His
body was a drug-infested wonderland!
"Wonderland"
is a film in which its sum is not equal to its
parts. As I was watching the film, I found
myself incredibly impressed by the performances
in the film and the visual imagery being created
onscreen. Yet, by the end of the film I found
myself somewhat disappointed with the final
product itself.
"Wonderland" takes place in 1981, after John
Holmes (Johnny Wadd in the porn world) has
become a legend in the porn industry...made over
1,000 porn films and had sex with an estimated
14,000 women...the film takes a raw, graphic
look at the "Wonderland" murders...a quadruple
killing on Wonderland Avenue. By this time,
Holmes is basically a coked out junkie hanging
out with his five-year, 20-year-old girlfriend.
Holmes ends up strongly implicated in the
killings, but never is evidence strong enough to
bring him to trial. Basically, everyone involved
in the scene is so "dirty" that nobody can be
trusted and all evidence leaves a reasonable
doubt.
Val Kilmer becomes John Holmes, and is just
mesmerizing here. He so successfully creates a
character that is, at once, creepy yet
sympathetic that it is easy to see why Holmes
could never be brought to trial. Kilmer's Holmes
is incredibly intense but also has this air of
hipness about him that is a joy to watch even in
the uncomfortableness of all this chaos and
violence. On a somewhat shallow note, Kilmer's
casting raised a few eyebrows and chuckles as he
is rather known in Hollywood for being
"endowed."
Throughout the cast there are standout
performances here including a nearly
unrecognizable Dylan McDermott in the role of
David Lind, who was a drug dealer among this
circle who happened to not be at the apartment
the night of the killings. This is McDermott
unlike we've seen on screen, and it's just an
amazing performance. This is a breakout
performance for Kate Bosworth as Holmes'
girlfriend, and a clear indicator that she's
ready to move beyond the largely fluff films
she's been doing prior to "Wonderland." She's
simply amazing here...From her opening scene
with Carrie Fisher (wonderful in a small role as
a "holy roller"), Bosworth is a powerful
onscreen display of attitude, intensity,
vulnerability and loyalty.
One of my all-time favorites plays Eddie Nash, a
kingpin dealer who is robbed by the group of
dealers in question. Eric Bogosian has made a
career out of playing characters like this,
including on Broadway in his one-man shows.
Oddly enough, his was the one performance that
felt a bit restrained, lacking authenticity. It
was a good performance, but not up to the energy
and intensity of the rest of the cast.
Also giving solid performances here were Lisa
Kudrow as Holmes' estranged wife Sharon,
Christina Applegate showing off her dramatic
chops and Janeane Garofalo in one of the best
performances I've seen from her. Tim Blake
Nelson and Josh Lucas also gave outstanding
performances as ill-fated drug dealers.
Despite the incredible performances, this film
went largely unnoticed among the awards. Perhaps
it was the content or the lack of box office
success, but it's a sad omission. Several of
these performances deserve recognition.
Despite my being in awe of the performances, I
found myself troubled, at times, by the Rashomon
treatment of the film. Co-writer and director
James Cox simply doesn't seem to be up to this
type of filmmaking, and too often the film felt
chaotic, muddled and disorganized in its
presentation. While the visual imagery within
the film was beautiful, too often it felt
disjointed.
The soundtrack works well with the film, but is
a bit of an overkill.
In many ways, "Wonderland" presents more
questions than answers. Some of that is
inevitable, as there are no defined answers to
the "Wonderland" killings. Nobody, including
Holmes, was ever convicted in the killings but
the implication of his guilt hung over Holmes
until his AIDS related death in 1987. While the
film presents more than one possibility, it
seemed to lean towards his guilt. It was as if
everyone in the "know" knew that Holmes was
responsible but refused to say it out loud.
"Wonderland" is sad, intense and beautifully
acted...but, in the end, it left me a bit
disillusioned, confused and dissatisfied.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
This
is a tough movie with powerful performances from
Val Kilmer and Kate Bosworth. Kilmer plays porn
legend, John Holmes, after the cameras had
forgotten about him.
This film takes place in 1981, two years after
his last film, when he was dating his 20 year
old girlfriend of five years, Dawn Shiller (you
do the math), and he was navigating a
devastating drug habit that helped him numb the
pain of a disgusting life.
This film revolves around the so called
'Wonderland Murders', in which many of the crowd
that John hung out with, were brutally murdered.
Police said it was the most hideous crime scene
that they had ever investigated.
Holmes was implicated, but never convicted. The
suspicions hung over him like a cloud until his
death from AIDS in 1988.
This film employs a 'Rashomon' like tactic of
showing various perspectives and opinions as to
what happened that night. I am not sure it ever
really makes its mind up which version is
accurate, but the film feels like it is edging
toward John's guilt.
Kate Bosworth matches acting chops with Kilmer,
who seems to be channeling Holmes, and she is
the biggest revelation here. She sheds the
stigma of 'cute teen' and delivers a nuanced and
emotional turn as Holmes' girl, who sticks with
him through all the pain. This performance will
prove to directors that she is capable of far
more than surfing in a bikini and dancing at the
senior prom. Watch for her to do big things in
the industry over the next decade... she is a
talented new star.
The film is good but not great. It is a little
too messy and unfocused for my taste. It is
tremendously well acted and has an original and
visceral look that makes it a memorable
"one-time-watch". The subject matter and messy
narrative hold it back from greatness.
It is a rough trip into the unseemly world of
the drug infested San Fernando Valley during the
1980's... a trip that most will only want to
take once. But if you can stomach these
characters for 100 minutes, it is worth the
time.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
