“Ed Wood” – Nathan’s Movie Challenge, Week 26
“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I’ve ever been in. Your selection is quite shoddy. You are wasting my time.”
I found this oddity among Tim Burton’s already odd filmography to be a bit perplexing. I feel like there was a lot of metatext I might have been missing, but I still enjoyed it, overall.
I’m not sure I can stomach Depp much these days, and in this one he’s particularly annoying. He seems to be playing it as accurately as he can, but his personality is still a bit irritating.
I was mostly into this one for Landau doing Legosi, and of course anytime Bill Murray’s on the screen, I’m happy. Still, this is lesser Burton. I still hope and wish for the early Burton whimsy and magic to return – Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Nightmare… It must still be in there… somewhere.
Ed Wood was at the time of this review at #321 on my Flickchart list of shame (ranked #630 among the best films of all time). Here’s how it entered my chart:
Ed Wood vs. Road to Perdition
I really couldn’t get into Road to Perdition. It’s an attractive movie, and it has a killer cast (Hanks, Newman, Craig, Leigh), but there’s something about the dark tone that either drags it down or doesn’t allow it to resonate with me for some reason. Maybe it deserves a rewatch. For now, Ed Wood wins.
Ed Wood vs. Monster House
Two words for why Monster House is the better film. Dan Harmon. A woefully underseen and underappreciated kid’s film.
Ed Wood vs. The Man Who Knew Too Much
While The Man Who Knew Too Much is not one of my favorite Hitchcock films, it’s still one of the better ones. Love the song. Plot is a little far-fetched. It’ll still beat out Ed Wood.
Ed Wood vs. The Man in the Iron Mask
Leonardo DiCaprio. Jeremy Irons. John Malkovich. Gabriel Byrne. You can’t go wrong with a cast like that, folks. Sorry, Ed.
Ed Wood vs. Daredevil
If it was the Netflix show, it’d be a no-brainer. This is the Affleck movie, though, so it’s a slaughter. Ed Wood wins.
Ed Wood vs. Sunshine Cleaning
I know I’ve seen Sunshine Cleaning, and I know it involves women who clean up after crime scenes, and that’s it. Ed Wood wins for at least having some memorable moments that stay with you.
Ed Wood vs. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Ugh. I wish I could forget Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Ed Wood wins.
Freaks vs. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
The Bridget Jones movies are… fine. Ho-hum. Not great. Not bad. Just average. Ed Wood is slightly above average.
Ed Wood vs. Battle: Los Angeles
You know, I actually enjoyed and appreciated what Battle: Los Angeles was going for. They went for a concept, and while it wasn’t a success, I don’t think it was the travesty or trainwreck people make it out to be. Should have be given more slack than it was. Ed Wood is the better film, though.
Ed Wood vs. Pulp Fiction
Well, if you know me, or at least tangentially know me, you probably know I am no big fan of Pulp Fiction, but hey… I get it. It’s good. It’s not my kind of good, but I recognize that it is. It will beat Ed Wood.
Ed Wood is now ranked #646 out of 1469 movies on my Best Movies of All-Time chart.
It’s now my 2nd favorite Cross-Dressing / Gender-Bending movie and my 14th favorite from 1994.
Next up is Nebraska. In the meantime, check out the other films I’ve ranked during the challenge.
Forever altered my expectation of interactions with celebrities. If I don’t think there’s a chance we’ll ever eat borscht together on the sofa, I don’t even say hi.