DVD SNAPSHOT

Theatrical Movie/Concert Review

Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (Theatrical Screening & Live Performance)

Official Synopsis:

At 14, Toronto friends Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. They meant it. Their band, Anvil, went on to become the “demigods of Canadian metal.” Releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil’s career took a different path – straight to obscurity. Director Sasha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful and often hilarious account of Anvil’s last-ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. His ingenious filmmaking may first lead you to think this is a mockumentary, but it isn’t. Gervasi joined the legendary heavy-metal band as a roadie for a tour of Canadian hockey arenas, so he has an intimate insight into the members’ eccentricities. It’s fascinating to see the reality of their day-to-day lives as they struggle to make ends meet, take a misguided European tour, and engage in antics on the road – which is not always lined with fans. Gervasi even finds a softer center to this raucous film, introducing us to the band members’ ever-supportive, but long-suffering, families. At its core, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year. Anvil rocks – it has no other choice.

(Source: John Cooper, from the Sundance Film Fest 2008 Catalog)

Our Take:

Last night (9/29/09), I was lucky enough to see a special screening of Anvil! The Story of Anvil at Village East Cinemas here in New York City. The evening began with Morgan Spurlock (director/star of Super Size Me) introducing the film to a theater partially filled with, not metal heads, but NYU undergrads with a few actual adults in their midst; no one nearly as old as the subject of Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

The film is an excellent true life story of a band, whose founders Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner, have never stopped putting out albums or trying to “make it” in the music industry. As being too young to appreciate the “scene” of 80’s metal other than scoff at feathered hair, I took artists such as, Lars Ulrich and Slash for their word when they described Anvil as one of the most influential metal bands of all time. What followed was an almost historic illustration of the saying, “things just didn’t pan out.” Fast forward from 1982 to 2005, and we find Anvil, its founding members now creeping steadily towards their 50s, preparing to record their thirteenth album. Before they do so, they go on a mismanaged, but well-intentioned European tour that feels straight out of This is Spinal Tap.

Actually, a lot of Anvil! The Story of Anvil feels similar to the iconic rock mockumentary. It is a case of life imitating art that imitated life. Director, Sasha Gervasi, clearly made a point to allude to This is Spinal Tap throughout the film, but that never took the heart out of it. But, it is strange coincidence that Anvil’s drummer is actually named Robb Reiner (Rob Reiner directed/starred in Spinal Tap) There a poignant moments in the film that will bring some to tears, but they tend to always be followed with a laugh. It is a cinematic tone that mirrors the attitudes and lives of Lips and Robb. Their long-lasting friendship and dedication to each other has its flare ups, which we see on screen, but hostilities never tend to linger. Aside from This is Spinal Tap, Anvil! The Story of Anvil brings to mind the recently critically acclaimed film, The Wrestler. Both explore the idea of fading out of the spotlight through protagonists that are clutching to a bygone decade, the 80s, with dedicated ferocity as they continue to do what they love despite the pressures of the outside world. Only, Anvil! is real, and should appeal to those who loved The Wrestler.

Without spoiling much, Anvil! The Story of Anvil has a happy ending. It was only natural that following the documentary there would be a renewed, if not, newfound interest in the band. They got signed by VH1 and were on hand to play a half hour set after the credits rolled. The documentary got the audience geared up, as Anvil played to an enthused crowd comprised of students still in diapers or not even born when the band first hit the scene. And for all the faded stars of yesteryear still doing rock tours, Anvil, still feels fresh. Perhaps that is because they still are fresh, the hunger of struggling musicians still in their bellies, they still rock hard. The short set-list was highlighted by the song “White Rhino” (off their 2002 album, Still Going Strong) that featured a dizzying drum solo by Robb Reiner that simply floored me. The solo single-handedly put him in the upper echelon of drummers in my mind, up there with the gods, John Bonham and Keith Moon.

Conclusion:

Both Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Anvil, the band, are worth checking out. The film airs on VH1 this Saturday night, October 3 (check local listings), so set your DVRs or better yet, wait three days and pick up Anvil! The Story of Anvil on DVD, October 6. If you get the chance to see the band live, I highly recommend it. The combinations of raw talent and experience mixed with an air (ironically) young garage band is simply amazing. Anvil may truly be an arena band (they recently played Giants Stadium with AC/DC), but if you can see them in a small venue, absolutely take that opportunity. The film as well as the band itself comes…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:

Movie: A
Band's Performance: A+

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer