Movie Review: Cruella (2021) *Spoiler Free*

Movie Review: Cruella (2021) Spoiler Free

I must admit, the main reason I wanted to see Cruella was I really liked the visuals of the the trailers. It definitely looked liked an interesting approach to a character that's never really been on my radar beyond the original, Disney, animated feature (which I'm not entirely sure I've ever seen but I did read the novelization as a child).

I have heard some reviewers criticise the director, Craig Gillespie, for not really doing anything interesting with the visuals in this film, and I can see there were definitely opportunities missed. I kind of feel in the hands of someone like Tim Burton, Cruella could've been far more visually stunning.

However, I still found it a very visually interesting film, largely thanks to some amazing costume and set design, and I really liked the magazine typography combined with live action effects used through various montages.

I also appreciated the heavy use of popular music over a more cinematic score to help capture the mid 1970's period of the film. Something else I've seen some reviewers be critical of.

The film itself is a prequel to the familiar story seen in the 1961, Disney, animated feature, The 101 Dalmatians, focusing on that movie's villain, Cruella De Vil. It's essentially her origin story of how she became an extremely successful fashion icon.

Story wise I really didn't have any expectations going in. It's a character I barely have any interest in (until now), but, as I said, the trailers made it look interesting and, with Emma Stone in the title role, and Emma Thompson playing an equally fierce fashion icon (within the realms of this tale), there was every chance the film would be fun.

It didn't disappoint.

Cruella's backstory is much more interesting than I expected. Almost to the point where, young Cruella is the Cruella I'd rather see more of going forward. There's a good chunk of her teen years told though montages, as well as a big time jump early in the movie that's all ripe for some fun adventures that could be expanded upon in a future sequel.

That aside, Emma Stone is fantastic as Cruella, turning her into something of an edgy, punk rock, anti establishment, fashion anti hero. If Emma can maintain that edge as fully realized Cruella going forward this could be that start of a great franchise.

Emma Thompson is equally fantastic as the Baroness but, given she's something of a mentor to Cruella in this film, it feels a little like Thompson is playing what Cruella becomes later in life. Which is still a lot of fun to watch, but a little removed from the 'boots on the ground' character that Emma Stone's Cruella is for this film. I'm not sure I want to see Emma play that version of Cruella.

While you generally know this film is going to end with Cruella becoming the Cruella we're kind of familiar with, I do give it props for crafting a story that generally wasn't predictable in the detail. Again, I also give it props from making her early life/backstory far more interesting than I expected - I'm deliberately not saying much about it because it's fun to discover how she spent her early years as the film progresses.

Overall I enjoyed this film for the characters, the supporting cast is pretty great, including the various four legged variety (some of which I'm sure were CGI but done so well it was definitely hard to tell whether they were full CGI or augmented CGI over the live action performances).

I'd definitely love to see a sequel. I'm just not sure it would be as interesting with Cruella having established herself by the end of this film. Could she still keep her edge?

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Course Review: YouTube for Bosses - Sunny Lenarduzzi. How to grow your YouTube Channel into a Business

YouTube for Bosses Free Mug... or the most expensive mug you'll ever buy? I've been subscribed to Sunny Lenarduzzi's YouTube channel for a few years, learning a lot on how to grow a following on sites like YouTube and Instagram. If you have any interest in growing your own YouTube channel I'd highly recommend watching some of Sunny's videos on the subject. Definitely explore her 2019 back catalogue for the most useful information. This year she's been on a bit of a 'being authentic' pivot that, personally, doesn't resonate all that much with me (but probably speaks volumes to anyone with similar experience). I'm not saying she shouldn't or isn't being authentic, it's just I didn't subscribe to hear stories about her life journey. To get back on track, Sunny runs a successful online business with her flagship course, YouTube for Bosses , a stand alone paid course that does act as something of a gateway to further paid (but opt

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

Skateboarding Again After almost Two Years - TET-Life Channel Update #skateboardingat52

Back in August of 2021 I made a final skateboarding video for my TET Life YouTube channel explaining that I wouldn't be making any more videos documenting my skateboard progression on account of some fairly painful stress injuries to both my feet. At that time I'd already stopped skating for about seven months. I was also planning on closing down some of my Print on Demand Stores, primarily my Threadless and BoardPusher stores. I'm tentatively planning to restart making fortnightly videos (or possibly even weekly) for my TET Life channel and, for those of you following just this blog, I wanted to post this mid February 2023 update video to let you know what I was thinking moving forward. As you may have seen in the video I'm planning to possibly combine some skate footage with creating my art perhaps? At this stage I'm not sure? I do want to make videos for my TET Life channel and, since my feet seem to be relatively fine again, it would be nice to maybe film som

The Braille Skateboarding App - How it Changed My Mind on Switch Skating

My Profile on the Braille Skateboarding App. Braille Skateboarding launched it's new Skateboarding App worldwide on November 23rd, 2020. About a month prior to that they did a 'soft launch' via email for anyone living in Australia. I'm guessing this was to give the app a final test in the real world before launching it proper. Rather than explain what it is, watch Aaron Kyro, founder of Braille Skateboarding, run you through the app in the launch video below. In a nutshell the app is virtually everything Braille has to offer accessed right from your phone, from tutorials to the Braille Army Community. The app is free but you can unlock more features if you upgrade to a paid membership. Braille App Trick List. One of the apps unique free features is keeping track of the tricks you've learned and giving you an overall score so you have some way to measure your progression. There is an extensive list of tricks, covering all types of skateboarding, categorized by diff

Review: FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes

FP Footwear FINO Skate Shoes I first saw FP's FINO skate shoes in a video by YouTube channel, Braille Skateboarding, titled, THE FIRST EVER NON NEWTONIAN FLUID SKATE SHOES!? As someone whose feet hurt and bruise relatively easily just from the basic tricks of skateboarding (Ollies, Pop Shuv-its etc.) the 90% absorption of impact energy selling point seemed like an ideal solution for minimizing my injuries. A day later I placed an order through FP's website . Ordinarily I wouldn't mention Customer Service but I can't let the lack of communication on my order slide. FP's website says to expect delivery within 7-14 days of your order. After close to two weeks, my order was still marked as being processed. I sent an email asking for any kind of update, to no response. A day or two later my order was marked as completed but still no signs of shoes in my mail? About two weeks later (just over a full month of placing my order) the shoes arrived. I'm sur

One Week on Light n' Easy #lightneasy

My partner, Enigma, and I recently decided to try Light n' Easy to replace all our daily meals in an effort to eat healthier (and not have to think at all about cooking evening meals). Enigma is about to embark on her third week of their full menu but I caved after one and opted just to get the dinners.

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog