I Woke Up Early The Day I Died

"I Woke Up Early The Day I Died" is a 1998 camp comedy film written by Edward D. Wood, Jr.. The film, directed by Aris Iliopulos, stars Billy Zane, Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, and Christina Ricci, among many others.

The movie, produced two decades after Edward D. Wood Jr.'s death, was aimed at being a tribute to him. Wood was awarded a posthumous Golden Turkey Award for being The Worst Director Of All Time [Medved, Harry and Michael. "The Golden Turkey Awards". 1980, Putnam. ISBN 0-399-50463-X.] , and has since gained a cult following. The producers of this film used many techniques that Wood himself would use, such as including stock footage to save filming expenses [ [http://www.iwokeupearly.com/ I Woke Up Early the Day I Died ] ] . The cast was made up of a huge list of actors, including several who were previously associated with Wood's films.

Plot

Billy Zane's character, a cross-dresser, escapes from Casa de la Loco Sanitarium and obtains some money, which he then loses at a funeral attended by eccentric mourners. He then sets off to kill everyone who was present at the funeral.

Cast

Note, this is only a partial listing of the many cast members in this movie.

* Billy Zane as The Thief
* Sandra Bernhard as Sandy Sands
* Bud Cort as Shopkeeper (as Lord Hienrich 'Binky' Alcoa III)
* Leif Garrett as Cruiser Cop #4 (as Leif Garret)
* Dana Gould as Carnival Barker
* Mike Hagerty as Flop House Manager (as Michael G. Hagerty)
* Tippi Hedren as Maylinda Austed
* Eartha Kitt as Herself
* Maila Nurmi as Woman in Hotel Lobby
* Will Patton as Preacher
* Ron Perlman as Cemetery Caretaker
* Rain Phoenix as Bartender#1
* Summer Phoenix as Bartender#2 / Girl at the Beach
* Tara Reid as Prom Queen / Nightclub Bartender
* Christina Ricci as Teenage Hooker
* John Ritter as Robert Forrest
* Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Boy at Beach
* Steven Weber as Policeman in Alley
* Kathy Wood as Woman at Carnival (as Kathleen O'Hara Wood)

Reaction

The film was panned by fans and critics alike, achieving a 30% rating on [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_woke_up_early_the_day_i_died/ Rotten Tomatoes] . Many criticised Iliopulos's failure to recreate Wood's innocent ineptitude at film making, including Entertainment Weekly, who said the movie "never truly finds a way to evoke [Wood's] fractured hard-boiled syntax, his inimitable idiocy" [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,64238,00.html I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Movie Review | Entertainment Weekly ] ] .

References