Wonderland (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

James Cox

Writers (WGA):

James Cox (written by) &
Captain Mauzner (written by) ...

Release Date:

24 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The '80s - unplugged. The murders - unveiled. The legend - unzipped.

Plot:

In the police investigation of a brutal crime scene, one man was at the center of it all: legendary porn star John Holmes.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Police | Porn | John Holmes | Porn Star

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Kate Bosworth	...	Dawn Schiller
Carrie Fisher	...	Sally Hansen
Val Kilmer	...	John Holmes
Kim Marriner	...	Reporter (as Kim Mariner)
Dylan McDermott	...	David Lind
Michael Pitt	...	Gopher (scenes deleted)
Alexis Dziena	...	Gopher's Girlfriend (scenes deleted)
Karen LaKritz	...	Bartender (as Karen Lakritz)
Steve Cox	...	Guy at Bar
Josh Lucas	...	Ron Launius
Louis Lombardi	...	Slim Jim
Franky G	...	Louis Cruz (as Franky G.)
Ted Levine	...	Sam Nico
Russell Sams	...	Cherokee
Chris Cioffi	...	Letterman Meathead

Also Known As:

The Wonderland Murders (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/grisly images, pervasive drug use and language, some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #39469) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

L.A.P.D. Hollywood Station - 1358 Wilcox Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The actual police investigation tape of the crime scene is included as a special feature in the DVD release of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Dawn can be heard urinating into the soda can, but when she throws it out of the car, it sounds empty when it lands.

Quotes:

John Holmes: Three men partook in the robbery of Eddie Nash's house that morning. Two of them were killed at the Wonderland house the following night.
Billy Ward: What about the one that's still alive?
John Holmes: A dude from Sacramento, a biker. This guy is a stone cold killer, a liar, theft, and a rapist.
Billy Ward: What's his name?
John Holmes: David Lind. Don't believe a word he says!

Movie Connections:

References "Family Feud" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Girls on Film

One fantastic movie!

I didn't expect Val Kilmer to make a convincing John Holmes, but I found myself forgetting that it wasn't the porn legend himself. In fact, the entire cast turned in amazing performances in this vastly under-rated movie.

As some have mentioned earlier, seek out the two-disc set and watch the "Wadd" documentary first; it will give you a lot of background on the story which will be helpful in appreciating the movie.

Some people seem unhappy about the LAPD crime scene video being included on the DVD. There are a number of reasons that it might have been included, one of which is that John Holmes' trial for the murders was the first ever in the United States where such footage was used by the prosecution. If you don't want to see it, it's easy to avoid; it's clearly identified as "LAPD Crime Scene Footage" on the menu!