Ed Wood (1994)

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, G.D. Spradlin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Movies were his passion. Women were his inspiration. Angora sweaters were his weakness.

Plot: The mostly true story of the legendary director of awful movies and his strange group of friends and actors.

My rating: 9/10

Will I watch it again? YES!

This is my favorite of Burton's films, hands down. I have no idea how much truth there is in this picture but it doesn't matter. It's hilarious, tender and it's filled with wonderful performances (this is back when Depp was doing some real acting instead of playing live-action cartoon characters). Bill Murray slays me and Landau was pitch-perfect as Bela Lugosi. This is the one Burton film that Danny Elfman didn't score. I think they had a brief falling out or something but they were back together for the next one. Howard Shore provides a great batch of music for this one that makes you think of Elfman. I love this score. It's so lounge-y and fun and I LOVE the musical references to Lugosi's DRACULA (1931). The B&W cinematography is flawless and the care that was taken with every aspect of this picture is marvelous. It's clear that Burton had a true love for Wood and his low budget film making. ED WOOD celebrates and revels in it.