Steven Helmer Publications

 Here are my thoughts from today's Green Bay Packers' 20-17 loss at the Detroit Lions: The offensive line injuries are starting to reach ridiculous levels . A team that has had to patch all season lost both their starting and backup centers on the first drive of the game. Hopefully Sean Rhyan and/or Jacob Monk aren't seriously injured. A shout out to John Williams though. For someone who has probably gotten few, if any, reps at that position, I thought he held up pretty well. He wasn't perfect but also wasn't as much of a disaster as he could have been. I love Daniel Whelan as a punter but after seeing Trey Smack miss a chip shot field goal in what seems to be a continuation of ongoing problems with the kicking game, I am starting to question if he, as the holder, is a big part of the issue. He is the one constant as the Packers have made multiple changes at the kicking position the past few years. If Matt LaFleur loses his job after this season , his decision not...

Synopsis: Newly divorced Sarah moves from Chicago to Pennsylvania with her 17-year-old daughter Elissa. She is able to get a reasonable deal on the rent because four years earlier, a teenager by the name of Carrie Anne murdered her parents in the house next door. Elissa meets Carrie Anne's brother, Ryan, who is fixing up the house to sell it. She begins seeing him, despite her mother's concerns and objections, not knowing he is keeping a secret locked in his basement. Who's in it? The movie stars Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue ,  Max Thieriot , Alexandra MacDonald, Eva Link and Gil Bellows . Review: I was in the mood to watch a movie with my wife this evening and after failing to find a zombie movie that didn't look stupid and I hadn't seen before, I decided on House at the End of the Street. This is a movie I've heard about but surprisingly had not seen before. After watching it, I did not regret my choice to finally watch it. The movie's big twist was...

I would have loved to have been able to sleep in today, but my daughter had to go to work so, while waiting to take her, I killed some time by getting some photographs of the birds taking turns at our front yard feeder.  Here are some of the photos: _______________________________________________________________________ Here are some other bird feeder photos: Bird Feeder Photos (9/7/2026) Front Yard Bird Photos (10/10/2026) Bird Feeder Photos 4/28/2018 and 4/29/2018 Bird Feeder Photos 11/10/2018

Synopsis: A transport plane carrying three passengers crash lands on a remote Caribbean island after picking up a radio signal believed to be from a missing admiral. The men discover and take refuge in a mansion owned by Dr. Miklos Sangre.  Sangre is hospitable but also suspicious and the men soon learn he is both hiding a radio and has been creating an army of zombies that includes his wife, Alyce. Who's in it? The movie stars Dick Purcell , Joan Woodbury , Mantan Moreland , Henry Victor and Marguerite Whitten Review: It's been a while since I last watched a zombie-themed movie, so I decided to give King of the Zombies a chance this morning. After watching it, I would describe it as a film with promise that proved to be a disappointment in no small part because it seemed to have a hard time picking a genre. As far as the main plot goes, it was OK albeit far from original. The island setting, with no apparent means of escape, worked for the zombie theme and I thought ...

Synopsis : A new pharmacist, Ellie Walker ( Elinor Donahue ), comes to Mayberry to help out her uncle. She makes immediate friends with Opie ( Ron Howard ) but winds up butting heads with Andy ( Andy Griffith ) and other townspeople after she refuses to refill pills for Emma Brand ( Cheerio Meredith ) without a prescription. My Thoughts - It's interesting Elinor Donahue got her name mentioned ahead of Don Knotts in the opening sequence. Sure, it's only the third episode of the series, but Knotts' Barney Fife had been part of the show from the beginning, and it wasn't as though he wasn't already just as established as a star as she was. I never realized how much of a role the character Emma Brand had in these early episodes. She was the catalyst for the main conflict between Ellie and Andy and, in Manhunt , was taken hostage. It's sad she only had three more episodes after this one because she is such a funny, colorful character. I blame Ellie's uncle for a...

I have been getting out for my walks before it gets too cold to do so but haven't had a great deal of success photo-wise. Today was better than my last couple outings though and I was able to get some pictures. Here are some of them: ________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (9/24/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/14/2026) Morning Walk Photos (6/3/2026)

Synopsis: Looking for some temporary relief from a heatwave, 77-year-old crossword puzzle setter Judith Potts goes for a late- night swim in the Thames, located behind her mansion in Marlow, and hears shouting, followed by a gunshot, coming from the home of her art dealer neighbor, Stefan Dunwoody. When Stefan's body is found with a bullet in his head, the police want to believe it is a suicide, but Judith insists he was murdered and decides to investigate on her own.  It doesn't take Judith long to settle on a suspect, auction house owner Elliot Howard. However, while Judith is convinced Elliott is responsible, he has an iron-clad alibi. Plus, a second murder committed with the same weapon, an antique handgun, seems to have no connection to him. Fortunately, Judith has reinforcements from Beth, a vicar's wife, and a dog walker, Suzie, because her investigation might put her own life in danger. Review: I checked out The Marlow Murder Club from my library because I came a...