Last Days Here (Don Argott & Demian Fenton, 2012)

The same pitch that drew me to Last Days Here, that it was a rawer version of 2009's excellent documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, is ultimately what made its weaknesses all the more apparent. Anvil! had a clear sympathy for its subjects that didn't override its ability to treat the forgotten band honestly. Last Days Here simply languishes in the Pentagram frontman's stupor, so lacking in context that it just feels as if we're watching a failure die. It grows uncomfortable quickly, and the vague strands of hope that come into play at the end weren't enough to make me like I hadn't just spied on someone's breakdown for 90 minutes. It's one thing to illuminate pain with cameras; it's another to just record it.

My full review is up now at Spectrum Culture.