Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After being acquitted for killing his wealthy father in a hunting accident, artist Elliott Freeman, a Korean War veteran, lives as a recluse on his family's estate, painting portraits. When his model, Dolores, is murdered, Elliott becomes the primary suspect. Things become even more complicated for him when another murder is committed. Who's in it? The movie stars Lee Phillips , James Farentino , Day Tuttle , Shepperd Strudwick and Margot Hartman . Review: I came across this movie a couple days ago and finally got around to watching it this morning. From the limited description I was given, I wasn't completely sure what to expect but it ended up being an entertaining film. I am always going to be a fan of a good murder mystery, and this is a movie that fits that category. In addition to Elliott (Phillips), there were plenty of other good murder suspects that had both familiarity and opportunity with both murder victims. This included the local thug, Charlie (F...

Synopsis: Already on edge after getting his face slashed in a fight, Chet Marco begins to go off the deep end when his older brother, Duke, is executed for a murder he claims he didn't commit. Chet begins to grow angrier and paranoid as he seeks to get revenge on the people he feels are responsible for his brother's death. Who's in it? The movie stars Darrell Howe , Ronnie Burns , Pamela Lincoln , Judy Howard and Michael Granger. Review: I added this movie to my library a couple weeks ago but was undecided about whether or not I wanted to watch it, mostly because the description didn't make it sound overly interesting. I wound up watching it this morning regardless, mostly because it was the only film in my library that was short enough to be watched in the limited amount of time I had. Overall, I have to say the movie was better than I was expecting it to be. However, I still found I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. One of the biggest problems wi...

Synopsis: In 1886, Paris Magistrate Simon Cordier gives audience to a murderer he has sentenced to be executed. When the prisoner, Louis Girot, claims the murders were the result of an unseen entity controlling his body, Cordier doesn't believe him. However, when Cordier accidentally kills Girot in self-defense, he begins hearing a strange, disembodied, voice that eventually compels him to commit murder himself. Who's in it? The movie stars Vincent Price , Nancy Kovack , Chris Warfield , Elaine Devry and Ian Wolfe. Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and, mostly because I am a Vincent Price fan, I decided to add it to my library. I had an opportunity to watch the film yesterday evening, while waiting for my daughter to get done at the ice rink and the movie more than met my expectations. One thing I found I liked about this movie was the way the "Horla" is portrayed. The movie does a fairly decent job of creating doubt about the unseen entity's pre...

Synopsis: The wealthy but unwell Silas Wayne summons both his heirs and two police officers to his den with the intention of having one of his family members arrested. He is somehow stabbed in front of all the witnesses, leaving behind an un-signed will. Everyone in the room is a suspect and Detective-Sergeant Mitchell must figure out who committed the murder and how. He has help from an ambitious female reporter, 'Nosey' Toodles. The movie is also known as The Wayne Murder Case . Who's in it? The movie stars Regis Toomey , June Clyde , Lucille La Verne , Dwight Frye and Fred "Snowflake" Toones. Review: I came across this movie a couple weeks ago and, despite not much information from the description, added it to my library for when I wanted to watch a movie and didn't have a lot of extra time (the film is only about an hour in length). I honestly didn't expect too much from the film, but it ended up being a halfway decent murder mystery. I think the t...

Synopsis: In 1898, three years after discovering the tomb of Princess Ananka in Egypt and bringing her mummified corpse and artifacts to the British Museum, archaeologist John Banning, along with his father and uncle, are hunted down by Kharis, a 4000-year-old mummy tasked with protecting Ananka.  Who's in it? The movie stars Peter Cushing , Christopher Lee , Yvonne Furneaux , Eddie Byrne and George Pastell. Review: My wife and daughters were out shopping most of the day yesterday so, after finishing some tasks I wanted to do, I killed some time watching movies. I came across this film and, having never seen it, decided to give it a chance. While I didn't like it as much as the 1999 Brendan Fraser version (still my favorite), this one still ended up being fairly decent. I think the thing I liked most about this movie was just how bad-ass Kharis (Lee) was. Unlike some other versions of this story (including the 1932 Boris Karloff version ), this movie's mummy was somewh...

My wife and I are currently binge-watching the show The Big Bang Theory (first time for her, second time for me) and, as we watch/re-watch the episodes, we find ourselves comparing the series to another favorite, Friends .  While I do think the former has a slight edge overall, partly because the material isn't as dated as the 90s sitcom now is, there were also some things Friends  did better, making me want to attempt some comparisons. After some thought, I decided to start with the shows' couples. For simplicity purposes, I am focusing solely on the primary pairings. In the case of Big Bang Theory , it would be the seven starring characters, and, with Friends , I am using the show's couples at the end of the series.   Ross and Rachel ( Friends ) versus Leonard and Penny ( Big Bang Theory ) At first glance, there are a lot of similarities between these two couples. Both Ross and Leonard had crushes on their future romantic partners long before the romantic interest was ...

Synopsis: Still angry and traumatized by the "soul survivor" escape rooms she survived; Zoey Davis convinces fellow survivor Ben Miller to travel with her to New York in search of proof so people will stop thinking she's crazy and the mysterious Minos Corporation will be held accountable. However, her and Ben soon learn it is all a trap and they are once-again forced to escape a series of deadly rooms, this time with help from other former "champions." Who's in it? The movie stars Taylor Russell , Logan Miller , Deborah Ann Woll , Holland Roden and Indya Moore . Review: I added this movie to my library a few days ago but was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to watch it. This is mostly the result of me not being a huge fan of the first movie , both because it seemed a bit farfetched and because it relied heavily on characters who made bad decisions despite having a lot of time to figure things out. However, the movie was just short enough to be ...