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I can't say I was a die hard Metallica fan growing up, or that I am one now. I own a few albums-And Justice for All being the earliest-that I dust off and listen to once in a great while. I remember watching the video for "One" when I was little and liking the song, but being highly intimidated by the anger coming out of the speakers and the mean looking face of James Hetfield. He reminded me of my older cousin, John, who I always looked up to and tried to impressed even though I would constantly annoy him, which landed me some hardcore beatings.
Watching Metallica's "Behind the Music" on VH1 showed their less intimidating side, but "Some Kind of Monster" portrays this band as whiny pussies who couldn't intimidate scared children. There's somthing about watching a metal band talk out their feelings in therapy that makes me wonder what happened to their testicles. This is over two hours of constant bitching, but it in an interesting watch of the making of an album, even though my opinion of Metallica has altered.
The documentary starts with Jason Newsted quitting the band for various reasons just as they are about to write their new album. The three remaining members, along with producer Bob Rock, have therapy sessions with Phil Towle, in addition to trying to motivate themselves to write music. This is a frustrating task that becomes even worse when Hetfield enters rehab for a year.
He comes back and cuts his studio time in half and constantly bumps heads with drummer Lars Ulrich. It takes awhile before the two get back on the same pages, and its not a fun ride as the egos duke it out. I was expecting to see one of them either cry or destroy something, but neither happened.
Ulrich was able to overemphasize every word he said, making it sound incredibly dramatic, unnecessary, and so very important, even though most of it was bullshit. Hetfield was alright when he wasn't being a baby about things. Kirk Hammett stayed out of most of the arguments, but he seemed very annoyed by the crap his two bandmates were pulling, as was Rock.
The album is pretty much done by the time they find bassist, Robert Trujillo, and film MTV Icon. The film ends with them all getting along, excited about the new album adn the band in general, and about to embark on their first tour in three years. Its a real life happy ending.
This was a decent documentary that showed a true behind the scenes look at the making of an album. I could have done without the drama, which made me think less of the band, but I'm sure kept other people highly entertained. I would have liked to see more elaboration on Ulrich's battle with Napster, as well as the Icon special. I also wanted to know why they toured with Limp Bizkit, even though they suck and were the main opponents during the Napster debacle. Music fans would enjoy renting this, but there's no need to buy it.
Written by: RF