Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis:  High school senior Bianca Piper learns she is the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her social group and, determined to both shake the label and gain the confidence to ask her crush out on a date, she convinces her popular neighbor, Wesley Rush, to assist her in exchange for helping him pass science. However, thanks to a school bully, their efforts wind up making her even less popular. Who's in it? The movie stars Mae Whitman , Robbie Amell , Bella Thorne , Skyler Samuels , Bianca A. Santos , Allison Janney and Ken Jeong . Review: I ended up getting this movie on DVD through Netflix after my wife saw a trailer for it and said she wanted to watch it. We ended up finally seeing the film earlier tonight. I am always a bit skeptical when it comes to romantic comedies. This is because many of them tend to be extremely hypocritical by sharing a message about the importance of women being happy with who they are but, at the same time, telling them their life isn't going...

Synopsis: While playing an erratic round of golf, Bobby Jones finds a stranger at the bottom of a cliff. It is too late to save the man's life but Bobby is with him when he mutters his last words, "why didn't they ask Evans?" The death is ruled accidental but when someone tries to poison Bobby, his friend Lady Frances Derwent, suspects the deceased man was pushed and the pair decide to investigate. Review: It had been a while since I took the time to read an Agatha Christie mystery so, while I was at the library last week, I picked up this book. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it but it turned out to be one of my favorites. I think the thing that intrigued me about this book was the way it seemed to have multiple storylines that may or may not be related to each other. Bobby and "Frankie" came across multiple possible suspects ranging from a man who was left alone with the body to a doctor that may or may not be planning to kill his wife but, ...

Synopsis: A specially-modified naval submarine is sent to the North Pole to investigate a series of ship disappearances. They ultimately discover a flying saucer. Who's in it? The movie stars Arthur Franz , Tom Conway , Brett Halsey , Dick Foran and Paul Dubov . Review: I ended up picking out this movie to watch early this morning mostly becaue it had a shorter runtime but also because I enjoyed the last submarine movie I watched . Unfortunately, while this sounded good in the description, I wasn't as big of a fan of this film as I thought I would be. My biggest problem with this movie was there was an awful lot of talking for a film that sounded like it would have a lot of action. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if they would ever do anything exciting at all. It didn't help that the movie, at times, seemed like it was more of a military propaganda film than anything else, especially when the ship's commander (Franz) was arguing with a pacifist scientist (Halsey)...

Synopsis: Disc jockey Garry Nelson has successfully used rock music to reduce juvenile delinquency in his town. Despite this, his television show is at risk of being canceled because of a militant group of concerned citizens that object to the songs he plays. His only hope is to defend rock and roll in a publically-broadcasted trial. Who's in it? The movie stars Mike Connors , Sterling Holloway , Lisa Gaye , Margaret Dumont and Fats Domino. Review: I decided to change things up yesterday morning and, instead of selecting a murder mystery, looked for something a bit different. This film sounded interesting and I wound up watching it. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much from this movie. From the description, it sounded like it was a film that would mostly showcase some of the stars from the time period. And, I wasn't completely wrong, a good chunk of this movie featured performers like Fats Domino and Big Joe Turner. The overall movie, however, turned out to be bett...

Synopsis : When Elizabeth Tudor was named queen of England in 1558, her kingdom was on the verge of financial ruin and her life was under constant threat from those who did not want to see her in power. This non-fiction book tells the story of how she used private merchant vessels and pirates to rebuild the kingdom and turn it into an empire. Review: I was in the mood to read something educational and, now that our library has re-opened following a COVID-related shut down, I took the time to visit the non-fiction section. This book looked somewhat interesting, so I decided to give it a try. Overall, I have to say I was happy with that decision. The book, as advertised, does go into detail about Elizabeth's dealings with the likes of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. However, as I read the book, I found I was less interested in them than I was Elizabeth herself and, in particular, how she used an amazing amount of cunning to keep the wolves from getting in the door. The aut...

Synopsis: An efficient but unliked naval officer is given command of a World War II submarine with orders to locate missing Japanese ships. His orders are to avoid engaging in combat with enemy ships, something that leads to tension with his crew. Who's in it? The movie stars John Bentley , Brett Halsey , Wayne Heffley , Steve Mitchell and Henry McCann. Review : I don't watch war movies on a regular basis but, every so often, will come across one that looks interesting. That was the case with this film, which I watched earlier today, and, after seeing it, I do have to say I enjoyed it. The overall plot of this movie is somewhat unique. The sub's new commander, Paul Turner (Bentley) has strict orders not to fire on other ships, to avoid giving away his reconnaissance mission, and while the orders make some sense and he even goes out of his way to share them with his officers, the tension over them steadily grows as they pass up one target after another and even come under...

Synopsis:  Convicted of treason after helping a rebel during the Monmouth Rebellion against King James II, Dr. Peter Blood is sold into slavery in India. He is purchased by the niece of a local military commander and, with her help, becomes the governor's physician. However, despite his relatively easy workload, Blood's desire to be a free man results in him escaping with other slaves and becoming a pirate captain. Who's in it? The movie stars Errol Flynn , Olivia de Havilland , Lionel Atwill , Basil Rathbone and Ross Alexander. Review: I have seen bits and pieces of this movie over the years but had never actually taken the time to watch the film in its entirety. I changed that this weekend when, feeling a bit lazy on Sunday, decided to finally watch it. After doing so, I have to say it has become one of my favorite pirate movies. The overall story was an intriguing one. Blood (Flynn) starts out as a former soldier determined to choose helping people over violence but, ...