STARRING: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette,
Jeffrey Jones, G.D. Spradlin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Mike Starr
1994, 124 Minutes, Directed by: Tim Burton
Description:Edward D. Wood Jr. was an actor
writer-director-producer, occasionally in drag, who combined meager bursts of
talent with an undying optimism to create some of the most bizarrely memorable
"B" movies to ever come out of Tinseltown. Though Wood died in obscurity as an
alcoholic in 1978, his films have been considered cult classics for years. He is
consistently voted the worst director who ever lived. —
Amazon.com
Sure, Ed Wood isn’t sci-fi. But it’s included
here because it would be of definitive interest to fans of the genre - particularly
self-styled Mystery Science Theater 3000-types who revels in
old and extremely bad movies. After all, it’s a straight-forward biopic of one Ed
Wood whom history will probably remember as one of the worst, if not the worst, director of
all times. My personal nominee for that dubious honor would be Albert Pyun, that
unacknowledged master of contemporary straight-to-video excrement such as Nemesis and Cyborg. Then again, I have
(un)fortunately never seen any of Wood’s movies . . .
Besides being known for having directed such fare as Plan 9 from Outer Space,
Wood also had a penchant for angora sweaters, wearing women’s underwear and the
occasional bouts of cross-dressing. Filmed in Black & White by director Tim Burton (Batman, Mars Attacks!), Ed Wood is
a loving recreation of those heady post-war days of the B-movie when a film based on
so-called grave-robbers from outer space could be sold as a true story.
Not much happens
in the film and if your tastes are limited to slam-bang action sci-fi then I’ll
recommend giving Ed Wood a miss, but if your tastes makes allowances for quirky
fare (such as Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, also starring
Johnny Depp) then give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed. Even if you’re not
interested in the topic, I’d still recommend Ed Wood. Besides, like Edward
Scissorhands, this film also lovingly revels in the loving eccentricities of its
characters . . .
Description: Edward D. Wood Jr. was an actor
writer-director-producer, occasionally in drag, who combined meager bursts of
talent with an undying optimism to create some of the most bizarrely memorable
"B" movies to ever come out of Tinseltown. Though Wood died in obscurity as an
alcoholic in 1978, his films have been considered cult classics for years. He is
consistently voted the worst director who ever lived. —