Home Theater: Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and The Fifth Element: Ultimate Edition

Metallica's warts-and-all doc features metal, tears and beers

By Bob Grimm

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

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Paul McCartney once had the innocuous idea of getting his bandmates together for a recording session that would be filmed. The intention was to capture the Beatles getting back to their roots and it resulted in Let it Be, essentially the final disintegration of the Fab Four. While I wouldn't put Metallica in the same league as the Beatles, there are some diehard fans out there who certainly would, and this documentary shares some traits with that infamous cinematic death rattle of the world's greatest band.

Lead singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich thought it would be a neat idea to film Metallica as it composed its latest studio album. They invited filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (makers of the Memphis Three Paradise Lost documentaries) into the studio to see what would happen. Hetfield promptly ended up absent for nearly one year on a rehab stint, and the band almost saw its demise.

Avid listeners of And Justice for All and Master of Puppets will probably find it an odd experience to see these heavy metal rock gods in band therapy, struggling for compromise and sometimes driving each other crazy. Longtime fans of the band will be dazzled by a sit-down between Ulrich and former band member and Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine, who claims that the past 20 years without Metallica have been a living hell.

In the end, the film is a harrowing study of emotional and chemical survival as the band first embraces then ultimately shuns therapy. By the time they head back on tour, Ulrich defiantly guzzling beer as Hetfield tries to ignore him, it's obvious that they will pull through for the time being. It will be, perhaps, a while before they film their Let it Be.

Special features: This is a two-disc set packed with deleted and alternate scenes that are all much worth watching. There are two commentaries, one with the filmmakers and another being a rather laidback observation by the band. Also of major interest are a series of press conferences and Q&A sessions the band conducted at various film festival openings.

Quirky < i>Fifth Element worth a second look

The Fifth Element: Ultimate Edition

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Director Luc Besson made one of the stranger entries to the science fiction genre when he concocted this bizarre space opera. Bruce Willis plays a disgruntled taxi driver who finds himself ushering a supreme being (Milla Jovovich) to her date with destiny: a major role in saving the world.

A visual masterpiece, this is one of those gems that will probably enjoy more appreciation in the years down the road. In addition to Willis's great tongue-in-cheek performance, Gary Oldman is all twisted as a sort of deranged Ross Perot, a sick arms dealer with a Texas accent who's intent on taking over the universe. Chris Tucker gets a chance to be wonderfully irritating as a futuristic DJ and Ian Holm has fun as a character oddly reminiscent of Alec Guinness' Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars.

Other comparisons can be made to Star Wars, and traces of Blade Runner can be spied in the visual influences. That said, films are rarely as original as this one. The stunning scene where the Blue Diva performs a rock opera is a classic moment. A hard-at-work Jovovich had to learn a fake language (created by Besson) for her scene-stealing role as Leeloo, whose wardrobe is the stuff of legends.

Special features: A little better than the film's initial DVD release, the two-disc set contains a series of behind-the-scenes documentaries and outtakes that offer great rewards to fans of the film. The more casual viewer might find them tiresome. The above-mentioned Diva gets her own study section, including an interview with Maiwenn Le Besco, the incredible-looking actress who got underneath all that makeup.