Wonderland (2003)

Must See Movie...

best movie i've ever seen.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Its also a movie about 1980s drug use, drug dealers who specialize in ripping off other drug dealers, and the 1970s porn actor John Holmes. I see lots of people bashing Homes for being a selfish, lying, stealing, conniving prick but isn't that just about every major cocaine addict that ever lived? The guy was probably using huge amounts of the best cocaine available at the time. I never met a major drug addict I liked. It takes your worst traits and exaggerates them and adds a few more horrible traits you didn't have before. Nothing good ever becomes from excess drug use and Wonderland is a factual example of that. I liked this movie. I had to watch it a couple of times to get the order of events but once I got it I though it was worth my time.

As much as I vehemently dislike Mark Wahlberg, I do admit to loving Boogie Nights, in which the Funky Bunch singer played Dirk Diggler, a character loosely based on legendary porn-star John Holmes. Brilliantly directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film boasted a sharp script, excellent performances from a talented cast (Wahlberg aside), and a great soundtrack, and perfectly captured the sleaze and decadence of the adult movie industry in L.A. during the early '80s.Wonderland, directed by James Cox, attempts to pull off the same trick, charting Holmes' post-porn involvement in an infamous gangland multiple homicide case; like Boogie Nights, it features a terrific ensemble cast, and effectively evokes the era through its amazing soundtrack, but the film proves a far less satisfying experience overall thanks to a script that proves frustratingly inconclusive, a raft of largely unlikeable characters (the only exception being Holmes' wife, played by Lisa Kudrow), and a glut of gimmicky film-making techniques that simply smacks of desperation.

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.

I decided to qualify my association with porn by watching this film about the ridiculously well endowed, scatter brained John Holmes.This is the rocking, complex story of his involvement in a brutal gang murder, via lead pipe.We're given differing versions of how the wonderland massacre may have panned out and like any decent crime movie, left me trying to fit the pieces together.Val Kilmer portrays a retro addict constantly fuelling himself with the nearest narcotic, his laid back clownish nature entertains while his mental decline disturbs.Lisa Kudrow plays John's knowing ex-wife who breathes maturity into the story as apart from the cops, she seems to be one of the only characters who isn't off her head on something.I would easily be interested in watching a film biography of Holme's whole life as this isn't the only sensational episode within it and wouldn't mind seeing Kilmer perform in that as well.An entertaining, attractive and cool movie.