Lake County News, CA – Stylish and campy ‘Cruella’ adventure; ABC-TV preview
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‘CRUELLA’ RATED PG-13
The setting for “Cruella” begins in the mid-1960s and has its roots in mid-1970s London in the mid-punk rock era, which suits its main character, a young con artist named Estella (Emma Stone) determined to make her mark in the fashion world with a touch of subculture.
Contrary to our familiarity with “101 Dalmatians”, a divergent origin story lies at the heart of “Cruella”, where we learn that a very young Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) endured a difficult childhood and became an orphan who has made its way. in London.
Her two-tone black and white hair sets Estella apart from everyone else, but she finds sleazy soul mates in a pair of London pickpockets, Jasper (Joel Fry) and the goofy Horace (Paul Walker Hauser), who become her accomplices in petty crimes and then on a larger scale.
Taking a low-paying janitorial job at a posh department store, Estella seeks to find her way into an apprenticeship position with haughty fashion designer Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson).
After landing a dream design job, Estella grows resentful towards the abusive baroness, transforming into her alter ego of Cruella to embark on an ingenious fashion terrorism that seeks to disrupt her boss’s grip. on a high perch as a sartorial pioneer.
More disturbing is the revelation of the true source of Cruella’s discontent and resentment towards the Baroness. As Cruella shifts to the dark side that makes her naughty if not a nascent anti-hero, it’s the Baroness who is an evil tyrant.
We take a keen interest in Cruella’s fashion escapades conceived as a commando operation to eclipse the baroness, whether during a gala costume ball or during the unveiling of a new haute couture line.
Encouraged by the media circus that recounts her impromptu fashion shows, in part thanks to the interest of journalist Anita Darling (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Cruella revel in flamboyant antics that disturb the baroness’ cold exterior.
Motivated by revenge for reasons finally revealed, Cruella’s ambition is not only to take the fashion world by storm, but to emerge in the lead in a contest of energetic verbal jousting and one-upmanship with the Baroness. freezing.
“Cruella” has a lot to offer most audiences, from an excellent original soundtrack of the era, from the funk band Ohio Players to punk rock The Clash to the wide range of Nina Simone to the visual appeal of elaborate costumes and sets.
Overall, âCruellaâ is a camping adventure that relishes the meanness of its titular character and those around him. It’s pure fun and thankfully lacks animal cruelty, though Cruella has good reason to dislike Dalmatians.
Cruella claims late in the story that she is “bright, born bad and a little bit crazy”. Add to that the mid-credits scene and Cruella saying she has some ideas for the future, and it might not be the last time we’ve seen Emma Stone turn her into a Disney villain.
ABC TV PREVIEW
During its recent Upfront presentation, FOX claimed to be the number one network for the second year in a row.
ABC has released its prime-time schedule for the 2021-22 season, claiming it is number one among entertainment networks among adults aged 18 to 49 for the second year in a row.
There is probably little, if any, interest among viewers as to where a network ranks in ratings. All we care about is investing time in new or ongoing series that grab our attention.
For the fall season, ABC has announced two new series. “Queens” tells the story of four estranged and disconnected women in their forties who come together for a chance to regain their fame and regain the look they once had as Nasty Bitches, a ’90s band who made them hip-hop legends. world.
“Queens” stars Eve as Brianna aka Professor Sex, Naturi Naughton as Jill aka Da Thrill, Nadine Velazquez as Valeria aka Butter Pecan, Brandy as Naomi aka Xplicit Lyrics, as well as Taylor Sele as Eric Jones and Pepi Sonuga in Lil Muffin.
Based on the beloved award-winning series of the same name, “The Wonder Years” is a coming-of-age story set in the late 1960s that takes a nostalgic look at a middle-class black family in Montgomery. , Alabama, through the perspective of 12-year-old Dean (Elisha “EJ” Williams).
With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean’s hopeful and humorous memories show how his family found his “wonder years” in turbulent times. “The Wonder Years” stars Don Cheadle, narrating the series as adult Dean Williams.
While two mid-season series, âAbbott Elementaryâ and âMaggie,â are in the works, the biggest limited series likely to come in early 2022 is âWomen of the Movement,â highlighting the mother of Emmett Till and his search for justice for the brutal murder of his son.
The tragedy of the brutal torture and brutal murder of 14-year-old African American Emmett during the Jim Crow era in 1955 in Mississippi galvanized the civil rights movement. Adrienne Warren plays Mamie Till-Mobley and Cedric Joe plays Emmett Till.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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