Wonderland

[Dan]

This movie is about the Wonderland murders that happened in 1981. If you've seen Boogie Nights, the climactic scene at the insane drug dealer's house was inspired by these murders. Though one of the main characters is porn legend John Holmes (Val Kilmer, doing a great job, he's very underrated, no?), the film isn't very concerned with sex at all. The movie is told from several different points of view, all putting their own spin on the events that led up to the very grisly murders (4 people, including 2 women, were beaten to death with lead pipes). The fact that Holmes is involved is what makes the case so notorious, I guess, and the fact that Holmes and the other accused murderers served little or no time even though all of the evidence clearly points to them. The film is not, however, to be taken as an unbiased look at a true crime, it is very stylized, reminding me a lot of Boogie Nights and Blow. As I said, there is very little sex in the film, but there is tons of drug use, and the actual murders are eventually shown in very graphic detail, so if you're squeamish, you might want to look away during that scene. Great soundtrack, too! I'd give this one 3 1/2 stars out of 4.