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Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

compiled by Jeffrey Overstreet
from Film Forum, 07/22/04

The heavy metal rock band Metallica is the focus of a new documentary that chronicles a time of tension and transition for the band. The film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster was made by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the acclaimed documentarians who gave us Brother's Keeper and Paradise Lost. Mainstream critics are describing it as "a riveting, intricate psychodrama" (The New York Times).

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says, "While the film does present some interesting perspectives on Metallica's difficulties during this time, most of the film is spent with the group being just a tad too self-conscious of the camera's presence. We get the feeling that they are censoring themselves and framing their responses for the film instead of honestly expressing their thoughts and feelings. Occasionally, as in the example above, there is a moment of genuineness that breaks through but there aren't enough of them to sustain the film." He adds that the film is, surprisingly, not about "sex, drugs, and rock and roll," but rather about "family, therapy, and business royalties."

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