Wonderland - Massacro a Hollywood

I once read an article by Jonathon Ross about John Holmes, and in it he described a pathetic figure whose celebrity status in the arena of porn deteriorated into a life of drug abuse, betrayal, gang involvement and murder...oh, and his eventual death due to Aids. What a great premise for a film!

I enjoyed Wonderland and was gripped all the way though.It was Holmes' dependence on drugs that meant he was eventually dropped from the porn industry, he could no longer perform or 'get it up'. From there his life spiralled and this is where Wonderland starts.

The story is not only presented in a very factual way, ( nearly every police statement and event occurred as shown ), but the pace in unrelenting and the acting convincing. Kilmer does a good job on Holmes - a bit like his Jim Morrison, he gets the druggie, spaced out feel just right.

The re-telling of events through different perspectives is also impressive, if not original and although there is no real tension in the film this is not a criticism. This is not supposed to be a suspense film or a thriller, it is much better than that. It is a true account of lives which interest us and which most of us have difficulty comprehending - apologies to drug dealers, murderers and porn stars.

When the actual murders occur they are brutal and dramatic, interspersing real footage of the murder scene into the action. Gory and fascinating, and i'm sure most of you do the pause or slow-mo run after.

I'm a sucker for information being handed out at the end of films and Wonderland doesn't disappoint. We find out about all the main protagonists and of course we all know what happened to John. Full credit to the director, I was waiting for this film to be made since 1988 and am not disappointed!

Cox's 'Wonderland' is about the gruesome Wonderland murders (obviously!) that took place in the early 80s. The murder case itself was never solved and remained a mystery. Sadly, the movie does not do much to to cast light on it but there are hints indicated what most likely has happened. It is more of an interesting account rather than an actual story where one event is told from the perspective of different characters: Ex-porn king turned junkie John Holmes (Val Kilmer), his girlfriend Dawn Shiller (Kate Bosworth), his estranged wife Sharon (Lisa Kudrow) and David Lind (Dylan McDermott).

'Wonderland' is quite well shot, with the chaotic camera-work and slick editing, use of music and visuals and effective sound. It is very graphic and includes real photographs from the crime scene. It does manage to create the feel of the early 80s that ended the craziness of the 70s. Val Kilmer seems to be an odd choice to play John Holmes. There is no physical resemblance. As a stand alone he acts well but does not have any nuances of Holmes. His portrayal of Holmes is inaccurate to say the least. Kate Bosworth is quite alright. I didn't find the love story between the two that engaging. Dylan McDermott does not seem to be completely in character. In spite of having a small role, Lisa Kudrow delivers the best performance. It was very nuanced and natural. Josh Lucas does alright but at times he seems a little too loud. There are several more familiar faces.

Before watching the film, I had very limited knowledge of the notorious murders but after seeing the movie, I did more research and understood how gruesome and horrifying it was. 'Wonderland' tries to portray the event in an accurate way but those who are looking for a closed ending will be disappointed. As I stated earlier, it does give a hint as to what most likely happened.

"Wonderland" is an ugly, hard to watch film that gives us so many bad people ruining their lives with drugs that you have to wonder why it's an important crime story. Probably because the acting is so intense, it's the cinematic equivalent of a crack pipe you can't put down, even though it's burning your hands and you can't get "high" anymore. Be thankful when this is over that you don't have a drug habit. And if you're using, get help now!

Val Kilmer is so in tune with the broken down wreck of a porn legend who can't do much more than destroy himself and cut his ties with the straight world that his portrayal is truly horrifying. He meets his criminal match for out of control indulgence in the gang of dealers and robbers that live in or visit the house on Wonderland Avenue. Josh Lucas, Dylan McDermott and Tim Blake Nelson are the brazen trio willing to rip off anyone for a fix and the great Eric Bogosian is the ultimate prince of darkness gangster they foolishly cross. What happens next is not good!

Detective characters based on Bob Souza and Tom Lange, the two men that had the dead end assignment of trying to solve this hell on earth of a case, try to separate the lies from the brutal facts. Ted Levine, playing the older partner, is especially intense, as in the words of director James Cox. "Look at that guy, man. That guy can make gum chewing interesting!" Yes, he does. If anyone plays a cop who's seen too much better than Levine does here, give them the award for best performance as an LAPD Robbery-Homicide veteran.

Much of the script is verbatim from Holmes' and David Lind's (McDermott) own words. It becomes a duel of two sociopaths each trying to establish their version of events as the on the record account of what "really" happened back in the summer of '81.

Holmes' one redeeming link to the truth is his soon to be ex-wife, Sharon, where Lisa Kudrow turns in her best work ever. She's a woman in a predicament. The man she still loves emotionally needs her to save him from his cocaine based purgatory and finds she won't end her life in normal society to enter the witness protection program with him and his girlfriend, Kate Bosworth. (Before Tina Fey became forever linked with Sarah Palin, I thought the role of Sharon would have suited her! She has a resemblance to the photos of the former Mrs. Holmes shown in the documentary "Wadd".)

Why did Holmes live when so many others didn't? He didn't really escape, as AIDS related illnesses and his continuing drug abuse finished off the remaining years (he died at age 43 in 1988). An amusing urban legend about Holmes actually being "Leave It To Beaver" actor Ken Osmond was debunked many years ago by Osmond himself, who ironically became a cop after his acting days ended. But if Holmes ever had a "legit" acting career, "Eddie Haskell" is exactly the kind of role he would have naturally fallen into, the congenital liar who knew how to pacify authority figures with a gleam in his eye and dishonesty in his heart.

Val Kilmer... Love or loath him, sometimes he gets under the skin of a character and pulls out a performance that makes you go 'Hey! This guy is a GREAT actor!' He did in the leather pants of Jim in The Doors and he's done it again in the leather underpants of John.

Revolving around the fall and fall of uber porn king John Holmes, Kilmer strutts to his knees as we unravel one of the biggest murder mysteries hollywood has never solved for over twenty years, with Holmes the key suspect to a brutal Manson-style slaughter.

What Kilmer does so effortlessly is exhude the low-life of the celebrity, the do anything to anyone craving that overwhelms anyone who had it and then lost it. Go see him, you'll know what I mean.

A hard film to judge owing to its complexity, "Wonderland" tells the real-life story of the 1981 Wonderland murders in Los Angeles, which involved two sets of sleaze peddlers, linked by legendary porn star John Holmes (Val Kilmer). The film can be frustrating because the script is a mess. The story's chronology constantly jumps back and forth in time. And, although Holmes is a major character, other characters are just as important, but they are poorly identified, early on.

Even so, for viewers interested specifically in this case, the story is riveting. You have a two bedroom, split level condo, called Wonderland, that functions both as a party house and as a base of operations for illegal drug distribution. In the early morning hours of July 1, 1981, two or more people quietly invade the condo and, using lead pipes, kill four of the five sleeping occupants. Displayed violence and brutality are unnerving. The bodies are not discovered for twelve hours.

Who were the killers? Was Holmes involved? What was the motive for the murders? These kinds of questions appeal to true crime buffs.

With the exception of Holmes' wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), none of the characters are remotely sympathetic; they're all hooked on drugs, including Holmes. As the plot progresses, we see that a drug-obsessed life can lead to a most horrible death.

The film neatly places the story in the proper cultural context. Cinematography trends dark and a little gimmicky. Sound effects and mixing are effectively sinister. The film's tone is quite sleazy. Most scenes are suitable only for adults. Pace alternates between slow and frenetic in the first half, but settles into a pleasant pace in the second. Acting runs the gamut from poor to good.

The main weakness of the film is its script, especially a convoluted plot structure. Yet to be fair, the real-life case was quite complex, which is not the fault of the screenwriters. Some casual viewers will find the film unappealing. But despite the film's problems, I liked "Wonderland" because of its gripping, true-life premise, and because of its cultural setting and built-in mystery.