Top Film for Each Year of My Life – 1994

Ed Wood

“The pure horror, it both repels, and attracts them, because in their collective unconsciousness, they have the agony of childbirth. The blood. The blood is horror.”

“Are you people insane? I'm the director. I make the casting decisions around here.”
1994 was a year of some controversy with Forrest Gump taking several Academy Awards over Pulp Fiction. And though it didn’t do well at the box office, The Shawshank Redemption has achieved the status as one of the top movies of all-time (at least according to the frequenters of imdb.com). Of course, none of that matters to me. Gump and Redemption are good enough, but I kind of hate Pulp Fiction and Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs is good, though).

There aren’t a lot of films that I feel particularly strongly about in ’94, though there are some undeniable good times. Dumb and Dumber is one of the great stupid comedies of all-time (and everyone should check out The Brothers Solomon if they like it). True Lies is a shockingly good time. Shocking because I’m not a big fan of action movies. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare sets the stage for the meta-horror boom to come with Scream and others. And the Coen’s released their underrated comedy (seriously, how many of their films are underrated?), The Hudsucker Proxy, which probably put people off because of its bizarre title.
But Ed Wood is above and beyond everything else this year. It’s Tim Burton’s passion project and captured gloriously in black and white. More films today need to be shot in black and white. It looks so crisp and since we understand and respect film preservation better these days, the films will always look great. They are just so elegant and timeless.

Burton nails everything about why people love Ed Wood. He convincingly recreates the sets and experience of Wood’s films, though the acting may be a little too good. Of course, with a cast this great, it’s nearly impossible to act down that far. Like the best Burton, is infused with his trademark style and emotion. Unfortunately, Danny Elfman isn’t along for the ride this time. Not to knock Howard Shore’s score, but Elfman and Burton are made for each other.
What really connects with Ed Wood is that it’s a film about the love of making movies no matter what anyone else says. It gives any aspiring filmmakers hope that not only can they make movies, but they can certainly make films more competent than Ed Wood. Woods’ films are largely a joke, but he had a vision, if not the means, and in the end, that’s an inspiration for everyone.