Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After her mom is killed in a tragic surfing accident, Beckett and her father (a famous author) move to Manhattan so she can attend a prestigious prep school. However, when a student commits suicide and Beckett learns it wasn’t the first time, she becomes suspicious. After some investigation, she discovers the school’s faculty members aren’t what they seem. Who's in it? The movie stars Sophie Curtis, Kelly Reilly , Graham Phillips, Sarah Sutherland and Stephanie March. Review: The outdoor chores I had planned for this weekend were put on hold because of rain. Since the rest of the family went out to do their own thing, leaving me in a quiet house, I ended up re-watching Innocence because I couldn't remember a whole lot about it. Now I remember - it isn't a very good movie. There are a couple major problems with this film. The first is it takes an eternity for something to happen in it. Sure, we see her mom die (well, actually, she just disappears) and her classmat...

Synopsis: Twenty years after being the lone survivor of child abductor Elizabeth Caulfield, Christina Bowden has made the most of her second chance, becoming an elementary school teacher and in the process of adopting a 13-year-old foster child. However, things begin to be flipped upside down when Caulfield escapes prison and committing murders while searching for Christina. Who's in it? The movie stars Lexi Johnson, Chukwudi Iwuji, Kaye Tuckerman, Timothy J. Alex and Willow McCarthy. Review: My wife and I decided to stay in for New Year's Eve and, with our daughters spending the night at their grandmother's found a movie to watch while waiting for midnight. We came across The Girl Who Got Away on Netflix a couple days earlier and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be an OK movie. However, it also wasn't much more than that. Overall, I have to say I liked the main story. Caulfield's (Tuckerman) escape couldn't have come at a worse time for Christina ...

Synopsis: Charlie Newton is thrilled when she learns her mom's younger brother, Charlie (the man she is named after) is coming to visit. However, when her uncle arrives, she notices his behavior is erratic and begins to suspect he is wanted for murder when two detectives arrive looking for him. Who's in it?  The movie stars Teresa Wright , Joseph Cotten , Henry Travers, MacDonald Carey and Wallace Ford. Review: I came across Shadow of a Doubt on one our movie channels last night and, since I had the day off and needed a break from running errands, I decided to re-watch it. Since it had been a long time since I last watched it, I didn't remember a whole lot about it. However, the Alfred Hitchcock movie more than lived up to my expectations. I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the mystery surrounding Uncle Charlie (Cotten). He was definitely acting suspiciously. However, since it was a Hitchcock film, I wasn't sure if he was really the killer or if he ...

Synopsis: A man wakes up in a large open grave full of dead bodies and has no memory of who he is or how he got there. He is rescued by a mute woman who doesn’t understand English and makes his way to a house, where he discovers four other people who also have no memory of who they are or what has happened to them. To make matters worse, they seem to be surrounded by a group of crazy and violent people, forcing them to reluctantly work together even though there is evidence one of them might be a murderer. Who's in it?  The movie stars Sharlto Copley , Josie Ho , Erin Richards , Joseph Morgan , Max Wrottesley and Thomas Kretschmann . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Open Grave (2013)

Synopsis: While fishing in the Midwest, journalist Matt Corbin gets caught in a rainstorm, slips on the rocks and hurts his head. After getting lost, he seeks medical attention in a nearly deserted town and finds the residents both secretive and hostile. When he learns the town once was a fishing destination, but a virus killed all the fish, Corbin senses a story and decides to investigate. Soon after, he discovers the residents are making it impossible for him to contact the outside world or leave. Who's in it? The movie stars Elliott Reid , Raymond Burr , Carla Balenda , Edgar Barrier and Otto Waldis. Review: I came across The Whip Hand a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded interesting enough to add to my library. I decided to finally watch it yesterday and this morning and it ended up being a good choice. The film does let the cat out of the bag a little bit in the opening scenes by suggesting it has something to do with the Cold War and the Soviet Union. However, there...

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: In the year 2000, the spaceship, Hope One, is sent on a mission to explore new galaxies and find planets that could be colonized. After encountering an alien craft and being forced to destroy it, Hope One goes off course and crash lands on an Earth-like moon. Who's in it? The movie stars Francine York , James Brown , Russ Bender , Baynes Barron and James Macklin. Review: While I like most black-and-white movies, I've found science fiction films are a bit iffy as far as my viewing enjoyment is concerned. Part of this is the dated references and inaccurate predictions make movies that are supposed to be dramas into comedies but there are also other factors that play a role as well. That was the case with Space Probe Taurus when I watched it earlier today. To be fair, this was a film that I think could have had a lot of potential. The prediction we'd be doing intergalactic by the end of the 20th century was dead wrong and the special effects were what I'd ex...

Synopsis: Natalie Morgan loves to bake and while she has had moderate success selling cupcakes out of a food truck, dreams of having her own bakery. Her wish seems to come true when a recently deceased customer leaves her a historic bakery in her will. There's just one problem, the customer's nephew, Eric, was also left the business and rather than be partners, would prefer to sell the property. Who's in it? The movie stars Nikki Deloach , Dylan Neal , Karen Holness , Alison Wandzura and  Bailey Skodje.  Review: I don't think any of us intended to have a lazy Sunday yesterday but that's pretty much what happened anyway and after spending most of the day watching re-runs of one of our favorite shows, she suggested a Hallmark movie. I've had Truly, Madly, Sweetly in my library for a while and after watching it, thought it was an OK, albeit predictable movie. As far as the plot is concerned, the movie followed the same basic format as most romantic comedies - ...

Synopsis: With his home planet deteriorating, an infant is sent to Earth by his parents and is raised by a pair of farmers who hide his both his alien origins and his superpowers created by the sun. As an adult, Clark Kent moves to Metropolis and gets a job as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Planet while secretly fighting crime as Superman. He soon faces his biggest test though, a master criminal by the name of Lex Luthor, who has control of nuclear weapons. Who's in it? The movie stars Christopher Reeve , Margot Kidder , Gene Hackman , Ned Beatty and Jackie Cooper . Review: The cats, still adjusting to the time change, woke me up earlier than I would have preferred on a Saturday and, since it was too early to go get my wife coffee, I wound up watching Superma n on one of my movie channels. It's been several years since I saw this film in its entirety and, while I'm sure there are those who will disagree, I think this still sets the standard for superhero movies. I thi...

Synopsis: While awaiting execution for a murder he claimed he didn't commit, Dr. Gordon Ramsay is rescued by a former colleague, Sir Joel Cadman, who uses a potion he refers to as "the Black Sleep" to make it look like Ramsay died in his cell. Cadman takes Ramsay to his estate and asks for his help with his medical experiments involving the human brain, which Cadman is performing so he can learn how to remove a tumor from his comatose wife. To Ramsay's horror, Cadman is experimenting on live people and leaving the survivors in a state of madness and deformity. Who's in it? The movie stars Basil Rathbone , Herbert Rudley , Bela Lugosi , Tor Johnson and Lon Chaney, Jr. Review: I came across The Black Sleep on Amazon Prime last night and mostly because it had a who's who of classic horror movie stars in its cast, I decided to watch it this morning. It ended up being a great choice. I think the thing I liked most about this movie was Cadman (Rathbone). He was...

Synopsis: Three years after her mother, an actress, is killed in a car accident, a still mourning Max Cartwright agrees to attend a showing of her mother's most famous movie, a 1986 slasher flick called Camp Bloodbath . When a fire breaks out in the theater, Max and her friends escape but somehow end up in the movie. Unable to escape, they are forced to face the killer, Billy Murphy, while Max bonds with Nancy, the character her mom played in the movie, knowing Nancy is slated to die. Who's in it? The movie stars Taissa Farmiga , Malin Akerman ,  Adam Devine , Thomas Middleditch  and  Alexander Ludwig . Review: I came across The Final Girls on Peacock yesterday evening and ended up picking it mostly because I wasn't finding much else. I had some doubts about the film, mostly because horror/comedies are hard to pull off and most tend to flop, at least in my opinion. However, this proved to be a great pick. I think the thing I liked best about this film was how the movie...

Synopsis: A weekend at a rented mansion with college friends already feels awkward for Haley, who is there with her ex-boyfriend, Grant. When the group discovers a box of old hand-painted tarot cards in the basement they ask a reluctant Haley to read their fortunes. Soon after, they begin being stalked by a long dead cursed astrologer who wants to kill them in a fashion determined by their readings.  Who's in it? The movie stars Harriet Slater , Adain Bradley , Jacob Batalon , Larsen Thompson and  Olwen Fouéré . Review: It had been a while since I had watched a horror movie with my wife and even longer since we found one on Netflix. I resolved both last night when I selected the movie Tarot . Overall, while it was basically what I was expecting it to be, it still turned out to be surprisingly good. I think the best way to describe this movie is it was a combination of Ouija and the Final Destination   series. The group of friends starts out by tempting fate by messin...