"Wonderland" with Val Kilmer and Kate Bosworth (201 )

This is a kind of fascinating story. It involves “Long” Johnny Holmes, the iconic porn star from the 1970’s. Along with Linda Lovelace and Marilyn Chambers, he blazed new trails in the adult entertainment business as far as bringing it to the forefront; putting porn right in your face, so to speak.

For all of the glamor and the drugs and women though, there was a price being paid. And director James Cox does an excellent job in keeping the whole thing in control. He is also one of the writers of the script for this film. As the main character, Johnny Holmes; played by Val Kilmer; spins out of control the careful direction helps in keeping sight of the larger story.

At the time of these events in 1981; including the murder itself; Holmes was estranged from his wife, while trying to keep his teenage girlfriend, and also struggling each day to get his “fix” without any real means of income. This is a recipe for disaster, don’t ya think?

When the police showed up at 8763 Wonderland Ave in Laurel Canyon they found 4 bodies. They were the drug dealers and the owner of the home. The wife of one of the dealers was still alive. They had all been bludgeoned with a steel pipe.  The investigation which followed turned the spotlight on the seamy world of Hollywood’s porn industry.

With suspects such as Johnny Holmes, a local nightclub owner named Eddie Nash, and Holmes's estranged wife Sharon and his teenage lover Dawn Schiller, the story was just made for the tabloids. While Holmes freely admits to robbing the guy the day before, his wife says he went back again on the day of the murder. But Holmes then also says he only set up the hit; he didn’t actually participate in the murders. With all the living parties pointing fingers at one another, who will the authorities finally believe? More importantly; whose version of this tragic story would you hang your hat on?

Excellent performances by veteran actors Kate Bosworth, Carrie Fisher and Lisa Kudrow serve to round out this film.

“Kill the Irishman” with Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken (2011)

 

In this gritty story based upon the true life exploits of gangster Danny Greene,played by Ray Stevenson, an Irish immigrant who worked on the docks in Cleveland during the early 1970’s. The old “pay to work” racket was rampant, with men routinely passed over for work in rotation if they did not pay a “kickback” to the bosses who ran the hiring. The times, as well as the environment of the waterfront, soon convinced Danny to take action on his own, taking over his local and putting himself squarely at odds with a local loan shark named Shondor Birns, played with the usual coolness of Christopher Walken.

In order to battle the forces at the disposal of Birns; who made the bulk of his money through the “pay for work” scheme; Danny is forced to make an alliance with local gangster John Nardi, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, in a role with much more depth than any of his work on the “Law and Order” television series. Danny and John blaze their way across the waterfront, taking on the gangsters who control it, only to try and control it themselves.

With the government attempting to turn him into an informant; something which he refused to do; and the mob trying to assassinate him, blow him up, and otherwise do away with him; Danny is caught between the forces of good and evil, where he finds that the two are not always dissimilar with one another.

I was living in Cleveland at the time that some of these events took place. There was almost never a day that went by in which someone got killed on; or disappeared from; the waterfront. Though Danny Greene’s story has been legendary amongst the union hiring hall for decades; this is the first movie about the legendary and seemingly indestructible Danny Greene. Tightly written and directed by Johnathan Heinsleigh, this is one movie which will keep you in your seat for the entire film without ever wanting to take a break. Val Kilmer and Paul Servino, along with Linda Cardellini all turn in great performances in this film which rivals “Goodfellas” in almost every respect. And that alone is high praise indeed.

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 Overseas Reymar Meets the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

This TV video shows the Overseas Reymar on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, shortly after it struck the westernmost  support of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. As a former navigator on oil tankers, all I can say is that it never would have happened on my watch!

"The Ghost and the Darkness" with Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer (1996)

This is an amazing story, and true. The film takes place in Africa in 1896 and tells the story of  an engineer named John Patterson, played by Val Kilmer, who leaves his pregnant wife at home in England in order to build a railroad bridge over Uganda's Tsavo River for the British East African Railway. He has experience with wildlife from his earlier exploits in India, where he was forced to hunt and kill a tiger which was preying upon his workers. Armed with confidence, and a trusted native named Samuel, played by John Kani, he sets forth on one of the wildest adventures he will ever have.

In his first few weeks at the worksite, he is forced to kill a lion that has attacked his men. He is certain that his rifle will always be able to vanquish, if not scare away, all of his opponents. But, within just a few short months in Africa, two more lions, who have been named “Ghost” and “Darkness” by the natives, have killed and eaten several more workers. Clearly, Patterson realizes, he needs some outside assistance.

To that end, American big game hunter Charles Remington, is called upon to help rid the worksite along the river of the two lions; both man eaters who seem to be working in unison. By this point, the lions have  stalked, and killed, a total of 130 workers in just a few short months.

Before calling upon Remington to assist him in killing these two man eaters, Patterson has tried; unsuccessfully; to kill them using some of the methods he used while building bridges in India. But these two lions have a sixth sense, and are able to elude; as well as outwit; the two would be hunters. When Patterson’s wife and newborn child arrive at the camp, they are immediately attacked and killed by the lions. Now the hunt is personal, and soon the two men find themselves to be the hunted, rather than the hunters.

This is an edge of your seat film, punctuated by the beauty of Africa and all of its natural wonders. It is also a very real lesson in how we tend to think of ourselves as being superior to everything in nature, and how quickly our perceptions can be challenged.

Movie Review: Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang with Val Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr.

A very different movie with a very different approach in its' Direction. The film is told (narrated) by the principal character(played by Robert Downey). The story unfolds in pieces much like "Pulp Fiction." One big difference- the narrator. He fills you in on little things that you might have missed, or in some cases not been told.

The story centers on Downey's character, a shady but likeable kind of guy who gets caught up in a burglary which leads to a brief chase which lands him a part in a movie playing a Detective. Simple enough? Not on your life.

When he arrives in Hollywood he befriends a woman who turns out to be his high school crush. They were good friends then, but what are they now?

Val Kilmer plays a gay Detective in a movie with more twists and turns than the Cyclone at Coney Island. The quick and unusual direction and the use of narration by Robert Downey, Jr. as he stumbles through all of this, make the viewer feel connected and sympathetic to Downeys' character.

It's kind of like Frank Capra meets Quentin Tarantino. That alone should makes this film worth watching. Throw in some decent acting by both Downey and Kilmer and this is a highly entertaining film. The only question I have is where was I when this film came out?