Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: A bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, sees Christmas as nothing more than a "humbug" and makes sure everyone around him knows that. However, the ghost of his former business partner arranges for the three Christmas spirits to visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve and force him to see why he is wrong. Who's in it? The movie stars George C. Scott, Frank Finlay , Angela Pleasence, David Warner and Edward Woodward. Review: It is way too cold outside today, cold enough to leave me a bit breathless just walking from my car to the grocery store. So, since the Green Bay Packers had a later game and I had the house to myself, I decided to re-watch this version of A Christmas Carol .  I've seen quite a few versions of this film, but this one is easily at the top of my list of favorites. I think part of the reason for this is Scott (despite not having a strong British accent) was very convincing as Ebenezer Scrooge. He had a strong presence in the film that was both believable ...

Synopsis: Two years after the AI doll she created, M3GAN, went on a killing spree, Gemma is a published author and vocal advocate for artificial intelligence regulation even as her business is failing and she continues to struggle to bond with her niece, Cady. When a military-grade AI, Amelia, goes rogue, Gemma, who comes under investigation from the FBI, learns the weapon was built with M3GAN's tech. Soon after, she learns M3GAN's consciousness is still alive and, desperate, reluctantly seeks her creation's help. Who's in it? The movie stars Allison Williams , Violet McGraw , Ivanna Sakhno, Amie Donald and Jenna Davis . Review: With windchills reaching as low as negative 30, it was too cold to go out last night, so my wife and I stayed in and finally watched M3GAN 2.0 with our teenage daughter. Even though we all enjoyed M3GAN when we watched it, I had some doubts about the sequel. As it turned out, the doubts were justified but the movie was still better than ex...

Synopsis: Teenagers Rickie and JT cut class and explore an abandoned insane asylum. While escaping a guard dog, they entered a locked room and discover a naked woman tied to a table. Rather than freeing the woman, who they later learn cannot be killed, JT, instead, decides to keep her tied up so he and his friends can continually rape her, something Rickie is opposed to but is too weak to prevent. Who's in it? The movie stars Shiloh Fernandez , Noah Segan, Candice Accola, Eric Podnar, Jenny Spain and Susan Marie Keller. Review: I remember watching Deadgirl in the past and not enjoying it all that much. However, as I've said before, I am a big believer in second chances and figured I'd give it another try. After rewatching it, I am proud to say my original opinion of the movie was the correct one. If I were to classify this movie under a specific category, it would be under zombie rape porn. It's about a couple high school boys (Segan and Wheeler) who keep a female zo...

Synopsis: Rich miser Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas and his fellow man. On the night of Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge of three spirits that will visit him during the night in an attempt to convince him to change his ways before it is too late. Who's in it? The movie stars Albert Finney , Alec Guinness , Kenneth More and Edith Evans. Review: I wasn’t really planning on watching any Christmas movies yesterday afternoon. However, I couldn’t find anything good on TV and, since it had been a long while since I saw Scrooge , I decided to give it a chance. For the most part, I didn't regret that decision. In all honesty, as a musical, this movie does lack a little something. The songs just weren’t that catchy and made the movie drag on a bit more than I normally prefer. In fact, I don’t think they added a whole lot to the film in general and it probably would have been slightly better had the writers just ...

Synopsis: Charlie Newton is thrilled when she learns her mom's younger brother, Charlie (the man she is named after) is coming to visit. However, when her uncle arrives, she notices his behavior is erratic and begins to suspect he is wanted for murder when two detectives arrive looking for him. Who's in it?  The movie stars Teresa Wright , Joseph Cotten , Henry Travers, MacDonald Carey and Wallace Ford. Review: I came across Shadow of a Doubt on one our movie channels last night and, since I had the day off and needed a break from running errands, I decided to re-watch it. Since it had been a long time since I last watched it, I didn't remember a whole lot about it. However, the Alfred Hitchcock movie more than lived up to my expectations. I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the mystery surrounding Uncle Charlie (Cotten). He was definitely acting suspiciously. However, since it was a Hitchcock film, I wasn't sure if he was really the killer or if he ...

My wife was in her sewing studio yesterday evening, working on Christmas gifts, and while I had some time while waiting for her, I ended up re-watching It's a Wonderful Life for the first time in a few years. As I did and was reminded of some things I had forgotten about the film and a couple I hadn't noticed before. Mr. Potter ( Lionel Barrymore ) is a character that still sticks in my crawl. This movie could be considered a perfect film in a lot of ways but, at least in my opinion, falls a bit short because Potter doesn't get any sort of comeuppance for stealing money, doesn't have a redeeming change of heart and, despite anything, remains a respected member (albeit not very well liked) member of the community. Yes, you could make the argument it doesn't matter because this is George Bailey's (James Stewart) story. I disagree though. In fact, George was kind of an ass at times too. Sure, he made sacrifices, stayed in Bedford Falls running the family business...