Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When a famous movie producer, Harold Hecuba ( Phil Silvers ), crashes his plane on the island, the castaways see an opportunity to be rescued. When he insults Ginger ( Tina Louise ) and she refuses to leave the island, they attempt to remedy the situation by putting on a musical version of Hamlet . My Thoughts: I know I've said this before but why don't they have a signal fire already built? Ultimately, it didn't make any sort of difference this time around since Hecuba's plane was crashing but, under normal circumstances, the time they spend trying to gather up firewood seems like a good way to miss out on being rescued. It's also not as though it would hurt anything to keep one burning at all times, just in case they don't see a plane or boat as it passes. I am going to take a moment to give a shout out for the legendary Phil Silvers. This was a character that had to be memorable and enjoyable to watch while, at the same time, not be something tha...

Synopsis : Two years after her police officer husband was killed in the line of duty, a former beauty pageant winner, Ali Reed, runs a successful hair salon while secretly helping the police chief solve crimes. When a local pageant organizer is murdered and a new detective considers her sister one of the suspects, Ali decides to conduct her own investigation, putting her life in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Julie Gonzalo , Ryan McPartlin , Eva Tamargo , Grace Beedie and Lynda Boyd. Review: When I saw the preview for this Hallmark movie, I was somewhat intrigued by what looked like a decent murder mystery and added it to my library. Since my wife and I had some extra time yesterday evening, I selected the film. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I think my main problem with this movie was the case wasn't nearly as hard to solve as it should have been. My wife guessed at the killer not that long after the murder took place and, frankly, the onl...

Synopsis : A vintage toy company owner, Megan Miller, wouldn't miss her younger sister's wedding for anything. However, an airline strike has left her stranded in Denver and she finds herself driving to Wichita, Kansas with her bitter rival from high school, Alden Brown. As a series of misfortunes threaten to keep her from reaching her sister's wedding, she begins to realize Alden isn't as bad as she first thought. Who's in it? The movie stars Natalie Hall , Corey Sevier , Julia Borsellino , Elana Dunkelman and Wendy German. Review : I added this Hallmark movie to our library a few days ago, figuring it would be something my wife would enjoy watching. Even though it wasn't my first choice yesterday evening, I put the movie on at her request. As it turns out, it was better than I was expecting it to be. I'm not going to lie, this movie is about as predictable as you would expect it to be, to the point I probably written the script myself. This includes the l...

Synopsis: After he and his dad move into a new house following his mom's suicide, the mute and asthmatic Dylan discovers a spell book in one of the closets and, while his dad is at work, decides to use it to summon a djinn so he can restore his ability to talk. The spell works but, to get his wish, he first must survive an hour with the murderous entity. Who's in it? The movie stars Ezra Dewey , Rob Brownstein , Tevy Poe and John Erickson . Review: I went to the library a couple days ago in search of a different movie. When I discovered that one was already checked out, I ended up picking out this film instead.  To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we'd enjoy this film and almost put it back on the shelf. I have been disappointed by most horror films lately and figured this movie would end up in that same category. However, it turned out to be a good decision. I think the thing I liked most about this film was the way it portrayed the horror without any sort of dial...

Synopsis: While running an organic farm with her dad and son, Sarah finds a strange man in her barn who claims to be from the 18th century and the son of Rip Van Winkle. Believing Rip is a veteran suffering from PTSD, Sarah hires him as a ranch hand to give him a chance to figure things out. However, over time, she both begins to believe his story and develop feelings for him. Who's in it? The movie stars Torrey DeVitto , Niall Matter , Joshua Black , Eric Keenleyside and Ben Wilkinson. Review: My wife and I have been somewhat disappointed by the horror movies we've watched lately and, because of that, I decided to change things up a bit by watching this Hallmark film. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but it turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. I think the thing I liked the most about this film was the way the romance between Sarah (DeVitto) and Rip (Matters) didn't feel forced, as is the case with plenty of other films in thi...

Synopsis: After Mildred Joiner's fiancé reveals he is an embezzler and breaks off their engagement, the humiliated secretary withdraws everything in her savings and decides to take an extended trip. She picks up a hitchhiker, Fern Driscoll, only to have Fern Force Mildred's car off the road. When her passenger is killed in the accident, Mildred sees an opportunity to start her life over and steals Fern's identity. However, Fern had issues of her own and, when Mildred finds herself facing blackmail, she goes to Perry Mason for advice, not knowing she will soon be charged with murder. Review: This book, at first glance, seemed a bit thicker than some of the others I've read, and, because of that, I thought it would take me longer to read it. However, I managed to make it through the mystery in a reasonable amount of time, finishing it last night. After reading the final page, I concluded it wasn't my favorite book in the Perry Mason series. Overall, I thought the ca...

My daughters had a school outing at Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend, WI today. Here are some of the photos I was able to take:

Synopsis: Hoping to fend off an attempt to remove him as president of the California & Texas Global Development & Exploration Company, Jerry Conway agrees to meet a mysterious caller offering him valuable information. When he arrives at the motel room, however, he is met by a half-naked woman holding a gun. He disarms her and leaves but quickly discovers the gun has recently been fired and, realizing he is being set up, calls Perry Mason . When a murdered woman is later found in that same room, Mason predictably needs to defend his new client from murder charges. Review: My wife has been working on a sewing project for the past couple of evenings, giving me plenty of time to read while waiting for her to join me in the living room. As a result, I was able to get through this murder mystery fairly quickly. It ended up being a decent choice. When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it all that much. This is mostly because the murder mystery, at...

Kwik Trip was running a special on Pothole Pizzas last week, buy two and get a 25 cent/gallon discount on gasoline. Since I knew we would likely need something simple for dinner this past weekend (my oldest daughter graduated high school), I took advantage of the offer. Worst case was the pizza would just stay in our freezer for another day. I ended up picking out the Kitchen Sink pizza because of the variety of toppings on it, ranging from sausage and pepperoni to various vegetables. Overall, it ended up being a good choice. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of thin crust pizzas because I rarely feel as though I got my money's worth. That was not the case with this brand. Unlike most other thin crust frozen pizzas, this one was filling, to the point I was feeling full after only two slices rather than my usual four. A big part of the reason for this was the generous amounts of toppings on this pizza. This was especially true of the sausage, both because of the quantity and the siz...

Synopsis: Kayla, a college student who is learning to be a computer coder, decides to play a vintage cassette-based game, Curs>r, in pursuit of a promised $125,000 prize. The game, however, contains an ancient curse that forces the player to choose one of two terrifying choices and face the consequences. Who's in it? The movie stars Iola Evans , Asa Butterfield , Angela Griffin , Ryan Gage and Robert Englund. Review: I came across this movie on Netflix Saturday afternoon and, since it looked halfway interesting, at least from the description, my wife and I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, while the premise was intriguing, the movie wasn't as good as we had hoped. I'll start out by saying I did like how the "game" made its choices a little vague, so it wasn't as obvious what would happen when the player made a choice. For example, when Kayla (Evans) chose to make a waitress clean up broken glass, the unexpected outcome was the waitress eating the ...

Synopsis: When an aristocrat is found dead with two pin-sized marks on his neck and drained of blood, the locals suspect Count Mora and his daughter, Luna, of being vampires. However, authorities are hesitant to consider a supernatural explanation. Who's in it? The movie stars Lionel Barrymore , Bela Lugosi , Elizabeth Allan , Lionel Atwill and Carroll Borland. Review: I came across this movie early this morning and, even though I'm always a bit skeptical about Bela Lugosi in non-Dracula vampire roles, decided to give it a try, just in case it ended up being a pleasant surprise. As it turns out, it was better than expected. This is one of those movies that you need to watch in its entirety to fully understand the plot. At first glance, it just seems like another rip-off of Dracula , and not just because Lugosi walks around in a cape. Many of the plot elements are similar, including a doctor who is an expert in the supernatural (Barrymore) and a soon-to-be-married woman (All...

Synopsis: When Sheldon ( Iain Armitage ) gets a pimple, signaling the start of puberty, he begins to worry about the future. George ( Lance Barber ) loses his job as football coach and, along with Mary ( Zoe Perry ), discovers finding a new job isn't as easy as it sounds. Georgie ( Montana Jordan ) comes up with a new business venture to help pay for the baby, but he and Connie ( Annie Potts ) end up imprisoned on the Mexican border. My Thoughts: I think Sheldon's fears about the future had little to do with his pimple. Sure, it factored in a bit and that part of the story was helped tremendously by Penn & Teller . I just think his fear had a lot more to do with the adults around him. Let's face it, the only nurturing presence he has at this point is Missy ( Raegan Revord ), who is also being forced to be more adult-like at a very young age. On that subject, I loved the heart-to-heart conversation between the twins. Once again, this show makes me baffled by the way S...

Synopsis: Still mourning the loss of her archaeologist husband, Loretta Sage reluctantly begins a promotional tour for her latest romance novel only to find her "fans" are much more enamored with Alan Caprison, the model who portrays her main character, Dash, on her novel covers. As she leaves the event in anger, Loretta is kidnapped by eccentric billionaire Abigail Fox, who wants Loretta to use her ancient language deciphering skills to help him locate the real-life treasure she describes in her latest book. Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Bullock , Channing Tatum , Daniel Radcliffe , Patti Harrison and Brad Pitt . Review : My wife and I saw previews for this movie some time ago and both thought it looked interesting. So, when I came across it on one of our movie channels the other day, I quickly added it to our library. We finally had a chance to watch it last night and, after seeing it, my opinion of it is a bit mixed. I'll start out by saying I think the mov...

Synopsis: Joan Kirby hires Perry Mason to cross-examine her husband, John. While his story about helping a stranded young woman, Norma Logan, find a motel room seems plausible, Mason doesn't believe him and, when a doctor running a black-market adoption agency is found severely beaten and later dies, Mason's new client becomes one of the suspects. Complicating things is the Kirby's illegally adopted son. Review : When I picked out this book at our local library a few days ago, the title and the description had me believing this would be one of my favorite Perry Mason books. After finishing it last night, I can say I didn't hate it, but it also fell far short of expectations. The overall premise wasn't a terrible one, the victim was running an illegal abortion clinic and the fact he had both Kirby and Logan written in his appointment book made Mason's client look like one of the primary suspects. Norma choosing to hire an unscrupulous attorney who was looking t...

Synopsis : When a savings and loan is robbed by men who seem to know the bank a little too well, Lt. Sam Wagner figures out a mild-mannered bank teller, Leon Poole, was an inside man and he, along with other police officers, corner Poole in his apartment. Believing he is alone; they enter a shootout with Poole and Wagner accidentally kill's Poole's wife. Two years later, Poole escapes prison and seeks to get revenge by murdering Wagner's wife. Who's in it? The movie stars Joseph Cotten , Wendall Corey , Rhonda Fleming , John Beradino and Alan Hale, Jr. Review: I came across this movie a couple days ago and, thinking it sounded interesting, added it to my library. I had a chance to watch it earlier today and it turned out to be a good choice. There were a couple things about this movie I liked in particular. One of the main ones as the antagonist, Poole (Corey). He was a character that was insane enough to make his scenes unpredictable and intense but also mild-manner...

Synopsis: Always on the lookout for a good bargain, Aunt Bee ( Frances Bavier ) can't pass up an opportunity to purchase 150 pounds of beef from a discount butcher. Unfortunately for her, the meat turns out to be tough and their freezer, which she purchased at an auction, starts to malfunction. My Thoughts -  Andy ( Andy Griffith ) sure gave Bee a hard time about saving money. OK, maybe the meat purchase and the freezer purchase turned out to be bad ideas but what was wrong about her buying sugar in bulk? He's trying to feed three mouths on one income and, since we all know he's honest, he's probably not making enough where they can just throw money away.  Plus, it's not like he doesn't try to save money. He won't even buy his own car; he just takes the sheriff's car everywhere. And he seemed awfully shocked about having roast beef when they didn't have company over. Of course, both of those things being said, when is the last time Andy even shop...

  After spending 4 years on the Beaver Dam Swan City Ice Skaters Board of Directors (two of them as vice president), I allowed my term to run out so another person could take my place. My last day on the board was yesterday and, as that meeting/banquet came to a close, I was presented with the President Award in recognition of my volunteer efforts. I'm honestly still a bit undecided about no longer being on the board. The time was right (my daughter is graduating and will no longer be skating with the club) but I'm a person who thrives on routine and not being part of the board is a major change to that routine that I'll have to get used to. Plus, after helping navigate the club through a pandemic and leaving it in great financial shape, there is part of me that is apprehensive about letting someone new take the reins. I'm sure, after time, I'll get over it though, especially if I find a hobby or part-time job to take up some of my newly acquired free time.

Synopsis: When a crate full of moldable plastic washes up on the island, the castaways come up with a variety of uses for the substance, including fixing Gilligan's ( Bob Denver ) teeth. What they don't know is the clay becomes explosive once it hardens. My Thoughts : That scientist ( Kirk Duncan ) sure was nonchalant when holding that explosive ash tray. If I knew it could blow up the entire room if dropped, I'd definitely make sure I had two hands on it and certainly wouldn't risk handing it to someone I just met. In fact, the whole idea seems a bit impractical when you think about it. It would be different if you needed a heat source or some sort of detonator to set it off. Something that can explode just because you drop it seems like it would result in a lot of accidental secret agent deaths. Wow, the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) sure is a snob all of a sudden. I am, of course, basing this on his complaint about Gilligan finding a crate full of clothes "reje...

Synopsis : Tensions run high for the Coopers as a Sunday school altercation involving Missy ( Raegan Revord ) results in Mary ( Zoe Perry ) losing her job and the family being ostracized by their church. When Pastor Rob ( Dan Byrd ) shows up to check on Mary, George ( Lance Barber ) suspects a possible affair. My Thoughts -  Considering how opposed that church seemed to be in an earlier episode about talking to kids about sex , I am a little surprised the parents would even bother to explain the whole pregnant out of wedlock thing to them. I would think that conversation would be a bit too "sinful" for most of those parents to have it. I have to admit, I am surprised by Pastor Jeff ( Matt Hobby ). He sure turned judgmental in a hurry considering all the times the Coopers helped him with his own child. To be fair, he might be afraid to support the Coopers out of fear of losing his job too but, until I hear him make that explanation, he has lost all my respect. I still don...

Synopsis: When Ben Weaver ( Tol Avery ) reports thefts at his store, Andy ( Andy Griffith ) believes it is the work of shoplifters. Barney ( Don Knotts ) decides to take matters into his own hands by dressing up as a mannequin so he can catch the thieves in the act. My Thoughts - This episode exposes a major flaw with the way Andy runs things as sheriff. While he and Barney were sitting in the patrol car gossiping, nobody was manning the phone at the courthouse. Even though Ben was able to find them, what if they had been patrolling outside of town? And it's not as though they could justify having two people on patrol in a relatively crime-free town like Mayberry. I kind of think Ben had a point when he criticized Andy about having to do his job for him. Andy didn't seem to be taking the whole theft thing too seriously and I could understand why Ben might be upset about that, especially when Andy mentioned calling if there was anything suspicious when, moments before, Ben wa...

Synopsis: When Ted Balfour is convicted of a hit-and-run manslaughter, his wealthy family hires Perry Mason to clear his name. However, when an anonymous tip results in a new charge of first-degree murder, Balfour's family wants Mason to do everything he can to save the family name, even if it means allowing his client to wrongfully be convicted. Review: My daughter's ice show is just a couple days away and, since I've been spending a great deal of time at the ice rink, I've managed to get a lot of reading in. This includes this Perry Mason mystery, which I finished yesterday evening. Overall, I have to say my opinion of it is a bit mixed. I did find the overall mystery a bit intriguing, both because of the prosecution being allowed to try Mason's client for the same crime twice (despite that being unconstitutional) and because of the way things were being stacked up against him. This included the family's "fixer," Banner Boles, blatantly lying on ...

Synopsis: With a bad storm approaching the island, the castaways prepare to shelter in a cave. While stacking supplies, the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) accidentally smacks Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) in the mouth and temporarily turns him into a radio receiver. This becomes important when the real radio is accidentally damaged. My Thoughts -  Given the various dangers they have encountered on the island, ranging from storms to headhunters, wouldn't it be wise to keep a couple of the caves stocked with supplies ahead of time? They got an advanced warning of the storm this time around, that isn't guaranteed. I like how the episode managed to gloss over the scientific explanation for Gilligan's condition. The Professor ( Russell Johnson ) was about to give it in detail when the Skipper cut him off. I can't think of a better way of explaining something ridiculous than "there's an explanation but I was told not to give it." Wow, they sure can get a lot of radio s...

Synopsis: French knight Sir Lancelot befriends Arthur Pendragon and helps him become king of England. When Arthur marries the beautiful Guinevere, he names Lancelot her champion. However, when romantic feelings develop between Lancelot and the queen, Arthur's enemies seek to use that to their advantage. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Taylor , Ava Gardner , Mel Ferrer , Anne Crawford and Stanley Baker. Review : This is a movie I was familiar with but had never taken the time to watch, despite being a fan of both the King Arthur legend and Ava Gardner. However, I had some free time the past couple of mornings and was finally able to see the movie in its entirety as a result. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable film. I think the thing I found I liked the most about this movie was the way Lancelot's (Taylor) love story with Guinevere (Gardner) was presented. Unlike some other films that have touched on this legendary story, there was nothing overly torrid about their ...

  My oldest daughter started ice skating a little over 10 years ago and, this weekend, will be participating in her final ice show. It's been a long journey. She started out skating because of a free lesson, eventually started competing as a soloist and is now a junior coach with hopes of continuing to coach when she goes to college next fall. There have been ups and downs with this. She suffered two concussions and likely developed her asthma because of spending so much time in ice rinks. She also lost a few months (and one ice show) thanks to COVID and, for a while, had to learn how to skate while wearing a mask (which, ironically, helped her asthma). However, overall, I think it was an activity/sport that helped shape the person she has become and, while it's not the most affordable sport out there, it is one I would recommend to other parents.

Synopsis: The wealthy Stewart Bedford is happy to be married to his much younger trophy wife, Ann Roann, who he loves to show off in social circles. When a blackmailer calls on him and threatens to expose his wife's criminal past, Stewart decides to cave into his demands, only to be drugged and wake up in a motel room with the blackmailer's body. Perry Mason is hired to defend him against murder charges however, there is one major problem, there is evidence Ann Roann was at the motel too and may be involved. Review: My daughter has an ice show coming up in a few days and, since we've been at the ice rink a lot, I've had plenty of time to read. That includes this book, which I managed to finish up while waiting for one of her rehearsals to be over. When I first started reading this book, I honestly didn't think I would like it all that much, mostly because the author decided to start out by telling the story from the victim's perspective and introducing Perry ...

Synopsis: Six years after a crashed probe results in the Mexico/United States border being overrun by giant alien creatures, journalist Andrew Kaulder is in Mexico trying to get a front-page photo of one of the aliens. However, shortly after arriving, he is given a new job, escorting his boss' daughter, Sam, to the coast so she can get back to the United States via a ferry. When their passports are stolen, he must take her through the infected zone instead. Who's in it? The movie stars Scoot McNairy , Whitney Able , Justin Hall , Paul Archer and Stan Wong . Review: My wife and I were scrolling through several movies Friday evening and ended up picking this one both because it sounded interesting and because it was one of the only movies that didn't have a runtime in excess of 2 hours. Overall, we didn't hate the film, though it also wasn't quite what we were expecting it to be. If you watch this movie expecting it to be a thriller (like we did), you'll be dis...

Synopsis: When the state police use the Mayberry Jail to temporarily house a female prisoner ( Susan Oliver ), she quickly charms both Barney ( Don Knotts ) and Andy ( Andy Griffith ) and threatens to put the jail's security at risk. My Thoughts - Do the police normally let female prisoners wear jewelry when they incarcerate them? That pearl necklace the prisoner was wearing looked like it presented all sorts of dangerous possibilities, ranging from it being used as a weapon to it being used as a means to commit suicide. Plus, did anyone bother to search her bag? What if she was carrying a gun? While I get Barney being charmed by the prisoner, Andy being swayed by her seemed a little out of character. It's not like they haven't had females in the jail before. Seeing Andy practically fighting with Barney over someone that is accused of grand larceny is just something I wouldn't expect to happen. I wonder if it was because it had been a long while since he last had a g...