I don’t think there’s another director that could have done a biopic on the eccentric, imaginative, and terrible director that was Ed Wood than Tim Burton. Burton’s love and use of miniatures, dark themes and humour, and his eye for casting.

Leading the story on screen is Johnny Depp as Ed Wood. Depp has a smile plastered on his face for the film’s entire runtime as he schemes to bring his creative ideas to life. He finds ways to cut corners on productions, usually stuck with one take, and doesn’t sweat the details.

Shot in gorgeous black and white with a score by Howard Shore, the film takes us through Ed’s life, his love of cross-dressing, his love of classic Hollywood films, and his desire to make a classic that will be remembered.

Old Hollywood finds its way into Wood’s life when a chance encounter leads to a friendship with Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau, who won an Oscar for his turn as the horror icon). The pair make a number of very bad films together, always having a vision of something special, but instead churning out one horrible film after another, including the one he will always be remembered for Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Depp and Landau are surrounded by a fantastic cast, Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Juliet Landau, Max Casella and Lisa Marie.

Often funny, the film has a tragic heart as it gives us a look at the way the business chews actors up and leaves them by the side of the road when they age out of use, or fall victim to the excesses that associate itself with the business, Lugosi was the perfect example of this, and Landau is fantastic as the icon.

It’s a delight to watch Burton bring the behind-the-scenes stories of Ed Wood’s life to learn how his films were made, the creativity and the cost-saving measures that made Ed film the way he did.

Not only did Landau walk away with an Oscar for his performance in the film, but Rick Baker took one home as well for Best Makeup, which included transforming Landau into Lugosi.

It’s a great-looking film, and Burton uses a lot of old-school techniques to make the film look and feel like it was made in the period in which it was shot. From lighting to set design to staging everything has an old-school feel to it and Burton makes it work perfectly.

It’s tough for me to settle on and decide on what my favourite Burton film is, but this one is definitely on the list. It’s smart, funny, and gives viewers a look at an iconic, if terrible, director that has left his mark on the industry.