Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: While searching for a lost Civil War ironclad he believes is in the land-locked African country of Mali, explorer Dirk Pitt and his partners offer passage to a pair of doctors from the World Health Organization and wind up being caught in the middle of a violent cover up related to a mysterious disease that is sweeping the war-torn country. Who's in it? The movie stars Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn , Penelope Cruz , William H. Macy and Lennie James . Review: My wife surprised me by ordering out for dinner last night so, since I didn't need to cook, I was able to spend that extra time finding a movie for us to watch. It had been a while since I last watched Sahara (nearly a decade) and when I came across it on one of our movie channels, that was the pick. It had been long enough since my last viewing for me to not remember a whole lot about the movie other than I had enjoyed it every other time I watched it. After seeing it again last night, my opinion remained ...

Synopsis: For 1,000 years, Santa Claus, the spawn of Satan, has been cursed to deliver presents to children around the world. Now that the 1,000 years is up, he is free to return to his murderous ways and takes his wrath out on a small town in Canada. It's up to teenager Nicholas Yuleson to stop him. Who's in it? The movie stars Bill Goldberg, Douglas Smith, Emilie de Raven, Dave Thomas and Fran Drescher. Review: My wife and I were having a slow start to our Christmas Eve and as we were scrolling through channels, came across Santa's Slay . I had lowered expectations about this movie, but it ended up being surprisingly good. I think the thing I liked best about this film is it found just the right amount of balance to be a decent horror/comedy. The film clearly wasn't taking itself seriously and keeping things entertaining but the filmmakers knew to stop before it reached a point it was too goofy. It actually reminded me a lot of a 1980s horror film even though it wa...

Synopsis: Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta live in a complex with others they believe to be survivors of a global viral pandemic waiting their turn to go to "the island," the last region of the world that is not infected. When Jordan has her name chosen in the lottery, she thinks her dream of going to the island has finally come true. However, an unusually curious Lincoln discovers the truth - there was no pandemic and the lottery "winners" are instead being chosen to have their organs harvested. Who's in it? The movie stars Scarlett Johansson , Ewan McGregor ,  Djimon Hounsou , Sean Bean , Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi . Review: I was in the mood to watch a movie yesterday evening and looked for one while my wife took a shower. I was undecided about some of the newer movies so decided to keep things simple and pick out an old favorite, The Island . It had been a while since I last watched this movie, and I was surprised by a few things I had f...

Synopsis: After attending her grandmother's funeral in Dallas, hotel manager Lisa Reisert takes a red-eye flight back to her home in Miami. While standing in line to check in, she meets Jackson Rippner, who charms her into having a drink while waiting for their weather-delayed flight. She is then later pleasantly surprised to find he is seated next to her on the plane. However, not long after the plane is in the air, Lisa learns Jackson isn't the nice guy he seems to be. Instead, he's part of a domestic terrorist group plotting to assassinate the director of Homeland Security in her hotel and, if she doesn't help them, her father will die. Who's in it? The movie stars Rachel McAdams , Cillian Murphy , Brian Cox , Jayma Mays and Jack Scalia. Review: After scrolling through movies for more than thirty minutes yesterday evening and finding myself unsure if any of the newer ones were worth watching, I decided to instead go with a film I remember being good but hadn...

Synopsis: Wisconsin dental supply salesman Andy Fiddler is in Detroit for a convention. When he sits down at a diner with a copy of the USA Today, he is mistaken for ATF Agent Derrick Vann, who is trying to set up a sting, catch a gang of gun dealers who killed his partner and prove he isn't a dirty cop. Since the gun dealers now believe Fiddler is the wannabe buyer, Vann forces him to help with the operation. However, between Fiddler's resistance and his inability to stay quiet, it doesn't take long for Vann to realize it might be a mistake. Who's in it? The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson , Eugene Levy , Miguel Ferrer , Susie Essman and Luke Goss. Review: I ended up deciding to watch The Man with my wife yesterday evening mostly out of curiosity. The Jackson/Levy pairing seemed just unusual enough to at least give it a try. However, at the same time, I had lowered expectations because while Jackson can carry a film, I've found Levy's comedy tends to be bette...

Synopsis: Ten months after going undercover at the Miss United States pageant and stopping the bad guy while finishing as the runner-up, FBI agent Gracie Hart is a published author and talk show celebrity, causing her to grow conceited and shallow. When kidnappers abduct the pageant winner, Cheryl Fraser and contest host Stan Fields, Gracie travels to Las Vegas to help with the investigation. However, she soon learns her input in the case is unwelcome and is forced to once again ignore orders and investigate the case herself. Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Bullock , Regina King , Heather Burns , William Shatner and  Enrique Murciano. Review: After re-watching Miss Congeniality earlier this week, my wife and I decided to watch the movie's sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous , which we may had seen before but neither of us could remember. We did that last night and wound up with a mixed opinion. The overall concept isn't terrible. I thought the mystery s...

Synopsis: Still grieving her husband and daughter's deaths following a car accident, the thrill-seeking Sarah joins her former friend, Juno, and a group of other women on a spelunking adventure. However, instead of exploring a well-known cavern as they are led to believe, they enter an unexplored cave system, only to have nobody know where they are when they are trapped by a cave in. Making matters worse is they are not alone. Who's in it? The movie stars Shauna Macdonald , Natalie Mendoza , Alex Reid , Saskia Mulder and MyAnna Buring . Review: Given the choice between 60s night at karaoke or staying home and watching a movie my wife (who was tired from 50s night at karaoke the night before) chose the latter and decided she'd pick the movie as well. She decided on The Descent even though she had watched it by herself some time ago. As it turns out, it was a good choice. Overlooking the fact this is one of those movies that relies on at least one of the characters being...

Synopsis: When a research lab on Mars is locked down for unknown reasons, a group of marines are sent to the planet to investigate and soon discover a problem that presents a danger to themselves and to Earth. Who's in it? The movie stars Dwayne Johnson , Karl Urban ,  Rosamund Pike ,  Deobia Oparei and Ben Daniels. Review: There wasn't much on television yesterday evening, so my wife and I decided to watch a movie. Since she was tired after being in the sun most of the day, I decided to skip the movies on our preferred list and pick something that looked like it would be reasonably entertaining. That ended up being this film. My wife and I both were sure we had seen this movie before but neither of us could remember anything about it. As it turns out, the most likely reason for that was we didn't think it was very memorable. I think the thing that really hurts this film is, as is the case with the video games that inspired them, it's difficult to watch this movie wit...

Synopsis: As America edges closer to victory in its war with Japan, a group of Army Rangers embark on a dangerous mission to liberate 500 soldiers that have been held as prisoners of war for the past three years. Not only are they outnumbered, one wrong move could result in the prisoners being executed before they can be saved. Who's in it? The movie stars Benjamin Bratt , James Franco , Robert Mammone , Max Martini and Connie Nielsen . Review: I intended on watching this movie over the course of a few days, while I was walking on the treadmill a lunch. However, my wife was busy with a sewing project last night and, since she wasn't in the room with me, I figured I would finish it. Overall, I enjoyed this film. While I did feel some of the characters (especially from the Japanese side) were a bit one dimensional and did question just how historically accurate the film was, I thought it wound up being an entertaining movie. The film did a great job describing the obs...