Steven Helmer Publications

 A photo I took this morning of a grackle splashing around in a stream.

  I stopped at Kwik Trip this morning to pick up something for breakfast and, since none of my normal choices seemed overly appealing, I decided to give this sandwich a try (even though I'm not sure it would normally be considered a breakfast sandwich). Overall, I thought it was an interesting choice. The maple flavored waffles added a sweet taste that worked well with the seasonings on the chicken tender inside. It also fit easily into my hand, making it easy to eat without a big mess (which isn't always the case with some breakfast sandwiches). The sandwich also proved to be filling. It didn't look like it would be enough but I was satisfied after eating it and it stayed with me until lunch. Truthfully, I'm not sure this will be a regular purchase for me but I didn't hate it and do think it is worth trying at least once if you have an opportunity to do so.

I was finally able to get out to the park with my camera for the first time this spring and the trails, while a bit muddy in some spots, were OK enough for me to get through without having to bypass anything. Here are some of my photos.

  Just another random photo taken while on a walk a couple days ago.

Synopsis: 19-year-old Baby Doll married the middle-aged cotton gin owner, Archie Lee, to appease her dying father. However, her husband is a down-on-his-luck drunk and Baby Doll would rather sleep in an old crib than share a bed with him. She had originally agreed to finally consumate their marriage on her 20th birthday but, when their furniture is reposessed and she threatens to leave him instead, Archie Lee burns down his rival's cotton gin. Who's in it? The movie stars Carroll Baker , Karl Malden , Eli Wallach , Mildred Dunnock and Lonny Chapman. Review: I had never seen this movie before but did know a little bit about the film and the uproar it caused when it was originally released. So, when I had an opportunity to watch it yesterday afternoon, I did. Overall, I enjoyed this film. The movie, I think, was originally intended to be more of a comedy and some of the jokes don't carry over as well today but, as a drama, this film has a lot going for it. This is especia...

A small selection of photos taken at Jacobus Park in Wauwatosa, WI and Edgewater Park here in Beaver Dam.

Synopsis: In 1841, Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Unable to tell anyone the truth about his origins out of fear for his life, Solomon has his name changed to Platt and spends the next dozen years enslaved by multiple masters with varying levels of cruelty. Review: I'm not really sure why it took me so long to read this book but it wound up staying off my radar, even after someone based a movie off of it (which I also haven't seen). That changed recently when I came across the book at the library and, not currently having anything else in particular I was looking for, I decided to read it.  I now regret waiting so long. It's one thing to learn about slavery in the United States from history books. It's a completely other thing to learn about it from memoirs written by someone who experienced it first hand and, after finally doing so, I don't think I will ever be able to think about that period in our histor...

Synopsis : As an unknown virus causes a quickly-spreading zombie apocalypse, Oh Joon-woo shelters himself in his apartment. Cut off from the world with limited food and water and believing his family is dead, he loses the will to live until he makes contact with a woman, Kim Yoo-bin, living in the apartment complex across from him. Who's in it? The movie stars Ah-in Yoo , Park Shin-Hye and Bae Soo Jeon . Review: I've been more than a little bit disappointed by the selection of movies on Netflix lately and only picked out this Korean zombie film because I figured it might be good for a couple laughs. As it turns out, it was a surprise gem that my wife and I enjoyed watching. The movie does a great job of creating a feeling of hopelessness for Oh Joon-woo (Yoo). He had limited resources and made multiple mistakes that put those resources in jeopardy. He was scared to leave his apartment because of swarms of hungry zombies right outside his door and, eventually, he was cut off ...

Synopsis: Roy, a failing plumbing supply salesman spends all his free time in front of the television, creating marital problems with his much more successful wife, Helen. Shortly after Helen breaks his TV during an argument, a salesman approaches Roy with an opportunity to upgrade to a high-tech entertainment system with 666 channels. This turns out to be a trap and Roy and Helen are sucked into a demonic television world. If they don't survive 24 hours, they will lose their souls to Satan. Who's in it? The movie stars John Ritter , Pam Dawber , Jeffrey Jones , David Tom and Heather McComb . Review: I knew about this movie for quite a few years but had never took the time to watch it until coming across it yesterday morning and finishing it yesterday evening. While I thought John Ritter did an OK job, I honestly wasn't as entertained by the film as I thought I would be. The biggest problem with this film was, even though the overall premise wasn't a bad one, it rea...

Synopsis: Long after his death, Dr. Watson's secret memoirs are revealed, discussing mysteries he chose to keep a secret while he and Sherlock Holmes were still alive. The biggest of these mysteries is Holmes' sexuality. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Stephens , Colin Blakely , Genevieve Paige , Christopher Lee and Tamara Toumanova . Review: I came across this movie a couple weeks ago and, not having seen it yet, decided to add it to my library. I finally had an opportunity to watch it and, unfortunately, didn't enjoy the film nearly as much as I thought I would. I'll start out by saying I thought Stephens and Blakely made a good Holmes/Watson combo. This is especially true of Stephens, who played Holmes with the same seriousness I would expect him to have, despite the fact this was a comedy film. In fact, I'll even go as far as to say all the characters in this film were well-portrayed. I think the biggest problem with this movie is the main central the...

Synopsis: Written language is one of mankind's greatest inventions but became much more useful when our ancient ancestors figured out how to make it easily portable. Through a series of essays written by multiple experts, this compilation tells the history of "books" from the use of clay tablets through modern times. Review: I came across this book while looking for something to read at our local library. While it isn't something that would likely be appealing to a lot of people, I did think it was an interesting subject and decided to give the book a try. I wasn't disappointed. It's not something that gets thought about a lot, but the written language would be relatively useless if we hadn't found a way to make it easy to transport from one place to another. Today, that's relatively easy, especially with the World Wide Web but, in ancient times, the methods were much more limited. As a result, I enjoyed reading about how those ancient civilizations ...

Synopsis: A group of strangers wakes up on a cargo ship with no idea how they got there. The ship appears to be abandoned with the exception of a man that says he is the steward and gives them a list of rules they need to follow. They quickly learn there is more to the mysterious ship than meets the eye. Who's in it? The movie stars Antonio Sabato, Jr., Deanna Russo , Nicholas Irons , Julian Berlin and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa . Review: I needed to get rid of the bad taste The Great Gabbo left in my mouth and, when I got home from the office, looked for a horror movie to watch with my wife. Even though I had some doubts about this particular movie, I figured it at least might be good for a couple jump scares. Unfortunately, it didn't even live up to those lowered expectations. The main problem with this film is it is extremely predictable. Spoiler Alert - They are all dead and the ship is transporting them to the afterlife unless they prove they deserve a second chance. It to...

Synopsis: Gabbo is a talented but eccentric ventriloquist who is abusive to his caring and loyal assistant, Mary. When Mary finally has enough and leaves him, Gabbo continues on to become a big success. However, when they wind up in the same stage show two years later, he makes an effort to get her back, only to find out it is too late. Who's in it? The movie stars Erich von Stroheim , Betty Compson , Donald Douglas , Marjorie Kane and George Grandee . Review: When I came across this film on Shudder last night, I assumed it would be a classic horror film and, since I always thought ventriloquist dummies were a bit creepy, I was interested in watching it. However, after seeing the movie, I can not only say it wasn't a horror film by any definition of the term, I couldn't even begin to tell you how it should be classified. To be fair, the basic plot of the film wasn't too bad in theory. There really wasn't a whole lot to like about Gabbo (Stroheim), both because ...

Synopsis: Millionaire Tom Newcliffe installs an elaborate security system on the grounds of his English mansion because he intends to prove one of his houseguests is really a werewolf. Who's in it? The movie stars Calvin Lockhart , Peter Cushing , Marlene Clark , Charles Gray and Michael Gambon . Review: About a month ago, I wound up adding Shudder to my YouTube TV account and this movie was the primary reason. I had seen the description and thought it sounded intriguing. I finally had a chance to watch the movie last night and this morning. Overall, it didn't disappoint. This was a somewhat unique film because it essentially combines a horror movie with a classic murder mystery, complete with all the suspects being asked to sit in a circle while Tom (Lockhart) gave his reveal. As a fan of both genres, I loved the combination. I even have to admit, the mystery was much more complicated than I thought it would be. The film does a good job of creating suspicions about multi...

Synopsis: Julie, Kayla and Sam have been best friends since their first day of school and, as high school seniors, they decide they want to lose their virginity at the same time during prom. However, when their parents accidentally learn about their plan, they go out of their way to stop them. Who's in it? The movie stars John Cena , Leslie Mann , Ike Barinholtz , Kathryn Newton , Geraldine Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon . Review: I'm not exactly when or how this got added to my Netflix DVD list because, from the trailers, it didn't look like a movie I'd be interested in watching. However, I wound up receiving it a couple weeks ago and, while waiting for our oldest daughter to get done with her Dungeons & Dragons group, my wife and I wound up watching it last night. Overall, the premise is something, as a dad of two daughters, I could relate to and, to be fair, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However, I still discovered I wasn't crazy about this...

Synopsis: A high school sleep over takes a dark turn when a serial killer wielding a power drill begins stalking and killing the guests. Who's in it? The movie stars Michelle Michaels , Robin Stille , Michael Villella , Andree Honore and Gina Smika Hunter . Review: I was in the mood for a horror movie last night and, after rejecting a few other choices, decided to watch this film. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it and had lowered expectations as a result. Unfortunately, the movie was worse than I feared. Let's see, how do I put this? If you like movies that have a bunch of random scenes featuring half naked women, it's worth watching. However, as a horror movie, this film really does lack something. One of my biggest problems with the film (other than the excessive gratuitous nudity that seemed to take up half the run time) was how it revealed the killer from the start. This, in all honesty, just made the movie a way too predictable for me. Movies like this...

Synopsis: When climbers are found beheaded on Mount Trolleberg in Switzerland, the official explanation is it is a series of accidents. However, a team of scientists and a visiting psychic expect there is something more going on, especially since there is an unexplained stationary radioactive cloud. Who's in it? The movie stars Rosemary Miller , Sarah Lawson , Ronan O'Casey , Laurence Payne and Frederick Shrecker. Review: I started watching this movie (also known as The Crawling Eye ) a couple weeks ago but didn't get an opportunity to finish it until earlier today, when I was waiting for my daughter to get done with her driving lesson. While the premise of the film was OK, it ended up not being anything particularly memorable. I think the biggest problem with this film is it is just too predictable. The movie makes an effort to create some sort of mystery regardng the happenings up on top of the mountain but it just was too easy to figure out the truth. In fact, I'...

Synopsis: An orphaned Tracy Marrow is sent to live with an aunt in gang-infested South Central Los Angeles and, like many people from that area, eventually lives a criminal lifestyle until a near-fatal car accident forces him to shift his focus and he becomes a successful rapper and actor.  Review: My wife and I are familiar with Ice-T from watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and, when I came across this book at our local library, I decided to check it out as a result. I was able to finish it before going to bed last night and, overall, I thought it was an interesting autobiography. I think the thing that really stood out for me when reading this book was the way Ice-T didn't shy away from talking about his past.  A lot of other writers might have omitted or only vaguely referenced criminal activity they might have been involved with. This book, however, goes into quite a bit of depth about what Ice-T was involved with before turning his life around. This includ...

 I did get some of my seeds started and my Beaver Dam Peppers are starting to pop up. Hopefully the weather will be consistently warm before too much longer so I can get them in the ground as soon as they are ready.

It's going to be a full Easter weekend this year because we will also be having our annual ice show at the local skating rink. This is a relatively big deal because, thanks to COVID, we had to cancel last year's show and, up until about November, we weren't sure if this would happen. Even now, we did have to make some changes to the show to allow for proper social distancing. We normally have about 400-500 people in attendance at each of the shows. This year, we are limiting that number to 200. We are, however, livestreaming the final performance, April 3 at 4 p.m. CST. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here:  2021`Swan City Ice Skaters' Annual Ice Show-Animation Station Tickets | Eventbrite