Steven Helmer Publications

  What is happening  To our collective brain? The left. The right. They've both gone insane. The ability to converse intelligently Is what made us great. Now a single casual opinion Seems to make everyone irate. Has the concept of friendly debate Outlived its life? Have we all become so cynical and bitter All we know is strife? I don't know if we can ever return to normal, Or reach a point where everything is always well. At this point, all I'd settle for Is not always having to walk on eggshells. _________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my other poems: Artificial Intelligence (A Poem) Fly on the Wall (A Poem) Mr. Popularity (A Poem) Missing the Sun (A Poem)

Synopsis: Still mourning the loss of her mother and upset with her father for moving on so quickly, Boston native Frances McCullen moves to New York and shares a flat with her friend/roommate Erica while working as a waitress. While riding the subway, she notices a purse left on one of the seats and returns it to its widowed owner, Greta.  Despite Erica's objections, Frances befriends and begins spending a lot of time with Greta, seeing the older woman as a surrogate mother. However, after Frances discovers evidence of the purse being left behind on purpose, her efforts to end the friendship result in Greta stalking her and growing increasingly unstable.  Who's in it? The movie stars  Chloë Grace Moretz , Isabelle Huppert, Maika Monroe , Jane Perry and Jeff Hiller. Review: I took yesterday afternoon off (a decision that was made before the Microsoft Outlook implosion would have made my day job impossible anyway) and since my wife decided to come home after work rather t...

Synopsis: After successfully carrying out a brazen jewel theft, a notorious criminal calling himself The Bat, announces he will retire to the country and moves into a mansion owned by a bank president and leased by Cornelia Van Gorder and her niece, Dale. He then proceeds to threaten the occupants, telling them they should leave. Meanwhile, a nearby bank robbery may be related to the criminal or may have been carried out by a cashier who has arrived at the mansion with Dale, posing as a gardener. Who's in it? The movie stars Chester Morris , Una Merkel , Grayce Hampton,  Gustav von Seyffertitz and William Bakewell. Review: The movie I intended to watch this morning was unfortunately removed from Amazon Prime and, not wanting to pay for a film when I'm already paying for the streaming service, I was forced to find an alternative. I had never heard of The Bat Whispers before, but it looked somewhat interesting, so I gave it a try. It featured a whole lot of talk and not a lo...

Synopsis : When Mr. Drysdale ( Raymond Bailey ) tells Jed Clampett ( Buddy Ebsen ) he should invest some of his $25 million in stock, Jed misunderstands and buys livestock instead. Meanwhile, Granny ( Irene Ryan ), believing Mrs. Drysdale ( Harriet E. MacGibbon ) is an alcoholic, attempts to help her new neighbor. My Thoughts: For someone who was insistent on getting Elly May ( Donna Douglas ) to dress more lady-like , Jed seemed to be perfectly OK with her wearing her old clothes again. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing her wear something that showed skin? Some of the Clampetts' ignorance is getting a bit repetitive, but I admittedly liked the doorbell scene. It was great seeing Jethro ( Max Baer Jr. ) noticing there always seemed to be someone at the door whenever he heard that mysterious music but couldn't quite put the two pieces together. Jane Hathaway ( Nancy Kulp ) sure was moving fast to land a millionaire. I'm not sure when she grew interested in Jethro, but she ...

Synopsis: Slip and Sach have a job working on Wall Street they enjoy. When their boss is found dead, the police rule it a suicide, but Slip suspects a murder in connection with a local crooked casino. After taking crooked gambling lessons from a street hustler, they infiltrate the casino to investigate. Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall , Gabriel Dell , Lyle Talbot , Hillary Brooke and Joe Turkel. Review : I was struggling to decide on a movie to watch this morning and once again settled on a Bowery Boys film just because of the familiarity. I wasn't sure what to expect from Lucky Losers , but it turned out to be an OK choice. I thought the plot was an intriguing one. Their boss's (Selmer Jackson) death was sudden, unexpected and there was no evidence of murder. As a result, Slip's (Gorcey) hunch it had something to do with the casino run by Countess Marie Duvarre (Brooke) and Bruce McDermott (Talbot) was arguably the longest of longshots. There wa...

I hate wasted food, especially with the price of it these days. So, if I can figure out a way to use leftovers creatively, I try it. A look in the fridge this morning reminded me both of the leftover pork chops and tater tots inside. So, I used both tonight in a casserole. Ingredients: 1 pork chop already cooked (I used a thick one from Costco, you may need more than one if they are smaller). 8-10 ounces of tater tots (also already cooked) 1 can of French-cut green beans, drained 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup Shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the second half of an already-opened package). Directions:  Shred up the pork chop into small chunks. Add can of green beans to a baking dish. Add shredded pork Cover with one can of cream of mushroom soup Add tater tots. Cover with second can of cream of mushroom soup Top with shredded cheese. Microwave for 4-5 minutes The batch I made was good for about five servings. ____________________________________________________________...