By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
On Disney Plus
(additional fees may apply)
Very few origin stories are going to live up to the stylish path that Disney’s Cruella is known for. When trying to deliver the goods, namely in creating an arc we can care for, this film nicely dodges some uneasy truths from past takes. In the animated version, she wore the soft furs of slain Dalmatians. In this live-action film’s case, she won’t touch an ounce of their fur, and it was an accusation made by her rival. The tables are turned as the story is more about who is the the alpha female. The black and white is more suggestive of which of the two personalities define this titular character.
Props go to director Craig Gillespie for having a solid vision in reveling in the punk rock subculture of London. The early 70s focus was a time of uncertainty and change, even though I sensed more of a 60s vibe. This backdrop does a little jump in time since it goes from showing how a very young Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) loses her mom to that of a young woman (played by Emma Stone).
Continue reading “Just Rewriting the Canon in Disney’s Cruella”
By Ed Sum
Fandom is most likely to be divided with the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. With a second film well into production, Marvel Entertainment will rake in some of the money that Sony is putting out in marketing. And this larger studio is going to keep the cinematic rights to the web-head for as long as their webbing can hold. The Amazing Spider-Man will never be part of the Avengers Universe if the similarity of the Oscorp building to the Stark Tower, built upon the MET Tower, is any indication.
Writer/Creator 