Steven Helmer Publications

A few days after coming across a woodchuck hanging out in a tree, I rounded the corner at lunch today and spotted this critter staring out at me from the woods. It's not the first time I've seen a deer there, but it's not a common thing and it's usually during hunting season, when they are trying to avoid getting shot. Took me a surprisingly high number of tries to get it in focus considering how cooperative it was (probably because my hands were shaking from excitement) but I managed to get one good photo at least.

Synopsis: A group of friends discover they can conjure spirits by holding an embalmed hand and saying the words "talk to me" and can also invite the spirits to possess them by saying "I let you in." While scary, it is also surprisingly addictive. However, things take a dark turn when Mia lets her friend's younger brother try and doesn't pull the hand away in time.  Who's in it? The movie stars Sophie Wilde ,  Sarah Brokensha ,  Sunny Johnson ,  Joe Bird and  Alexandra Jensen.  Review: My wife ordered pizza for dinner and since I didn't need to cook, we had time to watch a movie yesterday evening. I chose Talk to Me  primarily from the image of the possessed Mia (Wilde) on Paramount Plus, which made the movie look like it would be scary. As it turns out judging the film solely by its cover wasn't a great idea. I'll give the movie a few points for originality. While the premise isn't 100 percent unique, the idea of using an embalmed han...

Synopsis: After losing her mother when she was very young, Jo Mitchell has moved around with her father, race car engine builder, her whole life and after attending many different schools, has a set of rules against making friends and getting involved in "girl drama." This includes her latest school, North Shore High School, which is ruled by "the Plastics" and their leader, Mandi Weatherly. However, when she learns her father can't afford tuition to her preferred college, Jo accepts payment from Sidney Hanover to befriend his unpopular daughter, Abby, one of Mandi's preferred victims. This brings Jo in direct conflict with the Plastics while, at the same time, improves her popularity and encourages her to break even more rules. Who's in it? The movie stars Meaghan Martin , Maiara Walsh , Claire Holt , Nicole Gale Anderson and Jennifer Stone . Review: My youngest daughter attended her first prom this weekend. She had fun, but it was an exhausting Sat...

I shared the woodchuck photo from lunch yesterday but didn't get around to sharing the photos I took yesterday morning while on my walk by Beaver Dam Lake. Here they are:

 To tell you the truth, I didn't even realize woodchucks could climb trees until I was on my walk at lunch today and happened to see a bundle of fur hiding from the wind. I thought it was a squirrel at first but clearly it isn't.  The critter was very cooperative with me, letting me try to get a good photo that showed its full face. Once I had it, I left him alone. Anyway, here is the photo of it.

The sun is coming up early enough now for me to squeeze in an early morning walk by the lake. I took my camera with me and managed to get a couple photos then, at lunch, went out again and walked a hidden trail at the park that is only accessible around this time of year, before the trees get leaves and block it from view. It's been mostly the usual suspects this week, robins, geese, etc. But I got a couple spring-like photos while I was at it too. Here you go:

Synopsis: After catching his girlfriend cheating on him with his friend Billy, professional wrestler Shane Douglas gets angry and later accidentally kills Billy in the ring with a botched piledriver. Six weeks later, he is given the opportunity to make money as part of a wrestling show at a prison. However, the event is really an elaborate revenge plot by Billy's brother, Angus, who has filled the prison with zombies. Shane and his fellow wrestlers soon find themselves fighting for survival. Who's in it? The movie stars Shane Douglas , Roddy Piper , Jim Duggan , Adrienne Fischer and Ashton Amherst. Review: When I first heard about Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies , I thought it was some sort of internet prank and was surprised when I came across the movie on Amazon Prime. I had a ton of doubts about this film but have always loved Roddy Piper as a movie star and decided to watch it with my wife last night.  Overall, I have to say it wasn't the worst zombie movie I've seen. ...

I didn't have a lot of luck on my walk today. The critters that cooperated with me managed to still be in a bad spot (like the garter snake that popped out two feet from me) and I just couldn't get a good angle. And then there were those that didn't cooperate at all, like the falcon that liked to hang out right in front of the sun and the turkey that showed up after I was in my car and driving back to the office. However, I managed to get this photo at least. 

I wasn't sure what the weather was going to do today and, expecting rain by lunch, I decided to get a walk in this morning. As it turns out, it was a nice day today and I was able to do both, getting a variety of photos. Here are some of them:

A public service message (aimed at one person in particular). It's OK to go for a walk in the park while listening to your favorite music. However, it is not OK to have that music blaring so loud, you can hear it on the other side of the park. That's why they invented headphones. In any case, thanks to the above, finding things to take photos off was somewhat difficult today since the noise was keeping everything in hiding. I did manage some shots though. Here they are:

Synopsis : A space shuttle crew encounters an alien vehicle while doing research on the passing Halley's Comet. The alien craft contains seemingly dead bat-like creatures as well as three well-preserved human-like beings. By the time the shuttle returns to Earth, all onboard are dead but the three preserved bodies remain intact and are recovered for research. Unfortunately, the aliens also happen to be vampires capable of sucking a person's lifeforce from their body and turn them into one of their own. Who's in it? The movie stars Steve Railsback , Mathilda May , Frank Finlay , Patrick Stewart and Peter Firth. Review: I had heard about the movie Lifeforce before but couldn't remember if I had ever seen it. Since we were looking for something to watch anyway and this happened to be available on Amazon Prime, my wife and I gave it a try last night. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as we hoped it would be. This movie is a great example of a good premise that gets w...

Synopsis: A release party for the internet version of a popular werewolf-themed card game is a success. However, as guests begin to be brutally slaughtered, questions arise about whether there is a killer playing a real-life version of the game or if there really is a werewolf hunting its prey. Who's in it? The movie stars Steven Morana ,  Holly Deveaux ,  Ari Millen ,  Katie Boland and  Melissa D'Agostino.  Review: I had planned on watching what looked to be a very terrible 1980s horror film. However, I ended up calling an audible at the last minute and after scrolling through a bunch of movies, settled for Beast Within. This was primarily because it sounded like it would be a typical slasher film, something that wouldn't require me to think too much while providing a reasonable level of entertainment. Well, one of those things happened. The premise, I think, was a decent one. In addition to having a mystery about who the killer is, there is an added myster...

Synopsis: Given only one year to live because of his brain cancer, Jigsaw Killer John Kramer travels to Mexico for an expensive experimental procedure with proven results. At first, he believes he is cured. Then he realizes it was all an elaborate scam being used to bilk people like him out of millions of dollars. With the help of his assistant, Amanda, he gets his revenge the Jigsaw way. Who's in it? The movie stars Tobin Bell , Shawnee Smith ,  Synnøve Macody Lund , Steven Brand and Renata Vaca . Review: My wife and I talked about seeing Saw X when it came out at theaters around my birthday. We are both fans of the franchise, especially her, and were intrigued by a film that would feature the original Jigsaw Killer. That didn't happen however, due to schedule conflicts, and we've been waiting patiently for Saw X to be available to stream on one of our movie channels. It finally happened last night and, after seeing it... well, let's just say I'm glad I didn...

It is a bright and sunny day out today, but man is that wind wicked. I ended up cutting my morning walk short but did manage to get out at lunch. The trails were muddy from the recent rain and because of the wind, it was hard to get photos without my hands rocking back and forth, but I did manage some.

Synopsis:  Andy McDermott travels to Paris with his friends, Brad and Chris and sneak onto the Eiffel Tower after hours so Andy can bungee jump off the side. As he is preparing to perform his stunt, an attractive woman, Serafine, attempts to commit suicide by jumping off the tower. Andy performs a miraculous save then tracks her down, hoping to find out more about her. Unfortunately for Andy, Seraphine is a werewolf and when he and his friends are invited to a party by one of her werewolf associates, Brad is killed and Andy is bitten, making him a werewolf too. Who's in it? The movie stars Tom Everett Scott , Julie Delpy ,  Vince Vieluf , Phil Buckman and Julie Bowen. Review: My wife and I watched An American Werewolf in London a couple nights ago and enjoyed it enough to give the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris , a try. Since the two movies were made 16 years apart and I am skeptical of sequels to begin with, my expectations were set pretty low when we started watch...

Synopsis: While hiking together through Britain, Americans David Kessler and Jack Goodman are attacked by a giant wolf. Jack is killed but David survives after villagers shoot the animal. However, as he is recovering in a London hospital, David is visited by Jack's undead spirit, warning him the animal was actually a werewolf and he would change into one at the next full moon.  Who's in it? The movie stars David Naughton , Jenny Agutter , Griffin Dunne , John Woodvine and Anne-Marie Davies . Review: My wife was still feeling under the weather and, since that meant a quiet evening at home, I looked for a movie to watch. I came across An American Werewolf in London on one of our movie channels and since it had been probably a good 20 years since I last saw it, I gave it a watch. After seeing it for the first time in two decades, I can say I was surprisingly impressed. Based on when this movie was made, I expected it to have some limitations. However, it wound up being a lot ...

Synopsis: Waitress and single mother Jess is invited by one of her customers to go with him and his friends while cruising on his yacht, the Triangle. When the sailboat encounters a storm, it is capsized in the ocean. One of the passengers is swept away but the others, including Jess, believe they are saved when a passenger liner arrives. Only, the ship appears to be deserted except for one other person, who is trying to kill them. I should also mention the killer is Jess. Or at least a future version of herself. Who's in it? The movie stars Melissa George , Liam Hemsworth , Michael Dorman , Joshua McIvor and Rachel Carpani . Review: My wife is feeling under the weather, a combination of a cold and just being on the go the past few days. As a result, I made her some soup yesterday evening and we settled down to watch a movie while waiting for the thunderstorm outside to pass. I picked this one because, from the description, it sounded like a basic slasher movie. As it turns out...

It was a bit windy, but I managed to get out before the weather turned bad today. I didn't see much for signs of life, likely because the animals were taking shelter. However, I managed to get a few photos. Here are some of them.

  Just a photo I took this morning on my way into the office. We're supposed to get storms tonight and tomorrow so the saying "red sky in morning, sailors take warning," may or may not apply.

Took advantage of one last bright and sunny day before we get bad weather later this week and got a walk in at lunch. Here are some of my photos. 

I pulled in the trail camera tonight because we're expecting bad weather, but we got a couple critters caught on it during the night. Here are the photos:

Since she was all warmed up from another photoshoot this morning, I convinced my wife to take advantage of the beautiful weather with me and do one with me this afternoon. Nothing too formal, just practice for both of us. The sun was a bit of a challenge, but I still managed to get some OK shots. Model: Cynthia Helmer Camera: Kodak PIXPRO AZ-425