Ed Wood

Who is Ed Wood? According to the 1980 "Golden Turkey Awards," he has the distinction of being the Worst Director of All Time. That's not an honor to be taken lightly, and Tim Burton's biopic serves as a well directed, well acted look into the man with the dubious honor. The film traces Ed Wood's early career as he made a series of poor films, low budget in every sense of the word. In between the film shoots, we are given access to the life of Ed Wood, his personality and relationships with others. What we see outside the film studio is a genuine, motivated individual who, above all else, has a love of film and a desire to use the medium to "tell stories."

Filmmaking ability aside, no one can say that Ed Wood's life wasn't interesting. His friendship with famed-but-fading movie star Bela Lugosi is always a source of interest, as is his penchant for wearing women's clothing, an issue explored in one of his first films, "Glen or Glenda," a thoroughly poor film but a sincere and well meaning look on the subject of cross dressing. During the shooting of a poorly made scene in one of his films, Wood presses on, exclaiming that it is not the small details that matter but the big picture. "Ed Wood" prides itself on the small details used to tell the story of a man who believed in the big picture. Johnny Depp captures Wood's quirks and unusual nature perfectly, but also his determination and undying enthusiasm. Martin Landau gives an award winning performance as Bela Lugosi, an aging star with a drug problem who finds a second life appearing in Wood's films. Sarah Jessica Parker appears as Wood's girlfriend, perhaps the only one self aware enough to realize Wood's lack of talent. The film is shot entirely in black and white, and the atmosphere has the strange quality of being portrayed in the cheap manner of one of Wood's epic failures while still being a good film. The cast is rounded out by a group of misfits and quirky characters who nourish Wood's already colorful persona. Wood may be known as the "Worst Director of All Time," but, in any case, it makes for an interesting story.