That Look

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2004)

That inner light in Johnny Depp's eyes as he watches Plan 9 says it all. What a terrific film! What a wonderful character study of a complex failure. In his own perverse way, Ed Wood is heroic. I love the scene where Sarah Jessica Parker's chiropractor meets her in the restaurant and Wood instantly sees the new Lugosi.
The black and white print was so luminous, it almost jumped off the screen. And I love the way Burton avoided schmaltzy nostalgia for a time gone by. Burton seemed to reach a certain Epiphany with this film and, to me, has never hit these heights again. The final 'where are they now' epilogue brought the film to a proper conclusion.