Sixteen-year-old Henrietta “Henry” Coles (Maddie Hasson) is far from your average high-school kid, given her sad penchant for grand-mal seizures in the midst of the lunchtime cafeteria. Henry’s mom Cleo (Missi Pyle) has a tendency to take on a boyfriend and whatever baggage he carries, endure it for six months to a year, and then grab Henry and take off for the next safe-house, so her home life isn’t exactly what you’d call stable either. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The current boyfriend model out for a test run is Tom Hope (Matt Gordon) and his daughter Jenna (Sarah Desjardins), here in some little nowhere town that actually holds quite a few more secrets than anyone might think. Tom takes care of the local bowling alley and does seem to genuinely care about Cleo and Henry, he’s a nice guy who’s a lot more observant and discreet than anyone realizes. Jenna is one of those eternally popular kids, pretty and apparently vapid with it, but she too turns out to be a genuinely kind person, and when the feces hits the whirling blades, Henry will need all the help she can get!
Every high school has a Golden Boy that all the girls (and perhaps some guys too) lust after, this story features Clay Boone (Tanner Stine) in his Letterman jacket, all smug about his athletic prowess, still for some reason intrigued by the newcomer who clearly isn’t like the other girls, Henry Coles. And even after observing her have a scary seizure in the midst of school, Clay decides he’s going to get Henry alone with him and have his way with her.
Here’s where the show, despite being filmed very well and having a terrific storyline that keeps the audience guessing, needs to come with MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNINGS. The scene in Clay’s truck, where he knowingly molests Henry to the point where she has a massive seizure, her powers kick in and she teleports out, leaving Clay behind to be crushed by what she did to his truck, is raw and real and very damaging to those of potentially weak constitutions. In fact, this instance of rape and assault becomes the focal point of the entire show, somehow even more so than the newfound teleporting ability Henry is now using, much to her chagrin.
Because Henry was initially attracted to Clay and certainly wanted to make out with him, right up to the point where she began to yell at him clearly “NO!”, Henry feels an incredible amount of survivors guilt and what I would term PTSD in the wake of her assault. But it’s the aftershock of her teleporting out, the crushing of Clay’s truck and his own body, turning him into a paraplegic forever afterwards, that really gets to Henry. This one instance, where Golden Boy once again turns out to be Prince Shithead, sparks off all kinds of ripples that no-one could have predicted, least of all Henry herself.
Clay’s dad Bill Boone (David James Elliot), he’s a car salesman with his own dealership and everything, he somehow manages to have some seriously shady dealings with the nearby Mennonite community and Jeremiah Miller (Shawn Doyle), and he makes the instinctual leap that it was these nefarious business practices that led to Clay experiencing the repercussions for it. Clay’s brother Lucas (Craig Arnold), he was already far too involved in the shadowy family businesses, and he tries to help both his enraged father and his struggling brother, but the real truths are far under the skin and actually have nothing to do with the underhanded family dealings – until now.
Things are beginning to spiral out of control and somehow Cleo, Henry’s mom, thinks it’ll be a good idea to take a job offer from Bill Boone to work at the car dealership. So prepare to toss Mom into the mix of murderous Mennonites and crazy car salesmen! Tom and Jenna have clearly understood something’s very wrong with Henry, above and aside the grand mal seizures even, and both are trying to help however they can. Despite just being classified as moms new meal ticket, Tom can keep secrets like nobodies business and actually embraces his lady and her daughter with all the fervor of a real dad.
Jenna too, when she learns the awful truth of what Clay did to Henry, goes on helping Henry through her rape aftermath however she can, past he point of being annoying and goddamn insisting that Henry talk about it, don’t bottle it in, if not to Jenna herself then to the Planned Parenthood help line, or hell, anyone who will listen. The father and daughter Hopes are the good solid reliable kind of people this world needs more of. And the adorkable little friendship of the autistic boy who worships superheroes, Townes Linderman (Daniel Maslany) from school, should get an honorary mention, as its his determined belief in the heroic journey he insists Henry is undergoing that makes the long path even a little more bearable.
There are attempts to fold in an outside storyline about the newly-found teleportation ability that involves Henry’s missing real father, and Nikolai (Callum Keith Rennie) and others like her who are able to teleport in and out, being hunted by some nasty organization with of course plans for them abilities. And while we’re fairly sure these outside storylines, with the origins of teleportation abilities and what they might mean for Henry and her Cleo, will be extra terrific in ‘Impulse’ Season Two, the initial season dealt primarily with Henry and her assault, and that’s plenty enough heartbreak for all of us.
Fight for Henry’s rights with ‘Impulse’ Season One, on YouTube Originals now!
If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Crunnchyroll presents ‘BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt so I’ll max out my defense’: You’re not twinking!
‘Knock at the Cabin’: Puttin on your boogie shoes!
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Illinois’ financial crisis could bring the state to a halt
The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
