Editor Reviews:

Description:
Featuring the most successful heavy metal band of all time, METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER offers a revealing and exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the legendary band as they confront personal demons and their relationships with each other while recording their Grammy-winning album, St. Anger.

Amazon.com:
With voyeuristic intensity, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster explores the intricate connections that are created, nurtured, and challenged between members of a long-lasting band. That this intimate odyssey of group therapy and self-discovery involves Metallica--the most successful heavy metal group of all time--is just one reason this film is so uniquely fascinating. Having proven their documentary skills with Brother's Keeper and Paradise Lost (which included Metallica in its soundtrack), filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky spent two years with Metallica as the band survived the defection of long-time bassist Jason Newsted, struggled to record St. Anger, and recruited $40,000-per-month "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle to counsel members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett as they confronted alcoholism, creative obstacles, and themselves in an effort to determine the viability of Metallica's future. With sincere hope, honest discussion, and the hiring of new bassist Robert Trujillo, Metallica battle their personal and professional demons, showing the vulnerable side of a business that thrives on raging testosterone. The effort pays off for everyone involved, especially the fans: Like the ultimate backstage pass, Some Kind of Monster is a healing journey into the hard-beating heart of rock & roll. --Jeff Shannon

Rating : - Metallica shares their feelings
Filmed for about two years during the making of the poorly received album "St. Anger", "some Kind of Monster is a healing journey into the hard-beating heart of rock & roll" (-Jeff Shannon). Lol. Right. This is where they got a lot of material for the cartoon comedy series on Adult Swim, METALOCALYPSE. Seriously, it is. Check out the first season. And it's impossible to not think of the classic mockumentary THIS IS SPINAL TAP, the parallels with it getting a little odd.

This up-close, intimate journey of self discovery and blah, blah, blah makes you wonder if having kids and sobering up is a good idea. I tempted to say, NO, stay drunk and unmarried. Above all, stay hungry and motivated or take a break. But what we see here is natural and to a large extent inevitable. It's just the way it goes. SOME KIND OF MONSTER is a great portrait of over the hill men that happen to be in the most successful metal band of all time, going through what appears to be a midlife crisis. Some say it took guts for them to allow themselves to be filmed like this, in all these personal, awkward situations over a period of years. I'm not so sure THAT much courage is what it required with egos of this size. In this age of reality TV and everyone exposing themselves on the internet, is it that big a deal? Besides, it could be good for your career right? But they do expose themselves, warts and all.

One of the weirdest characters is the $40,000-per-month "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle. He's in much of the film wearing these sweaters and he's actually named Phil. Phil seems to think he's in the band after awhile, at one point submiting lyrics. METALLICA in group therapy is the main focal point.

You are witness to some entertaining scenes 'like a fly on on a wall' as they say. Former band member from back in the day Dave Mustaine's misty eyed apperance... I'd argue that courage on his part. That moment was a long, long time coming. BUT this scene brings up the issue of editing. Mustaine now considers this the "final betrayal" claiming that parts of the conversation with Lars were not shown. We meet the band's families and see them as sons and daddies, see them struggle in the studio, deal with long time bassist Jason Newsted's departure, get a new bassist, deal with various situations, hang out with their stuff, sell a Basquiat painting...

Overall, an entertaining portrait of a famous rock band worth checking out even if your not a huge Metallica fan. (Or haven't been for years.) Definitely in the top several best rock n roll documentaries.