Steven Helmer Publications

Movie character crossovers have entertained audiences almost from the time Hollywood films became a thing. Whether it was Frankenstein's Monster meeting the Wolf Man, King Kong destroying Japan alongside Godzilla, Freddy Krueger taking on Jason Voorhees or Batman feuding with Superman, cinematic worlds colliding has become a movie staple. There are, however, plenty of missed opportunities when it comes to movie crossovers, whether it was pairing action stars with each other or horror film monsters. Here are five movie character pairings I think should have (and some still could be) made. M3GAN ( M3GAN ) versus Chucky ( Child's Play ) - It's probably just my opinion but killer dolls make the best horror movie monsters. In this case, you'd have an AI-powered doll, M3GAN facing the possessed-by-a-psychopath Chucky. While M3GAN is evil but only because she's trying to be good, I'd make her the hero by default, perhaps protecting whatever child she is living with now...

Synopsis: After losing his job, Chris Carver becomes determined to win an annual Christmas decorating contest and its $100,000 prize. His search for additional decorations leads him to a Christmas shop located under a freeway and to the elf running the place, Pepper. Chris purchases a tree based on the song "12 Days of Christmas" but doesn't read the fine print on the receipt. Soon after, the various gifts from the song become real, wreaking havoc on Chris and his family. He then learns he must retrieve the golden rings by 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve or he will be turned into a glass Christmas figurine. Who's in it? The movie stars Eddie Murphy , Jillian Bell, Tracee Ellis Ross, David Alan Grier and Madison Thomas. Review: As someone who is Gen X, I still prefer the 1980s/early 90s Eddie Murphy to the family-friendly movie version today. However, when I came across Candy Cane Lane , I was intrigued enough by the plot to give him and the movie a try. After watching it ...

Synopsis: Roughly 30 years after visiting the United States to find a wife, Akeem's father dies, making him king of the African nation of Zamunda. Akeem has three daughters but no male heir, making him a target for assassination from the militaristic country of Nexdoria. His lone hope is returning to Queens to retrieve the illegitimate son, Lavelle, he recently learned about and give Lavelle a crash course on how to be both a prince and the next in line for the throne. Who's in it? The movie stars Eddie Murphy , Arsenio Hall , Jermaine Fowler , Shari Headley and Leslie Jones. Review: After re-watching Coming to America this weekend and being reminded about how great of a movie that was, I remembered there was a recent sequel to the film and decided to watch Coming 2 America for the first time. Unfortunately, as is often the case with unnecessary cash-grab sequels, it just didn't live up to the original. The movie was basically a "what happened to Akeem (Murphy)...

Synopsis: Even though many think he should retire, Axel Foley continues to work for the Detroit Police Department, occasionally leaving a path of destruction in his wake. When he learns his estranged attorney daughter, Jane, is in danger because her client is being framed for murder by a dirty cop, he returns to Beverly Hills to protect her and discovers his long-time friend, Billy Rosewood, now a private investigator helping Jane, has gone missing. Who's in it? The movie stars Eddie Murphy , Judge Reinhold , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Taylour Paige , Kevin Bacon and John Ashton . Review: While they aren't among the movies I normally watch on repeat, I did enjoy the first three Beverly Hills Cop movies and when I heard Eddie Murphy was going to reprise his Axel Foley role for one more, I was interested. My wife and I watched it on Netflix this evening and it was about what I was expecting it to be.  As I figured would be the case, the movie focuses primarily on nostalgia and h...