Ed Wood

Director Tim Burton and screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karazewski pull off something of a miracle here. They tell the (fictionalized) true story of the man dubbed the worst film director of all time, and his very odd bunch of misfit friends, including an aging and ignored Bela Lugosi. They openly poke hilarious fun at their naiveté and self-delusion, and just how awful their films really are. Yet, somehow, it also makes these characters human, sad, and sweet, and engages our sympathy and empathy - while still making us laugh out loud at them. Yet their determination, their grit, their attempt to find their ways in life, the realization that all of us are odd in some way or other, and that we all kid ourselves about our own importance shines through and balances the film. Johnny Depp is astonishing in what may be the best of many great performances -- walking the knife edge of playing a comic caricature and yet bringing him fully to life. Everything about Depp is subsumed in the character, his voice, his physicality. Martin Landau is equally amazing as Bela Lugosi, literally disappearing into the character. and creating a truly heartbreaking portrait of lost Hollywood grandeur. And all the supporting cast; Sarah Jessica Parker, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, etc. etc down to the smallest roles are filled with performances dancing the line of funny but never unbelievable, never less than human. And we laugh not (mostly) because of funny lines, but because of their absurd humanity. Praise must also be heaped on the beautiful black and white photography, which also perfectly captures the ugly tones of Wood’s micro budget works. Indeed there are shots supposedly ‘from’ the films that are astounding in how much they look like Wood’s actual films. This is a wonderful movie about the wonder and obsessive pull of film-making, the comic hysteria of how we kid ourselves, and the sweet-sad, oddly noble tragedy of the same.

First things first: if you already own the "Ed Wood Special Edition" DVD (the one with the silver border), in my opinion it's not necessary to buy the Blu-ray. You get all the same features on the DVD edition, and the A/V quality is already very good (I had the chance to compare the two). Yes, there is an improvement in picture quality with the Blu-ray version (it's a 16x9 transfer, BTW), but it's marginal; I don't think it justifies another purchase. On the other hand, if you own no copy of this movie at all, I heartily recommend buying the BR disc. Now, the movie itself. I was expecting a straight-up comedy, and the film does have comic moments. But it's mostly drama and romance. The friendship between Ed and Bela, and the relationship between Ed and Kathy, was really quite touching. There was also something...I don't know...inspiring about the picture. Ed Wood gathered about himself a collection of misfits, called them his friends (and meant it), and did his darn best to make movies. I don't know enough to comment intelligently on how accurate the film was (or was not), so I won't bother. I will say that I liked it, that I think it has been criminally ignored (at least 'till now), and that everyone involved did a great job. I would like to thank L. Phillips, from the Movie discussion forum, for suggesting this film to me. This disc does have one weakness: the special features (you can see the list just above the "Editorial Review"). I watched them all, except the director's commentary. The "music video" was awful. The rest aren't bad, really. The problem is that they seemed geared more toward film students, or hard core film buffs, than ordinary viewers. If you're an aspiring filmmaker, you'll probably find them interesting. If not, I'd recommend skipping them. The theatrical trailer was a surprise; to me, it seemed badly edited. If that's the sort of marketing the studio employed, maybe it's one reason the film tanked in '94. But I judge movies on their own merits, not on the strength of extras. And this movie is excellent. Some of my favorite quotes: 1. This occurs when Bela is in the hospital, surrounded by reporters. Ed shoos them away. Ed: "Bela, those people are parasites. They just want to exploit you." Bela: "Fine. Let them! There is no such thing as bad press, Eddie." 2. The next bit happens the day after the premier of "Bride of the Monster" (it was a disaster). Ed: "Did you see that kid grab Vampira's boobies?" Bela: (laughs) "I envied him." 3. My favorite quote from the film. It occurs as Ed is pitching the idea for "Plan 9" to Vampira in a diner. His girlfriend Kathy is with them. Kathy (to Vampira): "You should feel lucky. Eddie's the only fella in town who doesn't pass judgment on people." Ed replies: "That's right. If I did, I wouldn't have any friends." Even if you're not a fan of Ed Wood's work, I think chances are good you'll like this film. Highly recommended.

Ed Wood is as endearing a character as Hollywood ever produced and has the added advantage of being a real life movie maker. I recently watched Plan 9 From Outer Space again just to see if it still qualified as the worst movie ever made? It really is right up there with the worst, but it has heart!!! and that's what Ed Wood was all about!! In this wonderful biographical look at Tinsel Towns' most earnest admirer and aspiring film maker Johnny Depp nails the innocent drive that made Ed Wood so well liked by those who knew in their hearts he was a terrible film maker but a noble human being. He had his peculiarities to be sure...tho now he'd fit right in...and about as much talent as I have money but he just kept plugging away and that's really what this movie is all about. It's the ultimate Hollywood 'never give up your dream' movie. Depp is astonishing in the scope he gives our simple friend and yet never moves out of the two-note persona he is playing. He should undoubtedly have won an Oscar for this role hand in hand with Martin Landau's revelatory turn as Bela Lugosi who lent his gravitas to Ed's ultimate achievement and became his best bud in the process. This hand in hand turn by two actors is unmatched in any film I've ever seen. The Academy rightly nodded to Landau's achievement but turned their noses up at Depp's performance just as they would have Wood's had he been playing himself which is an irony in itself and speaks to the bulls eye Depp scored here. A supporting cast from heaven and script that is both witty yet enlightening toward its subject and superb black and white cinematography will make this a classic to endure and it will be much more appreciated in the future than it ever was in its own time. It's great fun and you learn something about people, hollywood, and making movies. But mostly you learn to never give up no matter how great the odds against you. Too few movies send that message today.

A classic if you're a fan of the subject material.

I had seen this on cable or VHS decades ago, maybe a year or two after it first came out, and I remember liking it a lot. Fast forward to now and for some reason this film did not age that well for me. Maybe it's because Johnny Depp has been over saturated in the media, press and movies, legal headlines, etc. The movie looks good, great acting, cinematography, very unique overall. I'm gonna keep the disc and give it another go in a few months, it's worth keeping. My actual rating is a 3.5 to 3.75, to get really picky.

I owned this movie on Laser disc, but I missed it when it was released on DVD, mainly because it was withdrawn from circulation rather quickly - two initial issues ran into legal problems with some of the extras who appeared in the film, and the movie was pulled from home release, while the "Special Edition" DVD issue of 2004 contained a 9-minute feature on cross dressing, which director Tim Burton wanted removed. That SE DVD was actually recalled the day of its release, but many people had already secured copies as Blockbuster and others put it on their shelves before the street date. The subsequent DVD reissue could be hard to find. This BD issue contains all of the extra features that were included on the SE DVD. It's good to have it back again, and this time in the much-superior BluRay format. This is a B&W movie, and the blacks have much more depth this time around than they did on the LD, or that they've had in TV airings I've seen. The Burton/Depp team hits another home run here, with outstanding performances by the entire cast, especially Martin Landau's Oscar-winning supporting role as Bela Lugosi and Sarah Jessica Parker's star turn as Ed Wood's love interest, Dolores. Maurice LeMarche does a very convincing voice over for Vincent D'Onofrio's weirdly exacting portrayal of Orson Wells (the sync is noticeably off between LeMarche's dialogue and D'Onofrio's lips). This is a story that is ultimately as touching as it it quirky and crazy. Highly recommended.

Movie is absolutely bonkers, the man made some terrible films back then, at least he got recognized years later

Ed Wood, Jr. was the king of B-movies. Despite all of his quirks, this movie sticks pretty close to the director's actual life. Johnny Depp puts in a stellar performance and I'm sure he had a lot of fun doing this role. This is one of Tim Burton's earlier films, near the beginning of his relationship with Johnny Depp. Ed Wood Jr is best known for Plan 9 from Outer Space. He and his crew put out a lot of iconic films of the era, and truly thought they were creating masterpieces. Not to mention he had Bella Lugosi and Vampira as his stars in several of his movies. This film is a must see for any Tim Burton or Johnny Depp fans.