Ed Wood
Tim Burton - Director
Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
Martin Landau - Bela Lugosi
Bill Murray - Bunny Breckinridge
Sarah Jessica Parker - Dolores Fuller
George "The Animal" Steele - Tor Johnson
Patricia Arquette - Kathy O' Hara
Johnny Depp has made a career out of taking risks as an actor. He takes odd, offbeat roles that most actors wouldn't touch and he shines. Ed Wood is another example of this. For those of you who don't know, this movie is based on the true story of film director Ed Wood who has gained a cult following after being voted the worst director of all time in 1980. Apart from being an awful film director, he was also a cross dresser. Honestly, can you picture anyone BUT Johnny Depp in this role?
Ed Wood loves making movies. He goes about it with a sort of eager, blissful ignorance which Depp pulls off beautifully. Tim Burton directs his film with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humor without going overboard and making a movie about mocking Wood. Depp plays a character who goes about his art with genuine joy, determined to see the best in everyone's criticism of his films, which are truly awful. Wood sees the best in every film and, indeed, every scene he shoots. In one of the movie's more memorable moments, one of his actors walks into a wall, shaking the entire set. When Wood exclaims "Great! We got it!" after the take, one of his co-workers replies "What!? Don't you wanna.....shoot that one again, sir?" "Well...I think that's the sort of thing Lobo would have to deal with on a day to day basis. It's realistic. Let's keep it." is Wood's response. When one of his actors dies during production, he brings in a lookalike and simply keeps the new actor's face partially hidden for the remainder of the filming. When someone tells him that his movie is the worst thing they've ever seen, he smiles and replies "Well......the next one'll be better!" One can't help but smile at his eternal optimism.
While the entire cast does a great job, the other truly outstanding performance in this movie was turned in by Martin Landau who plays the washed up, drug addicted actor Bela Lugosi. Lugosi, out of work and sporting a drug addiction, agrees to work with Wood who has long idolized him. Usually when Lugosi's name is mentioned in the film it is followed by "Bela Lugosi?? I thought he was dead." Landau plays Lugosi perfectly, occasionally making us chuckle, occasionally garnering sympathy for the drug addicted old vampire who earned his fame playing Dracula many, many years ago. The Academy gave Landau a much deserved Best Supporting Actor award for his efforts.
Bill Murray is wonderful in another one of those little roles that he just runs with. And I loved seeing George "The Animal" Steele again (I remember watching him in the WWF when I was a kid.) The entire cast is terrific. The movie closes on the premier of Plan 9 from Outer Space, Wood's most succesful film. The film was originally titled "Grave Robbers from Outer Space" until the church that was funding it decided that the term "grave robbers" was offensive and asked that it be changed. The scene where they are baptized to please the people from the church is another moment that had me laughing. This movie was occasionally touching, often laugh-out-loud funny, and just all around entertaining. Go watch it.
3.5 wombats out of 4.
Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
Martin Landau - Bela Lugosi
Bill Murray - Bunny Breckinridge
Sarah Jessica Parker - Dolores Fuller
George "The Animal" Steele - Tor Johnson
Patricia Arquette - Kathy O' Hara
Johnny Depp is all optimism and energy in Ed Wood
Johnny Depp has made a career out of taking risks as an actor. He takes odd, offbeat roles that most actors wouldn't touch and he shines. Ed Wood is another example of this. For those of you who don't know, this movie is based on the true story of film director Ed Wood who has gained a cult following after being voted the worst director of all time in 1980. Apart from being an awful film director, he was also a cross dresser. Honestly, can you picture anyone BUT Johnny Depp in this role?
Ed Wood loves making movies. He goes about it with a sort of eager, blissful ignorance which Depp pulls off beautifully. Tim Burton directs his film with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humor without going overboard and making a movie about mocking Wood. Depp plays a character who goes about his art with genuine joy, determined to see the best in everyone's criticism of his films, which are truly awful. Wood sees the best in every film and, indeed, every scene he shoots. In one of the movie's more memorable moments, one of his actors walks into a wall, shaking the entire set. When Wood exclaims "Great! We got it!" after the take, one of his co-workers replies "What!? Don't you wanna.....shoot that one again, sir?" "Well...I think that's the sort of thing Lobo would have to deal with on a day to day basis. It's realistic. Let's keep it." is Wood's response. When one of his actors dies during production, he brings in a lookalike and simply keeps the new actor's face partially hidden for the remainder of the filming. When someone tells him that his movie is the worst thing they've ever seen, he smiles and replies "Well......the next one'll be better!" One can't help but smile at his eternal optimism.
While the entire cast does a great job, the other truly outstanding performance in this movie was turned in by Martin Landau who plays the washed up, drug addicted actor Bela Lugosi. Lugosi, out of work and sporting a drug addiction, agrees to work with Wood who has long idolized him. Usually when Lugosi's name is mentioned in the film it is followed by "Bela Lugosi?? I thought he was dead." Landau plays Lugosi perfectly, occasionally making us chuckle, occasionally garnering sympathy for the drug addicted old vampire who earned his fame playing Dracula many, many years ago. The Academy gave Landau a much deserved Best Supporting Actor award for his efforts.
Bill Murray is wonderful in another one of those little roles that he just runs with. And I loved seeing George "The Animal" Steele again (I remember watching him in the WWF when I was a kid.) The entire cast is terrific. The movie closes on the premier of Plan 9 from Outer Space, Wood's most succesful film. The film was originally titled "Grave Robbers from Outer Space" until the church that was funding it decided that the term "grave robbers" was offensive and asked that it be changed. The scene where they are baptized to please the people from the church is another moment that had me laughing. This movie was occasionally touching, often laugh-out-loud funny, and just all around entertaining. Go watch it.
3.5 wombats out of 4.
posted by Mr_Nuts at 9:10 AM
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