Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes, a brilliant student with exceptional deductive reasoning is expelled from London's Brompton Academy after falsely being accused of cheating on an exam. Before he can go home in shame, his mentor, Rupert Waxflatter, dies under mysterious circumstances and, believing Waxflatter and others were murdered, Holmes stays behind in an effort to find the killer with help from his new friend, John Watson and Waxflatter's niece, Elizabeth Hardy. Who's in it? The movie stars Nicholas Rowe , Alan Cox , Sophie Ward , Anthony Higgins and Nigel Stock. Review: I came across this film on one of my movie channels a couple weeks ago and, since it had been a long time since I watched it, decided to add it to my library. As I began watching this film, which used to be one of my favorites when I was younger, I realized I didn't remember a single thing about it. On one hand, this was kind of a good thing because it meant it was like I was watching the movie for th...

Synopsis: Since the end of the Civil War, black farmers have struggled to prosper under an inequitable system that has (both intentionally and unintentionally) given an advantage to white farmers. The book tells their story from the ratification of the 13th Amendment through a groundbreaking class-action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture in 1997. Review: I wasn't planning on picking up a non-fiction book when I was at the library a few days ago. However, as I passed the new book section on my way to check out, this one caught my eye. It looked somewhat interesting so I added it to my pile. When I first started reading this book, I did have some doubts about it. Since it was written by a lawyer who was involved in one of the class-action settlements against the USDA, I was expecting it to be more about him and his role and not necessarily the people he was representing. Fortunately, as it turns out, I was wrong. The thing that really impressed me about th...

Synopsis: Agatha Raisin returns from vacation to discover Carsely has a new resident, Mary Fortune. Mary seems to be loved by all the residents (especially Agatha's neighbor, James Lacey) due, in part, to her gardening expertise. However, when area gardens are vandalized prior to a prestigious horticulture contest, the village turns against the "outsider" Mary and she is eventually found murdered with her head buried in a pot of soil. Despite the local authorities encouraging her not to, Agatha conducts her own investigation and discovers Mary wasn't the charming person she appeared to be. Review:   I had to go to the large print section of our local library to find this third book in the Agatha Raisin series. However, after reading it over the weekend, I was glad I didn't wait for the regular print copy of it to return. At first, I wasn't really sure what to think about the mystery. Part of this was it took quite some time for Mary to finally be murdered and...

Synopsis: After a zombie-like viral outbreak results in an Asian city being quarantined, private mercenary Maj. Max Gatling is hired to lead a team and rescue the daughter of a wealthy industrialist before the city is firebombed. The mission is a failure, with only one other member of his team surviving, but Gatling decides to stay behind and find the girl himself. Fortunately, he has some unexpected help from a group of robots. Who's in it? The movie stars Dolph Lundgren , Melanie Zanetti , Matt Doran , David Field and Lydia Look.   Review: OK, I'll admit it, the only reason this movie even made my list was the fact it had both zombies and robots. It was an intriguing combination and, even though I still had some doubts about the film overall, was just unique enough for me to give it a try. My wife and I watched it last night and, overall, I have to say it was an OK film. I think the thing I liked best about this movie was the fact it wasn't as predictable as zombie fi...

Synopsis: An earthquake releases a hoard of zombies from a sunken ship and a tsunami washes them on shore, creating terror in a tiny island village. Who's in it? The movie stars Ian Ziering , Cheree Cassidy , Shelton Jolivette , Tatum Chiniquy and Angie Teodora Dick . Review: I was looking for another movie last night when I scrolled past this one. Based on the title, I wasn't really expecting much from it but ended up giving it a try anyway. As it turns out, it wasn't too terrible. There were a couple things about this movie I found I really liked. One of the main ones was the fact the protagonists were on an island, making it much harder for them to escape as the zombies invaded their community. Just as important, the fact they couldn't reach anyone for help (and nobody showed up after the tsunami) made it unclear whether or not the zombies were an isolated thing or if the whole world was dealing with them. Another thing I liked about this movie was how difficult k...

Synopsis: Siblings Jerry and Joanna Burton take residence in the small town of Lymstock while Jerry recovers from an accident. When they receive an anonymous letter accusing them of secretly being lovers, they laugh it off. However, they soon learn they aren't the only ones receiving accusation letters and, before too long, things take a dark turn when one of the recipients kills herself as a result of it. When the investigation seems to hit a dead end, the vicar's wife calls up her friend, Jane Marple , to help. Review: After reading another Miss Marple mystery a few days ago and enjoying it more than expected, I decided to check out this book from the library. Overall, I found I enjoyed it. I thought the mystery in this book was an intriguing one. At first, the letters the Burtons and others were receiving seemed relatively harmless becasue they were filled with unfounded accusations. However, after the suicide and, eventually, another murder, it became apparent there was ...

Synopsis: In 1944, Capt. Beau Carter is given the task of taking and holding a German-occupied bridge. The important mission is made more difficult when the racist Carter learns he will need to rely on an all-black squad that has never seen combat. Who's in it? The movie stars Stephen Boyd , Robert Hooks , Billy Dee Williams , Richard Pryor and Roosevelt Grier . Review: I came across this movie on Epix under the title The Black Brigade . Even though I wasn't overly interested in a war movie, I saw the film had quite a few recognizable names and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. While the premise was an intriguing one, I felt like the movie failed to fully capitalize on what it was trying to do. Ultimately, it ended up being an OK film but not one that I would describe as particularly memorable. One of my biggest complaints about this movie was, for a war picture, it really didn't have a whole lot of action. In fa...

Synopsis: When the body of an unknown young blonde is found in the library of Colonel and Dolly Bantry's estate. Fearing the scandal it might cause, Dolly calls up her old friend, Jane Marple, to help with the investigation and, as more is discovered about the deceased, even the authorities are quick to rely on Miss Marple's deductive abilities. Review: Even though I did like The Murder at the Vicarage , that was the only Miss Marple mystery I've read until now (seeing a movie featuring the character renewed my interest). I finished this book early this morning and, overall, have to say I enjoyed it. The thing I found I liked best about this book was the murder mystery itself. As more is revealed about the victim, Ruby, the motive behind her murder seems to be somewhat clear and there are a few solid suspects. However, at the same time, none of the theories seem to add up when the location of the victim's body is taken into account. Since there was no evidence she e...

Synopsis: When a new veterinarian, Paul Bladen, sets up shop in Carsley, the village women swoon over him and even Agatha Raisin, still hurting after her neighbor, James, rejected her, falls for his charms. She's even willing to go on a date with him despite his obvious dislike and cruelty toward dogs and cats. When Bladen dies while performing surgery on a horse, the authorities believe it is an accident but Agatha, believing it is an opportunity to get closer to James, convinces her neighbor to help her investigate it as a murder. Review: Even though there was part of me that was still a bit skeptical about this series, I did enjoy the first Agatha Raisin book enough to at least try a second one and wound up checking this one out from the library a few days ago. I have to admit, after reading this book, I am now hooked. I honestly am not sure what I enjoyed more about this book, the mystery or the comical investigation being conducted by Agatha and James, which consisted of Ag...

Synopsis: When a dangerous hurricane hits her Florida hometown and she can't reach her father, Haley decides to search for him instead of ignoring various warnings not to. When she finds him unconscious in the basement, she attempts to rescue him but learns their escape is blocked by a pair of large alligators. With no help on the way and the basement flooding with rainwater, they realize they either need to get past the creatures or drown. Who's in it? The movie stars Kaya Scodelario , Barry Pepper , Morfydd Clark , Ross Anderson and Jose Palma. Review: I am always a little skeptical about horror movies that feature killer animals because, while there are admittedly some good films, most tend to be a bit predictable and dull. As a result, I was a little hesistant to watch this movie last night and mostly only picked it because it had a shorter run time than my other choices. Was this the best horror movie I have ever seen? No. However, it did turn out to be better than I t...

Synopsis: Already unable to sleep because of the 72 people he has killed and feeling his skills are beginning to deteriorate, 51-year-old assassin Henry Brogan decides to retire. However, when he inadvertently learns the truth about who his last target was, his former employers decide he needs to be eliminated. Since his is the best in the game and hard to kill as a result, they eventually send the second-best, his 23-year-old clone, to finish the job. Who's in it? The movie stars Will Smith , Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Clive Owen , Benedict Wong and Linda Emond . Review: When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I didn't think it would be a film I would enjoy, mostly because it sounded extremely predictable. However, my wife and I were looking for a movie to watch last night and, since this one was available, we decided to give it a try. The film more than exceeded my expectations. The thing that surprised me about this movie was it wasn't quite as predictable as I th...

Synopsis: Agatha Raisin decides to retire early and move from London to the small village of Carsley. Determined to make an immediate impact on the village, Agatha signs up for a quiche competition and, to ensure victory, submits a store-bought quiche as her own. Unfortunately for her, the competition is rigged and she doesn't win. More importantly, the competition judge, Mr. Cummings-Browne dies later that evening, her quiche is named as the cause. Horrified about the death and embarrassed after being outed as a cheat, Agatha is determined to prove the death was caused by a murderer. Review:  To tell you the truth, I've been a bit reluctant to read M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series because I was a big fan of her other detective, Hamish Macbeth , and was concerned this detective would pale in comparison.  However, after several disappointing books in a row (which I couldn't even finish), I decided to go back to a familiar author and was not disappointed. First of all...

Synopsis: Superintendent Jake Carson, the commanding officer of a group of smoke jumpers, hopes to honor his deceased father by becoming division commander. When a news helicopter records him rescuing three children from a burning cabin, that promotion seems to be in the bag. However, he and his crew must first take care of the trouble-making kids for a weekend. Who's in it? The movie stars John Cena , Keegan-Michael Key , John Leguizamo , Brianna Hildebrand , and Tyler Mane . Review: My wife wanted to see this movie after coming across the trailer for it some time ago and, since we had time to watch a film last night, I decided to watch it with her. It ended up being a cute albeit somewhat predictable choice. I still prefer John Cena in action movies rather than  comedies but did think he did an OK job as Jake Carson by bringing just the right amount of serious tough guy to the character while still mixing in a bit of comedy as well. The character I liked most, however, was Axe...

Synopsis: A group of social media influencers attend an exclusive after party at a mansion only to discover they have been lured into a trap by a mask-wearing killer. Who's in it? The movie stars Vitaly Zdorovetskiy , Simona Dimov , Sole Bovelli , Kelsey Laverack and Danny Trejo . Review: I was getting a little bit bored with watching reruns yesterday evening and convinced my wife to watch a slasher movie with me instead. I picked this film mostly because the bad guy looked kind of cool. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be worth our time. There are very few "good" slasher movies out there, especially those made after the 1980s and, for the most part, I've found it's best to just grade the genre on a curve. Even with doing that, this movie was failure. The biggest problem with this movie is there is just way too much filler, most of which is drug related. For a while, we were beginning to wonder if anyone was going to get murdered and, when it finally happen...

Synopsis: In 2020, 25 years after becoming famous by winning the Battle of the Bands, Bill and Ted have yet to fulfill their destiny of uniting the world. To make matters worse, they learn they need to record their yet-to-be-written unifying song in a little more than an hour to prevent a complete collapse of time. In desperation, they steal the time-traveling phone booth so they can talk to their future selves. Meanwhile, their daughters decide they want to help and travel back in time to assemble a new band. Who's in it? The movie stars Keanu Reeves , Alex Winter , Samara Weaving , Brigette Lundy-Paine and Kristen Schaal . Review: When I first heard about this third installment of the Bill & Ted franchise, I was admittedly a bit skeptical. However, I almost always stop to watch the first two movies whenever I come across them on TV, despite seeing them more times than I can remember and, because of that, I still would have paid to see this film at a theater had it not bee...

 A couple photos from my walk earlier today.

Synopsis: Alvin York, a poor young farmer in Tennessee, aspires to upgrade his status by buying a piece of more fertile farmland and begins to see his fortunes change for the better when he finds religion. When the United States enters World War I and he is drafted, Alvin attempts to get an exemption as a conscientious objector but has his request denied, forcing him to serve overseas, where his sharpshooting skills make him a war hero. Who's in it? The movie stars Gary Cooper , Walter Brennan , Joan Leslie , Stanley Ridges and George Tobias. Review: I had some free time on Memorial Day and, mostly because I had never seen it before, decided to give this movie a try. Overall, while there were some things I wasn't a huge fan of, I could understand why this film was a classic. In all honesty, I don't know enough about the real Alvin York to tell you what was real in this movie and what was pure fiction but I did like how the movie gave the title character a solid character...