Ed Wood

Ed Wood is a biopic of the bizarre life and career of this legendary filmmaker. Directed by Tim Burton, this 1994 film is a vivid re-creation of the best known period of Wood's life in the 1950s. During this time, he wrote, produced, and directed Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), which he considered to be his "masterpiece." Johnny Depp plays the high-spirited and habitually optimistic moviemaker, who made technically inept films on shoestring budgets with a troupe of down-on-their-luck actors. The cast includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, and Martin Landau in his Academy-Award winning performance as the aged, impoverished, and morphine-addicted Bela Lugosi, whom Wood befriended.

Plan 9 from Outer Space

If you are interested in Ed Wood, why not watch a double feature and check out Plan 9 from Outer Space as well? The film's plot involves aliens who resurrect the dead in order to conquer the Earth, thus preventing humans from developing a bomb that can destroy the universe. The movie "stars" Bela Lugosi, who unfortunately died before filming began. However, the ever resourceful Wood used some earlier footage he had shot of Lugosi and hired his wife's chiropractor as a stand-in for Lugosi. The chiropractor was a good foot taller than Lugosi and had to cover his face with a cape. Plan 9 is marred by bad acting, awkward edits, and home movie quality special effects, such as strings holding round plates that serve as flying saucers. Interestingly, the movie was financed by the Baptist Church of Beverly Hills and Wood had the entire cast baptized in order to secure the funding. Over the years the film has gained a cult following, with audiences forgiving the cheap production values and poor acting, and viewing the film as a charming piece of motion picture history.