film: metallica - some kind of monster

[onetwothreefour]

well, this was at the (melbourne) film festival last year, but i wasn't able to catch it. luckily enough, the dvd release (and extras ++) is out so now i've seen it.

jesus, it's really damn good. i knew to expect a lot of personal footage of the guys in the band, but this is really no holds barred - we see arguments, tantrums, therapy sessions, the symbiosis of songs, everything.

tbh, if i left the film with one opinion, it's that lars ulrich (the drummer) is a conniving little cunt. trying to reconciliate all that we see in the fly-on-the-wall footage of the band with the personal interviews is a very interesting experience. when we see the band together, it is ulrich who (tries to) take(s) charge, bossing people around or complaining that no one pays attention to him. conversely, in the one-on-one portions, it is ulrich talking up the necessary 'together-ness' of the band and the definitive need to share the responsibility. something just don't smell right.

anyway, the film itself is really damn good. despite going over two hours, the film never feels strained, and the use of a 'day' by day sub-title series helps keep the feel of a narrative. there would have been a ton of footage to edit out of this, and it seems like the filmmakers did a top job: everything here feels relevant.

now, i'm not an enormous fan of metallica, but i certainly do like a lot of their stuff (at risk of persecution of every 'real' metallica fan, i actually like load and reload a lot ). i wonder how people react to the film based on this fact? if you're a metallica fan, did you like it or hate it? if you're not, were you still able to enjoy it?

 

[keystroke]

I'm not, nor have I ever been a fan of Metallica, but does the video touch on why the band tried so hard to take P2P users through the court systems and have people locked up for copying as little as one or two songs?

 

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ not really, no. there are a few short sentences from lars about his displeasure at the controversy making him "the most hated man in rock and roll" but that's about it. it's much more about the personal members and the band's implosion.

 

[Shnouzerpuff]

I thought it was awesome.

The fact that the guitarist Kirk Hammett is such a laid back chilled out surfer dude was a huge shock.
I was expecting a bit of a metal head aggressive dude, but he sounds like he could be playing Jack Johnson tunes without a second thought.

It was definately the Hetfield/Ulrich show as far as composition and everything was concerned... Robert Trujillo does absolutely nothing for me. The fact that he was hired after the CD's release and is simply playing Bob Rock's basslines gives him even less credibility in my eyes.


Add to that he was a right cunt to a waiter friend of mine at a hotel he was at when Metallica were at Big Day Out.

Anyhow getting off topic...

That psychiatrist must make an ABSOLUTE FORTUNE. I am 95% sure he is the same guy who has tried to sort out Motley Crue and Aerosmith among others. Rich Rich Man... who seems to offer some of the most shite and transparent advice I have ever heard... but ah well.




Lars Ulrich may as well be Fred Durst as far as I can tell.

EDIT - I really dug Load and Reload as well.

 

[onetwothreefour]

^^^ oh yeah, i forgot to mention. how fucking ZEN is kirk hammett. man, i think if he were any more laid back he was at risk of catatonia :D

he was seriously awesome though - always trying to chill out everybody else. hilarious

 

[Edvard Munch]

I'm not, nor have I ever been a fan of Metallica, but does the video touch on why the band tried so hard to take P2P users through the court systems and have people locked up for copying as little as one or two songs?

They have just bits here and there regarding the Napster lawsuits. I trully hoped Metallica would sue fans and win. (I'm not kidding)

 

[fruitfly]

Thumbs up from me -- an excellent music documentary.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

if you're a metallica fan, did you like it or hate it? if you're not, were you still able to enjoy it?

I'm a fan, and I found this movie a bore to be honest.

It went for FAR too long, was very repeditive, and seemed to me like a whole lot of pointless catfighting between immature little boys who hadn't grown up yet.

It was amusing in a fly-on-the-wall way for a little bit but after a while I just rolled my eyes at it all. I don't think I really need to see how emotionally retarded they all are; I liked the image of them as rock gods

 

[silvia saint]

kirk is cool - lars and james are dickheads - metallica post 91 sux - jason summed it up "he says he felt his former bandmates' decision to hire a therapist to help solve their problems was "really fucking lame, and weak"." - pathetic how they mocked his involvement when deciding to do the mtv legends (?) show

 

[pemde]

im a die hard metallica fan so its sad when there is so much hate

 

[stinkfoot]

lars and james are dickheads - metallica post 91 sux -

i agree. although i think james comes off as the bigger dick of the 2.

and, i thought this doc. was really boring.

they seriously just need to break up. i think they know they need to break up but they are making way to much $$$.

actually one funny thing i juist remembered....

one scene has james complaing that the rest of the band made some kinda decision without him.

he says-

james: i felt really left out...blah blah blah....and i really didn't like that feeeling

then kirk says-

kirk: now you know how i've felt the last 15 years.

the most fucked up thing is every1 pretty much ignored kirk when he said this.

james and lars go about their "me me me" routine.

pointless catfighting between immature little boys who hadn't grown up yet.

i agree.

 

[DigitalDuality]

I'm a fan, and I found this movie a bore to be honest.

It went for FAR too long, was very repeditive, and seemed to me like a whole lot of pointless catfighting between immature little boys who hadn't grown up yet.

It was amusing in a fly-on-the-wall way for a little bit but after a while I just rolled my eyes at it all. I don't think I really need to see how emotionally retarded they all are; I liked the image of them as rock gods

agreed