Ed Wood doesn't deserve a depressing character study, what he deserved was this, a genuinely great film with a truly inspiring message: Visions are worth fighting for, why spend your life making someone else's dreams?
He mentioned something about wanting to do films that his kids could see, well now they have an entire franchise to sit through, get back to doing good films!
A V i think Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice is a little stronger. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's just that I think when we're talking about the best of Burton, Edward Scissorhands stands taller
From a technical standpoint its easily his best.. no whimsical over the top bullshit. It's straight forward, well directed, and a vehicle where all the actors stand out rather than centered around one.
I think people didn’t know what it was, and it’s pretty true to form for it to fail at the box office lol! It’s probably the best homage to Ed that we could give him haha. This is my favorite film of all time!
Somehow Siskel once answered a post I made on some message board decades ago. I had posted something to the effect that some actress was cute and he was among the people who answered my post. His user name was "The Siskel Kid."
Kevin Muller I disagree on the selling out aspect, selling out is when you change everything including yourself and art for money and money only. Tim and Johnny never sold out. They were given too much money and tried to out do each project with a bigger project. Selling out is the band KISS going from Love Gun to I Was Made For Loving You
Spot-on reviews here by our favorite critics. *ED WOOD* truly was one of the best films of 1994, and - Sam Jackson's sore-loser reaction notwithstanding - Martin Landau was simply unbeatable in the Best Supporting Actor category this year. Not only was this his 3rd nomination within 6 years, but this was easily his greatest performance. No one else could have won Best Supporting Actor that year. No one else. It was Martin Landau's year in this category. Completely written-off so many years earlier due to his intense alcoholism - which had nearly cost him his life - Landau successfully beat his demons and launched one of the most successful comebacks in film history. R.I.P. Ya did good. 👍
Allen M. Quinn Should of won in my opinion. I love Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption and I think both are better movies than Ed Wood, but Depp's performance is better than any other from that year that I've seen.
Allen M. Quinn True, although it was such a crowded year in all categories, especially in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor categories. 1994 was such an incredible year for motion pictures, it even outstripped the previous year that gave us such all-time classics as *SCHINDLER'S LIST, THE PIANO,* and *PHILADELPHIA.*
Maybe Martin Landau's incredible performance overshadowed Depp in the movie. But I don't think Deep would ever have won. It wasn't really "acting" the way the Academy likes to see it.
+Lexi Kamen Turner Tim must be doing something right. People are still giving him millions and millions and millions of dollars to make films and they're being seen all over the world. Throwing out a one sentence put down of a man who's now in his 3rd decade of making films seems like standard internet brainlessness. When's your next cinematic masterpiece coming out Lexi?
JohnWesley Downey Uhm, right. Because, obviously, making money is the only standard by which we judge the quality of a work of art. That's why Michael Bay is currently in the poor house, whilst František Vláčil was consistently rolling in the Benjamins. I'm not a filmmaker, but my career is focused on film history, criticism, analysis and theory - currently writing three chapters on the representation and implication of girlhood in the Czechoslovak New Wave - I imagine you, yourself, are well versed in film criticism? You seem to know a lot about estimating a film's worth...
It's weird how fulfilling it is to see them get so excited by a movie, talking over each other just so they can both fully express how much they loved it.
Quentin Tarantino loves this film pretty much for the same reason, they give, He just went on about how Ed would just pour his heart and soul into these dreadful little movies, But if you watch it nowadays, Glen or Glenda is a nice little plea for understanding.
Well, sort of. But then there is the stock footage of a factory. And the weird monolouge by Narrator Bella Lagosi. Who can forget lines like "Beware the big green dragon. Snips and snails and puppy dogs tails?" It's like Wood is poring out his agonized confusion about what boys and girls are made of.
I think Tarantino said Black Sunday is one of his favourite 3 films and that is a B movie about vampires too. I really like it but because the Vampires surname in it is Vajda like my name.
@Retro Storm i mean, think about tarantino’s biggest influences: exploitation films, 70s kung fu flicks, and grindhouse action movies. cheese is written into his filmmaking dna. two different kinds of the same contribution to culture in terms of those filmmakers’ work.
Maybe the most enthusiastic thumbs up review ever from S&E. I think this was possibly their favorite film, because in essence it was about the process of film making.
I always remember Quentin Tarentino talking about this film. And Ed's passion for filmmaking, and how the fact he had no talent for it, was not an issue.
I love this movie. And I really miss these guys. R.I.P Siskel & Ebert. An eternal Thumbs Up! Thank you for helping me admire and appreciate the magic of movies.
To anyone who loves Ed Wood for the reasons these guys talk about, watch the movie American Movie from 1999. A fantastic documentary about a guy's tireless struggle to make "the great American movie" without having much talent to go with his infectious enthusiasm. It's great
Man 1994 was one of the best years in movie history. We got the Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Forest Gump, the Lion King, Speed, Ed Wood, Leon the Professional and the Mask all in that year.
These guys NAILED it -- their review made me want to see "Ed Wood" AGAIN (& I've already seen it at least 3 times)! As for "Plan 9..." being "the worst movie ever made" -- hey, there's one thing you've got to say for it: While it may be "bad," it is NEVER DULL and it's always "watchable"...and that's more that you can say for LOTS of movies!
MST3K really hit all the truly bad movies. Manos: Hands of Fate was terrible, and Red Zone Cuba really hit that sweet spot of terrible acting, writing, and editing all in one go. Plan9 was at least comprehensible.
I miss these guys...so many of RU-vid critics who wake up one morning and decided to review movies on their channels can't come close to these two masterful well spoken and articulate lovers of cinema...they were an original and the reel deal.
I’m a fan of other Tim Burton works, but this is his best in so many ways. The story comes together so nicely, it has this positive attitude and it really motivates you. Not everyone will share the same vision or be resentful, but as long as you have passion and the drive you will go far!
"Two Big Thumbs Up for the unique Ed Wood. A film that will be especially entertaining for people who like cheerful trashiness in those old B-movies. We loved this film and this film loves the movies."
This movie is one of those films like Star Wars, or Back to the Future, or The Shawshank Redemption that just has that warm, magical attribute attached to it that makes it timeless. It's not easy to make a film like that, and I feel like I like the film more and more each time I see it.
Siskel was right. This film should be seen at film schools all over the world. But I would have gone a step further. It should be seen by everyone. It is a tribute to all the people who try their best and fame alluded them in life,but it soon did find them,and deservely so. Tim Burton's best,easily.
I truly love this film! Johnny Depp was incredible in the film. Actually, everyone was incredible in this film. This is a film that I will take with me to the island 🏝 😀
The whole point of the movie, and maybe the best part, is where Ed Woo runs into Orson Wells for a couple minutes and gets some endearing encouragement, about following your dreams, and making them happen "for yourself" as well as others. They didn't even mention that clever scene here. :(
I absolutely agree and it’s even more surprising as you say, because I think it’s this scene that reinforces the point Burton was making and that Siskel correctly identified. One of them is this great, visionary auteur, and the other is this absolutely talentless hack, but they still absolutely know where they are both coming from and they both speak the same language when it comes to making movies. They are both true “amateurs” in the absolute sense of doing what they do for love. No matter that they are both at polar opposite ends of the scale, they are living their lives according to the same rules, the same pressures, the same passion. Marvellous scene.
The film Eddie the Eagle has a very similar scene, only with ski jumpers instead of film directors. Now, Ed Wood is light years ahead of Eddie the Eagle in terms of quality, but it’s nice to see that theme play out again.
It's because he loved filmmaking, that's true, but he liked doing it as fast as possible, because money was most important (he was always poor) and time is money. Ed's true skill is that he was incredibly fast at everything - typing, directing, casting, everything he did at lightning speed. He was so fast that he could never make time to sit down and think "Is this any good"? Combine that with his optimism and drinking, he was blind to any of his flaws. I learned this from reading his biography
Wow. This is literally the first positive review I've seen from those guys. Although I'm British so haven't seen a lot from them. But from what I have seen they're usually very negative. I'm glad they enjoyed this underrated classic.
I loved it, and loved the fact that I loved it. A friend I saw it with started laughing during the opening credits and was still laughing as we left the diner and got into our cars to drive home.
I often think "y was S & E so good?" It's several factors but unlike young utube critics, they knew their subjects. Plus very little humor unlike modern critics using a ton of humor and a modicum of intelligence
The three best Tim Burton movies ever imo were Ed Wood, Big Eyes, and Big Fish. All three were also relatively unsuccessful compared to his lesser films, unfortunately.
Such a sweet review. I am a fan of "bad stuff" (worst of lists, etc. Hey, I like a good train wreck.) That being said: I have watched this review many times and will again soon. Love it!
Loved Ed Wood, it's inspirational and at the same time terrifying. The idea that someone can love making movies as much as Ed, but be remembered as the Worst Director of All Time; it just terrifies me. Just knowing that you could throw everything into a movie, and be so horribly ridiculed and mocked. I love this movie regardless.
This was a good movie. But it also portrayed Mr. Wood as more wholesome and less weird than he really was. He didn't change the name to "Plan nine" because his producer wanted him too. He changed it to avoid paying back his depts. He became a heavy drinker. He later started making porn, straight and gay. He seemed to be quite confused about his sexualiy. But God love him, you got to love "Glen or Glenda." in his own way, Mr. Wood was a pioneer.
He had a vision and made it happen. Whether you believe his movies are good, bad, or in my opinion so bad they're good, you gotta give the man huge props for actually going out and making the movies he wanted to make. Glenn or Glenda is one hell of an achievement I think. In the 50s being a transvestite was extreme taboo and along with homosexuality it was known as a "contagious disease to the mind". In a time when simply being a transvestite was frowned upon, he went out and made a movie about it. He went out and said "Let me educate you, you predigest assholes.". He's been dead for about 40 years and has a huge fan base. Too bad he was dead by the time he was noticed.
brilliant film. seen it many times and still rewatch it every year. 10/10. i even like "Plan 9 from outer space" too. cheap production values but great narrative and directing. clever use of stock footage. ed wood was a genius and still under-rated
This was Scott and Larry's first of the four biopics they wrote. After they redeemed themselves from "Problem Child", they moved on to write this film and it received critical acclaim, leading the duo to write the next 3 biopics after this: The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon and Dolemite is My Name.
Such a lovely piece of history this review - a movie depicting honesty, with heart, enthusiastic vital optimism, the story of a man doomed to suffer and die in obscurity………I’m talking about Ed not Tim you pessimist!!!
It was invigorating that Burton made this movie for people who love good as well as bad movies. Why else would he have had Depp's Wood gain encouragement from Orson Welles. And I loved (as everything else in this great movie) Bela Lugosi ( played by an Oscar earning late great Martin Landau who became Lugosi as Sir Ben became Gandhi) for his indignant, UNflattered reaction @ being compared by a film consultant to Boris Karloff!!!!!
The scene that single-handedly won Landau the Oscar. And i just knew he would while I was sitting in the audience watching it when EW first came out. Spectacular performance.
Every genre has its masterpieces, crafted over by decades by creators dedicated to their craft, every genre has their schlock put out for a quick buck, and they all also have something in between, a quick bit pf schlock created by someone dedicated who really loved their craft... that final one is what applies to Ed Wood
