Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When a famous movie producer, Harold Hecuba ( Phil Silvers ), crashes his plane on the island, the castaways see an opportunity to be rescued. When he insults Ginger ( Tina Louise ) and she refuses to leave the island, they attempt to remedy the situation by putting on a musical version of Hamlet . My Thoughts: I know I've said this before but why don't they have a signal fire already built? Ultimately, it didn't make any sort of difference this time around since Hecuba's plane was crashing but, under normal circumstances, the time they spend trying to gather up firewood seems like a good way to miss out on being rescued. It's also not as though it would hurt anything to keep one burning at all times, just in case they don't see a plane or boat as it passes. I am going to take a moment to give a shout out for the legendary Phil Silvers. This was a character that had to be memorable and enjoyable to watch while, at the same time, not be something tha...

Synopsis : Two years after her police officer husband was killed in the line of duty, a former beauty pageant winner, Ali Reed, runs a successful hair salon while secretly helping the police chief solve crimes. When a local pageant organizer is murdered and a new detective considers her sister one of the suspects, Ali decides to conduct her own investigation, putting her life in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Julie Gonzalo , Ryan McPartlin , Eva Tamargo , Grace Beedie and Lynda Boyd. Review: When I saw the preview for this Hallmark movie, I was somewhat intrigued by what looked like a decent murder mystery and added it to my library. Since my wife and I had some extra time yesterday evening, I selected the film. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I think my main problem with this movie was the case wasn't nearly as hard to solve as it should have been. My wife guessed at the killer not that long after the murder took place and, frankly, the onl...

Synopsis : A vintage toy company owner, Megan Miller, wouldn't miss her younger sister's wedding for anything. However, an airline strike has left her stranded in Denver and she finds herself driving to Wichita, Kansas with her bitter rival from high school, Alden Brown. As a series of misfortunes threaten to keep her from reaching her sister's wedding, she begins to realize Alden isn't as bad as she first thought. Who's in it? The movie stars Natalie Hall , Corey Sevier , Julia Borsellino , Elana Dunkelman and Wendy German. Review : I added this Hallmark movie to our library a few days ago, figuring it would be something my wife would enjoy watching. Even though it wasn't my first choice yesterday evening, I put the movie on at her request. As it turns out, it was better than I was expecting it to be. I'm not going to lie, this movie is about as predictable as you would expect it to be, to the point I probably written the script myself. This includes the l...

Synopsis: After he and his dad move into a new house following his mom's suicide, the mute and asthmatic Dylan discovers a spell book in one of the closets and, while his dad is at work, decides to use it to summon a djinn so he can restore his ability to talk. The spell works but, to get his wish, he first must survive an hour with the murderous entity. Who's in it? The movie stars Ezra Dewey , Rob Brownstein , Tevy Poe and John Erickson . Review: I went to the library a couple days ago in search of a different movie. When I discovered that one was already checked out, I ended up picking out this film instead.  To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we'd enjoy this film and almost put it back on the shelf. I have been disappointed by most horror films lately and figured this movie would end up in that same category. However, it turned out to be a good decision. I think the thing I liked most about this film was the way it portrayed the horror without any sort of dial...

Synopsis: While running an organic farm with her dad and son, Sarah finds a strange man in her barn who claims to be from the 18th century and the son of Rip Van Winkle. Believing Rip is a veteran suffering from PTSD, Sarah hires him as a ranch hand to give him a chance to figure things out. However, over time, she both begins to believe his story and develop feelings for him. Who's in it? The movie stars Torrey DeVitto , Niall Matter , Joshua Black , Eric Keenleyside and Ben Wilkinson. Review: My wife and I have been somewhat disappointed by the horror movies we've watched lately and, because of that, I decided to change things up a bit by watching this Hallmark film. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but it turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. I think the thing I liked the most about this film was the way the romance between Sarah (DeVitto) and Rip (Matters) didn't feel forced, as is the case with plenty of other films in thi...

Synopsis: After Mildred Joiner's fiancé reveals he is an embezzler and breaks off their engagement, the humiliated secretary withdraws everything in her savings and decides to take an extended trip. She picks up a hitchhiker, Fern Driscoll, only to have Fern Force Mildred's car off the road. When her passenger is killed in the accident, Mildred sees an opportunity to start her life over and steals Fern's identity. However, Fern had issues of her own and, when Mildred finds herself facing blackmail, she goes to Perry Mason for advice, not knowing she will soon be charged with murder. Review: This book, at first glance, seemed a bit thicker than some of the others I've read, and, because of that, I thought it would take me longer to read it. However, I managed to make it through the mystery in a reasonable amount of time, finishing it last night. After reading the final page, I concluded it wasn't my favorite book in the Perry Mason series. Overall, I thought the ca...

My daughters had a school outing at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend, WI today. Here are some of the photos I was able to take: