Joe Berlinger + Bruce Sinofsky, 2004
7.5
i don't care about Metallica. at one time, though, i would immediately snatch up any of their old albums (pre-Black album) i could find at used record stores, but nowadays i'll even think twice before buying those. i'm 'meh' about them. the band went incredibly soft and radio-friendly in the 90s and then the Napster thing happened. but i do have some lingering respect for the guys (mostly James Hetfield, for going into rehab at such an unstable time in the band's life, and Kirk Hammett for being a (and only) decent guy in that band) and the music they created. i wasn't sure how to get into the film, though, because a lot of it doesn't come from an outsider's perspective. Berlinger and Sinofsky were granted an insane amount of access at an insanely unstable time in both Hetfield's life and the band's career, so a lot of the first half hour had me doubting the veracity of the edited footage (we find out later on that the band and management are paying for some of it). i loved the group/personal therapy set against the art of creating. that part spoke to me (and i loved that we got to see the interaction with producer Bob Rock. i love seeing how people create and record their music) -- individuals trying to evolve while in a group while also trying not to let Metallica go down so weakly. that was worthwhile for me. you also get a surprisingly inside view to a lot of news items you've heard about the band over the past couple of years -- the camera was right there for most of them. also noteworthy were the bass player auditions (was Eric Avery the dude who Garbage picked up to tour this year??). everyone and their mother turned up for that one. is it a satisfying documentary? yes because it chronicles two years in the life of Metallica. but could it have been more candid? absolutely. the film felt flat in that department. i didn't really learn anything new. but that also depends on the individuals' willingness to open up to Berlinger and Sinofsky. and most of the film felt like snapshot compared to the two years the band spent in what looked like misery. most of the footage of the band fights consists of Lars and Hetfield bickering or not understanding one another. it rarely goes deeper than that. (btw, thank god for the therapist. that's one of the single the best decisions their management ever made). the film felt like a cross between a real documentary (an outsider's perspective on candid subjects -- we'll see if that view changes after i listen to the two commentaries. this is one of the rare times where i'm actually looking forward to listening to a commentary) and a band/label-financed film for the fans. but despite all of those misgivings (and the fact that Metallica fans will get more of a kick out of their band than neophytes) the film is still a good, and sometimes fascinating, two hours to sit down for.
Posted by Anonymous | 9:02 PM
