Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: An 8-year-old girl, Wen, is vacationing at a remote cabin with her two adoptive dads, Eric and Andrew when a massive man by the name of Leonard walks up to her saying he wants to be her friend. He is soon joined by three others who force their way into the cabin and take Wen and her parents hostage. According to the group, they all shared a vision of the world coming to an end and the only way to prevent the apocalypse is for Wen's family to pick one of their own to sacrifice. Who's in it? The movie stars  Dave Bautista ,  Jonathan Groff ,  Ben Aldridge ,  Rupert Grint and  Kristen Cui. Review: Even though I have mixed feelings about M. Night Shyamalan movies, the trailer for this one made it look refreshingly scary. So, when I came across it on Peacock this week, I added it to my list for family movie night. Unfortunately, while not terrible, the movie did fail to live up to expectations. The premise of the film isn't a bad one. I've seen plenty o...

Synopsis: Seeking a fresh start after the latest round of murders in Woodsboro, Sam, Tara, Chad and Mindy move to New York. The move doesn't change anything, both because of the internet notoriety that followed Sam to the Big Apple and a fresh new Ghostface seeking to finish what the previous incarnations failed to do. Who's in it? The movie stars  Melissa Barrera ,  Jenna Ortega ,  Courteney Cox ,  Mason Gooding and  Dermot Mulroney .  Review: My wife and I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and my gift from her was two tickets to see this movie. We used them earlier today and I wasn't disappointed. Movie reboots often don't work out the way the filmmakers intended. But the Scream franchise has managed to do this in a way that I feel does work. There's a great new group of young actors in the lead roles with just enough reference to the original movies to connect them. This movie wasn't an exception. I think the thing I like most about mo...

Synopsis: After learning her movie director husband has been having an affair with his much-younger leading lady and got her pregnant, a British actress travels to the Caribbean to spend time with her cousin and escape the paparazzi. As she recovers from the shock of his betrayal, she finds romance with a chef. Who's in it? The movie stars  Malin Akerman ,  Connie Nielsen ,  Philip Winchester ,  Jack Donnelly and  William Nadylam . Review: I added this movie to my library mostly because my wife and I are familiar with Philip Winchester from his time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Unfortunately, when we watched the film this evening, we were very disappointed with it. There are a lot of films out there that try to mimic what you would expect to see in a Hallmark movie. Some are OK but others aren't so great. This was one of the latter. One of the biggest problems with this film, in my opinion, is it needed to pick a lane. By that, I mean it either n...

Synopsis: A scientist performs an experiment on the recently executed criminal Charles "The Butcher" Benton and unintentionally brings him back to life and makes him seemingly indestructible. The resurrected Benton immediately begins stalking the three accomplices he believes betrayed him, leaving a wake of dead bodies in his path. Who's in it? The movie stars Lon Chaney Jr. , Max Showalter , Marian Carr , Ross Elliott and Stuart Randall. Review: A spring blizzard ruined any plans I had today and, while waiting for there to be enough snow on the ground to justify using my snow blower, I looked for something to watch. I've had this film on my list for a while now and decided to finally give it a try. The movie turned out not to be quite what I was expecting, it was much more of a crime drama than a classic horror film, but I still enjoyed it. I think the overall plot ended up being a lot better than I thought it would be. I'm still unclear about what the scient...

It's now been more than a week since Aaron Rodgers ended his silence and announced his intention to return for another NFL season and play for the New York Jets. However, while the quarterback's desire is clear, the two teams have yet to reach a trade agreement. There have been multiple rumors about why, ranging from the Jets not wanting to part with the 13th overall pick in this year's draft to disagreements about how much of Rodgers' contract the Packers should absorb. However, a third one, the timing of the trade, might be a good reason for the delay as well. At first glance, it might seem like the best path forward for the Packers is to part ways with their disgruntled player as soon as possible (and I'm still one of the fans who would rather see this not become any more of a distraction than it already has). However, the salary cap implications can't be overlooked. The contract Rodgers signed just last year guarantees him nearly $60 million and a trade woul...

Synopsis: Margaret and Ben take a weekend trip to the woods with their friends Ellie and Thomas and their friends' two children, Lucy and Spencer. While taking a hike, they come across an abandoned building with a staircase leading to a deep pit. The kids seem to be obsessed with it and, when Margaret and Ben decide to let them spend the night in their cabin, wander back into the woods and Ben, chasing after them, witnesses them leap into the pit to their deaths. However, when he returns to the cabins, Ben discovers the kids are still alive but behaving differently. Unfortunately, nobody, including Margaret, believes him. Who's in it? The movie stars  Alisha Wainwright ,  Amanda Crew , Zach Gilford ,  Carlos Santos , Briella Guiza and David Mattle .  Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and, thinking it sounded somewhat interesting, added it to my library. My wife and I watched it yesterday evening and, overall, I thought it was pretty good. I think th...

Synopsis: Survivalist, monster hunter and TV star Burt Gummer is filming his latest series installment when he is hired to travel to South Africa to face a newly discovered "Ass-blaster" infestation. When he arrives, he discovers their version of the prehistoric creature is both larger and more advanced, something that is bad news because South Africa's strict gun laws have left him with a very limited arsenal. Who's in it?  The movie stars Michael Gross , Jamie Kennedy , Pearl Thusi , Natalie Becker and Brandon Auret. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015) (wizzley.com)