Ed Wood: CR #8

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in 2 weeks, but life gets in way the sometimes. So for this week I'm reviewing a picture I've heard so much about and have always wanted to see. A picture that is, in my opinion, Tim Burton's best film...

Let's Begin...


PLOT
This biography follows Edward D. Woods Jr. writer, director, actor, producer. Being known as THE worst director of all time, we follow Ed as receives his chance to direct his first picture. We now follow Wood from "Glen or Glenda" to "Plan 9 From Outer Space". 


PROS
Fist off, this is a 1994 picture that is in black and white. Tim Burton really was invested in this project, he even didn't want to be PAID! It was his choice to shoot in Black and white, and while it did get the production moved and postponed, I feel that it was the only way to shoot it. Also, I realized just how beautiful Black and white looks, and how even better it looks in HD.

Johnny Depp is great as Ed Wood. Ed has been seen as someone who would do anything to get a picture done, even shooting 30-40 scenes in a single day! Depp really shows this in his performance

Martin Landau plays Belia Lugosi, the ORIGINAL Dracula. He's even the reason for Dracula's Hungarian accent. Landau is AMAZING as Lugosi. He really feels like an old washed up actor past his prime. It's very tragic, but his spirits are lifted once he meets Ed Wood. You really feel like Lugosi is alive and on screen. Landau even won an award for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes!

Burton puts some cool little homages here and there. For example, whenever Lugosi is having a sad moment, they play "Swan Lake" during the scene, which is the opening theme to the original Dracula.

The picture shooting scenes actually show just how fast Wood shot his films. There's a scene where one of his actors hits a wall trying to walk through a door and he just rolls with it, not even doing another take.


Everyone is perfectly cast. I've already mentioned Depp and Landau, but whoever played Tor Johnson, Criswell, and Vampiria are almost exact clones of these real life people.

This is more of a personal thing, but this is the first time in a picture I actually didn't hate Sarah Jessica Parker, even though the picture makes you want to hate her.




CONS
I know this is the third time in row, but I really can not find anything I didn't like about this picture. Upon further thought, I have found problems with both "Limitless" and"The Fly"



CONCLUSION
This movie is officially in my Top 10 Pictures of All Time. I LOVE THIS PICTURE. This is one of Tim Burton's best, Johnny Depp's best, and one of the best picture's from the 90's! (That I've seen) I would suggest this picture to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE.

P.S. There is a sub plot I forgot to mention about how Ed Wood likes to dress in women's clothing. While he is not gay, and this happened in real life, AND it not bother me personally, I know this may be something some people will get offend by. Just add that into consideration before watching this Picture.


RATING
RUN TO!     


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The Fly (1989): FTQ #1, CR: #7

The Labor Day curse is upon us. Yes, no big releases came out this week, so I decided to my NEW segment early (Aren't you lucky!) What is that new segment you may ask? Why it's something I like to call..
FROM THE QUEUE!!!! I have a LOT of movies in my Netflix instant queue that I've never seen. With this segment, I'll finally be able to force myself to watch these movies. This segment may come up a lot more then I'd like, but most of my Classic review will be of movie I love already if I don't. So what is this weeks FTQ? It's the 1980's remake of...

Let's Begin...


PLOT
Our story follows Jeff Goldblum...I mean Seth, a Scientist working on a way make teleportation a reality. While at a formal party he meets a reporter named Veronica, who is looking for the story of a life time. Seth brings her back to his Lab/House where he shows her his teleport pods. She doesn't believe him at first until he teleports her shoe. Veronica sees huge potential in this. The problem, it can't teleport any living things, as painfully shown to us by a monkey. Veronica decides to record Seth and his discovery of teleportation. One night, Seth things he's got and tries it on himself. It appears to have no effect on him, until he finds out that a fly was in the pod that night. The system decided to splice Seth's and the Fly's DNA together. Now Seth is slowly becoming part man part fly!


PROS
This movie is gross, vile, and nauseating thanks to the amazing Special effects. I say that practical effects beat CG any day and this movie proves it. It would have not been as effective without those Special effects.


I commemorate Jeff Goldblum for what he did. He had to be in a heavy suit or have tons of layers of makeup all over of his body for god knows how long, and it shows. Every time you see him, he looks sicker and more disgusting then the last time you saw him.

I really enjoyed the way the transformation started out slow and barley noticeable. It doesn't just go straight to the half-human half-fly stuff, which is better in my opinion.

The human drama in this movie is a lot better then I though it would be, Epically with Seth. You've followed him and his trails throughout the first 40 minutes of the movie and it breaks your heart to see him change and become more grotesque. You feel just like Veronica, wanting to help but not knowing how.

I'm not sure if this is repetitive or not, but the gore in this movie will have your hands over your fave going OHHHHHHHHHHHH! I know I did. David Cronenberg is famous for grossing out his audience and it shows.


CONS
I can't think of any good cons, all of the ones that come to mind are either forced or just nit piking to an extreme.


CONCLUSION
This is a great movie, disgusting, but great. I feel the best way to enjoy this movie is to invite a couple of friends over, tell them just the bare minimum about it, and watch them squirm around at the awesome gore. The reactions will be priceless and maybe even Youtube worthy.

RATING
WALK TO

P.S. Tell me if like this segment and if you might like deciding on which movies I watch from my Queue!