Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When former police officer Luke Fitzwilliam meets Miss Fullerton while traveling on a train to London, he thinks the woman may be a tad bit crazy. After all, her stories of people being murdered seemed a bit fantastic. However, when Miss Fullerton is killed later that same day and the doctor she predicted would be the next victim dies a short time later, he begins to believe there may be something to her tale and chooses to investigate. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-murder-is-easy-1939/

Like many people, my wife and I watched the record-breaking 21st season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last night. Overall, I enjoyed the episode, which featured Lieutenant Olivia Benson ( Mariska Hargitay ) and her team investigating a movie producer ( Ian McShane ) accused of raping wannabe actresses. However, when she was promoted to captain at the end of the episode, her third promotion in the past 6 seasons, I honestly couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit. Yes, the promotion came mostly as a gift from the departing Chief Dodds ( Peter Gallagher ). And, I'm sure you could argue she deserves it after all the success her team has had. However, there are several reasons why the promotion seems unwarranted and even a little forced, at least in my opinion. You can read the rest of my story here:  https://wizzley.com/why-i-m-questioning-olivia-benson-s-promotion-to-captain/

Synopsis: In the early 19th century, disgraced former vice president Aaron Burr sought to take advantage of civil unrest in the western part of the fledgling United States by forming an army, conquering land and forming his own country. He was eventually accused and stood trial for treason. This non-fiction book examines the conspiracy and the players that were involved. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-aaron-burr-conspiracy-to-treason-2001/

Synopsis: A talented all-female volleyball team gets stranded in the middle of nowhere on their way back from a game and are hunted by a group of cannibals. Their only hope for survival is to work together as a team. But, their constant, petty bickering prevents that from happening and, as a result, their lives are in serious danger. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-girls-with-balls-2018/

Synopsis: With truce talks making progress and the war about to wind down, the staff of the 4077th looks forward to saying their goodbyes and finally going home to their families. But, first, they must deal with being the target of enemy shells, a wildfire that threatens to destroy the camp and their chief surgeon's mental breakdown. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/m-a-s-h-episode-review-goodbye-farewell-and-amen-1983/

Synopsis: The morning after finally escaping a time loop that had her re-living her murder over and over again on her birthday, Tree Gelbman learns the loop was created by a science experiment being conducted by Ryan, Carter's roommate. When she finds out Ryan is now caught in a similar loop, she tries to help him. However, something goes wrong and she winds up, once again, re-living her birthday. Only, this time, she's also in a different dimension with a different killer. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-happy-death-day-2u-2019/

Synopsis: While spending his college break with his brother, Peyton, Evan meets a group of friends renting a near-by house and decides to spend the weekend partying with them instead. While telling horror stories around the fire, Evan reads a poem he discovered on the internet and accidentally summons a shape-shifting demon that has the power to make people harm themselves. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-head-count-2018/

Synopsis: Ten years after the Great Tomato War, tomatoes have been outlawed in the United States and hero Wilbur Finletter runs a pizza parlor with the help of his nephew, Chad. What he doesn't know is the evil scientist behind the first tomato uprising is creating a new breed of tomatoes that look like humans. This includes Chad's new girlfriend, Tara. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-return-of-the-killer-tomatoes-1988/

Synopsis: Retired Boston police officer Jefferson Jackson should be enjoying retirement in Martha's Vineyard, focusing on fishing and his new girlfriend, Zee. However, when the fishing boat, the Nellie Grey, mysteriously explodes, killing one of the passengers and seriously injuring the son of one of his best friends, Jeff is asked to find out the cause. This requires him to investigate Martha's Vineyard's seedier side as he looks for a drug dealer that might have ordered a hit on a former customer. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-a-beautiful-place-to-die-1989/

Product Description: Pre-made frozen sandwiches consisting of a chicken patty and cheese in flat bread. The sandwiches come individually wrapped and are cooked in your microwave oven for about 90 seconds. My wife and I purchased this product at Costco a couple weeks ago to take with us to work as a lunch option. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/review-of-sandwich-bros-frozen-chicken-melt-sandwiches/

Product Description: Boxed dinner kit from the Velveeta Skillets brand containing pasta, seasoning, cheese and salsa that is added to browned hamburger. I purchased this product this morning at $3.37 while doing some grocery shopping at one of our local stores and prepared it for dinner this evening. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/review-of-velveeta-skillets-nacho-supreme-one-pan-dinner-kit/

Synopsis: Six weeks after his sister, Whitney, went missing Clay Miller continues to search for clues about what happened to her. When he comes across a group of friends having a party at a cabin, he is met with hostility. However, one of the group, Jenna, agrees to help him search and they eventually stumble upon the now-abandoned Camp Crystal Lake and its lone inhabitant, Jason Voorhees. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/movie-review-friday-the-13th-2009/

Synopsis: The luxury liner Poseidon is struck by a rogue wave on New Year's Eve and is capsized. With rescue hours away and the ship filling up with water as it sinks, a group of survivors attempts to escape by working their way upwards toward the ship's engine room. Who's in it? The movie stars Richard Dreyfuss , Kurt Russell , Josh Lucas , Emmy Rossum and Jacinda Barrett . Review: I treated the family to take out from Applebee's yesterday evening and, since my wife and I had a little extra time from not having to make dinner and weren't really in the mood for another Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit rerun, looked for a movie on Netflix. We had both seen this movie before (on more than one occasion) but also weren't finding much else that looked overly appealing and, ultimately, decided to watch it again. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of remakes and, if I had to compare the two, I still think 1972's The Poseidon Adventure is bett...

Synopsis : When wealthy Peter Laxter died in a fire, he left a provision in his will that guaranteed his faithful caretaker, Charles Ashton, a job and a place to live for the rest of his life. However, when Peter's grandson, Sam, one of his heirs, insists the caretaker give up his beloved cat, Ashton goes to attorney Perry Mason for help. Out of pity, Mason takes the case for a fee of $10. However, things prove much more complicated than he expected when Ashton and a witness are both murdered and he ultimately ends up defending the fiance of Peter Laxter's disinherited granddaughter. Review: After being somewhat disappointed by The Case of the Counterfeit Eye , I wasn't planning on reading any more Perry Mason books for a while. However, when I was at the library a few days ago, I couldn't find the two books I intended to check out and, since I had a time crunch (I had just gone grocery shopping and there was perishable food in the car), I wound up checking out ...

Synopsis : Talent manager Sandy Wexler has a reputation of being a compulsive liar and sloppy eater but is also known to show complete loyalty to the not-so-famous performers he represents. When he stumbles upon an unknown singer with a great voice, he convinces her to let him be her manager. But, when he succeeds in making her famous, he quickly realizes he is in over his head. Who's in it? The movie stars Adam Sandler , Jennifer Hudson , Kevin James , Colin Quinn and Aaron Neville. Review: After both of us were surprisingly pleased by the film The Week Of , my wife and I decided to pick another Netflix Adam Sander movie to watch and she ultimately decided on this one. When we first started watching it, I didn't think I would enjoy it. At first, I thought it was just going to be Sandler using a funny voice with the majority of the film's budget being used to pay for the various celebrity cameos in the very beginning. However, as the movie progressed, I found I...

I know I shouldn't encourage him to sleep on the kitchen table. But, it's one of the few times when he will behave for several hours straight and, for the most part, isn't hurting anyone or anything. Of course, the second my daughter sits down at that table to have breakfast, he'll manage to slowly creep over by her plate and glass of milk.

Synopsis: Long Island native Kenny Lustig is determined to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding himself despite the fact money is tight and her fiance's father is a successful heart surgeon who is willing to help. As the big day approaches, tensions begin to mount as a series of misfortunes put the wedding in jeopardy and a stubborn Kenny still refuses to accept financial help from anyone. Who's in it? The movie stars Adam Sandler , Chris Rock , Steve Buscemi , Rachel Dratch and Allison Strong . Synopsis: I actually wasn't planning on watching a movie last night since it was already starting to get a bit late by the time my wife and I had a chance to sit down. However, she had seen this one while scrolling through Netflix and thought it looked interesting so I said OK. When we started watching this movie, I wasn't really sure what we would be getting. As I've mentioned in the past, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Adam Sandler movies...

Synopsis: On the 40th anniversary of his murderous rampage in Haddonfield, Illinois, a docile Michael Myers is set to be transferred from the sanitarium that has been his home for four decades. Meanwhile, his sister, Laurie Strode, is living in an isolated fortress, estranged from her daughter because of her obsession with the killer. When Michael escapes during his transfer, their paths once-again cross. But, this time, it's Laurie hunting him. Who's in it? The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis , James Jude Courtney , Judy Greer , Andi Matichak and Will Patton . Review: To tell you the truth, when this movie came out last year, I really wasn't all that interested in seeing it. The previews looked decent. But, I figured it would end up being a sub-par attempt at cashing in on an established franchise. I recently changed my mind and added it to my Netflix DVD queue. My wife and I received it yesterday and watched it last night. After doing so, I am willing to admit th...

My family walked over to Swan Park yesterday afternoon to attend the 10th annual Nation of Patriots homecoming. A brief history lesson for those of you who aren't familiar with the NOP. It is a group that was started here in Beaver Dam that, every year, travels across the 48 continental states on motorcycles carrying an American flag relay-style in an effort to raise money for veterans in need. They have raised more than $1 million and that money goes toward everything from paying a veteran's electric bill to helping a veteran's family put Christmas presents under the tree for the kids. And, unlike other veteran's "charities," 100 percent of donations go toward this cause. For those of us in town, we are treated to an annual motorcycle parade as the NOP brings the flag home. Hundreds of motorcycles fill the streets for this parade. The event is much more emotional than you might think. I kept thinking about how much my dad would have enjoyed everythin...

The funny thing about it is I didn't even plant pumpkins this year but wound up with a total of five vines growing around my yard. I'm guessing the squirrels planted most of them but there might have been one or two that were the result of seeds in the compost. This one came out of our flower bed. I had another one on that vine but something much have gotten to it because it ended up "deflating" on me.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we decided to pull my oldest daughter out of high school and, instead, home school her using an online virtual school. Today is the last day of her first week and, so far, this is looking like it was a great choice. Image Courtesy of Pixabay There is a night and day difference between this year, her sophomore year, and her freshman year last year. Last year, we had to practically drag her to school and she was stressed and grumpy all the time. This year, she's up and ready without a fight and full of energy. She's also participating in her classroom discussions (done via a chat room) and group projects, two things she pretty much avoided like the plague last year. And, outside of school, she's a completely different person, laughing, talking and seeming to enjoy life. In fact, the only real drawback we're seeing so far is she's got a lot more free time than we're used to her having. The virtual school is structured...

Synopsis: Actor Alan Alda's autobiography discusses his growing up with a famous but not-so-rich father and a mother with mental health issues as well as his life as a struggling actor before landing his role on M*A*S*H and becoming a success. Review: I decided to change things up a bit the last time I was at the library and, in addition to my normal murder mystery, visited the biography/autobiography section. I'm a big fan of M*A*S*H (the TV show, the movie and the book ) and figured this book would be a good one to start with. As it turns out, the book was nothing like what I was expecting it to be. Given Alda's comedy background, I figured I'd be laughing out loud every few minutes. But, that didn't turn out to be the case. However, despite that, I found I had a hard time putting the book down. If you buy this book thinking Alda is going to give you a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the M*A*S*H TV series, you'll be very disappointed. He bare...

Synopsis: Grant Wilson and his team conduct an investigation at a home in Hanover, Pennsylvania before traveling to St. Augustine, Florida to, once again, investigate the light house that has yielded paranormal evidence in the past. Review: As I've mentioned before , when my wife and I began watching this rebooted show, I had some doubts about it, mostly because I had become pretty disillusioned by the series well before the end of its initial run. However, despite that and the fact I'm a skeptic to begin with, I have been doing my best to give the show a fair shake. After finishing tonight's episode, however, I have to say I'm losing patience with the series. This is because this episode, quite frankly, represented pretty much everything that made me stop watching this series the first time around. First of all, the decision to have two investigations over the course of a one-hour episode never bodes well. There's just not enough time to conduct either i...

Synopsis: While driving through rural Texas in 1973, a group of five friends nearly run over a traumatized woman. They decide to give her a ride, but immediately regret that decision when she commits suicide in the back of their van. They seek help but, instead, are hunted down by a chainsaw-wielding maniac, a lunatic sheriff and a group of townspeople who, at minimum, seem to be willing to look the other way. Who's in it? The movie stars Jessica Biel , Jonathan Tucker , R. Lee Ermey , Mike Vogel and Erica Leerhsen. Review: My wife was scrolling through movies on Netflix yesterday evening and, being unable to find something that looked interesting and wasn't more than 2-hours in length, ultimately settled on this film. We had seen it before and remembered not liking it all that much. But, it had been a while so we decided to give it another try. After watching it again, my opinion of it was mixed. There are a couple things I did like about this horror movie. The fi...

Synopsis: Jackson Main, a famous musician suffering from both alcoholism and hearing loss, stops for a drink at a randomly-chosen drag bar following a concert and witnesses a performance by a waitress and aspiring song writer named Ally. After convincing her to perform one of her songs with him on stage and go on tour with his band, the two quickly fall in love and are married. However, as Ally's music career takes off at the same time Jackson's career is in decline, his increased drinking and drug use threaten to destroy them. Who's in it? The movie stars Bradley Cooper , Lady Gaga , Sam Elliott , Dave Chappelle and Rafi Gavron. Review : My wife and I got this DVD through Netflix nearly two months ago and it pretty much just sat by our TV until this past weekend. Part of the reason for this was the movie's 136-minute run time (which made it a little difficult to work in on busy evenings). But, a larger part of it was the fact I honestly wasn't as interest...

Work hard and take advantage of a free education that isn't available in many countries. Kind of a strange morning for me today. For the first time in four years, I'm not taking my oldest daughter to school. Since she's homeschooling via Wisconsin Virtual Learning, she's just going to take classes from our kitchen table today. Eventually, that will change a bit. My wife is also going back to work (she's a substitute teacher's assistant) and, on days when she's working, I'll need to drop my daughter off at my mom's house. But, for today at least, it's definitely not what I'm used to and is completely throwing off my school morning routine.

Nearly two years ago, I decided I was going to make an effort to read more books and, as part of that goal, I decided I was going to attempt to read all of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot murder mysteries in order. It took me a year and 11 months (give or take) but, this morning, I finished reading Curtain and said goodbye to the Belgium detective. Image courtesy of Pixabay Normally, I would take the time to review the book. However, after realizing it was (while a bit sad) nothing that really stood out from her other novels (the mystery itself was somewhat interesting but other parts of the book were kind of predictable). I decided to, instead, think about the entire collection I have just completed and list my five favorite and five least favorite of his cases. My 5 Favorites 1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd This was one of the first books I read (back in November 2017) and remains, to this day, my favorite. This is mostly because it is one of the few murder myste...

School starts in a couple of days and, while it will be business as usual for our youngest daughter, her older sister will be doing something new, homeschooling. OK, technically, she is still attending school. She'll just be doing it via a virtual (computer) environment. But, for all effective purposes, she is learning from home with my wife, my mom and I sharing her educational responsibilities as she starts her sophomore year of high school. To tell you the truth, there was a time when I thumbed my nose a bit at people who homeschooled their kids, mostly because I couldn't see the point when public schools seemed perfectly adequate. Now, I am apologetically confessing and admitting they might have been right all along. Both of my daughters are bright and talented kids and were on the school district's gifted/talented list. But, while her younger sister seems to be thriving in a traditional school setting, my teenager has had her share of issues. In elementary s...