Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Accident prone Emily considers her best friend, Phoebe, the best friend anyone could ever have. After all, Phoebe has been there for her through every disaster, including her recent breakup. That's why, with Phoebe preparing to get married on the beach in Costa Rica, Emily wants to use her maid of honor role to make it the best wedding ever. There's just one problem, in addition to being upstaged at every turn by Ryan, the wedding's best man, she also had a monkey steal her bag which, among other things, contained the wedding rings. Determined to make things right and reluctantly accepting Ryan's help, she enters the jungle to find them. Who's in it? The movie stars Rhiannon Fish , Christopher Russell , Brittany Carel , CJ Hammond and Kourtney George . Review: This wasn't our first choice for last night's movie night but neither my wife nor I liked the first film I picked out and, after turning it off five minutes later, I picked this as the bac...

I've been out with my camera  a few times this week but haven't gotten a whole lot of photos on each walk. So, I'm just going to combine them and share some pics of everything from wildlife to the blue moon we had a few days ago.

Synopsis: In the year 2030, former child actress Katie Kim returns to Los Angeles after a long hiatus to care for her dying mother in an attempt to reignite her career as an adult. Due to her absence and avoidance of current events she doesn't know the now impoverished city has implemented a lottery until she accidentally gets the winning ticket worth $3.6 billion. There's just one catch, anyone in the city can legally kill her and claim the money as long as they do it by sundown and without using a gun. Her only hope for survival comes from Noel, a freelance lottery protection agent who is willing to keep her alive for 10 percent or get her out of the city (which voids her winnings) for nothing. Noel seems to know what he's doing but can Katie trust him not to try to claim the full $3.6 billion for himself? Who's in it? The movie stars Awkwafina , John Cena , Simu Liu , Marian Green and  Ayden Mayeri . Review: I lost interest in professional wrestling several years...

After needing to replace my memory card then forgetting to turn the camera on, I finally got my trail camera working last night just in time to capture another video of one of our local opossums as it helped itself to some leftover pork chop. Here it is.

Synopsis: Gabriel Noone is a successful gay radio talk show host but is in a funk because of relationship problems. He gets a bit of a boost when he talks over the phone to a dying 14-year-old fan who is about to publish an emotional book about his troubled past. However, when Gabriel begins to doubt the boy really exists, he becomes obsessed with finding proof. Who's in it? The movie stars Robin Williams , Toni Collette , Rory Culkin , Joe Morton and Bobby Cannavale. You can read my review of The Night Listener here:  Movie Review: The Night Listener (2006) (wizzley.com)

  Image courtesy of  autumnsgoddess0  via Pixabay You can do better than me. That’s what I constantly hear. Whether it comes from your friends,  Or some random guy at the bar drinking a beer. They think you settled, and they are probably right. You are, after all, a ten while I am just a generous five. That means at the minimum, I am the luckiest man alive. There are plenty of other guys you could have. In fact, I can see them all waiting impatiently in line. However, while they may be younger, more handsome and energetic. I can guarantee you they’ll never be as respectful and kind. Others may promise you the world and/or a good time. But you’re never going to find a man who is as devoted or will love you more Than the lucky guy You settled for.

I've had my trail camera for about a year and just remembered it had the ability to take videos as well as photographs. After a couple nights of it being tripped but just missing getting an image of anything other than grass, I gave the video feature a try. I had some success thanks, in part, to some old hot dogs I found in the fridge and left on the lawn.

I managed to get out for a little while today, while it was sunny, not too hot and I wasn't being swarmed by mosquitos. There wasn't a lot to see that wasn't hidden by the overgrown marsh grass, but I still came across a few things. Here are some photos I took with my camera .

Synopsis: Five models with numerous Instagram followers are hired to pose in a swimwear photoshoot and are sharing a rental home for the duration. During the night, two intruders, one man and one woman, take the models hostage and try to exploit their popularity to make money from their followers. However, when things don't go quite as planned and a third, more violent, partner shows up, the models find their lives in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Scout Taylor-Compton , Cory Anne Roberts , Kyra Santoro ,  Natalie Nootenboom and Chris Zylka . Review: My wife and I continued our movie marathon after a short break for me to pick up a carry-out food order from one of our local bars. Deciding to take a break from Hallmark films, I picked out Model House , which I came across on Starz a few days ago. While it wasn't what I was expecting it to be, it turned out to be a good choice. The movie takes a while to get going, spending a lot of time on introducing the models as...

Synopsis: Addy is a former marine biology major who quit school to help her sister, Kate's, fashion design business off the ground. Now in Hawaii as her sister's maid of honor, Addy has the chance to be her sister's equal partner but also would like to return to doing something she loved. When she loses her grandmother's ring in the ocean and enlists help from a scuba instructor, Jack, to dive with her and try to find it, the decision becomes even tougher, especially when her and Jack begin to fall in love. Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King , Beau Mirchoff , Eliza Hayes Maher , Diane Sargent and Marita de Lara . Review: Hidden Gems , which has been in our library for more than a year, was the second Hallmark movie I picked out to watch with my wife while we had a lazy Saturday today. While the first one was a murder mystery, this was a straight-up romantic comedy and, as such, was pretty much was I was expecting it to be. As is often the case with Hallmar...

Synopsis: Freelance fashion psychologist Lauren Elliott is between jobs when her best friend, Charlotte, helps land her a consultant role at a French design company during Paris fashion week. However, following the runway show one of the company's executives is found murdered and Charlotte is arrested as the primary suspect. Determined to prove her friend's innocence, Lauren pairs up with a reluctant French detective, Andre, and attempts to find the real killer. Who's in it? The movie stars Brooke D'Orsay , Gilles Marini , Francois Legrand , Paloma Coquant and Doug Rand. Review: My wife and I decided not to do too much today after a long week and since we were on the couch anyway, attempted to get caught up on some of the Hallmark movies  we've recorded but haven't watched yet. I was in the mood for a murder mystery and gave this one a try. Overall, while nothing too special, I thought it was a good choice. There were a couple things I found I really enjoyed...

I have lived in Wisconsin most of my life and had never gone to the House on the Rock despite seeing plenty of advertisements for it. My wife has always wanted to go so I took her there for her birthday yesterday. It is now an attraction I would both recommend and will say is worth every penny. Started by Alex Jordan back in 1945, the attraction started as a house built on one of the rocks in the area and has expanded into a museum with everything from suits of medieval armor to a gigantic 3-story whale. We took the kids with us and every one of us had a favorite room. My oldest, for example, almost had to be dragged out of the circus and dollhouse rooms. A couple words of caution. Be prepared to walk a lot (wear comfortable shoes) and if you're doing the ultimate experience (which I recommend) arrive early enough to see everything. The website isn't kidding when it says it takes at least three hours. We were there for more than four.  In addition, it is very easy to be overst...