A Hidden Movie Gem: a Review of "Wonderland"

The story of Johnny "Johnny Wad" Holmes and his ascension within the porn industry is legendary. It seems like the kind of story tailor-made for Hollywood and for people to make movies about. In fact, the story of "Dirk Diggler" in "Boogie Nights" was, at the very least, based on the events surrounding John Holmes.

The man was born with only one thing going for him. He had a penis that was rumored to be anywhere from 8 to 14 inches long and, reportedly, as thick as a man's wrist. From all other reports, this was the only ability John ever had going for him. He was not very bright. He was no very likable as a person. He was addicted to several drugs. He was rude. In short, he had one talent and found some way to exploit it.

In the 1980s he ran into some trouble, however. He was living in a place known as Wonderland where he had a condo. He also had a bunch of thieving drug-taking friends who hung out around his place all the time. John had managed to make a few connections with powerful people in and around Hollywood and these low-lifes wanted to rob those people. One of the people they crossed was a very wealthy, very powerful drug-dealer named Eddie Nash.

The drug idiots burst into Nash's place after Holmes made sure to leave a door unlocked. They shot one of his bodyguard, inuring but not killing him. They also robbed the man and one of the guys reportedly made a statement that John Holmes sent his regards. Nash cornered Holmes and, reportedly, threatened John's family. John always stated he left a fence open at Wonderland while Nash's men went into the condo with lead pipes and beat four people to death. Some have speculated that Holmes was in the rooms during the murders and some have said Holmes was forced to participate.

While the story used in "Boogie Nights" was a stripped-down, condensed version of that story, Hollywood did make a movie about this incident and it was called "Wonderland." It was a movie released quietly about a year or so ago into theaters and then quietly vanished. That's too bad, but movies tend to get a second life on cable and DVD and it is worth seeking out.

The movie stars Val Kilmer in the role of John Holmes. He is a man who is desperate, drug-addled and broken. He is a man looking for help and knows that his life is falling apart. By the time the Wonderland Murders happened, his heyday in the porn business was on the wane as well.

Kilmer is an interesting actor. He is known for being a bit of a tough guy to work with. Some rumors have him listed as an outright jerk. Whether or not that is true, I have no idea. I have never met him and know nothing about him. At the same time, he has turned in some memorable and powerful performances. This is another one.

This is not a movie about John Holmes' penis. There are, in fact, no shots with a prosthetic or otherwise. It is a movie about a man trying to save his own life, not knowing the doom awaiting him just a few years down the road.

This entire movie is filled with great performances. Eric Bogosian plays Eddie Nash. Her refers to himself in the third person ("You don't f**k with the Nash"). He storms around the sets in his silk robe and graying hair and managed to radiate a good nature during the times when Nash has people on his good side. As soon as someone ends up on his bad side, he turns into a terror of pure menace. It is a performance that should have gotten more exposure when it came out.

Lisa Kudrow playes Holmes's long-suffering wife. It is another amazing performance. Holmes was married the entire time he was in porn. He did not live with his wife and had relationships with other women the entire time. They just never seemed to go through the whole divorce process. Her performance is amazing as she looks at this man she loved at one point and who has embarked upon this course of self-destruction and she cannot stop it. At the same time she is the rock he continues to come to when he gets himself into trouble.

Years after Holmes had died of AIDS-related problems his wife released a book where she talked about her life with John. She stated that the morning after the Wonderland murders John showed up on her front porch, covered in blood. She let him in and he took a bath. It was then he confessed to her that he had been there during the murders.

The events leading up to Wonderland are shown in this movie. It all leads to the dramatic re-telling of what happened to Holmes and behind the walls of his Wonderland home. The re-enactment of the murders is terrifying, graphic and memorable.

Other actors to look for in this movie are Dylan McDermott, Michael Pitt, Carrie Fisher and Kate Bosworth. All of them turn in amazing performances.

The movie itself came out all the way back in 2003. It seems to have vanished from theaters and from people's radar screens. I am here to tell you that it is worth seeking out. I saw it on the Independent Film Channel. I am sure the DVD is available and can be added to your Netflix queue.

John Holmes was never prosecuted for any participation in the Wonderland murders. He fled to Florida and continued to make adult films. He made at least one gay film, was into drugs including intravenous ones, and had lots and lots of unprotected sex in the time when sexually transmitted diseases were running rampant. He eventually contracted HIV which lead to AIDS and he died in the late 80s.

Eddie Nash was prosecuted, but he served no time. He is still alive and living in the Los Angeles area. No other charges were ever brought against him for his drug dealing or any murders he may or may not have been involved in.

In short, the Wonderland murders are another strange, unsolved murder and mystery from the streets of Hollywood. The murder was savage and unbelievably brutal, even by drug dealer and gangster standards. Not many people know about it, really.

The movie "Wonderland" brings those issues up. It shows them in a dramatic and tense style. It produces a number of stunning performances. It doesn't provide all of the answers or wrap everything up nicely when the credits roll.

It's a damn good movie and you should look for it.