Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: In the early 1990s, Nintendo controlled 95 percent of the home videogame market in the United States until an aggressive marketing campaign from Sega successfully challenged that dominance. However, Sega soon learned getting to the top was easier than staying at the top. This documentary tells the story through first-hand accounts from executives of both companies. Review: My wife and youngest daughter are at a middle school production of The Spongebob Musical . Since I had the TV to myself for a bit, I decided to watch a documentary and settled on Console Wars , which has been in my library for a few weeks. It turned out to be an interesting watch. I was a teenager when Sega Genesis came out and even owned one at some point (after it ended up on a clearance rack). I did not realize, however, just how much that game system and the feud it triggered with the then-monopolistic Nintendo, changed the entire video game industry. The marketing campaign that went into Sega's l...

Synopsis: After first using the atomic bomb in World War II, the United States wanted to remain the top nuclear power and began conducting a series of tests in Nevada in the 1950s and 60s. This documentary discusses those tests and the impact they had. Who's in it? The movie is directed by Tom Jennings. Review: I took the day off today because it's my daughter's birthday and, while waiting for her to get out of bed, decided to educate myself with a documentary. After some consideration, I decided on A-Bombs over Nevada and it turned out to be a good choice. I knew a little bit about the height of the cold war and the rush to build more and more powerful atomic weapons a couple decades before I was born. This included knowing about the testing that occurred in Nevada, not far from Las Vegas. This movie did a great job filling in the blanks and teaching me a lot of things I didn't know. One of the first things that really stood out for me when watching this movie was t...

Synopsis: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, women's professional wrestling gained new attention with the promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling  (GLOW). This documentary discusses the rise and fall of that promotion through interviews with the women that were involved. Who's in it? The documentary includes interviews with Emily Dole, Dee Booher, and Angelina Altishin  Review: I was in the mood for a documentary earlier today and, even though I had seen Glow: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling before, about a decade ago, I decided to watch it again. My opinion of it was the same as it was the first time I watched it - it was well worth my time. I remember watching some episodes of GLOW when I was in junior high and high school. However, because it was aired late at night and not on a consistent day/time, it wasn't something I watched as often as I probably would have preferred. This documentary did a good job both reviving the memories of what I did see and f...

Synopsis: In 1929, legendary director Alfred Hitchcock released the film Blackmail , both as a silent film and a "talkie." While it wasn't his first movie, many believe the film is the first one to show his visionary style. This documentary both discusses the making of Blackmail and compares the movie to Hitchcock's later and better-known classics. Review: I had a list of movies to choose from this morning but picked Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail because it was the one with the shortest runtime and I needed to shovel snow before heading into the office. Overall, it turned out to be a good choice. I've seen a large number of Hitchcock films but not all of them and Blackmail remains one of the films that is still on that "must watch" list. The movie made me want to watch it even more. The "making of" portion of the film was intriguing. At the time Hitchcock made the movie, Talkies were still relatively new, and the film industry ...

Synopsis: This documentary discusses the life of Andre Roussimoff, known to the world as professional wrestler Andre the Giant. Through a series of interviews, the film talks about his rise to fame, the difficulties that came with his large size and his eventual physical decline. Who's in it? Interviewees include Hulk Hogan , Cary Elwes and Robin Wright . Review: I came across Andre the Gian t when scrolling through movies last night and decided to add it to my library. As a professional wrestling fan in the 1980s and early 90s, Andre the Giant was one of my all-time favorites. Not to mention, he is easily one of the reasons The Princess Bride is as memorable as it is. I watched the documentary this morning and it turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be, both in a good way and a bad way. I think the thing I liked best about this movie was how Andre's story was told through first-hand accounts of those who knew him, whether it was a fellow wrestler like Hulk Hog...

Synopsis: This documentary follows a team of researchers as they take a submarine thousands of feet under the ocean floor to search for a "living fossil" believed to live in or near underwater volcanoes. The movie also discusses the other sea creatures that thrive in an area that wouldn't normally be expected to sustain life. Who's in it? The film is narrated by Ed Harris . Review: My wife and I discovered Volcanoes of the Deep Sea while I was scrolling through movies available on ScreenPix (which I recently added). She's had an interest in documentaries recently and we needed something to watch while having dinner, so I gave it a try. While not quite what we were expecting, it ended up being an informative film.  I think I can safely say I know about as much about volcanoes as the average person and when we started watching this, I figured it would feature a whole lot of explosions and lava (despite the fact I should have known better considering the film take...

Synopsis: In August of 2021, the Columbus, Ohio-based Bishop Sycamore High School football team was blown out by IMG Academy in front of the nation on ESPN. Shortly after an investigation of the school and the team's coach, Leroy Johnson, revealed BS High wasn't a real school and its players weren't even high school students. Review: I came across this documentary a few days ago and thought it was intriguing enough to add to my library. Since it was raining this morning, I decided to give it a try and it proved to be as interesting as I thought. There were a couple things that really stood out for me regarding this movie's discussion of the scandal. One of the main ones was how Johnson's point of view about the scandal differed greatly from his players and those who investigated him. The latter considered him a con artist while Johnson thought of himself as someone who was trying to help disadvantaged youth use football as an opportunity to get into college. What ...

Synopsis: This nature documentary talks about the African dung beetle, its role in nature and the hazards it faces while collecting animal feces both for food and procreation. Who's in it? The movie is narrated by  Joe Szymanski . Review: Since it was once again my wife's MMA night last night, I used my alone time to find another movie to watch in her absence. This one caught my attention on Paramount Plus solely because of the title and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting. I knew the basic concept of a dung beetle but honestly didn't know a whole lot of details about the insect until watching this documentary. For one, I didn't even know there was more than one type of dung beetle and thought it was interesting how the different types play different roles even as they are essentially accomplishing the same mission. Overall, I ended up gaining a whole new appreciation for the insect species and just how complex nature is. I thought it was fasci...

Synopsis: Between 1880 and 1968, roughly 4000 Black Americans were lynched by white mobs. Many of these lynchings were commemorated through the use of photography and souvenir postcards. This documentary discusses the practice and how it was eventually used against the white supremacists.  Who's in it? The movie uses the voices of  Darian Dauchan ,  Biko Eisen-Martin ,  Jimmie Jeter , and  Kara Young. Review: I was looking for a way to kill some time while my family was still in bed this morning and after scrolling through some movies on Paramount Plus, came across this documentary. I ended up selecting it because of its short (15 minute) runtime and am glad I did. I've always found history interesting and enjoy movies and books that teach me something I didn't know about the past. This was definitely one of them and I found I both found it interesting and angering. I knew lynchings were a major problem in this country prior to the 1970s but never knew just h...

Synopsis: In 2004, after years of disputes with the residents and government of a small Colorado town over a piece of property he had purchased, master welder Marvin Heemeyer goes on a destructive rampage in a bulldozer he had heavily fortified. This documentary tells his story from the perspective of those who were there. Review: When I first came across this movie a couple weeks ago and read the description, I thought it was some B-rated action film from the 1980s and wasn't overly interested in it as a result. However, when I realized it was a documentary about a real-life event that happened not that long ago, I was intrigued enough to add it to my library. I finally had a chance to watch it this morning and I have to admit it was pretty darn interesting. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with documentaries. I like them for the most part but do get frustrated when they tend to be a bit one-sided. This particular one, however, managed to tell Marvin's story while not...

Synopsis: Actor Jeff Goldblum explores the history and cultures behind everyday items like bikes, gaming and tattoos and puts in his own observations. Review: We started watching this Disney Plus documentary series a couple weeks ago because we couldn't find anything else that looked interesting and I knew my wife was a big Goldblum fan. As it turns out, it is a very entertaining series. I think the thing I really like about this show is the way Goldblum looks at normal, everyday items most people (and shows) wouldn't even consider interesting. This includes things like coffee, bikes and denim. Some of the people he meets while exploring these things (such as a man who explores old gold mines in search of vintage denim clothing) are very memorable. The series is actually much more educational than I was expecting it to be. For example, I never knew the Amish made up a good chunk of the workforce constructing American recreational vehicles until I saw this show or ju...