By Dave Montalbano
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com
When I was growing up, local movie theaters like Wometco Deerfield Ultravision used to have midnight movies on Friday and Saturday nights. They featured Grindhouse movies or LIVE concert documentaries, like Wings Over America or It’s Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper.With the advent of Saturday Night Live and home video, these movies became an endangered species.
Leave it to producer Charlotte Huggins to bring back nostalgia for a time gone buy. A veteran of 3-D family entertainment, Huggins has produced Metallica: Through the Never, a concert video with a surreal visual narrative thread. This film may not be for the “Lawrence Welk” lovers, but Heavy Metal heads my age and younger will want to experience it.
As the band Metallica (James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Urlich, Robert Trujillo) begin performing their sold-out apocalyptic concert, Trip the roadie (Dane DeHaan) is sent on an errand to retrieve a leather bag. Much like “Rosebud” from Citizen Kane or the briefcase from Pulp Fiction, the bag is the plot’s “MacGuffin,” and Trip’s quest to retrieve the bag takes on epic proportions.
There are some fantastic visuals of Trip confronting a vicious van accident, a street battle between anarchy and order with drops of apocalyptic terror mixed in. The unrelenting guitar shreds the viewer’s nerves, but there is a soothing denouement.
The beauty of seeing this concert in 3-D is that one can study the details. Monster Maven Kirk Hammett’s blistering guitar solos are enhanced by his movie poster tributes to Vincent Price and Boris Karloff that can be found on his guitars. With this attention to detail, one can appreciate the depth of this film.
For those seeking to continue the concert experience on the big screen, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science IMAX Theater will be presenting The Laser Light Experience with four laser experiences, two by Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall), and Laser Zeppelin and Laser Vinyl Classics.
In 45 minutes, Laser Vinyl Classics contains nine anthems of Rock ‘n Roll with laser visualization throughout the theater. Van Halen, KISS and Aerosmith are highlights, but Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody steals the show.
Both Metallica: Through the Never and The Laser Light Experience should be a field trip for the Bucks’ Class of ’83 reunion next month.
