conduct an investigation to find the real culprit. Who's in it? The movie stars Bobby Jordan , Leo Gorcey , Dave O'Brien , Inna Gest, Ernest Morrison and Forrest Taylor. Review: It had been a few weeks since I last watched an East Side Kids/Bowery Boys movie and, when I came across Boys in the City last night, I decided to add it to my list and watch it this morning. As is often the case with films...