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Metallica - Some Kind of Monster Actors: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett Directors: Bruce Sinofsky, Joe Berlinger Number of Items: 2 Format: Color Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Paramount Home Video Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-01-25 Buy from Amazon |
 "HORRIBLE EDITING + BOB ROCK"I think i could have gotten more into this if the editing had not been so godawful. I spent so much time thinking "Oh, Lars's hair is blond and short...wait-it's long and dark....now it's short again!!!" that it was distracting. It also made me wonder what else in the movie was taken out of context and why this was done. Too Bad. ALSO, Bob Rock made me sick with every disparaging comment regarding Jason Newsted. He acted as though Jason was a "hired hand" when he was a member of this band for almost 15 years! I got the impression Bob was sad and jealous that they didn't ask HIM to be the new member. Shame on him.  "Buy it! Drama queens galore!"First off: Buy this even if you are not a Metallica fan. SKOM is an entertaining DVD and you get a lot for your $19. That being said, here are my two cents on the contents: Phil the therapist: This hippie kinda guy just hangs around, making small talk, BS-ing, and cashing in on 40k a month! Gotta give props to him for that. Jason made a good point though, these therapy sessions are both lame and weak, but hey, it makes for an entertaining documentary, and if it saved Metallica, then that's cool wit me. Dave Mustaine: I love Megadeth, but I cant believe this dude. He was in Metallica for what, one year? And he bitches about not getting a second chance when Hetfield did? Hetfield f'n wrote or co-wrote every f'n song for f'n 20 years! Plus, all this s**t happened when they were 18 or someting. Get over it, buddy and realize that youre f'n talented and that Peace Sells, Rust, and Countdown are as good as anything Metallica ever did. Jason Newsted: I always kinda thought that he was the innocent victim, that he had been bullied by the others from day one and forced out of the band blah blah blah. Turns out he has as big an ego as the other three. Boo-hoo, nobody called him before the raiders parking lot gig. Boo-hoo, I'm gonna be a big baby about it and not return phone calls and not stick around to say hi after the Echobrain show. Anyway, buy this DVD. "Great documentary; very direct and honest "This is one of the most in depth and interesting documentaries I've ever seen. Its very entertaining to watch but also contains some very important themes and values that many people will identify with. This documentary should be the 101 course in how to maintain a good working relationship once the initial fire has dimmed. Metallica fans and non-metallca fans alike will take alot away from this movie. The DVD extras are also top notch providing hours and hours of bonus footage on DVD 2. You'll get everything from rare live performances, music videos and new 'in the studio' scenes in this bonus footage. Ever wanted to see the extended cut of the Dave Mustaine interview, the Swizz Beats recording session (ughh) or the first time Frantic was performed live? Its all here. Great purchase! By the way, any 1 star reviews are just the typical Metallica bashing fare. Nothing new, just ignore them and they'll go away. "A Wonderful Infomerical Gone Wrong"Some Kind of Monster is a really powerful documentary on Metallica's tumultuous period while recording St. Anger. Fans get to see a side of the band that has never been publicly revealed before, but I also believe the film will also appeal to anyone interested in the creative process, or with how people who have worked together for a long period of time need to address their problems with each other in order to move forward. I don't want to repeat what others have said about the film, so I'll just comment on some of the DVD related extras. The bonus scenes for the most part are really interesting and in some ways address the missing humour from the main body of the film. Anyone who's seen Metallica's other taped escapades (the 'Year and a Half in...' DVD and some of their Fan Club videos) probably wondered as I did if Metallica were always miserable during the recording process of this album. James post rehab came across as fairly humourless in the film, but his usual joking personality is still present in these dropped scenes. It's clear that a number of these scenes weren't used because it would have conflicted with the 'rebirthing' process that Berlinger and Sinofsky were trying to demonstrate. They made the right decision for the film, and I'm glad that we are able to see these scenes on the bonus DVD. My favourite cut scene is 'James talks about his childhood'. I really connected with this short monologue while he's driving. It opened a window into what made him happy during the bad times of his youth and I think it goes a long way into explaining why he is the way he is. His comments on first picking up a guitar were so dead on funny (being a guitar player myself). The commentary track with the directors is really good, but anyone who has read This Monster by Berlinger will get a lot of repeat information. Less impressive is the commentary track from the band, unfortunately. There are a few gems within, but it's mostly dead air, comments on what people are wearing and who hadn't showered. Not a lot of insight and only worth watching for die-hards.  "Makes sense as to why the last album sucked so bad!!!!!!!!"After watching this it gave me a sense why the last album, ST. Anger, can't seem to get past 3 stars. Their worst album to date. I liked the idea that Lars at least talks to Dave Mustane about the break up, i've had alot of resentment for Metallica over Napster and the way Dave was treated!! I hope they can get it together and put together a break through album next time around! I don't see what they saw in the bassist the hired from Ozzy's band, and a strange looking addition the way he plays the base. |
