Film Review: Ed Wood (1994)

Review:
The life of Edward D Wood Jr has come to life in this picture directed by Tim Burton who has put together an ensemble cast on one of Hollywood's most enigma directors. Burton was daring enough to film this biopic in B&W. Normally, I would avoid such things. But, this was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The tones, the textures, the lighting, and the scenes were simply fabulous. All footage was shot in a most excellent manner. Burton really captured the Los Angeles feel and atmosphere of the times. And to add the superb acting of Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, and Sarah Jessica Parker; you have the makings of a classic film. It is a bit ironic because the story revolves around a writer/director/producer and some of the worst films every put to a theatre screen. What's bad is good and what's good is bad...go figure.

Although parts of the story can be dreadful, like watching Bela descend into his addiction to heroin, there are some very subtle moments which are just hilarious. Landau acts out a tour-de-force performance. It is simply uncanny how well he portrays Lugosi. It is no wonder he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. There is a scene where someone tries to compare him to Boris Karloff and Lugosi just goes off on this unsuspecting person spouting and spewing eloquent hatred for his fellow horror film star. This is not one of those subtle moments. Deep brings a high level of enthusiasm to his character as it is quite evident on the screen. I do not claim to be an expert on the original Ed Wood, but Deep's performance personifies the essence of Wood as he was in real life.

In conclusion, even if you do not like Ed Wood Jr. or have never seen any of his films, I would still think you could enjoy this movie. However, it is soooo much better if you have some background knowledge of what you're getting yourself into. This is, by far, one of Tim Burton's greatest achievements in directing. Burton has taken a bold step which most would not dare attempt. Burton's direction and pacing of the story is very apt for a person of Wood's caliber.

Ps: The Nightmare Before Christmas is excellent too and one of my favorites.

Mike's Rating: 9 B-Movies and an extra side of cheese, please (Get's an "A" in my book)
MPAA Rating: Rated R for some strong language.
Running Time: 2 hours 7 minutes