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Vern Digs Into The ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY Box Set! HOLY MOUNTAIN! EL TOPO! Paris Hilton?!? And More!

Jodorowsky = The Man by Mullah Omar	May 1st, 2007 05:32:15 AM
Give that guy US$50 million and let him make a mind-blowing epic for the ages. Even if it ended up a disaster, it would have to be a compelling disaster.
SANTA SANGRE? by jwnulife	May 1st, 2007 06:39:46 AM
Why no Santa Sangre?
Vern by Kloipy	May 1st, 2007 06:55:27 AM
Thanks for the loving write up of these amazing films. I was first exposed to El Topo when I was 13. And it really changed the way i looked at cinema. With HM he really out did himself and I can see why he would think that this movie could change the world. I'm so happy to see this finally come out so more people can get a chance to experience these films.
I second the motion by Gangar	May 1st, 2007 07:12:31 AM
Just saw Fando y Lis and it really hung with me and I'm eager to see Holy Mountain and El Topo, but I still want to see Santa Sangre on DVD. This film may not be thought of us rapturously as these others but I thought it was terrific. Like El Topo, it was a very unique take on a genre film. I know some obscure Region 2 version exists but this film deserves the full treatment as much as any. This and a nice widescreen 'Lost Highway' are becoming my DVD Holy Grails.
Metabarons... Technopriests... etc. by CENOBITE	May 1st, 2007 07:16:09 AM
READ THEM. Met Jodo, what an amazing man. His version of DUNE is still the best movie never made.
Metabarons by HeWhoCannotBeNamed	May 1st, 2007 07:53:40 AM
Fucking Tightness! Read it. Too bad Charest left after 30 pages of the new Metabarons GN. It's been a long wait, but I am still eager for the next installment. Good stuff.
These movies are indeed great by CorpseRide	May 1st, 2007 08:00:04 AM
El Topo is easier to get into, I guess - just start at the premise it's a spagetti western, and then don't worry too hard as it deviates from that. Holy Mountain is the jewel in the crown though. The most whacked-out religious allegory ever commited to celluloid. I may upgrade my 1.4MB BitTorrent copies.
Another Golden review, Vern by Laserbrain	May 1st, 2007 08:15:08 AM
Cheers
I was at a Jodo Interview last month in London by John-Locke	May 1st, 2007 08:24:20 AM
He's one crazy, charismatic dude. It wasn't really an interview because that would suggest that the interviewer was in control, oh no, Jodo was going off on tangents all over the place, he's really fucking funny and has the energy of a teenager at his ripe old age of 78. He says he's going to live to be 160 years old. Interesting tidbits, David Carradine and Udo Kier were going to be in Dune, the only "name" actor he's interested in working with is Nick Nolte, his next film will hopefully be available free on the internet as he's not interested in making any money for himself, King Shot, Sons of El Topo, an adaptation of his Comic book Bouncer or some "Psychomagic" related film will be his next project and should start filming early next year. He thought 300 was US propaganda, he said David Copperfield has an identical twin brother which is how he achieved most of his tricks, he said David Lynch is probably the only true artist currently working in Cinema, he watches a hell of a lot of Movies and TV shows and at the time the last thing he had watched was the first few episodes of Season 6 of The Shield.
Holy Mountain is a gem. by Stuntcock Mike	May 1st, 2007 08:40:40 AM
Armless midgets kicking and screaming inspires a full chub.
I really want to see this! by Spandau Belly	May 1st, 2007 08:45:24 AM
I've read about these movies and always wanted to see them. This isn't THE DVD THAT COMPLETES MY COLLECTION the way Criterion's "La Double Vie de Veronique" or the double disc "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" were, but I'll go check these out.
If Michael Bay ever by Stuntcock Mike	May 1st, 2007 08:45:29 AM
remade Holy Mountain, the fucking theaters would burn to the ground outta pure guilt. Yup, Ben Affleck as the Thief. 500 million easy.
This is a must own! Jodorowsky is off the Fuckin' hook! by LaneMyersClassic	May 1st, 2007 08:56:15 AM
You have got tto see these films!
Just read John-Locke's post about J watching The Shield by LaneMyersClassic	May 1st, 2007 09:03:28 AM
He is now officially the coolest motherfucker on the planet.
Will he ever direct a film again??? by godoffireinhell	May 1st, 2007 09:04:35 AM
I know as well as anyone that there have been numerous rumors of future projects over that past 10 years and more but none of them ever materialized. His last film THE RAINBOW THIEF (1990) was a disappointment but I'd still love to see him return to filmmaking and to do so on his own terms. Well, maybe the release of this box set will drum up some financing but honestly... If you were a producer or money man... would you give a madman like Jodorowsky your cash? I mean unless you are a fan yourself it makes no sense whatsoever.
Sante Sangre by Dominic-Vobiscum	May 1st, 2007 09:21:42 AM
Only Jodorowsky movie I've seen. The cover box called to me for years. It was always on the shelf in the foreign section of every Blockbuster I worked at, but I just never watched it. Then one night in college some friends and I wanted something "weird" and we rented it. I still remember people stopping by as we watched it and asking what it was we were watching only to get sucked in themselves. After the fourth or fifth person we stopped telling them the plot and each person would just name the most disturbing thing they'd witnessed. By the end of the movie there were about 20 people watching it with us. They couldn't look away! My personal favorite scene is when the skeezy orderly takes the main character and all his down-syndrome afflicted chums out on the town and buys them lots of coke and a whore.
Thank you Vern!!! by trombone	May 1st, 2007 09:28:57 AM
I love to read your stuff. And I'm personally pleased that AICN can ALSO expand my horizons. Don't know anything about this guy, but I definitely want to check these films out. Rock on!
Santa Sangre by ducki3x	May 1st, 2007 09:40:41 AM
I too have only seen Santa Sangre, although I have seen it many, many times. This was a real high-school favorite of mine, and I practically wore out my VHS tape...that and Tetsuo: The Iron Man were practically default viewing.
You are a good man, Vern. by victor laszlo	May 1st, 2007 09:41:22 AM
Caught EL TOPO being screened at my old college and haven't been able to get it out of my head. I've been saving myself for HOLY MOUNTAIN, and yeah, his DUNE sounds like the greatest film never made. Don't forget Pink Floyd was lined up to do the score {in the days just after Dark Side, no less}. Also, check out THE INKAL, Jodorowsky's graphic novel team-up with Moebius that came out of their DUNE collaboration --- a film version would look something like the Fifth Element, only 10x bigger and on a Salvia binge.
Jodorowsky is fully legit by gusradio	May 1st, 2007 09:48:19 AM
finnaly i can feel comfortable ebaying my imports.
Not very good. by SylarTheCylon	May 1st, 2007 10:21:53 AM
I saw El Topo a couple of years back. Didn't like it very much. It's not the kind of thing you'd watch with the family on Christmas. But it's interesting, in a strange way. I say interesting because I didn't understand what the fuck the movie was about, and I'm not afraid to admit I'm still clueless about it. I have enough of that clueless feeling just living real life, and that's enough for me.
Great review as always, my man. by Gilkuliehe	May 1st, 2007 10:22:17 AM
But what the fuck is that shit about Paris Hilton on the headline? Did I miss something? I just read the whole review and I still don't get it. Somebody care to explain?
Sons of El Topo by Vern	May 1st, 2007 10:29:38 AM
I was disappointed that he never once mentions SONS OF EL TOPO/ABELCAIN on any of the extras. That made me think maybe he's given up on that. On the other hand, maybe he just doesn't want to show his cards. The only thing he says about future projects is that he'd like to direct again if he lives long enough and that he will project it onto the sides of buildings because theater owners are gangsters.
Jodorowsky's "nerd cred" = infinite levels of power by Harry Weinstein	May 1st, 2007 10:30:08 AM
No description can do him justice. Just check out his movies and comic books. And if you ever have the chance to see him speaking live, your ass better be there, because it's worth it and then some.
SONS OF EL TOPO by Harry Weinstein	May 1st, 2007 10:36:33 AM
This film has also been known as KILL SHOT due to the squabbles with Klein and ownership of the name EL TOPO. Nick Nolte and Marilyn Manson (I am dead fucking serious) were attached at one point to star and put up some of the production money, but I think there were some snags along the way. Smart money says he back-burnered it until after this box set drops, at which time it might be easier to raise the money to finally make it. Based on some storyboards that surfaced online, it would be a film both enormous and strange. Sort of like my penis.
Harry Weinstein by John-Locke	May 1st, 2007 11:16:53 AM
Sons of El Topo & King Shot are totally different projects. You can find some storyboards and links to others here http://www.twitchfilm.net/arch ives/006746.html
Get goin' on DUNE, Jodo... by JustinSane	May 1st, 2007 11:49:30 AM
...'cause I really wanna see that, even without the great Dali (though maybe you can still use his mechanical double).
I need to watch El Topo again. by Gwai Lo	May 1st, 2007 11:51:02 AM
I watched a really crappy version of it. It was hard to watch in the state it was in, and it's already a demanding viewing. I really liked parts of it though, I enjoy it more thinking back on it than I did when I was actually watching it.
I've been waiting for a decent print of El Topo forever by modlight	May 1st, 2007 12:06:22 PM
This is such good news.
btw... sweet El Topo Shirt Here by modlight	May 1st, 2007 12:07:07 PM
http://tinyurl.com/38bxtp
I saw Holy Mountain in college by Circean6	May 1st, 2007 12:14:35 PM
For an art design class back in 1990. It was as Vern mentioned a Japanese laser disc with guys ding-dongs whited out yet showing the women's pubic hair was ok. Anyhoo I agree with Vern this is without a doubt the most screwy movie I have ever seen in my life but it never gets haughty, especially in the end, which is kind of a profound joke, but a good one!
can't wait by Kloipy	May 1st, 2007 02:16:54 PM
buying this asap
Vern by Nagual	May 1st, 2007 02:43:12 PM
That is the single greatest thing I have ever read on this site. EVER. Thank you. I am overjoyed to finally own this set and now this link is getting fuckin' forwarded, BEYATCH!
I'm totally bumping the Holy Mountain soundtrack ... by wash	May 1st, 2007 02:57:49 PM
...in my ride. And thanks for the Paris/Jodo pic, I'm going to comment spam my friends MySpace with that shit.
Harry We Need a New Corner Annimation by OGREISHERE	May 1st, 2007 03:02:27 PM
Harry, In honor of this joyous occasion we need a animation to honor El Topo. I am thinking you should be dressed in black fighting the Colonel. Come on we have all seen Ghostbusters but this is El Topo man.
Jodo like The Shield? by wash	May 1st, 2007 03:03:06 PM
haha, take that, Herc.
Praise the lord by enemakid	May 1st, 2007 03:19:20 PM
El Topo and The Holy Mountain on DVD at long last! I saw a crappy bootleg print where some of the stuff in the desert is completely chopped up, especially the part where the second woman suddenly shows up and starts tagging along with El Topo. Have they managed to restore that sequence to something more coherent?
I liked Cremaster 3 and The Cell better... by pockybot	May 1st, 2007 03:38:02 PM
Tho Cremaster 3 could be seen as a kind of remake of Holy Mountain. The only thing I got out of Holy Mountain was a kind of post Dali-esque take on the whole "Illuminati run the world" thing, also seen in Cremaster 3. I didnt find it enlightening, but very interesting. But if you liked Cremaster Cycle/Matthew Barney or the Cell, you gotta see Holy Mountain.
Santa Sangre DVD by DukeDeMondo	May 1st, 2007 04:06:27 PM
It's been on region 2 for quite some time, thanks to Anchor Bay, i believe. it's got a handful of extras on there too. I have been waitin many's a year to see El Topo and Holy Mountain. Oh, the anticipation in the willy-john right now... www.mondoirlando.com
^^yes, thanks for mentioning the biters by wash	May 1st, 2007 04:11:18 PM
Sheesh, I liked The Cell better than Ernest Saves Christmas, that's about it maybe.
that last comment was for pockybot by wash	May 1st, 2007 04:12:04 PM
.
Netflix by Nozoli Apples	May 1st, 2007 04:45:48 PM
I don't see these movies on Netflix, I hope they make it onto there at some point in time because I'd like to see them and not have to spend all those breaking benjamins.
Big El Topo fan by sHapesHiftinLizard	May 1st, 2007 04:52:52 PM
taped it off tv about 7 yrs ago, it had an intro with a film historian telling AJ's story and how the only time he ever saw ETopo in a video shop it carried a heavy deposit(over $100 im sure). I caught it in the cinema 2 weeks ago here in Glasgow, fantastic seein it with an audience, only one walk out, theyre showing Holy Mountain this month an im gonna be there, Ive only seen HM once and it was not disapointing after being blown away by El Topo, lookin forward to seein it again. Great review Vern, more folk need to see these movies. Jordorowsky did an interview on 'Eurotrash' here on Uk tv, he said something along the lines of Walt Disney fucked Mickey Mouse to produce Steven Speilberg;)
nice by HypeEndsHere	May 1st, 2007 05:24:21 PM
i saw the trailer for Holy Mountain which ends its run tonight at the Waverly (ahem, IFC) theatre. the TRAILER is mind blowing.
santa sangre is awesome by reckni	May 1st, 2007 05:42:59 PM
love that movie, even though it invaded my dreams for weeks in a horrific way . . . but Hell, I'd really enjoy seeing it again.
i just watched holy mountain on the big screen... by JacksonsPole	May 1st, 2007 06:35:49 PM
last night at the red vic on haight street in san francisco, they had a screening of holy mountain. and, all i can say is...holy shit (there actually is a scene where the alchemist turns shit into gold). i have seen the bootlegs. but, to watch with an audience on the big screen. damn. awesome. the crowd was definitely into it. hysterical laughter at the most beautifully ridiculous movie in history. the composition of everything is spot on. actually, john lennon had a hand in producing this, due to his love of el topo. the cast and crew went to incredible lengths to create every living detail in this masterpiece. it's one of a kind. but, it kinda makes me sad that it's so readily available now. it almost makes it that much better when you have to physically seek it. it is the only true way to enlightenment...
ps. by JacksonsPole	May 1st, 2007 06:42:04 PM
whoever said they like 'the cell' better than 'holy mountain', should immediately volunteer their testicles to axon. they aren't using them, anyway...
Buy this before they pull it for some reason... by tonagan	May 1st, 2007 07:51:29 PM
It does seem too good to be true, doesn't it?
That pelican... by suddenlimpact	May 1st, 2007 08:19:14 PM
...is an alchemical pun. A Pelican is a piece of old-fashioned glassware often used by chymists in distillation. One of the lovely touches in Holy Mountain is how every element of the shit-into-gold scene is taken from alchemical manuscripts, and in such vivid detail - even the hippo has a meaning!
NOW ON NETFLIX!!!!! by BangoSkank	May 1st, 2007 08:33:53 PM
I've been waiting to see El Topo for the better part of two decades.... now finally I can. Woo-fucking-hoo! It just became available on netflix, for those who were wondering above.
I'm buying it!!! Thanks Vern!! by Bob Cryptonight	May 1st, 2007 08:47:03 PM
I've been waiting for this...based soley on Vern's original reviews on his website!!
Suddenlimpact by Vern	May 1st, 2007 09:19:38 PM
That's great - so what does the hippo mean? He doesn't say anything about it on the commentary. He does explain that Christ thing about the pelican but not the pun. But I like that, thanks for the info.
I'm surprised by this talkback!!! In a good way! by Bob Cryptonight	May 1st, 2007 09:36:23 PM
Nice work, Vern! You seem to have won the crowd over! I thought there would be more hostility toward these films. Maybe there is hope after all...
FUCKING FINALLY. by TORTURE PWN	May 1st, 2007 09:41:15 PM
That's all I have to say.
Just Got Done with El Topo by OGREISHERE	May 1st, 2007 10:54:00 PM
Holly Crap that is a beautiful transfer.
i read Jodo is a shaman by pipergates	May 2nd, 2007 03:03:14 AM
and that controles his dreams so well that sometimes he forgets if he is awake or not. so he grabs a chair and lifts his feet of the ground, and he he starts to float in the air, then he knows he is not awake. imdb claims he is making King Shot (2007) his work with Moebius is monumental.
I'm still keeping my bootlegs for sentimental reasons by hktelemacher	May 2nd, 2007 03:37:28 AM
There's just a certain charm in watching the crappiest possible prints. And KING SHOT (not KILL SHOT, that's an Elmore Leonard property with the Mick and Timberlake coming out this year) is different than SONS OF EL TOPO/ABELCAIN and is supposed to be a gangster movie. And that probably won't ever happen either, unless this boxset does in fact spark a cultural revolution and Jodorowsky gets the recognition he deserves. And if anybody who just got their Jodo juices flowing for the first time happens to have the acumen, grab any and all of Jodorowsky's graphic novels you can find and see what this man's imagination is capable of when there's no such thing as a limited budget. You don't have to be into comics (I'm not) to revel in how absolutely cool they are.
HOLY MOUNTAIN is sycophantic crap by Parrish372	May 2nd, 2007 09:30:47 AM
I watched Holy Mountain and El Topo yesterday on the new dvds. Holy Mountain is cliched and boring -- I had to fast forward through much of it, because it dragged. It's exactly the kind of dreck that impresses unsophisticated fanboys -- Fellini did it first and did it better. El Topo fares better, probably because it had some sort of plot and structure and it's images are visually more arresting. But the symbolism in both is vacuous. Anybody who tries to impart any real meaning to them is doomed.
Not at MY Wal-Mart by Stroker_Ace	May 2nd, 2007 11:30:46 AM
Maybe online, but they don't have it at the Wal-Mart in my area (right outside Charlotte, NC). I've seen Holy Mountain, and even have a shitty version on VHS, but I knew this would be one I'd have to get online. I just can't see Wallyworld carrying this, and they don't at the one near me.
Make it a Blockbuster night! by Spandau Belly	May 2nd, 2007 12:08:22 PM
Just a response to Vern puzzling over what Blockbuster would do with this film. Where I live in downtown most of the video stores are independants and carry a lot broader selection of films and some even specialize in niche markets and carry no Hollywood movies at all. So Blockbuster downtown added a section called "CULT" which contains about thirty movies to compete with the surrounding market. I haven't rented there since I was a kid and lived in the suburbs and it was either rent the three movies that the convinience store bloke had or get a grander selection of five mainstream releases.
Haven't seen these yet... by Bone-In Foray	May 2nd, 2007 01:01:18 PM
...as I've never had access to the pirated versions of these films (or otherwise). But after reading Vern's impassioned pitch and the response from the AICN faithful my curiousity has been thoroughly stoked. Though… I must admit – I’m curious as to where all of the undying support for Vern’s reviewing skills stem? Sorry Vern – thumbs up for the passion, thumbs down for the meandering AICN-style babble. Your insistence on punctuating every other sentence with an insipid metaphor/analogy makes me sleepy.
I've been chasing down these movies for two decades by GenericGeek	May 2nd, 2007 01:12:54 PM
But, animal sacrifice? Jeepers. I guess I'm a coward after all, and not man enough to watch them. Santa Sangre's diseased elephant was quite enough.
Fuck Klein, A.J. fucked everyone else... by Prague23	May 2nd, 2007 04:27:16 PM
A. Klein's the reason these films are so hard to find. He's a fucking bastard. I recorded a copy of El Topo and The Holy Mountain off of laserdiscs from Seattle's Scarecrow Video where they've had the PAL tapes forever as well and immediately got the import DVDs like 4 years ago to buy as well as rent. When Jodorowsky was going to direct DUNE he just about had Salivor Dali playing the main bad guy and offered him 1 million dollars for every minute of screen time. That's what kind of sunk that potential masterpiece. Or so I heard.
Parrish by Vern	May 2nd, 2007 04:38:26 PM
What do you mean by sycophantic? I thought a sycophant was an asskisser. Whose ass is the movie kissing? Anyway sorry you didn't like it bud, but I gotta disagree with everything you said. HOLY MOUNTAIN does have a clear structure to it. First the character called "the thief" wakes up, goes to the city, experiences some religious troubles, then goes to the tower and tries to steal the gold. That's part 1. Part 2 is the section which introduces the Alchemist and then each of the other characters by name and planet and shows their background. Then part 3 is the actual journey to the mountain and the quest for immortality. That said, I am still laughing that you called that movie cliched. I would like to see what a fresh, original movie looks like in a world where HOLY MOUNTAIN is cliched. Also, while both of them use surrealism and symbolism, I think that lumping in Jodorowsky with Fellini as being the same thing is pretty superficial. When Fellini did "it" first I guess "it" was a pretty different thing. Anyway thanks for the comments, it is good to have some disagreement in here, even if I am right and you are wrong. In my opinion. But also in fact. Just kidding, although it's true. thanks bud.
True that by TheDohDoh	May 2nd, 2007 05:08:20 PM
Just ordered my boxset from Amazon. Didn't even know about the soundtracks. Shit was only $40.
Jodorowsky = Still The Man by Mullah Omar	May 3rd, 2007 01:55:43 AM
I didn't understand what a "sycophantic" movie was, either. Maybe it was just a play for some big word points. As for Holy Mountain being cliched, I'd love to see a shortlist of films that anyone thinks Jodo ripped off for that one.
Santa Sangre by Henry Fool	May 3rd, 2007 04:51:41 AM
Does anyone here know if there are plans to release Jodorowski's other masterpiece, 'Sante Sangre' on DVD? It's one of my favorites... and nearly impossible to find.
3 Months Later... by YakMalla	Aug 9th, 2007 04:22:02 PM
Just watched Holy Mountain. Thx 4 the tip, Vern. Unlike anything I have ever seen. Still, for all its inventiveness, a good deal of it is really stuck in the 70's, and the middle section drug on too long for me. Not sure I'd recommend this to just anyone. But some will truly love this.

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Vern Digs Into The ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY Box Set! HOLY MOUNTAIN! EL TOPO! Paris Hilton?!? And More!

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