Steven Helmer Publications

I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not so while waiting for the weather to make up its mind, decided to check out what was on Netflix. I came across Scooby Doo , which I've seen several times, but not for a while, and decided to re-watch it. Here are my thoughts: There are a lot of horror movie franchises represented in this film. Not counting the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, we have I Know What You Did Last Summer ( Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze, Jr. ) , Scream ( Matthew Lillard ), The Grudge ( Gellar )  and Five Nights at Freddy's (Lillard). I love this movie, but it does seem to have a hard time figuring out who its audience is. The overall material is a bit too juvenile for it to be an adult movie, but the adult references make it hard to describe it as a family movie. This is especially true of the subtle drug references and the not-so-subtle scene featuring Fred (Prinze) talking about seeing Daphne's body naked (something that ...

Synopsis: A year after a serious car accident left her traumatized and depressed, a pregnant woman moves to a vineyard with her husband in the hopes of starting a new life. However, shortly after arriving, she begins to experience a series of hallucinations. Are they supernatural? Or are they being caused by her decision to stop taking her pills? Who's in it?  The movie stars  Isla Fisher ,  Anson Mount ,  Gillian Jacobs , Jim Parsons ,  and  Eva Longoria . Review: After watching several Christmas movies in a row, my wife and I were in the mood for something different and, even though I sort of remembered watching this film a few years ago, put it on. Even though there were a few things that felt familiar about it, I couldn't remember much about the movie and rewatching it turned out to be a good decision. At first, this seems like your typical haunted house movie. Eveleigh (Fisher) sees and experiences strange things inside the house and on the property bu...

Synopsis: Charles Condomine has a secret. His successful novels were actually written by his now-deceased wife, Elvira. Seven years after her death, he is now struggling to adapt one of his (her) books into a screenplay, something that is putting his current marriage to Ruth on the rocks, especially since the stress has left him impotent. Hoping to gain inspiration for a new character, he invites a recently-disgraced medium to conduct a séance in his home and she accidentally brings back his late wife's ghost. At first, this seems like a fortunate event, both because she helps him with his screenplay and eventually is able to have sex with him. However, with Elvira wanting to make the arrangement more permanent, he eventually finds his life in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Dan Stevens , Isla Fisher , Leslie Mann , Judi Dench and Dave Johns . Review: I recently had an opportunity to watch the 1945 version of this movie and, after enjoying it more than expected, I decid...

Synopsis: Journalist Rebecca Bloomwood dreams of writing for the fashion magazine Alette and, as part of a master plan to land that dream job, applies for and accidentally lands a job at its sister publication, Successful Savings . Her financial advice column is a big hit. There's just one problem, she's secretly a compulsive shopper, has more than $16,000 in credit card debt and is being hunted down by bill collectors. Who's in it? The movie stars Isla Fisher , Hugh Dancy , Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack , John Goodman and Robert Stanton . Review: I had a pretty full day on Saturday, spending most of the day at my youngest daughter's dance recital (she had two shows) before volunteering for a couple hours at the ice rink's open skate. As a result of this, even though I did manage to get a few chores done on Sunday, I was pretty drained and, between that and the weather, wound up spending a good chunk of the day watching movies with my wife. This is a f...