Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Strapped for cash and taking care of a sick brother who needs a bone marrow transfusion, Iris agrees to attend a dinner party thrown by a wealthy philanthropist in the hopes he will give her money and move her brother to the top of the donor list. What she doesn’t know is she and seven other guests must first compete in a sadistic version of the game, Would You Rather, until only one person is left alive. Who's in it?  The movie stars Brittany Snow , Jeffrey Combs , Lawrence Gillard Jr., Sasha Grey, John Heard and Robin Lord Taylor. Review: After another family Mario Kart night, my wife and daughters were still in bed, giving me some free time this morning. I wasn't in the mood to watch another television rerun and instead decided to re-watch Would You Rather . This was not a decision I regretted. I love psychological thrillers, at least when they are done correctly, and this film does everything right. The game that is played, while relatively simple, opened up a ...

Synopsis: In 1979, a group of young adults rent a Texas farmhouse from an elderly couple so they can make a porn movie. All is going well until the elderly wife, Pearl, becomes obsessed with one of the actresses to the point she's ready to murder. Who's in it? The movie stars Brittany Snow, Mia Goth , Jenna Ortega , Martin Henderson and Stephen Ure. Review: I came across this movie on Netflix a couple weeks ago but was unsure whether it would be worth watching. On one hand, I like slasher movies. On the other, this seemed like a movie that could easily just be a softcore porn film. I finally got around to watching it last night and while it proved to be the former, it also proved to be much more of the latter. Let's put it this way. If you want to watch a slasher movie, fast forward past the first hour or so. Otherwise, be ready to watch a lot of sex.  To be fair, once the movie does enter slasher mode, it is pretty good. Pearl (Goth) manages to be somewhat creepy with...

Synopsis : A year after his wife's brutal murder, a still-grieving Det. Will Ruiney, with the help of his ex-partner, Ray Archer, and investigative journalist Christi Davies, ends up investigating a serial killer that is using his victims to play a sick game of Hangman. With a new murder every 24 hours, Will must figure out how the killer connects to either his or Ray's past. Who's in it? The movie stars Al Pacino , Karl Urban , Brittany Snow , Sarah Shahi and Joe Anderson . Review: I came across this movie on one of my streaming platforms about a week ago and, after seeing I would need to pay extra for it, decided to pick up a copy for free at the library. My wife and I watched it last night and it turned out to be worth the 6-block drive. I'll start out by saying the film does require you to ignore some glaring questions about police procedure, including the decision to bring in a retired cop as a consultant, allowing a journalist to walk around active crime scenes,...

Synopsis: Struggling with life after college, the Bellas decide to join a USO tour in Europe. In addition to providing entertainment for military troops, the tour is also a competition and the winner will work for  DJ Khaled. However, their competition is able to use musical instruments. Meanwhile, Fat Amy is reunited with her estranged father, a criminal who may have an ulterior motive for tracking her down. Who's in it? The movie stars Anna Kendrick , Rebel Wilson , Brittany Snow , Anna Camp and John Lithgow. Review: When we got this film through Netflix over our three-day weekend, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I didn't hate the first sequel , but I also thought the original film was significantly better. As a result, I had some serious doubts about the third installment of this movie series. My wife and I watched it last night, however, and it turned out to be much better than I was expecting. I had two major complaints about this movie. The ...