More about this DVD  •  DVD Info  •  Movie Main Page  •  Message Board

The facts of what happened on Wonderland Avenue on July 1, 1981 are on the books but still in dispute. Police responded to a distress call and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide: Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson-Wagner) and Joy Miller (Janeane Garofalo) all brutally murdered, and Launius's wife, Susan (Christina Applegate) left in critical condition after being bludgeoned. The investigation that followed would peel back the thin veneer of the 70's porn world, with Holmes (Val Kilmer) the star witness. But despite his teenage mistress Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth) and estranged wife Sharon (Lisa Kudrow) by his side and an eventual acquittal, Holmes would never recover, descending even further into a hell of drug addiction and self-hatred. His was the first and still most vivid example of porn excess, which eventually culminated in his death from AIDS-related complications on March 13, 1988.

Cox, whose only previous film that I can recall was the dreadful Highway (2001), here again misfires. His conceit is to tell the Wonderland story from two perspectives, first that of David Lind (Dylan McDermott), who masterminded the raid on local crime boss Eddie Nash (Eric Bogosian) which led to the murders, and then that of Holmes. But since Holmes was an admitted and compulsive liar, and his subsequent testimony suspect at best, his story never adds up. And Lind's version is just as self-serving and dubious. So Cox's Rashomon- style retelling pays no dividends. Worse, it takes the normally capable Kilmer and gives him nothing to play.

What is most disappointing about Wonderland is that it squanders its star and we learn nothing about Holmes. His was a fascinating life, despite whatever one thinks of his chosen profession. But Cox never helps Kilmer capture the essence of the man - his fears, his insecurities, his relentless bravado. Kilmer comes across as too smart, too crafty; watch the Holmes footage in the included documentary on this DVD, and one never feels like this is even close to the same person, bad afro aside. And the supporting cast, who are uniformly excellent - Bosworth, Lucas and Kudrow particularly shine - have no choice but to try and create whatever believable moments they can with a script that is more interested in police procedural than human drama. And Cox's visual style is also ingratiating, stealing every trick in the book from Paul Thomas Anderson's flawed but still superior Boogie Nights: the endless zoom shots, overdone montages and split-screen effects are showy but have no depth. It may be a valiant attempt on Cox's part to give the film energy, but it can't save a lacking script. Wonderland feels like a Law & Order episode with a 14-inch dick.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Wonderland is one of those films that tries oh-so-very-hard to look gritty and "real" but only comes across as artificial. The lighting is jacked up and contrast overblown. Fake grain and deterioration is applied to the source materials in an attempt to make them appear more authentic. Colors are overpumped and highly stylized. But even if it is aesthetically suspect, it sure makes for a snappy-looking DVD.

Whatever the case may be, this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is mighty nice. The print is in great shape despite its intentionally rough passages. Blacks and contrast are excellent even when stylized. Colors are vivid and clean (noise is surprisingly not a problem) and fleshtones accurate. There is no apparent edge enhancement, which delivers strong detail (only the high contrast sometimes makes the film appear too dark and shadow delineation a bit murky). Given the overdone visual style, this transfer looks far better than I thought it would.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Sporting a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, this is a solid if not exceptional mix. The sound design is surprisingly front-heavy - frequency response is very good and stereo separation sharp, but the lack of aggressive surrounds is a disappointment. The track never sounds particularly enveloping, with only some minor discrete effects and some pop score bleed. Low bass is nice and kicky, but it can't totally enliven a technically fine if uninspired mix. Perfectly fine, just not great.

Also included is a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround option, plus English and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

First up we have a screen-specific audio commentary with director James Cox and co- screenwriter Captain Mauzner. I found it to be a lot like the film - smart but ultimately aimless. Both Cox (who dominates) and Mauzner are intelligent guys and keep the pace fairly snappy, but it is mostly bland talk of what is happening onscreen and how it developed. And again, it is all about the crime and the facts, which is just not as interesting as the real Holmes. Too bad the commentary, like the movie, lacks focus and bite.

Up next we have seven deleted scenes, all presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Running less than ten minutes, these snippets are perfectly fine but, like most deleted footage, wisely excised. We learn nothing particularly extraordinary, so only true fans will want to watch these. There is also a collection of four interviews with cast members Kilmer, Lucas, Bogosian and Tim Blake Nelson. Unfortunately, each runs less than 2 minutes and the short length prevents anyone from imparting anything of real depth or insight. Something more substantial would have been nice.

Next up are three true crime- related supplements. The 6-miinute Court TV special Hollywood at Large is really a making-of EPK, featuring glossy cast and crew interviews, plus comments from real-life Holmes mistress Dawn Schiller, the LAPD, and archival footage. This is a fairly good if ultra-quick special, which doesn't offer much that we didn't already learn from the movie. The 24-minute LAPD Crime Scene Video is extremely ugly and depressing - if you don't want to see the actual walk-through of the massacre (yes, you see blood- splattered dead bodies and brain matter on the floor) by all means do not watch this. How they got this clearance for this footage I'll never know, and never will I think of the phrase "Takes you Beyond the Movie" the same way again. Rounding out the treats is a still gallery with only 15 production stills, which are luckily far less bloody save for a couple of shots of the film's restaging of the massacre.

Also included on the disc are some theatrical trailers, including one for Wonderland, accessible if you click on the Lion's Gate logo on the main menu.

Now, the best extra is also the only one that wasn't produced in conjunction with the movie - the 100-minute documentary Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes, produced and directed by Cass Paley. This is only available on this set's second disc, which apparently is going to be a limited edition, although Lion's Gate has yet to reveal just how long this will remain on the shelves and in what quantities. In any case, while cheaply made, Wadd is almost worth the price of admission alone. It is certainly far more insightful and fascinating than Wonderland, which tells us little about Holmes. So just skip the movie and watch this - it features news interviews with some of the leading players in the 70's porn industry, including Bob Chinn, Misty Dawn, Al Goldstein, Ron Jeremy, Ilona Staller, Candida Royal and Holmes' first wife Sharon, plus filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and Larry Flynt, and archival footage of Holmes. It is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and has all the drama and pathos the movie lacks. Another case of the true story behind the film failing to translate to the big screen.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no ROM extras on the disc.

Parting Thoughts