Steven Helmer Publications

  I had planned on just having a noodle cup for lunch today but had to stop by Kwik Trip on my way to the office and saw they had this product by their take-home meals. Since it was on sale today (for $4.99), I decided to give it a try. It didn't disappoint. There were a couple things I really liked about this product. First, it only took 4 minutes to make in the microwave. This is considerably faster than many other single-serve lasagnas I've picked up in the past. In fact, it was quick enough where I think even my wife (who only gets 30 minutes to eat lunch) would find it convenient. I was a little concerned it wouldn't be very filling because it didn't look very large or thick when I took it out of the box. However, there was quite a bit of cheese on it and that did make it a lot more satisfying than expected. I didn't even find myself needing an afternoon snack as a result of this (something that probably would have been the case had I gone with a noodle cup). I...

Synopsis: Sam, a 13-year-old boy living in an impoverished and crime-ridden city, believes his next-door neighbor, Joe Smith, is really Samaritan, a superhero who is believed to have been killed 25 years ago. When a career criminal wears the mask and carries the powerful weapon used by Samaritan's brother, Nemesis, Sam tries to talk Joe into coming out of his retirement. Who's in it? The movie stars Sylvester Stallone , Javon "Wanna" Walton ,  Pilou Asbæk ,  Dascha Polanco and  Sophia Tatum . Review: My wife and I came across this movie yesterday evening and since the trailer made it look somewhat interesting, decided to watch it. I had some doubts about an aging Sylvester Stallone playing a superhero. However, it turned out to better than expected. The movie was far from perfect. Some of the CGI looked a bit fake and that de-aging thing they did on Stallone in flashbacks made him look more creepy than young. The final battle inside a burning building was also a b...

I still find myself a bit undecided about the fledgling Night Court reboot, which still is trying to fill the big shoes of the original. However, the show took a big step in that direction by showing us the human side of Abby Stone ( Melissa Rauch ) by revealing she is a recovering alcoholic. Comedy series don't always need to be funny. In fact, the 80s/90s version of this series had more than its share of heartbreaking moments. Sometimes a little seriousness goes a long way toward making the characters a lot more believable and relatable. Stone's revelation about her problem and how it was a big part of the reason she wants to honor her dad by helping people was a perfect example. I think the thing that impressed me most was how the reveal was done a lot more subtly than a lot of other series might have done it. She didn't make a big announcement or fall off the wagon. Instead, Dan Fielding's ( John Larroquette ) own history with a recovering spouse allowed him to see...

Synopsis: Therapist Rose Carter meets an intake patient in the hospital psychiatric wing who witnessed a suicide and now believes something is stalking her. The patient kills herself in front of Rose and she immediately starts experiencing similar occurrences that slowly drive her close to insanity. Who's in it? The movie stars Sosie Bacon , Jessie T. Usher , Kyle Gallner , Robin Weigert and Caitlin Stasey. Review: My daughter wanted to see this movie, so my wife and I agreed to watch it with her this evening. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but it ended up being a good choice. I think the thing I liked the most about this film was the mystery surrounding what was happening to Rose (Bacon). The occurrences looked supernatural at first, but her family also had a history of mental illness, and she experienced something traumatic, so it could have also been her having a mental break. Some scenes, including the one involving her cat, supported the latter while some...

Synopsis: Twin brothers Elias and Lukas arrive at their mother's house and discover her face is bandaged from a "procedure." The twins suspect something is wrong when she doesn't act like herself and begin to suspect she is an imposter. Who's in it? The movie stars Naomi Watts , Peter Hermann , Crystal Lucas-Perry and Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti . Review: We took my daughter back to college this weekend and by the time we got home, I just wanted to relax on the couch and watch a movie. I came across this one on Amazon Prime and thought it looked interesting, so we ended up giving it a try. The film has an interesting mystery. From the moment the twins arrive at their mother's (Watts) farm, it's obvious there is something off about her. In addition to having her face bandaged, she doesn't want to sing them their favorite bedtime song, throws away a photo they drew and has a few somewhat suspicious house rules, including not going into the barn. O...

When I saw NBC was rebooting the show Night Court , I had some mixed feelings. The original series was (and still is) one of my favorites and a show I missed until I found it on Amazon Prime. However, while I liked Melissa Rauch from The Big Bang Theory and thought she was the right choice to play Harry Stone's ( Harry Anderson ) daughter, I wasn't convinced it would be able to live in such big footprints. While I won't cast a final judgement after just two episodes, the reboot hasn't done much to convince me it is able to stand on its own two feet. Even more concerning is it doesn't seem to be trying to do that. Whenever you reboot a series, comparisons to the original are going to be inevitable. And, while it might seem like a good idea, reminding people of the original only makes the problem worse. This starts with the decision to bring back John Larroquette as Dan Fielding. Not only does his return to the courtroom seem forced (and possibly illegal), but his ...

Synopsis: On the day of Dan and Skyler's wedding, millions around the world suddenly drop dead without warning and a series of other Biblical events point to the Rapture. Taking refuge in a church the newlyweds and their friends are forced to examine their life's choices and their faith in God. Who's in it? The movie stars Johnny Pacar , Shaun Sipos , Alexa PenaVega , Bryan Dechart and Italia Ricci. Review: I came across this film on one of my movie channels this evening and since my wife and I were about to sit down and have some dinner, decided to watch it. It ended up being an OK choice but did leave me wanting more. The main problem with movies like this in general is they are advertised as horror films but tend to feel a bit too much like a recruitment commercial for the Christian Church instead. This movie was no exception. I think the movie had potential to be memorable had it spend a bit more time focusing on the Rapture itself. However, other than brief glimpse...

Synopsis: After an injury ended her gymnastics career early, former bronze medalist Hope Ann Greggory has been exploiting her local celebrity status while living with her dad and stealing money from the back of his mail truck. When her former coach kills herself, Hope receives a letter bequeathing her $500,000. However, to receive the money, she must train an up-and-coming local gymnast for the Olympics. Who's in it? The movie stars Melissa Rauch , Gary Cole , Haley Lu Richardson , Cecily Strong and Thomas Middleditch . Review: This movie was mentioned in a book I recently read about the television show The Big Bang Theory . I am familiar with Melissa Rauch and the trailer made it seem funny, so I checked it out from our local library earlier today. My wife and I watched it tonight and, while it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be, I didn't hate it. I think the movie might be wrongly classified as a comedy. If anything, it seemed a lot more like a drama about a for...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book uses interviews with cast members and various others to tell the inside story of The Big Bang Theory , an unexpected hit series that ran for 12 seasons. Review: Even though I didn't first watch it until after it was off the air, The Big Bang Theory has become one of my all-time favorite television shows and I don't think I've gone a week without watching at least one re-run. When I saw this book advertised, I wound up requesting it through my local library as a result. Overall, I have to say I was happy with that decision. The book wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I figured it would just be your normal non-fiction book that tells the story with the occasional cast member quote thrown in. Instead, the author lets the people who were involved with the series tell the story for her. The end result is a book that reveals a lot of intimate details and some funny anecdotes you may not otherwise have gotten. For example, the book spends ...

One of the problems with prequels (both on TV and in movies) is you sometimes need to force a square peg into a round hole just for the sake of maintaining canon. This has been the case with the George Cooper ( Lance Barber ) and Brenda Sparks ( Melissa Peterman ) subplot on Young Sheldon . This prequel to The Big Bang Theory focuses on Sheldon Cooper's ( Iain Armitage ) life growing up in Texas. And the George/Brenda subplot at least seems to be based on a story the older version of Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ) described involving him catching his father having an affair. He described it as the reason he compulsively knocks three times on closed doors. The main problem with this subplot is it really doesn't work in the context of this prequel series because the show hasn't been completely faithful to the source material. For example, the older Sheldon also described his father as a boorish drunk who was abusive, always arguing with his mother, possibly a criminal and didn't...

Implemented in 2003, the NFL's Rooney Rule has attempted to create more opportunities for minority coaches and executives by requiring teams to include at least one minority candidate before filling a head coach vacancy.  While this rule has created opportunities for some coaches, the overall impact has been somewhat limited with the number of teams led by a non-white coach still consisting of just a very small percentage each year, teams being accused of holding token interviews with minority candidates they had no interest in and a perception of a double standard when it comes to retaining a coach following a losing season. While there is no perfect solution to the problem, especially with very few NFL teams owned by non-white owners, I think there is one addition to the rule the league should consider - require teams to fill interim positions with minorities. The key wording in that, of course is "fill" rather than "interview." My proposed rule change would i...

  There is an old adage that hints it is better to get rid of a player too early than too late. As the Packers sit at home this post season for the first time in four years, that philosophy should apply to Aaron Rodgers. I'm not going to lie; I thought Rodgers and the Packers would make me eat crow when I predicted they wouldn't make the playoffs. That was quite a run they had, right up until the point the Detroit Lions eliminated them. And that last-second push might result in many believing it is worth bringing Rodgers back for another year. I'm not one of those people who believe that. Look, it's never easy parting ways with a star player, especially a hall-of-famer at the most important position in football. There are also no guarantees Jordan Love will be able to fill Rodgers' shoes or won't be a draft bust. But if you're going to make a change, now is the time to do it. For one, while I'm sure there are unmeasurable factors that also played a role,...

Synopsis: A 31-year-old Estonian psychiatric patient with a genetic disorder that leaves her looking like a young child escapes the asylum she's imprisoned in and impersonates Esther, the presumably abducted daughter of a wealthy American couple. However, her disguise doesn't fool everyone, including the mother, who knows what really happened to Esther. Who's in it? The movie stars Isabelle Fuhrman , Julia Stiles , Rossif Sutherland , Matthew Finlan and Samantha Walkes . Review: My wife and I enjoyed the movie Orphan when we saw it a few months ago and, because of that, I added this prequel to our library when I came across it on one of our movie channels. We watched it tonight and, while it was an OK film, it did lack something when compared to the original. I think there are a couple things that really hurt this film. One of the main ones is the whole adult personating a child thing just doesn't have as much impact when the viewer is already in the loop. Not to m...

Synopsis : Chicago defense attorney Nora Sullivan has never had anything in common with her fraternal twin, Nikki, and the sisters grew even further apart when their parents were murdered 10 years ago and Nikki, a struggling actress, moved to New York immediately after. When Nikki returns to Chicago and asks Nora to sign off on selling a detective agency they inherited from a mysterious benefactor, Nora wants nothing to do with her sister. However, when Nora finds her employer's body and police rule it a suicide, she accepts Nikki's help in her attempt to prove he was murdered. Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King ,  Rhiannon Fish , Madison Smith , Tony Alcantar and David Attar. Review: I don't normally watch Hallmark movies without my wife. However, I had the house to myself for a couple hours yesterday evening and, since I like a good murder mystery, wound up giving this film a try. I'm going to admit, it was better than I was expecting. The murder mystery ...

Synopsis: Sheldon ( Iain Armitage ) finds a private investor for his computer database idea but, in order to receive the funding, he must drop out of college. George's ( Lance Barber ) football team starts a winning streak, but Pastor Rob ( Dan Byrd ) receives all the credit. My Thoughts: The Sheldon storyline was more intriguing than I expected . I was actually kind of surprised Sheldon was so willing to sacrifice his college education for his project. I know the database means a lot to him, but this is the first time I've seen the character not put education first. It did however make me once again question why he was so opposed to letting the university fund it. He makes it sound like he would have had to give up control, but I never got that impression during the last episode, which made it seem like the only issue was who would receive the lion's share of the profits. If anything, the college would have been more supportive of him remaining enrolled and working aroun...

  I had some time to try something new last night while my wife and daughter were at martial arts. It's been a while since I've had tuna noodle casserole because it's usually my wife who makes that and she hasn't had much time to cook lately so I decided to attempt my own stovetop version of it. Everything was prepared in the same pan, minimizing the number of dirty dishes. Ingredients: 1 pound of egg noodles 3 cans of cream of mushroom soup 1 family-sized pack of tuna 1 can of mushrooms 1 can of peas 1 small container of onion fries. Milk (I filled one of the cream of mushroom soup cans twice) I started out boiling the noodles in the skillet until they were done then drained them. After that, I mixed in all the other ingredients except the onion fries and cooked my creation until it was fully heated, and the soup thickened a bit. I then added the onion fries and seasoned it with garlic powder and black pepper. It turned out really well. Just to warn you, I tend to cook...

Synopsis: When a prized steer dies of a sudden and mysterious ailment, an Arizona veterinarian teams up with an entomologist and discovers an army of venomous tarantulas are to blame. When an attempt to eradicate the spiders fails, the tarantulas invade a nearby town. Who's in it? The movie stars William Shatner , Tiffany Bolling , Woody Strode , Lieux Dressler and David McLean. Review: I was pleased to see this film was finally available via one of my movie channels because I've been wanting to rewatch it for some time. I was able to convince my skeptical wife to watch it with me last night and the movie did not disappoint. There is a real 1970s feel to this film, ranging from the clothes to the upbeat country music playing during the introduction and in the background (making it feel a bit more like a comedy at times). However, even though it is now 45 years old, it still remains a solid spider-themed horror film. One of the things I like about this movie is the premise i...