Ed Wood (1994)

  This will be a very heavy Tim Burton week.  Someone in Movie Club admitted that they had never seen Beetlejuice, which kicked off an entire movement to watch the highlights as it were.  

Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) desperately wants to be a filmmaker and when he hears about transgender activist Christine Jorgensen's life story being given the film treatment, he knows he's the man for the job.  The film turns into Glen or Glenda, which flopped hard but gave Wood the boost to continue following his truth.  He is bolstered by legendary actor Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), now fallen on hard times, and a string of underdogs and misfits trying to make their Hollywood dreams come true.

This is such a sympathetic portrayal.  It was back in the 90s, when Depp and Burton were still actually trying, and it shows in the meticulous attention to detail.  The opening credits alone are spectacular B-Movie glamour.  Landau won an Oscar for his Lugosi and rightfully so.  His daughter, Juliet Landau, also has a role here.  Continuing the nepotism streak, Burton's then-wife Lisa Marie plays OG video vixen Vampira.  

It is a truly great film about art and staying true to oneself in the face of criticism and doubt.  Even when your art is truly, objectively terrible.  It's currently streaming on (sigh) Max but I watched my copy on the server.