Wonderland

Part Rashomon-like roundelay of dubious recollections, part Boogie Nights flashback, Wonderland recounts, with drug-addled stylishness, the events leading up to a true crime brutal 1981 mass murder in the Los Angeles hills made famous by its link to washed-up, strung-out ex-porn legend John Holmes. Starring the charismatically glazy-eyed and understated Val Kilmer as Holmes and Blue Crush cutie Kate Bosworth as his foolishly codependent young girlfriend, the film has little to do with the self-destructive smack-head's severed sex-trade ties except as they relate to his celebrity among lowlifes who supply him with the drugs that are the catalyst for the killings. But who's to blame for the crime depends on whom you ask, as the story is told from several divergent points of view. Derivative of many other drugged-out independent films, director James Cox nevertheless makes Wonderland his own by tapping a cyclical undercurrent of cocaine/heroine highs and lows into the movie's energy patterns. He also culls amazing performances from his high-profile cast, including Lisa Kudrow (as Holmes' long-estranged wife), Dylan McDermott (goateed and gruff as a biker thug), Josh Lucas and Tim Blake Nelson (psycho drug dealers), Christina Applegate, Janeane Garofalo, and even Carrie Fisher. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include audio commentary by co-writer/director James Cox and co-writer Captain Mauzner, four interview clips (with costars Val Kilmer, Josh Lucas, Tim Blake Nelson, and Eric Bogosian), seven deleted scenes, a six-minute segment from the Court TV program “Hollywood at Large,” a gruesome 24-minute “LAPD Crime Scene Video,” the 103-minute Holmes biographical documentary Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes, a soundtrack spot, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package--the addition of the full-length documentary Wadd makes this a nice two-for-one deal--for a solid film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 12, 2010—Lionsgate, 104 min., R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Wonderland sports a nice transfer with DTS-HD sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by co-writer/director James Cox and co-writer Captain Mauzner, the Holmes biographical documentary Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes (103 min.), gruesome real-life footage of the LAPD crime scene (24 min.), seven deleted scenes (10 min.), a segment from the Court TV program “Hollywood at Large” (6 min.), four interview clips with costars Val Kilmer, Josh Lucas, Tim Blake Nelson, and Eric Bogosian (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for a powerful biographical drama.]