It's a Cin

There are more than 500 versions of the story of Cinderella in the world. The latest in 2021 takes many liberties with this classic fairytale and throws in a bit of Glee and a dash of Hamilton. The main character, Ella, has dreams of being a fashion designer and is played by pop singer Camila Cabello, hoping to become an actress. They both struggle for almost two hours during this project. The recent Cruella movie also had the protagonist dreaming of fashion design. Weren't there any other jobs out there for women at that time period?

Much of the blame lies in writer and director Kay Cannon, who brings her Pitch Perfect experience to Ella's story, including a modern catalog of songs that simply don't work. There's a mashup of “What Man” and “Seven Nation Army” that will give some people nightmares and Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" comes off corny. The new tunes aren't memorable enough to even be on the same level as the cover songs, unfortunately. 

Broadway's Idina Menzel has more of a vocal range than Madonna did on her hit "Material Girl," but the seasoned stage veteran had trouble playing the stepmother Vivian, mainly because of the script. Sometimes she's as abusive as Mommie Dearest and the next moment she's singing a sweet duet with Cabello. The lighting for the film won't win any awards and is harsh on the outdoors scenes with Vivian and her daughters. 

Billy Porter steals the show as the genderless Fab G who makes Ella's life sparkle. Porter is funny, fabulous and over the top. If he could have stuck around longer to mentor Cabello on how to make Ella her own, that would have helped matters. She continually drops character throughout the film and just doesn't have the background to carry this piece at this time in her career. We need more G in our lives and the little narration and short scene are just not enough!

Another performer that fares well in this Cinderella is Minnie Driver in the role of Queen Beatrice. Some may not know that Driver is a talented singer as well as a stellar actress, releasing several albums over the years. She is so strikingly real in her brief scenes that it makes Pierce Brosnan as King Rowan look even more foolish than he's intended to be. He's obviously not over his sour notes in the movie Mamma Mia!

If there's a sequel please just focus on the pair of queens as Porter and Driver are pros that know what they are doing. Those two were simply a joy to watch. 

Cinderella drops on September 3 on Amazon Prime Video and select theaters, along with the Epic Records soundtrack that the legion of Cabello fans will certianly wear out.

Candyman is finally released, after a delay, with fans quickly making a beeline to the theater on opening weekend. On August 21 and 22, people passing by Michigan Avenue's Pioneer Court were scared out of their wits by a pop-up that was cursed by bad weather the first day. 

The original Candyman came along in 1992, was set in Cabrini-Green towers in Chicago and involved a spirit that was summoned after his name is said five times. In 2021, the plot is very different, but the Candyman is back for more and the history is cleverly told through shadow puppets. Nia Coast directs and co-writes this new flick with finesse and grit. The artworld is successfully used as a backdrop for the plot and there's a realistically portrayed gay couple as secondary characters. While the film is a bit disjointed at time, overall, it's a welcome addition to the pathos that could lead to future movies in the franchise. 

Luckily there are no cover songs, just a little Sammy Davis, Jr. singing the title song at the beginning!