Wonderland
Sex. Guns. Money And Murder. Welcome To L.A.
On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call at 8763 Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders-both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes. You're about to hear both versions.
Member Reviews
Early 80's murder mystery, true story. - Clarice_Starling
I was interested in seeing this movie when it first came out, John Holmes the porn star is involved in 4 drug related murders in LA back in the early 80's.
I knew the name from the porn industry but had no idea what happened to him.
Val Kilmer as the coke head Holmes is ok but the rest of the cast are really good. They are hard to recognize but a brunette Kate Bosworth plays his girlfriend, a haggard looking Lisa Kudrow plays his ex-wife and Dylan McDermott is almost unrecognizable as a biker druggie - a far cry from his clean cut character on The Practise tv series. Carrie Fisher plays a very small role at the beginning of the movie and is excellent of course.
The movie was interesting in that it showed their side and his side of what happened that night. However Holmes being so drugged up all the time, it is much easier to believe their side of what happened, not his. He was such a coke head he pimped his girlfriend out for drugs. The ending was the only dissappointment of the movie to me, showing Holmes and his girlfriend driving off in to the sunset. In titles at the end of the movie it explains that she turned him in 6 months later and he died of AIDS in the late 80's.
The sound track is excellent.Wonderland - 2commit
What made Wonderland so compelling for me was the post-porn existence of John Holmes. Holmes gained notoriety for having a big dick and was able to capitalise on this one physical attribute. Much of his adult life seemed to be based on hustling on various levels for a living, so it really comes as no surprise to me that his life after porn was even sketchier than it was during the height of his professional fame. That he had a sizable drug habit, that he was flexible in his loyalties, that he fell in with a crowd that both valued him for his fame and demeaned him for his questionable morality, wasn’t much of a surprise for me either, but again underscored the precarious nature of living on the edges of society.
As for the movie itself: Val Kilmer did a nice job of portraying an edgy and desperate Holmes; the supporting cast was equally as effective in delivering the needed tension; the pacing for the story was good; all production values were competent.Fast Paced True Crime Saga - Superdave
The violent climax of BOOGIE NIGHTS fictionalized the so-called Wonderland murders, as some drug crazies looked to make a big score by ripping off a feared gangster. This energetic film tries and generally succeeds at re-creating the frenzied, deceit-filled, treacherous world that spawned that real event. Part of what made the story a headline grabber at the time was the alleged involvement of notorious porn celebrity John C. Holmes, and film looks at the events with an eye to determining his role. The viewer gets two versions of the tale, told in flashbacks, and is left to ponder the truth of them.
Member Reviews
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Early 80's murder mystery, true story. - Clarice_Starling
I was interested in seeing this movie when it first came out, John Holmes the porn star is involved in 4 drug related murders in LA back in the early 80's.
I knew the name from the porn industry but had no idea what happened to him.
Val Kilmer as the ...Wonderland - 2commit
What made Wonderland so compelling for me was the post-porn existence of John Holmes. Holmes gained notoriety for having a big dick and was able to capitalise on this one physical attribute. Much of his adult life seemed to be based on hustling on various ...Fast Paced True Crime Saga - Superdave
The violent climax of BOOGIE NIGHTS fictionalized the so-called Wonderland murders, as some drug crazies looked to make a big score by ripping off a feared gangster. This energetic film tries and generally succeeds at re-creating the frenzied, deceit-filled, ...