Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: A soldier, Tommy, returns home to his wife, Rose, but has obvious signs of PTSD. He surprises Rose on Halloween by offering to take her to a haunted hayride event. However, he soon begins acting strangely then disappears completely. Waiting at home for him, Rose suddenly finds her life in danger from a masked assailant. She assumes it's Tommy but soon learns she may be wrong. Who's in it? The movie stars Emily Van Raay , Andrew Creer , Stephanie Moran , Bradley Hamilton and Michelle Treacy. Review: I came across this movie yesterday morning and, since the description made it sound like an interesting slasher flick, added it to my library. My wife and I decided to watch it last night and, 90 minutes later, regretted the decision. I think the movie's premise had potential. Since Tommy (Creer) had some serious mental health issues, the film had the flexibility to go a number of different directions ranging from him being a reluctant hero to him becoming the bad g...

  My wife came across this product a few weeks ago and, since I was able to find it for a reasonable price, I decided to buy it as a family Christmas gift.  We got quite a bit of use out of our toaster oven, but it took up quite a bit of counter space and my wife and I both agreed there were times when we wished we just had a plain toaster. This seemed like a good alternative and so far, at least, it seemed like a good decision. While it doesn't hold as much as our other toaster oven, it does seem to be a lot more convenient. When we make things like toast, frozen waffles and bagels (which is the majority of what we make in a toaster oven), we can use this just like a regular toaster. The settings are easy to understand, and everything has turned out toasted perfectly. The one time we used it as an oven, for chicken nuggets, they came out perfectly baked without taking nearly as long as the other oven. I also like the flip technology as a space-saving feature. When it's not in...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book talks about Jack Welch, who took over as CEO of General Electric in 1981 and fundamentally changed the company by creating a policy that maximized investor profits at the expense of the employees, a model the author argues destroyed capitalism when other companies followed suit. Review: I came across this book at my local library a few days ago and, while it isn't something I probably wouldn't normally read, decided to give it a try. Overall, I have to say it was an interesting book. I always read books like this with a bit of a grain of salt because you don't always know the author's motivations. However, in this case, I do think Gelles made some fundamentally sound arguments regarding General Electric's policies in the 1980s, effectively changing both that company and similar companies by getting away from being a place where people could expect life-long employment and top-level compensation and benefits to being at risk of a lay...

Synopsis: Actor Nicolas Cage is facing financial hardship, is in the middle of a divorce and is struggling to connect with his teenage daughter. After getting turned down for a coveted movie role, he reluctantly accepts $1 million to attend a superfan's birthday party on the island nation of Majorca only to have the CIA enlist his help because his host, Javi, is a suspected arms dealer who may have kidnapped a politician's daughter. Who's in it? The movie stars Nicolas Cage , Pedro Pascal , Tiffany Haddish , Sharon Horgan and Lily Mo Sheen. Review: Since my wife is a big Nick Cage fan, I added this movie to our library when it first became available. However, both of us were a bit undecided about it and ultimately didn't get around to watching it until this evening. After seeing it, I have to admit it was a lot better than I was expecting. I've been trying to think of a good way to describe this movie but have finally admitted to myself I just don't know how ...

Synopsis: After stabbing her abusive husband, who is also a police officer, Katie takes a bus from Boston to Southport, North Carolina, starts a new life and falls for a widowed store owner, Alex, and his two kids. However, just as she is starting to feel safe, her past catches up to her and puts both her life and the lives of her new family at risk. Who's in it? The movie stars Julianne Hough , Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders , David Lyons and Irene Ziegler. Review: My wife has the book this movie is based off of but has never gotten around to reading it. So, when I came across the movie this afternoon, I decided to watch it with her. I wasn't expecting much but enjoyed the film as much as she did. I think the thing I liked most about this movie was the fact it wasn't as predictable as most romantic films are. The movie does a good job of withholding important details regarding what happened in Boston and that, in turn, made it harder to predict what would end up happeni...

Synopsis: Struggling to come up with a new sound for the Foo Fighters' 10th album, Dave Grohl convinces the band to move into an Encino mansion with a checkered history. He is eventually possessed by an evil spirit that wants his band to complete a lengthy song with the ability to release a demon. The band continues to follow his instructions but notice his odd behavior, which includes eating raw meat and murder. Who's in it? The movie stars Dave Grohl , Nate Mendel , Pat Smear , Taylor Hawkins , Rami Jaffee and Chris Shiflett . Review: I came across this movie a few weeks ago and added it to my library because it sounded interesting or, as I told my wife, sounded like a really bad Scooby Doo! episode. We got around to watching it yesterday evening and my opinion of it was mixed. I will give the movie some points for uniqueness. The whole haunted house/possession thing has been done before but this is the first time I've seen a movie take it to a different level by usin...

Synopsis: A year after a serious car accident left her traumatized and depressed, a pregnant woman moves to a vineyard with her husband in the hopes of starting a new life. However, shortly after arriving, she begins to experience a series of hallucinations. Are they supernatural? Or are they being caused by her decision to stop taking her pills? Who's in it?  The movie stars  Isla Fisher ,  Anson Mount ,  Gillian Jacobs , Jim Parsons ,  and  Eva Longoria . Review: After watching several Christmas movies in a row, my wife and I were in the mood for something different and, even though I sort of remembered watching this film a few years ago, put it on. Even though there were a few things that felt familiar about it, I couldn't remember much about the movie and rewatching it turned out to be a good decision. At first, this seems like your typical haunted house movie. Eveleigh (Fisher) sees and experiences strange things inside the house and on the property bu...