Skip to main content

Tim Burton month: Ed Wood



A review by Brooks Rich

This is it. The film I consider to be Tim Burton's masterpiece. I get the criticism Burton receives now — he’s all style and his visual eye gets in the way of story. I am not arguing against that. But I will always defend him to a degree because of two films. We're talking about one of those films today. 

Burton brings his style and love for B-movies together to make a fitting tribute to the man considered to be the worst director of all time. The film chronicles the period in Wood's life between the making of his movie Glen or Glenda to the night of the premiere of his most notorious film, Plan 9 from Outer Space.

 Wood's haphazard filmmaking is highlighted as well as his struggles with being a crossdresser back then. Burton smartly doesn't downplay the crossdressing or regard it with judgmental eyes. He just shows us how it defined Wood as a person.  And he spends the time to really explore the friendship between Wood and Bela Lugosi, who Wood had a close relationship with at the end of his life. Lugosi's last film appearance is at the start of Plan 9 from Outer Space. 

This is my favorite Johnny Depp performance. As much as I enjoy him as Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, he's doing a fantastic job here as Wood — who despite everything, always felt like he was doing good work. All Ed Wood wanted to do was make movies. And he did that, even though they're not good and some are downright unwatchable. Everyone calls Plan 9 from Outer Space the worst film ever made but I would give that award to Glen or Glenda which is almost impossible to sit through in one sitting. Plan 9 from Outer Space is goofy, but there's something charming about it. 

The MVP of Ed Wood is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work here. Landau's performance is both charming and melancholy. He conveys Lugosi's love for returning to making movies, but also the pathos of knowing that his star is fading. The scenes with him and Depp are truly touching. But sadness aside, Landau also makes it into the funniest scene in the movie where they shoot the famous octopus scene from Bride of the Monster. Find a link to that scene below. You'll be able to see the humor and sadness of Landau's performance in just a little over two minutes. 


Even if you think that Burton is not what he used to be, and I understand and agree with you —  watch this film. It is one of my all-time favorite movies. And if you're a cinephile, check out Plan 9 or Bride of the Monster. I think you’ll get what Tim Burton sees in Ed Wood.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this.  This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...
1 comment
Read more

Forgotten Film Friday: Melinda and Melinda

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich I know Woody Allen is a complicated figure. He is a creep in a lot of ways and some people find his sexual weirdness to be too much. I get that. But on the blog I sometimes like to separate the art from artist. Not always to be sure. Jeepers Creepers will never be covered here because Victor Salva is a useless piece of human garbage. What he did I can't ignore. Allen I can push aside him being weird to cover him now and then. It's hard to write a film blog and not mention a Woody Allen film now and then. The man has some bangers. And I've always wanted to cover this film. The concept is so interesting and Allen post 2000 is fertile ground for Forgotten Film Friday. So let's look at the film and not Allen himself.  Melinda and Melinda is a dual narrative about a woman named Melinda, an underrated and brilliant Radha Mitchell, who shows up unexpectedly at a dinner party in New York. The film questions if life is inherently tragic or comic a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ranking every Tintin comic

A ranking by Brooks Rich In order to expand the blog a little, we'll sometimes cover other media besides films. Film will still be our bread and butter but the blog will also cover tv, music, comics, books, and other forms of media. To start it off I will be ranking all 21 main comics in a beloved series of books form my childhood, The Adventures of Tintin. Created by Belgian cartoonist Herge, Tintin, who has literature's greatest cowlick, is a reporter who travels the world with his faithful dog Snowy, the best fictional dog of all time, chasing bad guys and sticking his nose in other's affairs. Tintin is often joined on his quests by Captain Haddock, his most trust human sidekick. I credit Tintin and the Hardy Boys for my current love of mystery novels. Ranking the 21 main Tintin comics is far more doable than ranking the original Hardy Boys runs. As a quick note I will not be counting the unfinished Tintin and Alph Art or Tintin in the Land of the Soviets or Tint...
Post a Comment
Read more