Ed Wood [Special Edition] [DVD] [1994]

Devoid of the usual fantasy elements of Tim Burton's films, Ed Wood is, never the less, his best film. A loving tribute to the titular filmmaker, to freaks in general, and to films (good or bad), the movie is a crazy ride of an, to say the least, eclectic bunch of characters. One of Johnny's Depp's best roles, the film starts with the wide-eyed man trying to get his terrible films made (while dealing with his secret cross-dressing). A chance encounter introduces Martin Landau's Bela Lugosi who steals every scene he's in with an Oscar-winning performance. Bill Murray, as one of Wood's many hangers-on, is a man constantly talking about a gender change operation that is obviously never going to happen. And the list of wonderful weirdos just continues to grow after that as Wood tries to get financing for his silly, little monster movies. Shot in grainy black and white (as is fitting for the subject matter), the blu-ray was never going to look spectacular, but the transfer is quite remarkable with only the occasional noise ruining an otherwise very film-like presentation. Front-heavy, the audio is never very immersive, but the dialogue is always clear. The included deleted scenes are worth checking out.

This funny and sweet Tim Burton film is perhaps his most interesting. The title character (Johnny Depp) is often regarded as cinema's worst director. The film begins in the early 1950's when Wood is finally given the chance to write & direct a feature film (which would turn out to be the first of Wood's so-bad-they're-good canon: Glen or Glenda?). At the same time, he gains a friend & colleague in one of his idols-Bela Lugosi (a wonderful Martin Landau) who, by the 50's, had been written off & dealing with morphine addiction. The rest of the cast (as Wood's stock company) is also terrific & Vincent D'Onofrio has a great cameo as Orson Welles. Appopriately shot in black & white (like Wood's films), this is a nice look into the art of filmmaking, albeit through the eyes of one of its worst but most enthusiastic practictioners. If this isn't required viewing for film schools, it should be!

Blind Optimism at it's finest! The story is great, characters are great, lighting is great, set design is great, actors are great. Also, it's a true story which leads into research (if interested) even after the credits roll. Truly a underrated movie that sits on the top of my Tim Burton list, and I'm not a big Tim Burton fan. Just go watch it and you will be pleasantly surprised :) off you go!

This was a movie that was really not going anywhere.I saw the first hour of the movie and was like,what is this?It was a little funny,but in a weird humor type of way.I just wasn't that into the movie.Even thou it was shot in black and white classic movie style.I really don't think that this was Tim Burton or Johnny Depp at their best.

A charming tale based on the true life of director Edward D. Wood Jr. who arguably made some of the worst films of all time. By far Tim Burton's best film as a director, Johnny Depp gives an outstanding performance as does Martin Landau. Excellent special edition dvd. Highly Recommended.

Finally upgraded my DVD to the Blu-ray and with cleaned up sound and visuals this movie is more of a hilarious treat than ever. The added features to this blu-ray including deleted scenes and background materials made this a keeper in my collection

I first saw this movie back in the mid 1990's on VHS tape, and it immediately became one of my all time favorites. The quality of this Blu-ray release is absolutely awesome, and in glorious black and white. A must for Johnny Depp and Tim Burton fans.

Great film showcasing old Hollywood in the mind of Edward Wood Jr. Get to know the man behind the worst/cult classic movies in Hollywood.