Cady's Take:

"Wonderland" speculates - and, based on the facts presented, it is reasonable to assume - that Holmes facilitated and probably participated in the massacre.

A shaggy, vulnerable Val Kilmer plays the role of Holmes with a convincing blend of desperation and delusion. Though for a man who was central to the mystery of the murders, there just isn’t enough about Holmes in the movie to feel satisfied the film is accomplishing something or answering questions.

The huge cast, which also includes Lisa Kudrow, Kate Bosworth, Dylan McDermott, Josh Lucas, Tim Blake Nelson, Eric Bogosian and a nearly unrecognizable Christina Applegate, brings to the table the essence of a professional production. I guess you don't need a decent plot when you have people of this caliber on screen, but they make you wonder how much more they could have accomplished if "Wonderland" were a better film. Lisa Kudrow's performance as Holmes wife, in particular provides a glimpse of the better movie you wish it were. The film is absorbing without being especially affecting.

Although Holmes was initially charged in the case, he was subsequently acquitted in 1982. He died do to complications of AIDS in 1988.

How can you not love a movie with Val Kilmer? I say it is impossible. “Wonderland” is the story of John Holmes, adult film star, who in the early 80s was involved in a vicious murder-mystery in the Los Angeles drug scene. The problem with “Wonderland” is that while we are presented with several versions of the story, and each seems valid on its face, there is no ending. We are left with a series of prologues, updating us on the current status of the characters.

Without ruining the gory – and I mean gory – details, John is a star who has fallen; into drugs, into depression, into a life of seedy underhanded people. We are not entirely sure if John is incredibly weak, or if he is simply a bad guy. You can draw your own conclusions. John has a wife Sharon (Lisa Kudrow) and a girlfriend Dawn (Kate Bosworth) who like each other and are friends in spite of Holmes.

Flashback scenes told out of chronology coupled with cops investigating the crime make a jumbled story. I know I have seen this case outlined on A&E before, and I enjoyed that version more. True-crime stories in film are intriguing, unfortunately this one falls a bit short. “Wonderland” is not my first choice on a Saturday night, but I could watch it again if I caught it on cable.