DVD Reviews: "The Last Supper" - Black Sabbath (2000); "Live and Loud" - Ozzy Osbourne (1992)

I bought these two DVDs on the same day about a month and a half ago as Best Buy was having a massive sale, and just recently got around to watching them. Since they both feature the Prince of Darkness himself, I figured a double review would be in order.

First, "The Last Supper" was filmed on a 1999 Sabbath reunion tour with the original line-up intact. After watching this, I'd have to put Tony Iommi right up there for sheer coolness in rock n' roll. Ozzy? Well, he's shuffling around and looking at the teleprompter, but he still hits the notes and has a hell of a lot of energy, something Mrs. H and I saw for ourselves in June 2003 when he played for two hours and forty-five minutes here in Ottawa (the same amount of time that the massively over-rated and over-hyped Bruce Springsteen played when I saw him two months prior). The set list isn't bad, as lesser-known tracks like "Dirty Women" are offered up alongside classics like "War Pigs", and although I don't particularly care for that tune, the opening riff is chill-inducing on this DVD when played at a suitable volume. The only complaint one might have about "The Last Supper" is that the tunes are interspersed with commentary from the guys in the band, offering up stories how massive drug ingestion led to lyrics to tunes like "Black Sabbath" and "N.I.B.". They also sit around making unfunny jokes with each other in a spirit of forced and uncomfortable faux-cameraderie. It would have been far better to just leave that out instead of pretending that this reunion was about anything more than a cash grab.

Next, we have the train wreck that is "Live and Loud". Filmed on the "No More Tours" jaunt circa 1991 (uh, not quite, Ozz), the lineup of baby-faced Zakk Wyle, Mike Inez and the late Randy Castillo are superimposed over top of poorly-edited concert scenes. Lips aren't moving during vocals, guitars are not picked during solos, and things are generally a mess, but it's fun because it's a picture-perfect glimpse into the excesses of the heavy metal culture from the late 80s and early 90s before we had to deal with Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain whining about how much it sucks to be successful. Lots of boobs, rowdy audience members and foul language complete things. I am a tad forgiving of the whole affair because it was filmed before concert DVD technology reached the standards of latter years, but if you're not a fan of the Ozzman, you'll find much to hate. As it stands, I am, so I give this one the thumbs up - taking it for what it is, of course.

Overall ratings:

The Last Supper: 8.25/10
Live and Loud: 8.25/10