Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After first using the atomic bomb in World War II, the United States wanted to remain the top nuclear power and began conducting a series of tests in Nevada in the 1950s and 60s. This documentary discusses those tests and the impact they had. Who's in it? The movie is directed by Tom Jennings. Review: I took the day off today because it's my daughter's birthday and, while waiting for her to get out of bed, decided to educate myself with a documentary. After some consideration, I decided on A-Bombs over Nevada and it turned out to be a good choice. I knew a little bit about the height of the cold war and the rush to build more and more powerful atomic weapons a couple decades before I was born. This included knowing about the testing that occurred in Nevada, not far from Las Vegas. This movie did a great job filling in the blanks and teaching me a lot of things I didn't know. One of the first things that really stood out for me when watching this movie was t...

Synopsis: Forced to commit acts of violence to repay the millions he owes the Russian mob, Hutch Mansell decides he needs a break and goes on vacation with his family to Plummerville, Wisconsin, a tourist trap he visited as a kid, resulting in one of his few happy memories. However, an altercation at an arcade on his first night there quickly escalates, putting Hutch at odds with the local police and then the crime boss they work for. Who's in it? The movie stars Bob Odenkirk , Connie Nielsen , Christopher Lloyd , John Ortiz, Sharon Stone and Colin Hanks. Review: My wife and I watched Nobody a few days ago and enjoyed it enough to want to see the sequel. So, with nothing better to do yesterday evening, thanks mostly to the ungodly heat and humidity outside, we settled down on the couch and watched Nobody 2 . After seeing it, I think I liked the original a bit more but also think this is one of the few sequels that manages to recapture at least some of the magic. I think the thi...

Synopsis: While dining at a restaurant with his secretary, private investigator Oliver Keith is approached by his friend, Julia Sayre, who asks him for his help because she believes her new, wealthy husband, Albert, is in some sort of trouble and she'd like to know what he is hiding. However, when they return to Albert's office, they discover the art dealer has been murdered and later learn $100,000 in government bonds have been stolen from a safe only Albert and Julia knew the combination to. Who's in it? The movie stars Reginald Denny, Patricia Farr, Dorothy Revier, Jameson Thomas and Lew Kelly. Review: After a short walk to the Kwik Trip a couple blocks from my office, I realized it was getting too hot/humid for a longer walk and decided to watch a movie at lunch instead. This ended up being  The Lady in Scarlet,  which I came across last week and thought sounded interesting. After watching it, I can say it more than met my expectations. The murder mystery turned out...

Synopsis: Cowboy Chris Morrell is caring for Nina, a young half Native American whose white father abandoned her now-deceased mother before she was born. When a piece of land leased in her mother's name strikes oil, Chris seeks to find Nina's father and gain guardianship of the girl to help her cash in on the newly discovered wealth and be taken care of. However, a gang of outlaws led by Sam Black are looking to steal the claim, putting Nina in danger. As a further complication, Chris is framed for an armed robbery. Who's in it? The movie stars John Wayne , Sheila Terry , Shirley Jean Rickert, Yakima Canutt and Jack Rockwell. Review: I must have forgotten what day it was because I overslept by nearly thirty minutes this morning. However, I have a built-in time buffer and modified morning routine for that very scenario and still had time to watch a short film before I needed to worry about heading into the office. This resulted in ' Neath the Arizona Skies being the ...

Synopsis: After years of working as an "auditor" and killing people on behalf of multiple government agencies, Hutch Mansell has retired and is attempting to live an ordinary life as an accountant, husband and father. However, a home break-in sets off a series of events that awakens his violent side, and Hutch finds himself in a feud with a Russian mobster that increasingly grows more violent. Who's in it? The movie stars Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielson , Christopher Lloyd and Colin Salmon. Review: When my wife and I recently came across Nobody 2 , we realized we never saw the first film and made sure to add it to our library so we could correct that. We finally watched Nobody last night and both enjoyed it. I think the thing I found I liked most about this film was how there was a good mix of comedy, but I could still describe it as an action thriller. That isn't always a combination that works in films like this. Some end up becoming too goofy...

I managed to get out by the lake with my camera for a bit this morning before heading into the office. I didn't get in as much of a walk as I would have preferred though. There was a flock of geese blocking the way and I didn't want to do anything to scare them (or get me attacked) so I turned around. Despite cutting the walk short, I did still manage to get some photos (which is more than I could say about my walk at lunch). Here are a few of them: ________________________________________________________________________ Here are some previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (5/6/2026) Just a Nest Photo Morning and Lunchtime Walk Photos 4/23/2024