As much as I vehemently dislike Mark Wahlberg, I do admit to loving Boogie Nights, in which the Funky Bunch singer played Dirk Diggler, a character loosely based on legendary porn-star John Holmes. Brilliantly directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film boasted a sharp script, excellent performances from a talented cast (Wahlberg aside), and a great soundtrack, and perfectly captured the sleaze and decadence of the adult movie industry in L.A. during the early '80s.
Wonderland, directed by James Cox, attempts to pull off the same trick, charting Holmes' post-porn involvement in an infamous gangland multiple homicide case; like Boogie Nights, it features a terrific ensemble cast, and effectively evokes the era through its amazing soundtrack, but the film proves a far less satisfying experience overall thanks to a script that proves frustratingly inconclusive, a raft of largely unlikeable characters (the only exception being Holmes' wife, played by Lisa Kudrow), and a glut of gimmicky film-making techniques that simply smacks of desperation.
Wonderland, directed by James Cox, attempts to pull off the same trick, charting Holmes' post-porn involvement in an infamous gangland multiple homicide case; like Boogie Nights, it features a terrific ensemble cast, and effectively evokes the era through its amazing soundtrack, but the film proves a far less satisfying experience overall thanks to a script that proves frustratingly inconclusive, a raft of largely unlikeable characters (the only exception being Holmes' wife, played by Lisa Kudrow), and a glut of gimmicky film-making techniques that simply smacks of desperation.