Wonderland is a 2003 film about the Wonderland Murders starring Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth and Lisa Kudrow. It was directed by James Cox. Kilmer plays the role of John Holmes, the pornographic film star, the prime suspect in four grisly murders committed in an apartment on Wonderland Avenue in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Kate Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. ... Lisa Marie Diane Kudrow (born July 30, 1963) is an Emmy Award- and SAG-winning American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom Friends. ... Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American film score composer and former drummer for Captain Beefheart and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1982-1985). ... Terry Reid (born 13 November 1949, Huntingdon, England) is a rock singer and guitarist noted for his soulful voice in the same vein as contemporaries Paul Rodgers and Rod Stewart. ... Michael A. Levine is a Los Angeles composer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Lions Gate Films. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // February 24 - The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, wins 7 Cesar Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Cinematography. ... The Wonderland Murders, also known as Four on the Floor or Laurel Canyon Murders, occurred in Los Angeles in 1981, when four people were killed in a drug-related plot that involved porn star John Holmes and was masterminded by nightclub owner and gangster Eddie Nash. ... Val Edward Kilmer[1] (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. ... Kate Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. ... Lisa Marie Diane Kudrow (born July 30, 1963) is an Emmy Award- and SAG-winning American actress best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom Friends. ... John Curtis Estes (August 8, 1944 – March 13, 1988) better known as John Holmes, John C. Holmes or Johnny Wadd (after the lead character in a series of related films), was one of the most famous male adult film stars of all time, appearing in about 2,500 adult loops... Pornographic movies Pornography (Porn) (from Greek πόρνη (porne) prostitute and γραφή (grafe) writing), more informally referred to as porn or porno, is the explicit representation of the human body or sexual activity with the goal of sexual arousal. ... Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California is a canyon neighborhood, like Topanga Canyon, so its very oriented to the main canyon street, Laurel Canyon Boulevard. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Tagline

Sex, Guns, Money and Murder. Welcome to L.A.

Plot summary

John Holmes and Dawn Schiller

We are first introduced to the underage girlfriend of John Holmes -- Dawn Schiller (Bosworth). She is on the streets and is picked up by a holy roller (Carrie Fisher) after she and Holmes break up. She eventually calls Holmes to come and get her. Holmes arrives at the apartment and they have sex and snort cocaine in the bathroom. While in a motel room, Dawn sees a newscast that states four people were murdered at a rowhouse on Wonderland Avenue, the same one she had been to with Holmes before. The story eventually moves onto two city detectives (Ted Levine and Franky G) investigating the crime and their contact with Holmes. Another officer (M.C. Gainey) intervenes with the investigation, himself being a colleague of Holmes. In law, a person who is not yet a legal adult is known as a minor (known in some places as an infant or juvenile). ... Holy Roller is a term in American English used to describe Pentecostal Christian churchgoers. ... Carrie Frances Fisher (born October 21, 1956) is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist, best known for her role as Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Cocaine (see also: crack) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Holiday Inn Great Sign Exterior of a Howard Johnsons motor lodge. ... Ted Levine (born May 29, 1957 in Parma, Ohio) is an American actor best known for playing the serial killer Buffalo Bill in the 1991 blockbuster thriller The Silence of the Lambs. ... Franky G photo taken by Fox 11 WVAH TV Franky G, (born Francisco Gonzalez circa October 30, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York), is an American film and television actor. ... M. C. Gainey (born 1947) is an American film and television actor. ...

David Lind's story

The next major character introduced is David Lind (Dylan McDermott). He hears of the murders of his friends at Wonderland and soon discovers his girlfriend was there. While at the crime scene, he is picked up by L.A.P.D. Detectives Nico and Cruz. Through Lind's story (told in flashbacks), we are introduced to some of the people who party at Wonderland. These people, known as the Wonderland Gang include Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Lind's 22-year old girlfriend Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson Wagner), Joy Miller (Janeane Garafalo) and Susan Launius (Christina Applegate). Ron has a fondness for antique guns and quite frequently shows them off. When Ron learns that Holmes knows Palestinian gangster Eddie Nash (Eric Bogosian), he gives Holmes a pair of stolen antique guns to take to Nash so that Nash can fence them and they can split the loot. Nash befriended Holmes because of Holmes' notoriety as the film phenom Johnny Wadd. Holmes takes the guns to Nash, but Nash says the guns are too rare to be sold; they would be recognized right away and everyone involved would be apprehended. Rather than give the guns back to Holmes, Nash keeps them for himself. Attempting to get back in the good graces of the gang, Holmes suggests robbing Nash's home. Ron is reluctant to go along with the robbery at first, but after Holmes gives him a rundown of what's there, he is quite eager for the big score. Holmes volunteers to draw them a map to plan the robbery, since he has been to Nash's house a lot. Holmes then visits Nash to buy drugs. On the way out, he leaves the door to the kitchen unlocked so the Wonderland gang can have easy access. Dylan McDermott (born Mark Anthony McDermott[1] on 26 October 1961) is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the former TV legal drama The Practice. ... In literature and film, a flashback (also called analepsis) takes the narrative back in time from the point the story has reached, to recount events that happened before and give the back-story. ... The Wonderland Gang was an organization of drug dealers who operated in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... Lucas on board Naval Air Station North Island July 17, 2005 Josh Lucas (born Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer[1] on 20 June 1971) is an American actor. ... Tim Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American character actor and film director. ... Natasha Gregson Wagner (born on 29 September 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is an American actress. ... Janeane Garofalo Janeane Garofalo (born September 28, 1964), born in Newton, New Jersey, is a stand-up comedian, actress, political activist, and radio host on Air America Radio. ... Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated actress, particularly well-known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox television network sitcom Married. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Eddie Nash, born 1929 as Adel Gharib Nasrallah in Palestine of Lebanese parents, was a nightclub and restaurant owner in Los Angeles and is a convicted gangster and drug dealer; he is best known for his involvement in the quadruple Wonderland Murders. ... Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian (born on April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologist, and novelist. ... John Curtis Estes (August 8, 1944–March 13, 1988), better known as John Holmes, was an adult film actor of the 1970s and 1980s and is generally considered to be the greatest male star in the 35 years since cinematic pornography lost its illegal status and became generally available...

The robbery of Eddie Nash

The next morning, the robbery is carried out by Ronnie Launius, Lind, and Deverell, while wheel-man Tracy McCourt waits outside in a car, serving as lookout. Neither Holmes nor any of the women are present when the robbery occurs. The Wonderland Gang gains access through the unlocked kitchen door and robs Nash at gunpoint. Lind accidentally shoots (but doesn't kill) Nash's bodyguard, Greg Diles (Faizon Love). Racial epithets are hurled at Nash and Diles. The gang walks away with over one million dollars in cash, jewels and drugs. They bring their loot back to the Wonderland apartment to divide everything up. Holmes is unhappy with the cut he is given, even though he did not take part in the robbery. Nash finds out that Holmes helped plan the robbery. He has Holmes beaten and finds his black address book. He tells Holmes he will kill every person listed in the book, starting with his mother, if he does not give up the men who robbed him. He also threatens to cut off Holmes' 14-inch penis, cut it into pieces, and shove it down his (Holmes') throat. The Wonderland Gang was an organization of drug dealers who operated in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... Faizon Love Faizon Love (born Langston Faizon Satisima on June 14, 1968 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba) is Cuban American an actor and voice actor. ... The term black book has multiple meanings: Black Book (Chornaya Kniga or Черная Книга), a compilation of reports about the actions of Nazis against Jews in World War II Black Book, a list of individuals blacklisted from casinos Traditionally, various revisions of technical papers are called by the color of their cover... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ...

July 1st, 1981

The retaliation for the robbery was swift and fatal. On July 1st, 1981, a group of Nash's henchmen (including Holmes) led by Diles gained access to the apartment at Wonderland Avenue. Ron Launius, Deverell, Richardson and Miller were all brutally beaten to death with striated lead pipes. The film depicted Holmes being compelled by Diles to deliver blows to Launius (this is speculation as Holmes died without ever more than hinting at his involvement in the murders). Susan Launius was also beaten, but was not killed. She survived and was questioned by Nico and Cruz in her hospital bed. She told them (in a near comatose state), she did not remember anything -- only shadows. Lind was not present during the time of the attacks. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness, which may result from a variety of conditions including intoxication (drug, alcohol or toxins), metabolic abnormalities (hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, etc. ...

Trivia

• At the premiere of the film audiences received rulers as souvenirs which measured 13 and a half inches long.
• The movie characters of Nico and Cruz were, in real life, LAPD detectives Tom Lange and Bob Souza.
• The movie character played by M.C. Giney was, in real life, LAPD vice cop Tom Blake. Years before the Wonderland incident, Holmes served as a snitch to Blake, in return for not being prosecured on pimping and pandering charges.
• The gold ring that Val Kilmer wore on a chain throughout the movie was the actual wedding band that John Holmes gave to his wife Sharoon Holmes. Sharon loaned the ring to Kilmer for good luck. After filming was over, she then gave the ring to Dawn Schiller.

External links

• Wonderland at the Internet Movie Database
• Wonderland at Rotten Tomatoes
• Kate Bosworth interview for Wonderland