Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: When crazed killer Billy Lenz escapes the mental institution on Christmas Eve, he makes a path straight for his childhood home. Unfortunately for the sorority sisters of Delta Alpha Kappa, his former house is now their sorority house. With police assistance at least two hours away because of the heavily falling snow, they are forced to find a way to survive on their own. Who's in it?  The movie stars Katie Cassidy , Michelle Trachtenburg , Lacey Chabert , Robert Mann and Andrea Martin . You can read my review of Black Christmas here:  Movie Review: Black Christmas (2006) (wizzley.com)

While free agency can be a quick fix for NFL teams, sometimes knowing who not to sign can be just as effective. This includes a team's own players, even when there is fan protest. Green Bay Packers' General Manager Brian Gutekunst did a lot of that this off season, due in no small part to limited cap space. However, based on the way those lost free agents are performing with their new teams, that decision seems to be one of genius despite opinions that were expressed at the time. Here's a look at their biggest losses from the off season. Allen Lazard - This was arguably Gutekunst's biggest roll of the dice this off season because Lazard was the team's number one guy in 2022 and the remaining receivers lacked experience. Lazard would sign a 4-year, $44 million contract with the New York Jets, hoping to continue playing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, of course, got hurt in the first game of the season and Lazard's numbers suffered to the point he was a ...

Synopsis: Still hurting from a recent breakup, an art teacher, Jordin, attends a holiday event known as the Santa Summit (a Christmas-themed bar crawl) with her two best friends and colleagues, Ava and Stella. When she drops her wallet, Jordin meets Liam, an architect, and immediately feels a spark. However, she and Liam become separated before learning each other's names and since they were wearing Santa costumes, don't know what each other looks like. Determined to find love, they begin to search for each other while attending all the Santa Summit events. Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King , Benjamin Hollingsworth , Amy Groening , Stephanie Sy and  Rodrigo Beilfuss .  Review: As is usually the case when we stay out late the night before (karaoke date night) my wife and I were pretty wiped out yesterday and, after doing a few things around the house, wound up hanging out on the couch. It gave us an excuse to watch another Hallmark Christmas movie, and this is the...

My thoughts from today's 29-22 Green Bay Packers' win at the Detroit Lions. This felt like David defeating Goliath. Or maybe a better description would be it was like watching a sports movie, the kind where a team gets their asses handed to them early on then faces the same team later and wins. At minimum, this was a completely different game than the Packers 34-20 loss earlier in the season and brought and brought an end to a recent losing streak against the Lions. Another great thing about this win was there wasn't a "but." The Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams, "but" Matt Stafford wasn't playing. The Packers beat the New Orleans Saints, "but" they lost David Carr. This time they beat one of the best teams in the league with no excuses. Jordan Love just might be the real deal. Not that I had much doubt about that. Two not perfect but solid games in a row and he seems to be feeling comfortable in the pocket. Just as important, the Packer...

Synopsis: Dr. Lindsay Morgan and her brother, Brad, used to be close but are now estranged. As a result, neither are thrilled when their mom invites them to spend Christmas at a Scottish castle. However, they soon learn a family secret, their mom, Josephine, is actually a Scottish duchess, and the castle belongs to their family. They are given a choice, take over their family's legacy and their inheritance or put the castle up for sale. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert , Scott Wolf , James Robinson , Kellie Blaise and Fiona Bell.  Review: It's Thanksgiving, which for my wife and me, means it's the start of Christmas movie season. So, naturally, we started out with the newest Hallmark movie starring Lacey Chabert . Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a disappointment. I think the main problem with this film is the plot is just a little too simple. Most Hallmark movies and Christmas movies in general tend to be predictable but at least most make an effort to ...

Synopsis: A year after helping Marlin cross the ocean in search of Nemo, the forgetful Dory remembers she herself was separated from her parents as a child and was in search of them before meeting her new friends. With Marlin and Nemo's help, she once again crosses the ocean, to California, in search of them. Who's in it?  The animated movie stars Ellen DeGeneres , Albert Brooks , Ed O'Neill , Kaitlin Olson , Allison Janney , Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Finding Dory (2016) (wizzley.com)

 My thoughts from today's 23-20 Green Bay Packer's win over the Los Angeles Chargers. That was a win to build on. A lot of the game admittedly looked a little too familiar but for a team that is learning how to win in spite of adversity, this was a good start. If the offense played like this against the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay would be 6-4 right now. Gotta love seeing Jordan Love throwing for more than 300 yards. Aaron Rodgers didn't manage that all of last year so, once again, it's hopefully a sign the offense is starting to turn a corner. In addition to moving on from Rodgers, Green Bay moved on from long-time kicker Mason Crosby this season. I think Love is starting to prove the former was the right choice, but Anders Carlson is keeping the jury out on the latter. A missed field goal and missed extra point nearly dropped Green Bay to 3-7.  Speaking of special teams, given the questionable depth in the secondary, is it wise to keep Keisan N...

Synopsis: A killer in a bunny suit murders anyone he encounters and his partner in crime, Joe, disposes of the bodies by turning them into jerky, which he sells at his convenience store. When a group of women go hiking in the nearby woods, they become Bunnyman and Joe’s latest targets and must find a way to escape before they are raped, tortured and killed by the pair. Who's in it?  The movie stars David Scott , Joshua Lang , Marshal Hilton , Heather Daley , Kate Bowen , Stefanie Estes and Julianne Dowler . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: The Bunnyman Massacre (2014) (wizzley.com)

Synopsis: An archaeology team discovers a large, forgotten pyramid in Egypt and ignoring orders to abandon the site because of civil unrest in the country, enters the structure in an effort to recover a lost exploratory robot. This proves to be a mistake when they get lost inside the pyramid and quickly learn they are not alone. Who's in it?  The movie stars Ashley Hinshaw , Denis O'Hare , James Buckley , Christa Nicola and Philip Shelley. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: The Pyramid (2014) (wizzley.com)

 Here are my thoughts from the Green Bay Packers 23-19 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers today. The outcome was disappointing and there were still quite a few mistakes, but the improvement was there. The offense had the best first half it’s had in weeks and the Packers team stayed in it until the final whistle and continued to fight even as things progressively went against them. Joe Barry’s defense struggled against the run early but once again kept the score close enough to make the game winnable and got a key stop (albeit thanks to a Pittsburgh penalty) at the end to give the offense one more shot. It’s going to be a long season but if we look at it as a rebuild year, the improvement is encouraging. It looked like there was a very deliberate attempt to get receiver Christian Watson involved early and often, perhaps hoping he would repeat the performance he had during the second half of last season. I don’t think it worked out the way the Packers hoped. While I get he’s the team’...

Synopsis: Teenagers Rickie and JT cut class and explore an abandoned insane asylum. While escaping a guard dog, they entered a locked room and discover a naked woman tied to a table. Rather than freeing the woman, who they later learn cannot be killed, JT, instead, decides to keep her tied up so he and his friends can continually rape her, something Rickie is opposed to but is too weak to prevent. Who's in it?  The movie stars Shiloh Fernandez , Noah Segan , Candice Accola , Eric Podnar , Jenny Spain and Susan Marie Keller . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Deadgirl (2008) (wizzley.com)

 It was nice out today, albeit a little windy. I managed to squeeze in a quick walk and took a pair of photos.

 My thoughts from today's Green Bay Packers' 20-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams. There is still a lot for Green Bay to work on but winning certainly helps. It wasn't always pretty but the victory gives the Packers something to build on. At minimum, it's better than fifth-straight loss. The defense deserves the game ball. Yes, they were up against a backup quarterback. But they controlled the run, kept one of the league's deepest receiving corps in check and made the plays that were gifted to them, making it a lot easier on Jordan Love and the offense. Romeo Doubs has already become Love's favorite receiver, but I feel like rookies Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed have also moved ahead of Christian Watson in the receiving pecking order. Watson has talent but just can't seem to get on the same page as Love consistently, possibly because of the amount of time he has missed in his first two seasons due to injury. Even his lone catch in this contest resulted i...

Synopsis: Teenager Jamie Hughes' mom, Pam, is overprotective to the point of almost smothering her daughter because of the "sweet 16" murders that happened 35 years earlier, leaving three of Pam's friends dead. When the killer re-emerges and murders Pam, Jamie is left devastated and traumatized. Then the killer goes after her at a school science fair and, as she attempts to escape by hiding in her friend's time machine project, Jamie is transported back to 1987, on the day of the first murder, and to save her mom, attempts to stop the killer before he starts. Who's in it? The movie stars Kiernan Shipka , Olivia Holt ,  Charlie Gillespie ,  Julie Bowen and Liana Liberato. Review: I came across this movie on Amazon Prime a few days ago and, while I had some doubts, was also somewhat intrigued by a slasher movie/murder mystery and convinced my wife to watch it with me last night. Overall, I have to say the movie more than exceeded my expectations. First of al...

The temps are getting colder, and we even had some snow this week. However, it was fairly decent today, so I took advantage and got out with my camera. Here are some of my photos:

I'm a big believer in assuming more knowledgeable people know what they are doing, even if I don't understand their reasoning. That was the attitude I took yesterday afternoon, when I learned the Green Bay Packers traded defensive back Rasul Douglas and their fifth-round pick in 2024 to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a third-round pick. However, a day later, I truthfully struggle to see the logic behind that trade. The Packers aren't having a good season and that wasn't unexpected since they are clearly in rebuild mode. So, in that regard, the trade would make some sense if you're only looking at the long-term. Yet even then, it's still flawed for a number of reasons. First, the Packers are down but not out yet.  They no longer have Aaron Rodgers behind center so one of the quarterback's signature late-season rebounds isn't going to happen. And 2-5 is admittedly hard to bounce back from. But seven teams from each 16-team conference make the playoffs e...