Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Lemmy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 6, 2011

Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski's "Lemmy" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Damage Case Films/Three Count Films & Secret Weapon Films. The supplemental features on the disc include various interviews with Lemmy, Metallica, Slash, Matt Sorum; Dee Snider, Scott Ian, and others; concert footage; behind the scenes footage; standard making of featurette; outtakes; and more. In English, partial English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The rocker who refused to sell out

I could name a good number of rock “legends” who left the scene and stopped caring about rock music as soon as they made their first million. They are retired now. These days they spend most of their time on the French Riviera, in Palma de Mallorca, Morocco, and Aspen. Some of them have private jets. There is one guy that even bought himself a submarine. You get the idea -- these guys were in it for the money.

Lemmy Kilmister, the legendary Motorhead singer/bassist, was in it for the music. He is still in it for the music. At age 66, Lemmy continues to make records and tour the world. And he is still trying to make his first million.

Time has roughed up Lemmy. He has aged a lot, gained weight, and started taking all kinds of different pills -- and no, not those kinds of pills; the ones he is taking now have been prescribed by a doctor because he is having problems with his blood pressure. The man lives alone in a $900-per-month apartment not too far off the Sunset Strip and makes his own French fries. And as was the case years ago, Mr. Jack Daniel is still his best friend.

Lemmy still collects Nazi memorabilia. He has amassed an impressive collection of knives, helmets, and medals. Every once in a while he likes to put on one of his many Nazi uniforms and head to a nearby garage where a few guys he has befriended have managed to restore a German tank. Lemmy is not a Nazi sympathizer; he just happens to like Nazi memorabilia (and for those who still have their doubts, he does clarify that if the Israeli Army had nice uniforms, he would have most likely collected them as well).

There are a lot of rock stars in the film who swear that Lemmy is god. Maybe they mean it. I don’t know. There is one guy that clearly does not. He is with Lemmy for the publicity. There is another guy, a millionaire, who disappeared from the scene years ago, who insists that Lemmy is Heavy Metal. He does not mean it either.

But Lemmy does not care what other people think of him, whether they worship or hate him. The music and his fans are all that matters to him. After each show, he would spend hours signing records and t-shirts and talking to young rockers that were not even born when Motorhead released Bomber.

Towards the end of the film, Lemmy discusses his drug addiction. The one girl he truly loved died from a heroin overdose, which is why he did speed. It was his drug of choice. Lemmy also admits that he has absolutely no regrets about the life he lived. The drugs were part of the scene, and he was part of it. It is that simple.

There are also plenty of clips from various shows. Some are from Motorhead’s early years, and others are more recent, from Lemmy’s trips to the United Kingdom, Finland, and Russia. The crowds are big and full of people of different ages. Lemmy loves their enthusiasm; it makes him feel good. The crowds love that Lemmy and his boys still rock. And that they have not sold out.

Note: Last year, Lemmy was screened at the Boston Independent Film Festival, Fantasia Film Festival, and Melbourne International Film Festival.

Motorhead - The World is Yours Tour - 2011

04/09/2011 - Santiago /Chile/Teatro Caupolican
04/12/2011 - Buenos Aires/ Argentina/Luna Park
04/14/2011 - Montevideo/Uruguay/Teatro de Verano Ramon Collazo
04/16/2011 - São Paulo/Brazil/Via Funchal
04/17/2011 - Curitiba/Brazil/Master Hall
04/20/2011 - Florianópolis /Brazil/Floripa Music Hall
04/22/2011 - Brasilia/Brazil/Ginasio Nilson Nelson
04/26/2011 - Peru, Lima/Explanada Sur Del Monumental
05/17/2011 - Tulsa, OK/BOK Center
05/18/2011 - Little Rock, AR/Verizon Arena
05/20/2011 - Memphis, TN/FedEx Forum
05/21/2011 - Gulf Shores, AL/Gulf Shore Public Beach
05/23/2011 - Council Bluffs, IA/Mid America Center
05/26/2011 - Missoula, MT/Adams Center
06/11/2011 - Germany, Munster/Vainstream Rock Festival
06/13/2011 - Austria/Novarock
06/17/2011 - Stadthalle Lichtenfels, Germany/Viva Los Tios Festival
06/25/2011 - Italy, Imola (Bologna)/Sonisphere
07/01/2011 - France, Herouville-Saint-Clair/Festival Beauregard, Castel of Beuregard
07/02/2011 - France, Belfort/Les Eurockeennes Festival
07/10/2011 - England, Knebworth/Sonisphere
07/16/2011 - Hazerfan Airfield/Istanbul, Turkey
07/29/2011 - La Coruna, Spain/Coliseum
07/30/2011 - Madrid, Spain/La Cubierta
07/31/2011 - Bilbao, Spain/BEC
08/02/2011 - Barcelona, Spain/Olimpic de Badalona
08/04/2011 - Switzerland, Avenches/Rock Oz’Arenes
08/06/2011 - Germany/Wacken Festival
08/10/2011 - Hungary, Budapest/Sziget Festival
08/11/2011 - Czech Republic, Jaromer/Brutal Assault Festival
08/14/2011 - England, Derbyshire/Bloodstock Festival
09/25/2011 - Brazil, Rio de Janeiro/Rock In Rio

Lemmy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski's Lemmy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Damage Case Films/Three Count Films & Secret Weapon Films.

The original content looks very good. The various close-ups and original interviews with Lemmy convey wonderful detail and clarity. As far as I could tell, there are absolutely no secondary image corrections that could have degraded the overall quality of the presentation. Understandably, the quality of the archival footage varies quite a bit. There are excerpts from various interviews with Lemmy and Motorhead where detail, clarity, and contrast are quite problematic (some of the old TV footage, in particular, looks really worn out). On the other hand, the concert footage is surprisingly good, especially the various clips from Lemmy's visits to the United Kingdom, Finland, and Russia. The more recent clips from Los Angeles, where Lemmy currently lives, also look very good. For the record, there are absolutely no transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. All in all, considering the fact that this is a documentary feature with plenty of content from various sources, the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Lemmy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, there are no optional English subtitles for the main feature. However, there are partial English subtitles, which appear only during specific scenes (when Lemmy and his friends/guests are interviewed in noisy bars, behind the stage, etc).

The ideal scenario would have been to have a loseless audio track of some sort - an English LPCM 2.0 track would have been more than enough - but this is a documentary film with plenty of footage from various interviews, TV programs, backstage discussions, etc., which I do not believe is compromised by the presence of the two lossy tracks. Yes, there is footage from a couple of life performances, but, again, I believe that the benefits would have been minimal at best. This being said, the distributors should have definitely included optional English subtitles for the entire film, as more than a few times I had a very difficult time understanding everything that was said in front of the camera.

Lemmy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Lemmy - directors Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski discuss how various parts of Lemmy were filmed. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080i).

• Motorhead Live - (34 min, 1080i).
  
  -- "Be My Baby"
  -- "Just 'Cos You Got The Power"
  -- "Going to Brazil"
  -- "Killed by Death"
  -- "Iron Fist"
  -- "Ace of Spades"
  -- "Whorehouse Blues"
  -- "Back Door Man"

• Lemmy & Metallica Live in Nashville - (22 min, 1080i).
  
  -- "Damage Case" Rehearsal
  -- "Too Late Too Late" Rehearsal
  -- Lem Warms Up
  -- "Damage Case" Live
  -- "Too Late Too Late" Live

• Lemmy Interview Outtakes - in English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080i).

• Lemmy's 50th Birthday with Metallica - in English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080i).

• The Sweet Side of Lemmy - in English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

• Funny Stories - in English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

• Marshall Stack Prototype Test - in English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

• (We Are) The Roadcrew - in English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

• Fans Around the World - in English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

• Meet the Superfans - in English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• The Recording of Motorizer - in English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080i).

• Everything Louder Than Everything Else - in English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080i).

• Lemmy's Bass Playing Style - in English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Phil Campbell Featurette - in English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Mikkey Dee Featurette - in English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• Clarke/Kilmister/Taylor: The Early Years - in English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Matt Sorum Joins Motorhead - in English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

• Triple H Interview Outtakes - in English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Full Dave Grohl & Lemmy Conversation - in English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

• Full Billy Bob Thornton & Lemmy Conversation - in English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080i).

• Hawkwind Extended Scene - in English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).

• The Rocking Vickers Extended Scene - in English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080i).

• Who Would Play Lemmy in a Movie? - in English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080i).

• Lemmy World Premieres at SXSW - in English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080i).

Lemmy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I loved Lemmy. It is a bit chaotic at times, but it is utterly honest. You really do not have to be a Motorhead fan to like the film -- or respect what Lemmy represents. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed looks and sounds very good. It also contains an enormous amount of supplemental features. RECOMMENDED.