Rainey Dawn The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.Not an accurate account of Bela Lugosi nor Ed Wood - but close enough to enjoy. It's not a film that pure Lugosi fans will enjoy.8.5/10

elicopperman As someone who has watched movies ever since he was a little kid, I've seen my fair share of good ones, bad ones, and mediocre ones. However, no matter how the movie turns out, I never forget that at the end of the day, almost if not all film directors put their best foot forward on movies trying to make ends meet with art. The exact same thing can be said about Edward D. Wood Jr., the man infamously known as the Worst Director in history, as he made movies cheap and fast resulting in films in laughably dubious quality like Glen or Glenda, Bride of the Monster, and of course, Plan 9 from Outer Space...but as incompetent as he was, he made these films out of earnest intention because he had such a passion for filmmaking, and who better to tackle the project of an eccentric weirdo who had such a passion for film than another eccentric weirdo who made his own weird albeit earnest and passionate films than Tim Burton.What could have easily been a straight up mockery of the filmmaker ends up being a love letter to the man, as Burton clearly understands how hard it is to get a film made, thus sympathizing with the director through trial and error. What gives Wood a spark of light in the feature is that he is so optimistic and positive about the filmmaking experience and his own movies that he did whatever it took, from hiring his friends as actors, to getting washed up star Bela Lugosi in his films, to stealing props, to getting funding from a Baptist church. Sure a lot of this seems nuts, but keep in mind many other filmmakers have done crazy things to get their films made too (look up how Apocalypse Now and Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs were made), and while Wood may have been in the wrong, his unbelievably passionate drive to making the greatest films ever made really is worth the price of viewing.As for other technicalities, the acting is phenomenal, from Johnny Depp capturing Mr. Wood's upbeat and eccentric mannerisms, to Sarah Jessica Parker presenting his former girlfriend Dolores Fuller as motivating at first and then embarrassed by Ed's transvestism (the inspiration for Glen or Glenda), to Patricia Arquette as Ed's second girlfriend Kathy O'Hara presenting as sweet and accepting to Wood's transvestism, to Jeffrey Jones bringing the weird albeit earnest psychic Criswell to life, to Lisa Marie as the stern fatale Vampire, and even George Steele as the bulky unintelligible albeit sweet wrestler Tor Johnson. But the real scene stealer is Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, who rightfully earned his Oscar for bringing to life this iconic horror movie actor to screen with his erratic behavior, heartbroken nature, and gentleness to Ed Wood that gives him a soft spot making one sympathize with the poor old man. Oh, and Bill Murray as the lovable homosexual Bunny Breckinridge? GENIUS!The film made the right decision in not only shooting it in black & white, but by also on occasion using real stock music to create the right mood for the 1950s, almost like a time capsule. Admittedly, the movie is not 100% accurate to Ed Wood's life, but it still elevates Wood's goal to keep pushing forward through all hardships. Tim Burton even explained, "In doing a biopic you can't help but get inside the person's spirit a little bit, so for me, some of the film is trying to be through Ed a little bit. So it's got an overly optimistic quality to it." Besides, its a movie first, and a biopic second (like Amadeus), don't except everything to click authentically. In conclusion, Ed Wood is not only my favorite film from Tim Burton, but one of my all time favorites for its wonderful intent that filmmakers always try to make the greatest films ever (even if studios may disagree with their visions), the fantastic cinematography and editing, the marvelous acting, the witty humor, and just about everything else. There is a reason I never judge a movie until I see it, and that's because I don't know something unless I actually view it. Sure I may assume it could be bad, but I don't know it is until I give it the time of day to fully analyze it. If I didn't, then I would not have seen movies I love with all my heart like La La Land, The Lego Movie, Zootopia, and especially this film. That, and even if their films end up poor, filmmakers will always put their best foot forward and I respect them for that every time they try to make a motion picture. As Orson Welles in this film said it best, "Visions are worth fighting for, why spend your life making someone else's dreams?"

Stephen Bird Ed Wood is an okay film, but not as great as people make it out to be..., to shoot the film in black and white was a novel idea, but I think this choice hampered the overall viewing experience somewhat, Ed Wood is an eccentric film that would've greatly valued from the use of colour, lot's of colour instead of no colour at all would've been my call, the usage of black and white was to honour the past, give the impression of realism making the film look as though it was actually in the 1950's, but no, it needed bright vibrant colours I'm afraid.Apparently Edward D Wood Jr was the worst director ever, and the film tries to explain why this is so in a bubbly, comedic kind of way..., but after seeing the film, I'm not quite sure, was he the worst director ever? He sure did make some lousy films granted, but the guy had passion and belief and personally I believe there must be worse out there, Wood was a nice, relatable character expertly portrayed by the sublimely talented Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp is a master of his craft, I'm always mesmerised by his performances, he brings something very real out even if his character is very outlandish..., making Depp one of the most talented actors ever most probably; and that poses a question, one of the best actors ever playing the so-called worst director ever, hmm, was Edward Wood actually that poor? Or was Johnny Depp that good at bringing his character alive?Who knows?The supporting cast fitted into the overall project very well, I was particularly impressed with the late wrestler, George "The Animal" Steele, watched him as a wrestler as a youngster, didn't know the guy could even talk, wow, first time I think I've heard the animal say anything. Enjoyable viewing most certainly, but it fails to reach the lofty heights so many people have given it, am I not seeing something that so many others are? Am I really that dull?

oOoBarracuda Tim Burton was two strikes deep on my cinematic experience with him. After seeing, and not caring for, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd, I was ready to give Burton one last chance before writing him off, completely. Good thing I used Ed Wood for his third strike. An engrossing, thoroughly engaging biopic, Ed Wood tells the story of the famously horrible, yet passionate, film director, Edward D. Wood Jr. Edward D. Wood Jr. has famously been named the worst director of all time, responsible for such films as Plan 9 From Outer Space. Somehow, Burton took a genre, known for its tedious approach and formulaic output, and made an interesting film about a largely unexplored figure. Ed Wood, made in 1994 stars Johnny Depp, as most Tim Burton films do, as well as Sarah Jessica Parker and Patricia Arquette. Burton and Depp put in career best output in a film that was clearly close to Burton's heart.Edward D. Wood Jr (Johnny Depp) is a Hollywood eccentric who enjoys wearing women's clothing and has even admitted to wearing women's undergarments under his uniform when he served in the military. Ed has a passion for 'telling stories" and wants to follow in the massive footsteps of his idol, Orson Welles. Through extreme passion, Wood is able to carve a place for himself in Hollywood, backed by a loyal crew and accompanied by a star who has dimmed, Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). The problem with the story-telling of Ed Wood, is that his dreams are too great for what can reasonably be placed on celluloid, especially given the small budget Wood had to work with. Despite ever gaining any commercial or critical success, Wood held tight to his dream, creating film after film that few audiences ever saw. His personal relationships were important to Wood, always remaining loyal to his friends and loved ones, despite their troubles, as his friends and loved ones remained loyal to him. An interesting life, worthy of delving into for film fans, Ed Wood is a good vehicle with which to begin the journey into Ed Wood Jr.I love black and white films, I instantly enjoy a film more when I see that it is in black and white. When a film is in black and white that doesn't have to be, I appreciate it all the more. It only makes sense for Ed Wood to be shot in black and white, covering a man who began his work in filmmaking career in the 1950's, but the fact that Burton was able to pull it off in 1994, speaks volumes to his commitment to the project. Burton also used fantastic classic cinema film techniques with the great iris in/pit shots. Burton clearly wanted to make a film that was as period-accurate as he could, and I appreciate his adherence to classic cinema. Burton also used low angle shots to an effective degree, much as he did in Edward Scissorhands, which are always nice to see. After seeing four Johnny Depp films this month, I am nearly certain that I don't care for him as an actor, but he was at a career-best in this film. Burton was also at the top of his game, possibly due to his passion for the project, giving audiences an engaging look into an ignored director largely lost like the films in his career.