![]() ![]() That horrific introduction gives director Craig Gillespie’s twisty movie real gravitas, harking back to the heroes of “Oliver Twist” or “Harry Potter.” Estella’s early trauma and loneliness makes her a smart cookie with an axe to grind. (The movie, in theaters Friday, is also available to stream on Disney+ for $30.) But on the way, Mom gets killed under strange circumstances at a party (it really earns its PG-13 rating) and the orphaned Estella runs to the city alone. ![]() A menace at school, teenaged Estella tells her mother she dreams of going to London to become a fashion designer, and so off they go to start a new life. She was born Estella - with all-natural black-and-white hair - to a struggling single mom in Britain. The two-toned villainess wasn’t always Cruella, though. It’s actually quite easy, because the wondrous Emma Stone plays her. Like the pitch-black Joaquin Phoenix film, it explains the origins and psychology of an infamous villain - this time, Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians.” How can we possibly come to understand and like a person who’s best known for plotting to skin adorable puppies and sew them into a coat? Who a lyric once described as “like a spider waiting for the kill?” Think of the delicious new movie “Cruella” as the “ Joker” of Disney. ![]() ![]() Rated PG-13 (some violence and thematic elements). ![]()
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