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It’s hard
to believe that the rock group Metallica
has been around for over twenty years. I
guess that really dates me because they
were just getting started around the time
I was getting out of high school. Oddly
enough, where I was a pretty big fan of
rock music, Metallica just wasn’t
on my play list. I didn’t really get
into the ‘speed metal’ as I
remember it being called. These guys played
hard, much too hard for my taste. Even in
the late 1980’s where my main job
consisted of creating special effects year
round for a haunted house attraction I had
friends trying to turn me on to Metallica
(as well as Anthrax and Megadeath), but
I just wasn’t buying.
That said, as I got older my musical tastes
changed, actually getting broader as opposed
to narrower. About 8 years ago I finally
borrowed Metallica’s “Black”
CD from a friend and sat down to listen
to it. I was completely floored. I realized
that I might have been missing out and decided
to pick up some of their older CDs.
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Before the weekend was out I had “And
Justice For All” and “Master of Puppets.”
Soon I began to realize why these guys were considered
one of the top rock bands in the world. There
was not only an incredible musical talent that
I had somehow not recognized, but the lyrics were
also extremely powerful. Fast forward to 2005
and I certainly call myself a fan.
I cannot even begin to tell you what a great film
“Metallica: Some Kind of Monster”
is. And while you might think I’m saying
that as a fan, that couldn’t be farther
from the truth. The film was produced and directed
by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, two of the
top documentary filmmakers working today. Two
of their previous films, “Paradise Lost”
and “Brothers’ Keeper” are (as
far I’m concerned) amongst some of the most
powerful documentaries in recent memory, so I
had no reason to think this one would be any different.
Well, except for the fact that they were treading
on all new ground. Where there earlier projects
revolved around the subject of murder, this new
one focuses on the near death and re-birth of
a rock music icon.
“Metallica: Some Kind of Monster”
was filmed over a two year period that marked
one of the most turbulent for the band. Their
bass player of over 15 years, Jason Newstead,
had recently left the band (citing creative differences)
just as they were planning on recording a brand
new album. The Napster controversy had also recently
come to an end, and due to Metallica’s vocal
outbursts and lawsuits aimed at the Internet site,
they had alienated many of their fans. Add to
this various addictions, a growing dissension
and power struggles between the remaining band
members and you have a recipe for disaster (or
in this case… a Grammy Award winning album).
The documentary runs over 2 hours, but the group
of us who had gotten together to watch it were
glued to the TV. “Metallica: Some Kind of
Monster” is fascinating to watch for a number
of reasons. First off, it offers an in-depth look
into what goes on behind the making of an album,
at least in terms of a band that has been together
for years. It is also an interesting character
study, not only because of the way these guys
berate each other, but to see how success has
changed them from angry poor guys to angry rich
guys. Even the process of writing their songs
appears to have changed.
We are offered a brief look at the band’s
early years, just enough to fill in non-fans on
their musical roots. A lot of their earlier music
spoke out in anger against social injustice, and
corrupt governments, while the current project
depicted here seems like more of an outcry against
not only their own corporate injustices, but each
other. The way their lifestyles have changed is
as much a part of the film as anything else. In
the discussion some of us had after the film was
over, I pointed out how odd it was to see a middle-aged
James Hetfield sitting in at a ballet class for
his daughter. Even strange was the sight of drummer
Lars Ulrich sipping wine in an art gallery that
was showing off his collection, and later his
elation as an auction at Christie’s earned
him millions of dollars for the sale of said collection.
This isn’t to say that they don’t
deserve the success; after all they’ve worked
hard for it. It’s just that the style of
their music and the ‘bad boy’ image
they portray as a band makes the sight of them
in a rich man’s world seem like something
out of a bizarro world. Not to mention that it
gives one the impression that they may no longer
be in touch with the lifestyle of the fans they’ve
accumulated over the years. And this impression
isn’t helped by the fact that in order for
the band to work together, there was a need for
a corporate ‘team therapist’ to help
them ‘find themselves.’ Meaningless
platitudes like “You have to tear down in
order to build up…” came out of this
guy, and I had to laugh because I hear the same
kind of thing when these guys invade my workplace.
Originally it appeared as though the idea behind
the film was to chronicle the recording of a Metallica
album, but in the end it became much more. As
we sat and watched them bicker and fight, usually
over some pointless and unimportant situation,
I was reminded of the various groups I’ve
worked with in the past. We, like the members
of Metallica, were a family… and families
squabble. Seeing these guys go at it was at times
uncomfortable, but never less than captivating.\
The DVD release of “Metallica: Some Kind
of Monster” offers up the full cut of the
movie, plus hours of extra features. There are
two commentaries, the first by the filmmakers.
This was by far the more interesting of the two,
because while their documentary style presents
an objective view of the proceedings, their commentary
offers them the opportunity to convey some personal
feelings. The second commentary is by the band
members themselves, offering them a chance to
open up a little more about some of their actions.
There are also an additional 40 scenes that were
cut from the film, and there’s not a one
that isn’t worth watching. Most of them
I wouldn’t have cut from the original feature,
but I understand they couldn’t release a
documentary that ran as long as “Lawrence
of Arabia.” Once you’ve sat through
these, you can check out some highlights from
some of the festival showings and premieres for
the film as well as a music video.
“Metallica: Some Kind of Monster”
is an amazing piece of work and one that I would
recommend to just about anyone. I will warn you
that there is an excessive amount of explicit
language thrown around, but if that should come
as no surprise.
By the way, I did also want to mention that Paramount
is hosting a great contest where you can win a
chance to meet Metallica in person. When I was
reading the rules I was kind of reminded of ‘Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, because
the studio is placing ‘Golden Ticket Instant
Win Messages’ inside 5 random “Metallica:
Some Kind of Monster” DVDs. So if you happen
to open up your copy and find that you are an
instant winner, you have to promise me that you’ll
dance around the room singing, “I’ve
Got a Golden Ticket….”
Directed by: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett,
Robert Trujillo
Extras: 40 Additional Scenes, Interviews with
Metallica About the Film, Highlights From Festivals
and Premieres, 2 Audio Commentaries by the Band
and Filmmakers, 2 Trailers, Music Video
Specifications: Full Screen (4:3), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound, 2.0 Stereo
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Metallica: Some Kind of Monster an
A+.
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