The greatest movie ever made..!

One of my all time favorites.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

One of the most infamous crimes in the history of Los Angeles gets its day in the sun with this film by director James Cox. This is a fast-paced film that introduces the audience to several smarmy characters and presents their story in non-linear form. Anyone familiar with the actual crime will have no trouble keeping things straight, and I have spent some time this summer analyzing the events leading up to the gruesome early morning carnage, and the people whose lives were either taken, or forever damaged. This is a sordid tale dealing with some of the grimiest people imaginable. Would people still be talking about it if it weren't for the involvement of John Holmes? Perhaps not.Val Kilmer stars as the former porn icon, reduced to a shambling junkie by the early 1980s. His notoriety as a porn star, combined with his insatiable hunger for drugs causes some dangerous people he knows to cross paths. The most dangerous of these is nightclub owner and drug enthusiast Eddie Nash. Holmes, having partied at Nash's place before knows of the mountain of drugs and money he has in the house. Holmes also parties with a dangerous group of lower-level junkies and dealers known as "The Wonderland Gang". They occupy the raucous two-story stucco flophouse where the murders eventually take place. When Holmes finds himself in debt to this group, he lets it slip about Nash and allegedly encourages the group to rob the dangerous gangster. Desperate for more cash and drugs, the gang agrees, sealing their fates as the humiliated Palestinian immigrant vows brutal revenge. Sensing Holmes knows the men who robbed him, Nash tortures Holmes to learn their whereabouts. The rest is bloody history.Wonderland, as presented to us here, is a slick, shocking and, well-acted film. I don't think they did as many drugs in Scarface, and that movie is a lot longer. Since most of the characters in this film have died or faded away into places unknown, most of what we see has likely been put together from court testimony and the police reports. Most of the actors do their characters justice. Kilmer plays Holmes correctly as the conniving, fallen porn-star junkie he was. My only beef is Kilmer's physical appearance. (and NO, we don't see him with a fake penis like Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights) Kilmer had put on some weight by the time this was made, and Holmes was a much-skinnier man in 1981. Bosworth is exceptional as Dawn, his young girlfriend. Bogosian is a hoot as Nash. Since not much is really known about the Wonderland Gang members, actors Josh Lucas, Tim Blake Nelson, and Dylan McDermott were able to add their own touches to the characters. Lucas is particularly menacing as gang leader Ron Lanius. He was apparently the hothead leader while Billy Deverell (Nelson) was somewhat of a "voice of reason" and did what he could to keep things together at the house. The fact is, this film gives us an interesting story told from different perspectives of untrustworthy people. McDermott's character David Lind was lucky enough to have escaped the lead pipes and other blunt instruments wielded by Nash's goons, but he was hardly a credible witness. The first half of the film presents his version of events which sets Holmes up as the catalyst for the carnage. Then, Holmes tells his side to detectives after it looks like he will be charged with the murders. Who should the viewer believe? Hard to say, but this film will keep you entertained, and make you want to read more. The crime scene footage, included on most DVDs, will give you nightmares! 9 of 10 stars.The Hound.

One of the best movie's VAL ever made! By researching the fact's of this flick. It is 99% fact! Great job by entire cast! Hat's off! Excellent movie! Recommend watching! Not a waist of time! Being a very big fan of Vla Kilmer, i must say he should have received an award for his fantastic portrayal of the notorious, Jonny Wadd! Was not a fan of John Holmes, although I was very aware of who and what he was. I also researched his background in searching for fact;s on the movie. H was just a slob with a huge XXXX!. I also understand he resorted to making gay pornography movie's at the end of his carrier. What up with that? 1,400 women I guess went through just about every woman that would have anything to do with him. Well knowing his background, i think if I were a woman, I also would stay far,fr away from him. Also at the time when H,I,V & Aid's were becoming know about! With that said, You should take the time to watch it. Well worth it! Enjoy!

This is a love-it-or-hate-it film. Take the timeless aspects of "Roshomon" and set it perfectly in a historical 1980's real-life unsolved Hollywood murder case. John Holmes (yes, THAT John Holmes) is masterfully depicted by Kilmer as the pseudo-pathetic has-been he became during his involvement in this investigation.Yup, classic Japanese dramatic literature meets an aging porn star. What could be worse?Except the whole thing totally works! It is distasteful in many aspects, just as Roshomon was distasteful in Japanese culture when it was written. John Holmes as depicted was symbolic of the dilapidated Roshomon gate itself -- a once-proud icon of the nation's culture, now inevitably worn by the ravages of time and cultural priority shifts. Even the name "Wonderland" conjures false images of magical dreams until it is revealed to be merely the name of a road in a seedy part of Los Angeles. The setting couldn't have been more perfect if it had been made up. I was kind of expecting a sequel to "Boogie Nights" (a great movie in itself), but this movie wisely steered away from porn industry as the focus. Rather than taking that all-too-easy road (or the even easier road of having Val Kilmer reveal his own character's fatal flaws), the director and writer used the low-life drug dealers and thugs around him -- the only ones who would accept his company -- to paint the picture around Holmes he uses and betrays the two decent people in his life, his estranged wife and his girlfriend.But wait a second ... there's a murder mystery to solve as well! Woot woot! The Roshomon storytelling is cleverly disguised throughout, seeing the story told from several points-of-view. Each narrative just as "true" as the last, the audience is sucked into the belief of conflicting accounts -- all of the stories seasoned with pride and self- preservation.Faults? Yeah. The crime-scene was a little over-the-top, and there were more than a few glaring anachronisms (there was no Ferris wheel on the pier that year, several cars can be seen that are up to five years too early for the day, the list goes on). And Princess Leia has a distracting five-minute cameo role at the beginning that is lackluster at best. Nothing against Carrie Fischer, but seeing her at the beginning of the movie made me wonder for about 10 minutes if I was going to see her again. In retrospect, the star power worked against the movie.Other than these piddling flaws, I really enjoyed this movie. It's a gritty, suspenseful flick that also reveals the fragility of ego, and Val Kilmer is on par with "The Doors" in this one. Like I said, this is not a movie to which many people will give an "okay" rating. It's either awesome or crap. Either way, I totally recommend it.

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, resulting in a bloodbath of retribution. This energetic film tries and generally succeeds at re-creating the frenzied, deceit-filled, treacherous world that spawned those real events. 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. Val Kilmer is almost perfect casting as amoral drug and person user / washed-up porn actor Holmes.