Steven Helmer Publications

As I re-watch the series Psych , I am gaining a whole new appreciation to just how brilliant the Mr. Yang storyline was. There's a great mystery about the serial killer's identity; it put Shawn Spencer's ( James Roday Rodriguez ) skills to the test and Ally Sheedy was a fantastic choice for the role.  The secondary story about her partner, Mr. Yin, had the potential to be equally as good but, at least in my opinion, fell short because Professor Karl Rotmessen ( Peter Weller ) was kind of a letdown. Don't get me wrong, Weller was solid. It's just a character that seemed in desperate need of a surprise twist involving an already established character rather than a guy who was suggested to be her father. Here are three that I think would have been much better choices. Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson) What if Mary wasn't actually killed by Mr. Yin and instead WAS Mr. Yin? In my version of this story, the murder victim would have been Mary's twin brother, killed by h...

As I go through another re-watch of the series Psych , I find myself a bit amazed at the number of characters who were introduced, some with multiple-episode stories, only to be written off the show and never mentioned again.  My opinion about this is mixed. While some of the characters, like Freddie Prinze Jr.'s cameo as the alien-obsessed Dennis Gogolack made sense as a one-off, other characters, such as Shawn Spencer's ( James Roday Rodriguez ) long-time love interest, Abigail Lytar ( Rachel Leigh Cook ) seemed like they should have been around longer than they were. There is one character, however, that I find myself lumping into a different category - someone who both deserved a bit more time on the show but also in a different capacity. I am referring to Nestor Carbonell's Declan Rand, a character that I think would have made an awesome supervillain but was never given the opportunity. A quick recap for anyone who doesn't remember Declan. Introduced in the season...

Synopsis: With her daughter looking at a faraway college, Emily, a lawyer and married mother of two, is desperate to have a perfect Christmas with her family even though their clashing schedules make it seem impossible. When she comes across a Christmas star in a box of ornaments, Emily wishes for a Christmas like the one on the popular holiday movie series, Sugarplum . To her surprise, the wish brings Sugarplum herself into the real world. While Sugarplum's enthusiasm, magic and book of holiday rules seems to quickly turn the holiday around for Emily, including getting her entered in a national home decoration competition, she and Sugarplum soon learn the magic doesn't work quite the same in the real world, putting a happy Christmas in even more jeopardy. Who's in it? The movie stars Maggie Lawson , Janel Parrish , Kyra Leroux , Brendon Zub and Avan Stewart. Review: I had some doubts about this film when I first came across an advertisement for it on the Hallmark Chann...

Synopsis: Not wanting to disappoint his mother by having a baby out of wedlock Gus, is planning to marry his pregnant girlfriend, Selene, but her previous marriage is putting things on hold until she can locate her husband and get a divorce. Shawn tries to help but accidentally discovers Selene doesn't really exist and he and Gus try to find out who she is and what she is hiding. Who's in it? The movie stars  James Roday Rodriguez ,  Dulé Hill ,  Timothy Omundson ,  Maggie Lawson ,  Jazmyn Simon and  Kirsten Nelson . Review: This has been on my watch list for a few months and, now that I have a subscription to Peacock, I was finally able to sit down at watch it. Whenever there is a movie (or movie sequel) based on a popular television show, it tends to do one of two things. It either makes you miss the series, or it reminds you why it was time to take the series off the air in the first place. This movie accomplishes both of those things. I thought the ...

  Synopsis: After being shot multiple times and suffering a stroke during surgery, Santa Barbara Police Chief Carlton Lassiter is forced to recover in a hospital with no memory of why he was doing prior to being ambushed. When he suspects something is a bit off about the hospital, he asks Shawn and Gus to help him by secretly investigating but they don't know if Carlton, who is also seeing the "ghost" of his father, is just imagining things. Who's in it? The movie stars James Roday Rodriguez , Dule Hill , Timothy Omundson , Maggie Lawson and Kirsten Nelson . Review: Even though part of me wanted to watch this movie when it first came out a couple years ago, I wound up putting it off, mostly because I didn't enjoy the first movie as much as I was hoping to. However,  I had some free time yesterday afternoon and couldn't find much else to watch so I finally decided to put it on. After seeing the movie, I can honestly say I enjoyed it more than the first film...

Synopsis: Three years after leaving Santa Barbara and following his fiancee, Juliet, to San Francisco, fake psychic detective Shawn Spencer is struggling to find the same success he previously had. On top of it, his relationship with Juliet seems to be on the rocks because his grandmother's wedding ring was stolen and he refuses to marry her until he finds it. When Juliet's new partner is gunned down in his apartment, Shawn forces his way into the investigation and learns someone from his fiancee's past is seeking revenge. Who's in it? The movie stars James Roday , Dule Hill , Maggie Lawson , Kirsten Nelson , Corbin Bersen and Kurt Fuller . Review: When I heard they were going to air a movie based on the television show Psych, I was almost giddy (and that doesn't happen very often). That show, along with the show Monk, was on my must-watch list and I didn't miss an episode. In fact, I was very disappointed when it was no longer on Netflix and I coul...