DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Wonderland (Limited Edition w/Wadd: Life and Times of John Holmes) (1 Viewer)

[Nick Graham]

I just ordered this myself after giving it a rental. Started off a little rocky buy quickly gathered itself up and by the end was one of the best films of last year. The police video is a lot tamer than it is given credit for, and the Wadd documentary is the perfect companion piece to the film...barring all the skanky 70s porn chicks you see topless. The performances are all stellar, and the final sequence in the film is one of the most unsettling and visceral endings I've seen in recent memory.

I kind of wish they had been able to include the E! True Hollywood Story on the Wonderland murders, as it includes some important details not in the documentary. Scott Thorson (who at the time was Liberace's lover, no joke), testified that he was at Nash's house to pick up drugs and witnessed Diles (Nash's bodyguard) beat Holmes into confessing he and his friends were behind the robbery. That kind of gives the Holmes story some credibility, but still doesn't solve whether or not he participated in the murders or was simply forced to watch.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

In lieu of starting another thread, I'd like to say, for the record, that my copy did not come with an insert. I will be watching the movie either tomorrow or Monday..can't wait to see it.

 

[Doug Smith]

I thought the movie was ok, but the extra disc with the documentary was great - worth the price of renting the DVD. Amazing to see how sleazy this lifestyle really was (is)?

 

[Kyle McKnight]

I've still yet to get around to watching the movie or extras...hopefully by the end of the week I can.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ght=Wonderland

 

[Robert Spalding]

is the Johnny Wadd documentary the same movie that was supposed to be on the Boogie Nights SE? ( I don't think I spelled that right!)

 

[Michael Reuben]

Answered in the HTF review thread, with which this has now been merged. See above.

M.

 

[Dennis]

Neither did mine.

I enjoyed the movie, the performances by all involved were good, even Lisa Kudrow (I think her performance was supposed to be understated). The music was great! It seemed to actually have as much '70's music as opposed to the early '80's (the story takes place in 1981) it seemed to add an extra dimension, a little bittersweet, to the film though because it kept reminding me of that period of time when John Holmes was the "Porn King" and not the drug-addled hustler he ended up being.