Metallica

Timing is everything. As they mention during Some Kind Of Monster, documentary filmmakers Berlinger and Sinofsky admit that if they had shot this a year earlier, there was a chance that it may not have turned out the way it did. Lucky for us they decided on 2001 to begin filming Metallica because their film is an eye-opening, riveting look at the "world's biggest rock band" on the brink of destruction. Starting from day one of St. Anger's recording sessions, SKOM follows every moment of the two-year process, warts and all. The footage delves deep, dealing with James Hetfield's stint in rehab, interviewing former bassist Jason Newsted, finding his replacement Rob Trujillo, and most of all, what all Metallica and Megadeth fans have waited for: an intimate encounter between Lars and Dave Mustaine. Probably the greatest thing Berlinger and Sinofsky achieve is presenting a story of three men with deep relationship strife that anyone can enjoy, and the extras help further that enjoyment. The filmmakers have provided some awesome bonus material that equals, if not betters, the film. The additional scenes are plentiful, serving up some great moments, like the band's inability to log into their website's chat room, a small secret club gig, Kirk Hammett's Hawaiian-themed birthday party, James teaching a frustrated Kirk a tough riff and Kirk's down to earth trip to traffic school. The band's commentary is fairly restrained and pretty disappointing with a lot of dead air. The filmmakers' commentary is far more interesting. Plus: scenes from festivals and premieres, music video, filmmaker bios. (Third Eye/Paramount)