Tim Burton's best

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2005)

If you like outrageous comedies like Dr. Strangelove and The Loved One try Ed Wood.
It's based loosely on the life of Ed Wood, the crummy director of Plan Nine From Outer Space and other bombs. Wood was not only a lousy director he was a transvestite and the movie touches on that aspect of his life. He befriended Bela Lugosi when he was a has-been drug addict.
Despite the pathetic condition of Lugosi and the transvestitism of Wood, this movie manages to be touching and hysterically funny at the same time. It's a great character study.
This movie is loaded with terrific performances one after another from the major characters to the minor ones. Martin Landau won an Oscar for his portrayal of the aged Bela Lugosi. Johnny Depp does the best job of his career as Ed Wood. Bill Murray is hysterical as Bunny Breckinridge who wants a sex change. Sarah Jessica Parker as Delores Fuller, Ed's first wife and Patricia Arquette as Kathy his second wife are both great. Jeffrey Jones as Criswell is a hoot. Mike Starr as the foul mouthed producer Georgie Wiess is a riot. Lisa Marie as Vampira and George 'The Animal' Steele as Tor Johnson have to be seen to be believed. The script is just full of great one liners and the visual gags keep coming. You'll get to see the justly famous scene where Bela Lugosi fights a rubber octopus in a pond -- this scene alone is worth the price of admission.
Filmed in black and white with a terrific score by Howard Shore. Not many people have seen Ed Wood and it was a box office flop but it's Tim Burton's best film and one of the best ever. From the opening credits to the end, this film is flawless.