From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Oct 4 14:51:34 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.kth.se!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: ben.hoffman@bcsbbs.com (Ben Hoffman) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02626 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=B.Hoffman Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: ben.hoffman@bcsbbs.com (Ben Hoffman) Organization: The BCS BBS - Los Angeles, CA - 213-962-2902 Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 13:09:05 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 52 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2229 rec.arts.sf.reviews:622 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Ben Hoffman Copyright 1994 Ben Hoffman Edward D. Wood, Jr. was in love with filmmaking. He flourished, if that is the word, in the 1950s through 1961. Wood, unfortunately, had no talent for directing, Too bad he was unaware of it, making one miserably inept film after another. These are the titles: BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, GLEN OR GLENDA, JAIL BAIT, THE SINISTER URGE, NIGHT OF THE GHOULS, and the one he thought would bring him fame, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Three of his films starred Bela Lugosi who himself had begun to confuse his real life with that of his film roles as the eerie, sinister Dracula. Eventually, Lugosi died of drug addiction. The one reason to see the film is Martin Landau's interpretation of Lugosi. Beautiful. Director Tim Burton says of Ed Wood, "There's something beautiful about somebody who does what they love to do, no matter how misguided, and remains optimistic and upbeat against the odds." I would argue that it is far from beautiful and that insane asylums are filled with people who cannot face reality. Burton adds, "We're not making fun of Wood (a cross-dresser) nor of his transvestitism. I really care about these people." All well and good but just showing Wood's utter ineptness in making films and walking around in women's clothes is making him the subject of ridicule. I do not think that making fun of someone, who is already a pathetic figure, is tasteful, despite the protestations. The film surprisingly ends up-beat, omitting that Wood eventually ended up making porno films and becoming an alcoholic. Johnny Depp (WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE. BENNY AND JOON) does well enough as Wood though he could have been a bit more quirky. Bill Murray has a small part as Bunny Breckenridge who is thinking of getting a sex change. We could have done without Murray. Again, it is Martin Landau's performance that stands out. Sara Jessica Parker is Wood's girlfriend. 2 bytes 4 Bytes = Absolutely must see. 3 Bytes = Too good to be missed. 2 Bytes = So so. 1 Byte = Save your money. Ben Hoffman From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Oct 4 14:51:34 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.kth.se!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: esch@fische.com (David Cowen) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02927 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Cowen Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: esch@fische.com (David Cowen) Organization: Eschatfische Communications Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 13:09:26 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 66 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2230 rec.arts.sf.reviews:623 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by David Cowen Copyright 1994 David Cowen Back when I was in high school I used to sit down in the basement watching TV late at night, hoping I'd find something bizarre or entertaining to watch. I'd flip through the channels seeing the same kind of banal fare typical of late-night TV ... but occasionally, flipping past PBS, something magical would happen--I'd flip to Glen or Glenda, Ed Wood's first film about cross-dressing, and spend the evening laughing and marveling as to where such a goofy piece of celluloid might come from. Now, years later I get the answer, in the form of a brilliantly crafted film by Tim Burton. Ed Wood, a struggling studio worker in Hollywood, has bigger dreams--to write, direct, star in and produce his own film, just like his idol, Orson Welles. When Ed finds out a docudrama about cross-dressing is being made by a B-film company called "Screen Classics", he phones up the head of the "studio" and tells him that he's more qualified than anyone in town to make the film. His "special" qualification? Having an affinity for his girlfriend's angora sweaters. Eventually, Ed gets the job, produces Glen or Glenda, and begins working on a string of horrendously bad pictures (the film examines the production of two more, the classic BRIDE OF THE MONSTER and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) with an amazing amount of vigor and passion for his ... "art"--never before have I seen such unbridled enthusiasm for stilted dialogue, cardboard set pieces, and fake octopii. The film also explores Wood's friendship with Bela Lugosi, star of DRACULA, as he tries to make a former screen great a big star again ... even when that screen great dies before the production of the film. Tim Burton could have done a straight biopic, documenting Woods "fall" into bad monster/nudie films (the abysmal ORGY OF THE DEAD is a standout), but instead Burton portrays Wood as enthusiastic, artistic, and full of life--a true believer in his films, as opposed to just a bored B-movie director. Wood's enthusiasm is radiated from Johnny Depp, who with wild-eyes and a big-toothed (yet somewhat maligned) smile makes even the worst of Wood's dialogue echo with poignancy--believe it or not. The attention to detail is outstanding--I was lucky enough to catch BRIDE OF THE MONSTER on TV the night before, and except for a few minor differences, Burton went to a lot of trouble to capture the look and feel of the movie--and the actors deliver the lines with the same sort of stuttered bad-acting flair as in the originals. I felt I was getting a real look behind the sets. The entire film feels like it was directed by Wood himself, with extra-long establishing shots, the grey-and-white film stock, the lack of music except in points of highest schmaltz ... and at the theatre I was at, the frequent projector problems made it all the more realistic--the matte was set too high, so every time a boom mike got in the shot, there were squeals of laughter and applause. Out of 10: 8. I haven't had this much fun at a movie in a long time. ED WOOD is funny, passionate, and if you've ever seen any of Ed Wood's work it'll be amazing to see how it was made. ED WOOD is a must-see for any self-proclaimed fan of bad cinema, or movies in general. esch@fische.com (Eschatfische!) -------------------------- http://execpc.com/~esch/home.html From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Oct 4 14:51:36 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.kth.se!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: mjs087@nwu.edu (Matthew Springer) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02928 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Springer Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: mjs087@nwu.edu (Matthew Springer) Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. USA Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 13:10:23 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 68 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2231 rec.arts.sf.reviews:624 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Matthew Springer Copyright 1994 Matthew Springer Tim Burton has finally found a film to which his unique talents as a filmmaker can be perfectly wed: ED WOOD. If you've seen and been disappointed by Burton's work in the past as I have, then you'll thrill to this biopic of B-movie director Edward D. Wood, Jr., whose credits include GLEN OR GLENDA? and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE," widely regarded as some of the worst films of all time. Wood is also known for surrounding himself with people as strange as he himself was, such as former horror film star Bela Lugosi, whose relationship with Wood is at the heart of ED WOOD. I've often thought of the problems in Burton's past films as a battle between screenplay and director; his gifts are such that they often can stifle an otherwise good script. In this case, I think the script was ideally suited to his directing style, and the marriage between director and screenplay a perfect one. Burton has hit a peak as a director with this film; he invokes emotions in this film that I would have thought him incapable of understanding, let alone conveying on celluloid. Burton is also aided by an extremely talented team of actors, led by Johnny Depp in a virtuoso performance as the title character and Martin Landau as Lugosi. It's clear that Landau deserves an automatic Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this performance; the battle between him and Robert Downey, Jr., for his insane and sharp portrayal of Wayne Gale in NATURAL BORN KILLERS should be an especially bloody one. Also not to be overlooked are Sarah Jessica Parker as Dolores Fuller, Wood's first wife who in the end leaves him because she is incapable of understanding his friends and lifestyle; Jeffrey Jones as Criswell the Seer, a false psychic who lands roles as narrator in several Wood films; and Bill Murray in an insanely funny, but small role as Bunny Breckenrige, a homosexual actor who longs to become a woman. His small work alone is enough to warrant seeing this film; it's a credit to the cast that a performance that hilariously over-the-top can be lost amidst such other fine work. In the end, what makes ED WOOD fabulous is the humanity which it reveals in its characters. All of them are obviously freaks, but just when the audience seems about to realize it and begin to laugh too much at them, Burton gives us a glimpse of these people as human beings that brings us right back to square one. This is especially seen in the Wood/Lugosi relationship; it would have been easy to play Lugosi just for laughs (and lines like "Karloff isn't worthy to smell my s---!" certainly make this clear), but Burton chooses instead to develop this father-son relationship to the fullest, with the roles of father and son being reversed by the time Lugosi has died. All in all, ED WOOD is a must-see. It showcases Burton's abilities as director to the fullest, while still allowing him to expand those abilities in new directions. It features an incredible ensemble of actors who deliver amazing performances; none seem weak or miscast. And it recreates some of the laughingly bad moments in Wood's actual films down to the letter. Whether you're a fan of Wood's unique talents or have never heard of him, you'll get a kick out of this movie. Matthew Springer Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. USA mjs087@nwu.edu From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Oct 4 14:51:37 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.kth.se!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: raymond.johnston@rex.com (Raymond Johnston) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02929 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Johnston Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: raymond.johnston@rex.com (Raymond Johnston) Organization: Real Exposure, Inc. 1-212-691-2679 Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 13:11:30 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 72 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2232 rec.arts.sf.reviews:625 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Raymond Johnston Copyright 1994 Raymond Johnston Dir: Tim Burton Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray There are may ways to approach the life of down-and-out independent producer/director Edward D. Wood, Jr. The story of his life has all the scope of a tragedy- hopeful young actor and writer declines into writing porn novels and dies penniless on a distant friend's couch. That Tim Burton and his screen writers could take this tragic life and make a comic biopic film so full of joie de vivre is somewhat of an accomplishment. The film centers on Wood's best years, those with his big star, Bela Lugosi. Depp is fine as Wood, managing to look like him and boldly presenting himself in angora sweaters and high heels. Martin Landau, perhaps the most underrated actor, steals the film completely as Bela Lugosi, the near death former horror star. At the New York Film Festival screening, Landau got endless applause. He said that he studies twenty-five Bela Lugosi films, plus interview footage. Landau described differences in their acting styles, kindly referring to Lugosi as "minimalist." His makeup was designed by Rick Baker. Johnny Depp claimed his preparation included watching Ronald Reagan videos for part of the voice. Bill Murray said he was unfamiliar with the concept of preparing for a role. Vincent D'Onofrio gave a good stab at portraying Orson Welles (don't ask), but he seems to be dubbed by an impressionist. Director Tim Burton abandoned the saturated color and expressionist sets of his Batman films. Ed Wood is in stark black and white, with a lot of real dingy Hollywood locations. Much of the film is lit like Ed Wood's real productions, and played out on sparse barely decorated sets. This blends the reality of Wood's life into the fantasy of his films. Scenes from his three big classics are matched perfectly. The black and white sunlit crumbling facades of the minuscule studios are a Hollywood that is seldom depicted. The film falls into the recent genre of energetic independents trying to raise money for a film like MY LIFE IS IN TURNAROUND, or IN THE SOUP. The extent that Ed Wood goes to make his films, and the truly bizarre raft of Hollywood would-be's that he accumulates transcends the bounds of the making a film genre. If these characters were not certifiably real, they would not be believable. Almost all biopics of Hollywood stars soft step the stars true faults. ED WOOD is no exception. While Bela Lugosi's addictions are played up in the film, Ed Wood's real life alcoholism is not mentioned. Wood is treated as with an amount of reverence that he certainly never received in his real life. Tim Burton also injects an amount of optimism into the film by showing the production and premiere of his films from Wood's own hyper enthusiastic perspective. The real irony of the film is that some of the acting and technical elements of the film are so good that there might soon by Oscars with the name ED WOOD engraved on them. Landau will certainly be nominated for playing Bela Lugosi, something that Bela could never hope for. Can posthumous Lifetime Achievement awards be far away? Those who enjoy the work of the great cinematic individualist Ed Wood can also check out his recent biography that is the source of the screenplay, "Nightmare of Ecstasy" by Rudolph Grey. BRIDE OF THE MONSTER is the best of Ed Wood's real films. Bela Lugosi finished that one. The much-hyped PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE really does suffer from the fact that it is constructed around a few short unused clips of Bela. GLEN OR GLENDA, also featuring Lugosi, cannot be described but must be seen to be believed. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Oct 4 14:51:39 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.kth.se!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: leeper@mtgbcs.att.com (Mark R. Leeper) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02930 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Leeper Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: leeper@mtgbcs.att.com Organization: AT&T, Middletown NJ Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 13:12:55 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 123 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2233 rec.arts.sf.reviews:626 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Mark R. Leeper Copyright 1994 Mark R. Leeper Capsule review: Tim Burton's disappointing biopic of bad filmmaker Wood looks great, but it is a wafer- thin patchwork of familiar rumors and stories which is, like the rabid fans of Wood's films just a trifle mean- spirited in its fun. Martin Landau is good as the dying Bela Lugosi and gives the film what core it has, but Depp goes back and forth among the three emotions that Burton allows him and fails to create a person. Rating: low +1 (-4 to +4) Tim Burton has made just about the only biography that could have been made of the film-making career of Ed Wood Jr. since there are so many legends of filmmaker. He has probably correctly assumed people who come to see the film are less interested in delving into the character of the man and more in having and extension of the experience they have laughing at the ineptitude of the films Wood made. Burton has created a stylish film to poke fun at Wood. When the film opens Wood (played by Johnny Depp) is a handyman at Universal Studios who produces silly, pretentious plays with the Ed Wood touch of ineptitude. But Wood idolizes Orson Welles, who was writing, directing, and acting in his own film at 26. Wood is already 30 and feels the need to be an auteur filmmaker, right now. The problem is that with the exception of producing some really terrible plays he has no experience relevant to making films. However, he has the confidence that he knows everything that he needs to know. A chance meeting with Bela Lugosi give him the edge he needs to get his first film made as well as beginning a friendship that would last the rest of Lugosi's years. Wood's one flaw time and time again is in assuming he has talent and is creating great art. Of course the films he really does create are notorious for their ineptitude. On a small scale he is not unlike Roger Corman--he will give anyone an opportunity to be in his films without discrimination on the basis of talent. This gets earns him a sort of the following of a coterie of talentless actors who find easy employment with Wood. The list centers on the fading Bela Lugosi but includes Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson, fake psychic Criswell, and horror show host Vampira. Unfortunately, with the exception of one marquee reference, the film never mentions Lyle Talbot. Talbot had been in major productions before and after the Wood films he was in as well as being a regular on the TV show "Ozzie and Harriet." It would have been interesting to know more about why he was willing to accept minuscule wages to appear in Wood's productions. The style of the film is to weave together many of the anecdotes that have appeared elsewhere for years. Many are probably true, others apocryphal. Wood was certainly a transvestite, as shown in ED WOODFR WOOD, and much of what was coherent about GLEN OR GLENDA? was an autobiographical study of a transvestite. Whether or not he would let being a transvestite affect his directing in later films as shown could well be just legend. Wood's friendship and attention did help Lugosi through the aging actor's final years, but whether his relationship was really as close as shown probably depends on to who is telling the story. And certainly the ending of the film is a fantasy in Ed's mind and one wonders how much else is a fantasy in this film. There are obvious anachronisms in the film. The producer of GLEN OR GLENDA? has a stack of film cans behind his desk including one labeled "One-Eyed Samurai." I find this very unlikely for an American film producer in 1952. Johnny Depp puts a little too much energy into Wood. At least on screen Wood's body language seems to indicate a man a bit more placid and laid back than Depp plays him. Landau's ailing Bela Lugosi really looks very good, a combination of Rick Baker's excellent makeup and Landau's own study of Lugosi's facial expression. Burton is banking on not too many people being able to recall Wood's looks and demeanor, but Lugosi's is too familiar a face too familiar for Burton to take similar liberties. Story accuracy beyond that point is open to some interpretation. Though the film is based on Rudolph Grey's NIGHTMARE OF ECSTASY: THE LIFE AND ART OF EDWARD D. WOOD, JR.," I doubt if it or any other existing piece of research is a serious study of Ed Wood, and perhaps Wood does not deserve a serious study. If the film adaptation is any indication, the book is not always well researched. Lugosi is shown to be lonely and alone, a drug addict for twenty years and not having made a film in the last four. It is true this was a particularly rocky period in Lugosi's life. After DRACULA Lugosi was always the victim of his own poor discretion in the roles he chose and of the narrowness of his acting repertoire. He really as an actor better suited to silent film than sound. There are only so many roles that require his forte, which was looking mysterious. He ended up playing too many red herring butlers in too many cheap horror mysteries. After he played Dracula for the last time on screen in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN he was also the victim of Universal Studio's ingratitude for his previous contributions. But Lugosi's state was looking up as a look at Lugosi's filmography indicates. And there was a revival in his career--of sorts- --from 1952 to his death in 1956. GLEN OR GLENDA? was actually the second of three films he made in 1952 after OLD MOTHER RILEY MEETS A VAMPIRE and before BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA. After his drug rehabilitation Lugosi also married his fifth wife, a fan as a wife who remained loving and loyal to him until his death. In 1956 he made THE BLACK SLEEP and took some part in the publicity campaigns. It was not even a speaking role but presumably between that and TV appearances he could at least squeak by. This film opens trying to give the feel of an Ed Wood film but the haunted house we see in the beginning has more the feel of Burton's films with miniatures much like we have seen in Burton fantasy films since "Frankenweenie." On the other hand Burton does a fairly good job of recreating scenes that look much like they did in the original Wood films. Actors do not always look quite like their original counterparts, especially Bill Murray as Bunny Breckenridge, but some scenes do bear an uncanny resemblance to their original film versions. One need look no further than Universal's MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES to realize how much worse the recreations could have been. If one is really interested in the real behind-the-cameras dirt of popular 1950s entertainment, the current QUIZ SHOW is far better done and more credible. But for a diverting couple of hours, ED WOOD is enjoyable entertainment. I rate it a low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale. Mark R. Leeper mark.leeper@att.com From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Oct 5 18:53:06 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!lunic.luth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!yeshua.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!gw1.att.com!nntpa!not-for-mail From: grossy@netcom.com (Eric Grossman) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02932 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Grossman Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com Reply-To: grossy@netcom.com (Eric Grossman) Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Wed, 5 Oct 1994 14:23:41 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 79 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2238 rec.arts.sf.reviews:632 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Eric Grossman Copyright 1994 LOS ANGELES INDEPENDENT Transvestites, flying-saucers, and alien grave-robbers, how could anyone ask for more? Director Tim Burton's latest effort, ED WOOD offers all of this and yes, far, far more. Burton (BATMAN, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS) has always been a director who is long on mood and atmosphere but short on story skills. For ED WOOD, Burton comes in swinging not only with his usual arsenal of visuals but also with a strong narrative to tell this story of a cross-dressing B, or make that C-movie filmmaker. Johnny Depp, a good actor who does not mind risky roles, plays Ed Wood, the director who is remembered for making one of the best, worst films of all time, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Depp's performance is a caricature but he is successful in bringing out a deeper emotionalism that makes us genuinely like Ed. Struggling to make it in Hollywood as an actor/writer and director, just like his idol Orson Wells, Ed is able to convince a B-movie producer to allow him to make a film about a man who becomes a woman. Ed believes he is the best for the job because he himself likes to wear women's clothing, especially angora sweaters. Ed makes his first film, GLEN OR GLENDA?, in which he stars with his girlfriend Dolores Fuller (Sara Jessica Parker). After giving Dolores the script, Ed confesses to her that he has an affinity for wearing women's garments. Shocked and confused, Dolores is at least comforted when she learns why her angora sweaters always seemed to be mysteriously stretched out. As much as she tries, Dolores can never accept Ed's non-conformist behavior and ultimately their relationship does not survive. However, Ed does meet Kathy O'Hara (Patricia Arquette), a quiet, sweet woman who understands that Ed's desire to cross-dress is not a perversion, but is instead a way for him to express his deep love for women. The true treat of the film is Martin Landau who plays famous DRACULA star, Bela Lugosi. Delivering a performance full of warmth, humor and sorrow, Landau once again proves that he is one of the best character actors working today. Long forgotten by the Hollywood machine that "chews you up and spits you out," Lugosi's career and life is on the rocks. In a chance encounter, Ed meets Lugosi and a deep friendship begins. Their relationship is the backbone of the story as they inspire and aid each other in times of need. In addition to his charm and other endearing qualities, screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski do not gloss over the fact that Lugosi was hooked on morphine. It is more than once that he calls Ed up in the middle of the night, in a semi-conscious voice, begging for help. For Ed, Lugosi validates his "art" as well as being an important element in getting his pictures made. The friendship is a father/son relationship where they each take turns being the father and the son. As we watch Ed try desperately to get his films made, we find ourselves both laughing at him and admiring him for his courage. It takes guts to make "your" film, especially when everyone thinks it is garbage. As bizarre and funny as it is, it takes guts to admit you like to wear women's clothing and then walk out on the set in a skirt, heels, and a wig while yelling "okay, everyone, let's make this movie." Finally, Ed is a portrait of pure determination. He is able to get PLAN 9 made by promising a Beverly Hills Baptist church that their investment in a sci-fi/horror film would bring enough profits to finance religious films. As Bill Murray's silly Bunny Beckinridge asks Ed, "How do you do it? How do you convince all your friends to get baptized just so you can make a monster movie?" The answer, charm and persistence. Like all of Burton's films, ED WOOD is pure eye-candy. The black-and-white cinematography is by Stefan Czapsky and the atmospheric production design was created by Tom Duffield. The serio-comic score was composed by Howard Shore and the film was edited by Chris Lebenzon. Ed's angora sweaters and pumps as well as the other character's outfits were put together by costume designer Colleen Atwood. Other cast members include Jeffrey Jones and Vincent D'Onofrio in a small part as Orson Wells. As endearing as it is bizarre, ED WOOD is a very entertaining movie that achieves what it aspires to be, an unconventional film about an unconventional man. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Oct 5 18:53:06 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!lunic.luth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!uhog.mit.edu!sgiblab!cs.uoregon.edu!usenet.ee.pdx.edu!fastrac.llnl.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!gw1.att.com!nntpa!not-for-mail From: maxho@aol.com (Max Hoffmann) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02931 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=M.Hoffmann Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: maxho@aol.com (Max Hoffmann) Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Date: Wed, 5 Oct 1994 14:23:06 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 55 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2239 rec.arts.sf.reviews:633 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Max Hoffmann Copyright 1994 Max Hoffmann BURTON HITS BULLSEYE WITH "WOOD" Film director Ed Wood has a cult following composed of millions of fans like me, who've poured over repeated viewings of such junkyard classics as BRIDE OF THE MONSTER and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. How could such an eccentric character and high camp material possibly succeed as the premise for another celebrity biography? With ED WOOD, producer/director Tim Burton redeems himself after a string of near misses like THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. This deliriously funny yet touching portrait succeeds where other bios, like CHAPLIN failed. This film finally balances the mean-spirited portraits of Wood and Bela Lugosi propagated in Michael Medved's "Golden Turkey" book of the late '70s. No doubt, Mr. "Hollywood vs. the USA" will approve of the mysterious R rating for a film with neither sex nor violence, but a few cuss words and some tasteful cross dressing. Johnny Depp successfully employs the same "lost in his own world--aw shucks" persona that failed miserably for Jeff Bridges in TUCKER. But the biggest surprise is Martin Landau's stunning performance as the dying, morphine addicted Lugosi. Landau's amazing "dual performance" captures every nuance of Lugosi's persona in Wood's first three films, also broadcasting his tragic humanity on an unspoken level. Fans who've previously only laughed at Lugosi's final "I have no home" speech in BRIDE OF THE MONSTER will gasp, and possibly stifle sobs, when they see the added level of irony the Laundau and Burton bring to that scene. Burton employs a deliberately deadpan B/W camera, that apes the unintentionally funny driver's training or "drug" films of the '50s. He also honors Wood with a few deliberate mistakes, like mismatched hairstyles for Sara Jessica Parker, in her final scene as Dolores Fuller. But the infamous sets of GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 are true to the last lamp shade and cardboard tombstone. A large ensemble cast credibly replicate Wood's "family" of eccentrics and outcasts, from Bill Murray (surprisingly on target as tired old queen Bunny Breckenridge) to Lisa Marie, very true as Vampira. The only disappointment is Jeffrey Jones who misses the mark on my personal favorite, Criswell. Expect ED WOOD to be another surprise "cross-over" hit that has an element of drag, (this time with a hetero central character.) I predict at least two Oscars next March, certainly one for Landau. Required viewing. A video rental of GLEN OR GLENDA ahead of time will increase your enjoyment immeasurably. Don't miss the Ed Wood retrospective at SF's Castro theatre Oct 28th through 31st! From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Oct 5 18:53:07 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!pipex!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!sgiblab!cs.uoregon.edu!usenet.ee.pdx.edu!fastrac.llnl.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!gw1.att.com!nntpa!not-for-mail From: 70004.1065@CompuServe.COM (Jeffrey Graebner) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02933 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Graebner Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: 70004.1065@CompuServe.COM (Jeffrey Graebner) Organization: via CompuServe Information Service Date: Wed, 5 Oct 1994 14:24:52 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 106 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2234 rec.arts.sf.reviews:631 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Jeffrey Graebner Copyright 1994 Jeffrey Graebner One of the most unusual aspects of the film industry is the fondness that some people feel for some of the worst that the industry has to offer. That aspect is most vividly demonstrated by the cult following of the amazingly inept films written and directed by Edward Wood Jr. Ironically, director Tim Burton tells Wood's story in one of the best films of 1994. Burton's film, which is simply titled ED WOOD, is centered around the friendship between Wood (Johnny Depp) and an aging, washed-up Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). The film also follows the making of Wood's three most legendary films: GLEN OR GLENDA?, BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. In the process, we are introduced to many of the bizarre individuals who populated Wood's films and his life. Among the people we meet are Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson (George "The Animal" Steele), would-be transsexual Bunny Breckinridge (Bill Murray), phony psychic Criswell (Jeffrey Jones), and TV horror movie hostess Vampira (Lisa Marie). If these characters had been created for a fictional film, nobody ever would have believed them. This movie is mostly non-fiction, though, and we are therefore more inclined to accept them. Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski have wisely written most of the film as a comedy, recognizing that it is difficult to take these people too seriously. This is a *very* funny movie, but the comedy never seems mean-spirited. Burton and the writers allow the humor to build naturally. A lot of inherent humor comes out of the image of a cross-dressing film director shooting ineptly conceived scenes with a bizarre cast of non-actors. There is no need to artificially create humor through put-downs and this script is smart enough to know that. At the heart of the film is the surprisingly touching relationship that builds between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi. When Wood meets Lugosi, he is a bitter, dying old man who is hopelessly addicted to morphine. He is flattered by the fact that Wood still remembers, and even admires him. Lugosi is able to use his faded stardom to provide Wood with a small link to legitimacy while Wood allows him to live out his final days as a working actor. Depp and Landau play very well together and really make this relationship work. Johnny Depp first demonstrated some skill as an actor in Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and Burton gets another strong performance out of him here. Some may feel that Depp goes over the top a bit with this performance, but how else could Ed Wood be played? Depp plays Wood as a man who is totally committed to his art, while also being mostly unaware of his lack of talent. The script places quite a bit of emphasis on Wood's admiration for Orson Welles. In his own strange way, Wood is simply emulating his idol. Depp's performance successfully captures the dedication that separates Wood's films from most other bad movies. It is hard not to feel some affection towards his films simply because of their utter *sincerity*. When Wood shouts "Cut! That was *perfect*!" at the end of every lousy take, you truly believe that he means it. Martin Landau's performance as Bela Lugosi is so right on the mark that the Academy should go ahead and engrave his name on the Best Supporting Actor award statue now. Landau manages to sound, behave, and even look (with a little help from Rick Baker's makeup effects) like the real Lugosi. His performance is much more than just an impersonation, though. He plays Lugosi as a sad, proud man who simply wants to get back into the limelight that he once knew. It is an outstanding performance. Wood is not portrayed as a saint, by any means. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get his films made. He is very quick to agree to casting people in his films if they are willing to put up money. His GLEN OR GLENDA? co-star and girlfriend Dolores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker) eventually leaves him after she is replaced for the lead role in BRIDE OF THE MONSTER by another actress who helps with financing. Her willingness to still appear in a tiny role in the film shows the unusual loyalty that Wood inspired, though. The film is full of other strong supporting performances. Each of the actors playing the members of Wood's regular acting company are very convincing. Bill Murray is the most familiar face in the cast and it is sometimes a bit difficult to see Bunny Breckinridge instead of Bill Murray, but he is still very appealing and generates a lot of laughs. Parker believably portrays Fuller's uncertain loyalties and Patricia Arquette does her best in a rather thankless role as the future Mrs. Ed Wood. Like all of Tim Burton's films, the production design and style plays a very major role in ED WOOD. Burton selected to shoot this film in black and white and lights the movie to largely match the look of Ed Wood's own films. Howard Shore's score also does a nice job of duplicating the music commonly used in that era, although there were a few occasions where it sounded a bit like Shore was borrowing the style of Burton's usual collaborator Danny Elfman. ED WOOD is a loving tribute to one of the strangest filmmakers in the history of Hollywood. It is one of the funniest movies in recent memory, while never letting the laughs get in the way of telling the story of the unique friendship between Wood and Lugosi. This is one of the best films ever made about filmmaking and one of the best movies of 1994. -- Jeffrey P. Graebner Columbus, Ohio From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Oct 14 09:28:56 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!sgiblab!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: AS.IDC@forsythe.stanford.edu (Scott Renshaw) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02955 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Renshaw Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com Reply-To: AS.IDC@forsythe.stanford.edu (Scott Renshaw) Organization: Stanford University Date: Thu, 13 Oct 1994 15:58:14 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 84 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2258 rec.arts.sf.reviews:636 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Scott Renshaw Copyright 1994 Scott Renshaw Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Bill Murray. Screenplay: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Director: Tim Burton. It's hard to imagine a more unlikely subject for a film biography than Edward D. Wood Jr. When I think of bio-pics, I think GANDHI, MY LEFT FOOT, MALCOLM X--epic tales of great and inspirational figures. The director of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE does not seem to be cut from quite the same cloth. The great surprise of ED WOOD is that in his own unique and twisted way, director Tim Burton has turned one of the worst filmmakers of all time into one of those inspirational figures. Rather than holding Wood up to ridicule, Burton makes his life an example of artistic integrity, an extremely entertaining look at an auteur unlike any other. Johnny Depp stars as Ed Wood, who is a playwright, studio hand and would-be filmmaker when our story begins. Ed sees his chance for a big break in a planned screen biography of transsexual Christine Jorgensen, which Ed thinks he's perfect for because of his own closet fetish for women's clothing. He is also able to deliver a "big star" for the production: Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), now nearly destitute and addicted to morphine. With Lugosi and girlfriend Dolores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker), Ed makes GLEN OR GLENDA?, a phenomenally incompetent melodrama. But Ed is undaunted by the ridicule of others, and forges ahead to make more films, as well as forging a friendship with the ailing Lugosi. Eventually comes Ed Wood's magnum opus: the infamous PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Burton based his vision for ED WOOD on one question: what if someone had all the drive of Orson Welles, but none of the talent? That question, and its answer, are what make Edward D. Wood Jr.'s story a comedy rather than a tragedy. Johnny Depp plays Ed Wood with a kind of childlike awe in the mere fact that he is able to make films, and his mantra of "Perfect!" after every clumsy take becomes not simply a paradigm for self-delusion, but a reminder that sometimes process is as important to art as product. In one delightful scene, Ed runs into Orson Welles (a dubbed Vincent D'Onofrio) in a Hollywood bar. There they exchange stories about funding problems with their latest projects (PLAN 9 and the recently restored DON QUIXOTE, respectively). The sincerity with which Wood speaks to Welles as an equal, and his determination to stay true to his vision, make him anything but pathetic. He becomes a strangely heroic maverick, doing it his way even if it means doing it the wrong way. Yet Burton manages to tell another story in ED WOOD, that of the curious friendship between Ed and Bela Lugosi. It is truly an example of mutual need--Wood needs Lugosi to lend his movies credibility; Lugosi needs Wood to give him work, any work--but it's also something even more touching. As played with eerie brilliance by Martin Landau, Lugosi is bitter, broke and depressive when Wood finds him in the late 1950s, and completely without respect. It is respect which is the greatest gift Ed gives him, and Laundau's portrayal of his slow return to humanity is one of the finest pieces of acting this year. It is ED WOOD's niftiest accomplishment that it links these two stories so effortlessly. Ed Wood's uniquely wonderful naivete comes from the fact that he never fully grasps that Hollywood was a business first. He is unable to understand how Lugosi could be unable to find work, because to Ed, his talent is all that should matter. Even through fund-raising parties and creative recruiting of backers for his films, it's not about the money to Edward D. Wood Jr. It's about art. ED WOOD is occasionally quite slow-moving, and loses much of its steam in its final twenty minutes. The making of PLAN 9 seems to deserve more than a montage, and Ed's relationship with wife-to-be Kathy (Patricia Arquette) is given only a cursory treatment. But the affection in Burton's telling of this tale is infectious, and makes one wish more talented contemporary filmmakers were as relentlessly individual. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 golden turkeys: 8. -- Scott Renshaw Stanford University Office of the General Counsel From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Oct 14 09:28:56 1994 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!sunic!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!sgiblab!pacbell.com!att-out!nntpa!not-for-mail From: jeff@pixar.com (Jeff Pidgeon) Subject: REVIEW: ED WOOD Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #02956 Originator: ecl@mtgp003 Keywords: author=Pidgeon Sender: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Nntp-Posting-Host: mtgp003.mt.att.com ~Reply-To: jeff@pixar.com (Jeff Pidgeon) Organization: pixar Date: Thu, 13 Oct 1994 15:58:45 GMT Approved: ecl@mtgpfs2.att.com Lines: 41 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2259 rec.arts.sf.reviews:637 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] ED WOOD A film review by Jeff Pidgeon Copyright 1994 Jeff Pidgeon Tim Burton's latest offering, ED WOOD, is an affectionate one-could-say tribute to a director many consider to be the worst of all time (my vote goes for Michael Cimino). ED WOOD has the usual Burton strengths and weaknesses: a thorough sense of time and place, more interesting characters than the plot can handle, and a storyline that seems to be mostly a daisy chain of spot gags. To be fair, though, the film has more story structure than any other previous Burton effort--screenwriter Michael Lehmann figured out a good way to trick Burton into thinking he didn't have a three-act story while in actuality giving him what may be the closest thing he's had to one. The film focuses on the making of three Wood "classics," so no matter what else happens, the result of each production will give a resolution of sorts. If ED WOOD had been a half-hour, or even an hour long, it would have been a quirky entertaining novelty. At two hours, though, the gags are repeating for the third time, and one begins to wonder if the film isn't spliced into a loop, and that you'll never get to leave. There's only so many times that seeing Johnny Depp in an angora sweater can provoke any sort of reaction before you start checking your watch. Tha cast's performances are stronger than most Burton outings, but Martin Landau stands alone in giving his Lugosi portrait sufficient weight and depth to engage you beyond the gags. The relationship between Depp and Landau is the strongest thing in the film, and the film might have been better all around if this had been focused upon more. As it is, the film has to fall back on a "stick-to-your-artistic- vision-kid" message (from a pretty implausible source) that rings particularly hollow (especially from the director of BATMAN). ED WOOD is consistently entertaining, but wears out its welcome too soon ... people who aren't rabid Wood fans will probably come away wondering why Burton went to all the trouble. Not Recommended.