165 - Ed Wood

    A slightly fictionalized biography of Ed Wood, covering his time making movies from Glen or Glenda through Plan 9 From Outer Space.  We see a variety of his friends, and developments in his personal life, with a special focus on his relationship with Bela Lugosi.
    I don't know how many times I've seen this movie, but it gets better every time.  And this is pretty clearly the best work that Tim Burton has done.  Some of his earlier work was really good - Pee Wee, Beetlejuice, Batman… those were very good, but have some distinct weaknesses.  This movie has Burton's style all over it, but it feels much more restrained.
    But the direction isn't the highlight of this movie, it's the script.  Everything about this movie feels a little cartoonish, but it doesn't feel fake at all.  It's created by Ed Wood's optimism, and his perseverance in the face of every possible problem that comes with making a movie.  As well as his difficulties in his relationships.
    There's a wonderful scene, when he goes out on a date, and takes the opportunity to explain to the girl that he's a transvestite.  He's not confident in telling her about it, but it's one of the best decisions that he makes.
    I associate this movie with Bowfinger.  They're both comedies, and they take a very different approach, but they're both about the love of making movies.  Maybe Cinema Paradiso falls into the same category.  It's hard to blame Ed Wood for making bad movies.  He just loved movies so much, it would be hard to cancel the project just because he wasn't talented enough.