Nimrod Antal – Metallica: Through the Never
I’m not into 3D, but this movie played in theaters only in 3D, at least around my stomping grounds. So, I went to check out the IMAX 3D version and I was very glad I did. The film mingles a Metallica concert with a weird horror story in which a Metallica roadie, played by the wonderful Dane DeHaan (a young actor to watch, by the way; he impressed in The Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your Darlings and this film and, in a perfect cast, is Harry Osbourne in the upcoming Spider-Man flick) trekking across the city to recover a missing bag the band needs. The story isn’t particularly great or necessary to the film’s greatness, but it’s fun anyway. Just when you think the story has no more freaky imagery up its sleeve, a frigging doll comes to life or something. But it’s the breathtaking concert footage that got Antal on this list. The cameras aren’t just on stage – they’re right in the faces of the band members as they stalk around the stage. The press was that this movie would be like having a front row seat at a concert; it wasn't - it was better. Yes, I was headbanging like mad; no one else in the theater was. Morons. What do you go to this movie for if not to totally lose yourself in the amazing music? The editing is absolutely perfect. It’s not particularly easy to explain the direction on this one, which is probably how great directing should be. I can’t put into words the stunning immediacy and energy of the footage; it’s simply one of the two or three best music docs I’ve ever seen and easily the most ferociously energetic. And the 3D? Well, this is the first 3D film I’ve ever seen where the 3D didn’t seem offensively obtrusive. All in all, everyone’s on top of their game. Antal’s filmography isn’t that impressive; the horror film Vacancy, the actioner Armored and franchise choice Predators. I never saw those, but I doubt they were fantastic or anything. This one, though, is most assuredly vibrant. For Antal, it’s no less than a tour de force.
Tomorrow, it's another documentary, albeit one with a very different source and methodology.