WONDERLAND
A Lions Gate Films Release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: By 1981, John ³Johnny Wad² Holmes had fallen from being the biggest star in the hardcore industry to a state of financial ruin and drug dependency. During this time Holmes befriends local drug dealers Ron (LUCAS) and Susan Launius (APPLEGATE) along with their ³business partner² David Lind (MCDERMOTT), who operate out of the Wonderland party house. When it comes to the world of high stakes drugs and crime Holmes is out of his league. Desperate for cash and drugs, the Wonderland gang decides to rob John¹s friend, the gangster Eddie Nash (BOGOSIAN). Soon after the robbery, the slaughter at Wonderland occurs. The infamous 1981 murders on Wonderland Avenue are an indelible part of low-brow Hollywood lore, a crime that combined every sleazy tabloid ingredient -- drugs, guns, gore, sex and death. Who¹s really to blame for the Wonderland murders? It all depends on whose story you believe.

REVIEW: People still talk about the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but not many folks recall the equally bloody Wonderland murders. It could be that the Tate/LaBianca crime involved someone still in the spotlight, director Roman Polanski. Or, it could be that the Wonderland murders involved a porn star. Director and screenwriter James Cox explores the events surrounding these murders as the subject for his second feature.

Cox, whose directorial debut was the 2001 New Line Cinema feature ³Highway,² uses WONDERLAND to combine an extremely stylized look with a classic narrative format. Cox contours the narrative after Akira Kurosawa¹s ³Rashomon.² The cinematic innovation of it¹s time, ³Rashomon² allows the audience to examine the circumstances surrounding a rape and a murder from the prospective of different characters. By using this vehicle he reminds the audience that there is not single version of ³the truth,² and that uncovering the truth is not that simple. Cox divulges the facts in this case through the memories of the characters closely linked to the case. He doesn¹t try to show one version of the events as the correct one, but allows the audience to form their own opinion. Into the narrative he weaves an arty blending of images in an attempt to add additional action and atmosphere to the film. That¹s incorporated into a cinematography that conveys a sense of the style of filmmaking from that period. The artistic sequences are edited with a more contemporary, MTV, finesse of quick cuts and layering. For the most part it works, except on two occasions where it is more distracting. The worst sequence comes where Dawn (BOSWORTH) is waiting for Holmes (KILMER) to return. There are small shots of her restlessness sent against a moving background that is the timetable for a TV Guide. It¹s more annoying than it is interesting.

WONDERLAND boasts a cast featuring some of the finest talent of tinsel town. There are so many great performances here. Holmes is Kilmer¹s most superb performance to date. He not only creates how he sees Holmes, but also alters that performance in relation to how the other characters view him. Given his last couple of roles it is obvious that Kilmer has a knack for playing the bad guys. Out of all the films I¹ve sat through so far this year, Kilmer¹s is the first performance that truly is award worthy. Equally impressive, but getting much less screen time, is Dylan McDermott. As David Lind, McDermott wears a mustache and beard. His performance is so convincing that it took several minutes for me to see beyond the makeup and realize it was him. As a major player in the case, and one of the thieves that should have been killed with the rest of the folks on Wonderland Ave., McDermott he has to create a similar multifaceted character. A couple of the characters a pushed into the background. Janeane Garofalo is barely in the film with just a couple of lines. Christina Applegate begins to turn on her performance, and it feels like she has the moves to go toe-to-toe with the rest of the cast, but is cut off before she can really shine. I have no idea how Carrie Fisher got such a high billing in the credits. I was surprised by Lisa Kudrow¹s performance. Equally award worthy, she allows to you feel the pain and inner turmoil of the character. It is all working ¯ the voice, the facial expressions and the body language. There are no questions about what her character¹s motivations.

The music, production designs and art direction manufacture the period and atmosphere that draws the audience into the drama. I particularly like many of the 80¹s musical pieces the music supervisor used to enhance the drama. It¹s probably one of the best soundtracks since ³Pulp Fiction.²

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.wonderlandthemovie.com/

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