Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Lee Eisenberg Knowing that "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died" comes from a script by Ed Wood, it would seem that anyone should prepare heckling comments before watching it. It turns out that, although the movie makes little if any sense, there is a definite charm to it, possibly to the point of meriting a serious viewing. The plot - or whatever it is - centers on a mental patient (Billy Zane) escaping from the hospital, killing a bank teller, attending the funeral, and then getting involved with the people in the man's life. I think that that's the story; the absence of dialogue made it a little hard to follow.So, it seems to be the sort of movie that you watch to study, just to see whether or not you can make anything out of the loosely strung together events portrayed. I can't say that I've been able to make anything out of it. Maybe you can. Also starring Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, Bud Cort, John Ritter, Christina Ricci and Karen Black. So perhaps we can call "IWUETDID" the almost unheard-of movie with a stellar cast.

vmmr73-1 Unique film, certainly breaks the mold of mainstream movies without going into the 'art film' category. This is another example of Ed Wood's weird but entertaining film making style. He never forgot that movies were entertainment, but also made sure his movies showed us twisted and surreal takes on life that get the viewer hooked without the formulaic approach most Hollywood movies take - regardless of the genre. It's a shame the movie isn't available in the US and that it wasn't released in theaters. I just saw it here in Mexico on a movie channel called movie planet, not sure it's available in the U.S. but if you van get your hands on the movie, it's worth seeing.

shark-21 This is a script that Ed Wood worked over 10 years on trying to get made. Aris Iliopulos finally got the chutzpah to film a script that Wood saved from his burning home at the expense of other, more transitory valuables.This is a dialogue-free movie, that some may foolishly describe as silent. In fact, it is a quite noisy film, without the inane chatter of most flicks. In the hands of these filmmakers, the music and sound effects provide a rich audio experience that works better than almost any grist from the Hollywood script mill, particularly that stupid boat movie Billy Zane last was in ('Watch out!', 'Oh no!' - J. Cameron.... ick...) I'll take Zane's wonderfully communicative monosyllabic grunts in this film over empty dialogue any day.Billy Zane heads a team of players who obviously really wanted to be in this film. Ricci is radiant as always, and the gods are shining when you can put Sandra Bernhard, Rick(y) Schroeder, Eartha Kitt and Andrew McCarthy's name on the same poster.The design is perfect, the pyramid set exquisite, and Ron Perlman's beastly performance is simply wonderful. Overall, this is a chaotic, visceral masterpiece lovingly crafted by fans of Ed Wood Jr., auteur and cinenephile. A must see for anyone who really loves movies the way that the first rate Iliopulos and his cast obviously do. A film to make you wish you had made it yourself.

unisin Excellent! I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival, and I have one thing to say: "Terry Gilliam...watch out!" Even though the film has no dialogue, Billy Zane's AMAZING performance keeps you interested and laughing throughout the whole thing. I promise that you will walk out of the movie a Billy Zane fan. This is definitely on my top ten list. GO SEE IT!