VI at the Movies

Increasingly annoyed by the general crumminess of our local Blockbuster, the wife and I finally succumbed to the siren song of Netflix. I have to say I’m impressed. Great selection, and it’s so darn easy!

This past weekend’s selections brought us, inter alia:

• Closer This flick manages to be boring, pretentious, offensive, and filthy all at once. “Defines modern romance” indeed. Only if all modern people are sadistic jerks.
• Metallica: Some Kind of Monster This, on the other hand, was a real treat. A documentary that was intended to follow the making of Metallica’s most recent album, the filmakers got more than they bargained for when the band fired their bass player, ended up in group therapy at the behest of their record company, and lead singer/guitarist James Hetfield landed in rehab for alcoholism! What you see is these super-macho heavy metal guys who’ve been rocking and partying since their late teens realizing in mid-life they never really learned how to express their feelings or form meaningful relationships with other people. Really fascinating (and the guys in Metallica come off as positively lovable and cuddly compared to the vicious shallow yuppies of Closer).