Linkin Park: Making of Minutes to Midnight (Mark Fiore, 2008): USA

Reviewed by Jason Sanders. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Being a fan of the band, I thought it would be interesting to see how they made there hit album.  Mark Fiore has actually been working with the band for quite some time about a documentary.  This documentary at times doesn’t come off as one, but more of a movie that is real.

The film spans over the time the band starts the album Minutes to Midnight to its end.  Interviews and band sessions take up most of the film, but there are parts that show and introduce the audience to who the band mates are.  Chester Bennington, who is the lead singer, explains how the band is more than just music and fun, but a way to be himself.  I know a lot of singers and bands write about what they feel or what they try to say, but Chester does it to find himself and according to him, he has done that over the years.  Most importantly, it showed the evolution of the band, and their journey to create a new sound.

The film mixes just enough music with just the right amount of interviews.  This documentary is definitely a different take on the genre and contains more passion than I normally see in a music documentary.  I thought it was very original and thought it was amazing to hear about the deeper meanings behind their songs.  The only way to really show an example is to show a small portion of the documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StfG9ziY_Bk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiA1lhjeXjw