Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

A documentary crew followed Metallica for the better part of 2001-2003, a time of tension and release for the rock band, as they recorded their album St. Anger, fought bitterly, and sought the counsel of their on-call shrink.

Directors:

Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Stars:

James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich

5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
James Hetfield	...	Himself
Lars Ulrich	...	Himself
Kirk Hammett	...	Himself
Robert Trujillo	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Avery	...	Himself
Cliff Burnstein	...	Himself
Cliff Burton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Crazy Cabbie	...	Himself
Stefan Chirazi	...	Himself
Dylan Donkin	...	Himself
Erica Forstadt	...	Herself
Gio Gasparetti	...	Himself
Mike Gillies	...	Himself
Lani Hammett	...	Herself
Zach Harmon	...	Himself

Storyline

Some Kind of Monster is a music documentary about Metallica's making of their album St. Anger and the difficulties they had to go through in the process. The directors shot over 1200 hours and followed the band around night and day for over a year to create this documentary.

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Plot Keywords:

metallica | rock band | punctuation in title | art | art auction | 

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Taglines:

The film that redefines group therapy.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Metallica

Filming Locations:

Christie's Auction House, Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$46,359 (USA) (9 July 2004)

Gross:

$1,222,708 (USA) (22 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Radical Media, Third Eye Motion Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min 135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to the departure of full time bassist Jason Newsted, producer Bob Rock was asked to play bass on 'St. Anger'. Despite his acceptance of the temporary role Rock did not make any creative contributions to the album, and therefore didn't receive any writing credits.

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Quotes

Robert Trujillo: [during Audition] I could try "Battery."
Lars Ulrich: Battery? You can play that fast with your fingers?
Robert Trujillo: Yeah!

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Connections

References Deliverance (1972)

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Soundtracks

The Shortest Straw
Performed by Metallica
Written by James Hetfield (as Hetfield), Lars Ulrich (as Ulrich)
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing
Published by Creeping Death Music (ASCAP), © 1988

User Reviews

Great documentary about humorless band

I am a huge fan of early Metallica. They lost me, though, on the Metallica album (the black album, the first sign that they were turning into Spinal Tap). While this documentary is great film, I have to say that it just makes clear that Lars and James are utterly devoid of humor when it comes to themselves. At the film festival screening the theatre was filled with laughter as they revealed themselves to be petulant children who have a long way to go to reach maturity. Poor Kirk and the new guy, Rob Trujillo. There were only two times when Lars spoke really honestly in a way that didn't seem manipulative, and James never gave up anything real except when he was with his kids. The $40,000 a month counselor (he is not a trained psychiatrist or psychologist) was right out of Spinal Tap. FYI- the biggest cheers erupted after every Jason Newsted interview because he is just straight up, real, and honest. I wish him a lot of success because he seems to truly be all about playing music. Believe me, I applaud Metallica for being willing to let people see this truly great film, but as for Lars and James, lighten up for crying out loud. Therapy isn't only about expressing your feelings and expecting everyone to pat you on the back, it's also about learning to admit when you're wrong or being a jerk and laughing at yourself.