Steven Helmer Publications

Yesterday was the climax of a seemingly endless spring election season that saw a very partisan non-partisan Wisconsin Supreme Court race and a slightly less partisan non-partisan State Superintendent race that saw overwhelming victories for liberals. However, one thing the conservatives in Wisconsin (and Washington) could brag about was the landslide victory for a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution cementing a photo ID requirement for all elections.  For clarification, Wisconsin already has been enforcing this law for years. In fact, when I voted yesterday, I both had to hand the poll volunteer my driver's license and (as further confirmation of who I was) tell them my name and address. The amendment would only make it harder to overturn that law. And for the record, I was among the minority that voted against it. I have yet to see any proof voter fraud is rampant to the point it justifies potentially denying someone their right to vote. Ironically though, while Dona...

Synopsis: When farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper, Sarah Watson, are murdered during a burglary, farmhand George Braden is arrested for the crime and to protect his wife, Ellen, signs a confession after 16 hours of interrogation. Doug Madison is asked to serve as Braden's defense attorney and initially declines until the pregnant Ellen convinces him of her husband's innocence. Madison remains determined to prove his client didn't commit murder, even after running out of money, having his girlfriend break up with him and Braden is convicted and sentenced to hang. Who's in it? The movie stars MacDonald Carey , Teresa Wright , Edgar Barrier , Adele Mara and Delores Moran. Review: I came across Count the Hours! a few nights ago and decided to add it to my library because I'm always game for a classic crime drama/mystery. I watched it this morning with no real expectations, but it turned out to be a great choice. There are quite a few things I liked about this m...

I woke up this morning to the sad news of actor Val Kilmer's passing at the age of 65. As a relatively unsung character actor, even I was a bit surprised when I was reminded of just how many times, he starred or co-starred in a movie I enjoyed. So, I decided it would be worth the time to list my five favorite Val Kilmer roles in his memory. Madmartigan ( Willow , 1988) -  Technically, Warwick Davis is the star of this movie, but Kilmer's Madmartigan is the reason it is one of my all-time favorite action fantasies. He brings a great blend of heroism and comedy to the film that sometimes outshine the movie's namesake. Nick Rivers ( Top Secret , 1984) - Ironically, I was just thinking to myself "it's been ages since I've seen this movie, I should take the time to watch it again." This film was Kilmer's first and his performance as the rock star turned resistance fighter is a big reason why it's a classic. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky ( Top Gun , 198...