The best Tim Burton film ever! Phew, just had to get that out the way. Before this I thought Batman, Beetle Juice and Edward Scissorhands were his best, but after seeing this darkly comical movie, my opinion has now changed. Ed Wood, as many movie goers know, is quasi-officially the worst director in history, what with his movies such as Glen or Glenda, Plan 9 From Outer Space plus many more turkeys. The irony here is that a man who made crappy films has a blistering movie made about him and those very same films!
Produced in black and white, with cool, camp 50�s horror music, the movie retains a film noir feel throughout, and the actors ham it up for all there worth. Johnny Depp plays wild Ed Wood, who likes wearing women's clothing, and times the comedy lines to perfection with his facial expressions really setting him apart from the crowd. Martin Landau plays Bela Lugosi, the star of Dracula many years ago, who is now a washed out junkie at the age of eighty something, depressed and looking for work. Landau's accent is great, and his part in the story is enjoyable, yet depressing to watch. Other supporting actors include Bill Murray, on top form as usual, as the gay friend of Ed who wants a sex change. I can�t fault this film in the acting department, as it is truly great.
If there were a fault however, maybe it would be that it didn�t tell us enough about Ed Wood's life. Normally biopic films, like Malcolm X and Ali span decades, and tell us all their life. This however only tells us a bit of the Ed Wood's story, and really makes us want more. If you haven't seen this delicious, camp, laugh out loud comedy you are seriously missing out, and it has a great DVD as well, with interviews with transvestites! Absolutely insane, absolutely brilliant. |
