A great film about a poor director.

Rating: 10/10 (30 August 2008)

A masterpiece of weird cinema, Tim Burton has made his own masterpiece that I don't believe will ever be topped. Taking the true story about a man who was considered the worst of his field, Burton creates a creepy, bizarre, almost disturbing world of the underbelly of Hollywood in the 1950s. This was the part most people don't remember but it was there. The story is incredible as we watch this enthusiastic, positive man try to get his dreams accomplished at any cost.
All elements work perfectly together here. The acting is top-notch with Johnny Depp giving maybe his best performance ever, Martin Landau stealing the show in an Oscar-winning performance as the legendary vampire actor Bela Lugosi, along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray and many others giving real, believable performances in bringing this strange group of people to life. What may be the most amazing part about this movie is how well Burton is able to create the remaking of Wood shooting his movies. Every scene feels real, vivid, and completely accurate.
In short, this is the best Burton movie as well as the best Burton/Depp collaboration. In a way this is so different from anything Burton did before or has done since. This is the most sincere, realistic movie he has done and while I admire his off-beat brand of film-making, I think this is one of the best films of the 1990s. See it for Burton, Depp, or Landau. But also see it because it is a great film about a poor director.