Tim Burton is at his best (so far) with this biography of the legendarily bad filmmaker. From the terrific use of black and white to the startling performances, this is the best of Burton’s movies. He never darkens the film or subject matter for the sake of doing it (which is the real problem with his other movies) and produces a fine comedy that has more than a few genuinely touching moments.
Unfortunately, the movie was roundly ignored by audiences in 1994 and then thrown only a few awards by critics afterward. Now, in its defense, it was released in arguably the best year of the decade and possibly of the last quarter century. Besides Best Picture winner Forrest Gump and the far superior Pulp Fiction, 1994 also had Quiz Show, Bullets Over Broadway, The Lion King, Red, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Shawshank Redemption, and Speed. No other year from the 90s had so many exceptional films, even ’99, which for some reason is starting to get a reputation as being a kind of banner year. While I don’t think Ed Wood deserved to win Best Picture (that sober honor belong to Fiction) it at least should have been nominated, as I’d say it was at least the third or fourth best film of the year.
Depp’s Wood is so gleeful in his creation of absolutely terrible cinema that you can’t help but get caught up in its production. The films, including Plan 9 From Outer Space, Bride of the Monster, and Glen or Glenda, are horrible to watch, but their energetic birthing process through Burton’s eyes makes you watch them almost as fondly as Wood must have. Depp’s performance was horribly underrated, largely because Martin Landau’s terrific, scene-stealing portrayal of Bela Lugosi which would go on to win him an Oscar. But Depp is fantastic, bringing to life a character so oblivious to his own mediocrity that feeling sympathy over the tremendous failures he produced never crosses your mind. Depp plays for laughs a good deal of the time, but he also brings out a realistic, human side to the role which otherwise could have turned into a cartoon.
The supporting cast does wonders with the hilarious, poignant script from writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones, George “The Animal” Steele, and Vincent D’Onofrio in a dead-on cameo as Orson Welles are fabulous in backing up Depp and Landau. The film moves fluidly through the fast paced script and vivid performances while never managing to rush the story. Burton doesn’t exactly take his time, but he keeps it moving and keeps it light, which must have been very difficult for this notoriously dark, gothic director.
Ed Wood succeeds in ways Burton’s other films don’t try to. None of his films have been particularly bad or unwatchable, but none are really perfect either. From Beetlejuice’s odd mix of terror and humor, to Batman’s comparatively weak second half, to Sleepy Hollow’s poor adaptation, none have managed to get a good balance between their overly dark settings and lighter characters, except this one. I tend to believe his real masterpiece is yet to come, but until then, Wood has my vote for his best and one of the finest, funniest biopics made.
From Tim Burton, acclaimed director of Planet Of The Apes, Sleepy Hollow and Batman comes the hilarious, true-life story of the wackiest filmmaker in ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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