Wonderland
by James Cox
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christina Applegate, Josh Lucas, Kate Bosworth, Lisa Kudrow, Val KilmerDirector: James Cox
Writer: James Cox
Producer: Ali Forman
Producer: Allen Fischer
Producer: Captain Mauzner
Writer: Captain Mauzner
Writer: D. Loriston Scott
Writer: Todd Samovitz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Movie Reviews of Wonderland
Movie Review: drugs, quadruple murder and a porn star
Summary: 5 Stars
I appreciate the guts of the producers of WONDERLAND to bankroll this movie, since it is not the kind of mainstream stuff Hollywood usually finances these days. Almost all of the characters are sleazy scumbags, drug addicts and criminals. The main character is porn's first superstar John C. HOLMES (convincingly played by Val KILMER)at the end of his career, a pathetic loser, manipulative, pimping his young girlfriend and due to his drug habits hanging out with the wrong guys.
It is a bit tricky to give a brief plot synopsis for this one without giving too much away, but I'll try it anyway.
WONDERLAND is a true crime story about the horrifying murders that occured on July 1st, 1981 in a house on Wonderland avenue in LA and left four people dead and one woman seriously injured. The victims were beaten to death with lead pipes. One of the residents, who was not present at the time the killings occurred, turns himself in to the police and tells the cops a story involving drugs, the robbery of a nightclub owner named Eddie NASH (terrific performance by Eric BOGOSIAN) and XXX movie star John C. HOLMES. Questioned by the cops, HOLMES gives his version of the story. Needless to say it is very different...
I won't tell more about the plot, just add that it is terrific.
All actors deliver powerhouse performances. Aside from KILMER and BOGOSIAN, I particularly liked Josh LUCAS as criminal Ron LAUNIUS. The movie is also exceptionally well shot. I also like to give kudos to the scriptwriters for their efforts.
The DVD also has great extra features. There are some brief interviews with actors Val KILMER, Josh LUCAS, Eric BOGOSIAN and Tim BLAKE-NELSON. There are seven brief deleted scenes, but none would have added much to the film had they been included. Another extra is a photo gallery, but it is nothing to write home about. Then there is a short documentary about the Wonderland-murders called COURT TV: HOLLYWOOD AT LARGE. As a true crime fan my favorite among the extras is the 20 minute original crime scene video from the LAPD. We see the horrifying crime scene, while a homicide detective comments ("We are now in the residence, the first level living room area, wherein the first victim was found. Apparent bloodsplatterings are evident on the walls and on the sofa located on the west wall of the living room.") Not for the squeamish!
The second DVD contains a feature-length documentary about John C. HOLMES, titled WADD. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN C. HOLMES. There are lots of interviews with XXX stars (Annette HAVEN, Kitten NATIVIDAD,...) and snippets from HOLMES films. (Note that it is the R-rated cut of the documentary, so the included scenes from HOLMES films are softcore.) Suffice to say, the documentary (as well as the WONDERLAND main feature) are not for the easily offended.
Two thumps up for this DVD!
Summary of Wonderland
The dark underside of Boogie Nights is tracked in Wonderland, a sleaze-filled look at the notorious "Wonderland Murders" of 1981. The movie attempts to explain how the legendarily endowed porn actor John C. Holmes was involved in the killings, while deliberately suggesting the difficulty of knowing the truth of a murky case. The police procedural aspects turn out to be less intriguing than the weirdly hapless domestic life of Holmes (Val Kilmer at his most dazed), who despite his promiscuity continues to rely on his starchy, clean-cut wife (an unflattering role for Lisa Kudrow, but the most interesting character in the picture). Well-known actors--notably a near-unrecognizable Dylan McDermott--slouch through the story, which rather distracts from the aggressively realistic approach. In the end, the unclean aura makes one yearn for the stylized ingenuity of Boogie Nights, or at least a reason to be watching this story this way. --Robert HortonSimilar DVD Movies
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