Wonderland

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mark g The subject was of major interest to me, as Boogie Nights is my favorite film ever and it partly addresses the historical incident this film is centered around. However, Boogie Nights had great actors, a great director, and a well written story. This film had none of those things. I am a big Kilmer fan, but he is all wrong in this role and was just not very good. Sadly, he gives by far the best performance here, not saying much. Weak script, weak performances, weak story, weak film. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Timothy T A stellar performance by Val Kilmer. The story that's not about John Holmes porn career. What a crazy life he lead after his stardom. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Paul T Forget the negative reviews , When you review a film it's not about your opinion that doesn't matter what matters is it a good film regardless of what you believe? and are the people who review it the right people to Judge the life story of John Holmes the porn star who got aids and spread it about recklessly and acted like an immoral coward ? No I am the man to do that ! As I lived a hell of a life , So what we have here is a true story immediately we must respect that nobody had to write this it's reality so we can't judge the plot because it's not a plot it's a true story yes John Holmes was involved in a robbery and a famous murder massacre and his part in it was always questionable, This film perfectly covers the reckless life of John Holmes and Val Kilmer puts in a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination yet films like this are often compelling yet completely overlooked and it's a shame , This film is excellent it tells the whole story of that night from different points of view and based on the endless lies of John Holmes himself leaving you frustrated at what actually happened which is how the cops felt thanks to Homes and his endless lies , Fact is I've met people like John Holmes they are immoral reckless individuals who care about nothing outside of themselves and often become selfish drug taking tornadoes of disaster, This film is as spot on as is its sound track which is full of the classic tracks of the time and the standard of acting is well rounded and the characters very true to their real life counterparts which is more than you can say for most true stories that embellish the facts , This tells the absolute truth as told by the people involved if you are left frustrated at the fact justice wasn't done don't blame the film it's just telling the truth about what happened fact is people got away with murder but there's no doubt this film keeps you watching regardless, why because it's a interesting story in fact John Holmes was an interesting character and this one chapter in his life is well told you can learn everything about that story from this one film that serves almost like a documentary at times with its ugly real depiction of Holmes who was treated like a joke and freak show by the drug dealers who he eventually betrayed, This is a cool film it's the kind of story Tarantino would writer if it wasn't already a true story I enjoyed it more than 89% of so called true stories that are full of lies like the new Napoleon film and I recommend you watch this if nothing more it's a great study of humanity and all it's drug taking reckless ugliness. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/24 Full Review Christopher B Wonderland has some great performances from it's cast, especially Val Kilmer as John Holmes the famous and troubled porn star. That's about the only good thing I can find in the film though as nearly everything else is convoluted and sloppy. The script is based on a real life murder case involving the star, but there is little artistic value or connection on the part of the viewer with any of the characters. There is literally no one in the film you care for or want to root for and then circumstances don't allow for any real happy ending for any of them either. The story is overly-violent, overly-stylized and overly sleazy in it's world of drugs, debauchery, and violence in which it's characters live and die in. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/02/22 Full Review Audience Member Not a bad crime drama about the gruesome murders that involved the porn actor John Holmes. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A little known thriller seen by hardly anyone on its release, Wonderland nevertheless is certainly worth a watch if you can track it down. Co-written and directed by James Cox, it tracks the true story of the Wonderland murders back in 1981. Val Kilmer reminds you of how good he could be as John Holmes, one of the most successful porn stars of all time whose rise to fame is certainly not addressed here. Rather, his decrepit and rapid decline, resulting in an evening in 1981 when four people were murdered on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles. Cox tells the story from several different points of view; Holmes, estranged from his wife (an excellent turn from Lisa Kudrow) and currently chasing his next fix with his teenage girlfriend (a terrific Kate Bosworth), drug dealer David Lind,whose motives are questionable at best; and drug king pin Eddie Nash. You may or may not know the story, and by the end you'll still have to make your own mind up with the stories and characters on offer here, but Cox has pulled off an effective, scuzzy B-movie with some top drawer performances, especially from Kilmer. There's plenty of films out there that deal with true stories like this in a more effective fashion, but Cox's decision to show you this story from the bottom of the barrel- you can almost inhale the drugs as you watch the screen- is a good one. This is a world you want nothing to do with, but thanks to Cox and his actors, it's one you can simply breathe in, breathe out, and then not have to worry about ever again. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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