'Spinal Tap' comes to life onscreen in Anvil documentary
Are you dying to see Anvil, the new movie/documentary on the misfortunes of a real heavy metal band? Vegas Girlfriend, who gets all the breaks, caught its premiere up in Detroit on Saturday night. Here's her review.
How did two nice Jewish boys from Toronto become the poster children for unrealized rock 'n' roll dreams?
Anvil: The Story of Anvil tells the sad, funny and ultimately heartwarming tale of Lips (Steve Kudlow) and Robb Reiner, best friends for over 35 years who still keep hoping that they will finally become the huge metal band it looked like they would become back in 1984 when they played the Japan Super Rock Festival alongside the Scorpions, Bon Jovi and Whitesnake.
Lips is the emotional heart of the band, while Robb is the steady-as-a-rock head. A scene where they are fighting in the studio comes across as something straight out of couples counseling, with the producer as therapist.
It’s really hard not to root for the guys, as they fumble their way through a disastrous European tour, day jobs such as delivering school cafeteria trays, and always thinking that their big break may be just around the corner.
The Spinal Tap parallels are uncanny; the amps go to 11 and the band even takes a trip to Stonehenge.
The film is definitely bittersweet, and some may consider Anvil totally pathetic, but as Slash of Guns N' Roses says in the film, “There’s not many bands that have been around for over 30 years. There’s the Rolling Stones, the Who and Anvil."
I’m looking forward to getting a genuine Anvil tuque (as modeled by Lips in the movie), and finally hearing Thumb Hang, the first song Anvil ever wrote after hearing about the Inquisition in high school history class. And seeing Anvil at the Oscars for a Best Documentary nomination next year would be the greatest '80s moment since seeing Mickey Rourke there this year.
Click here to watch the movie trailer. Or click here to visit the band's official website.
[Getty Images photo]
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They are showing it at the Music Box in Chicago tomorrow night. I think I am going to see it.
Posted by: Neil | April 23, 2009 at 05:56 PM
I have seen this preview already and would love to see this movie when it makes it's way to Europe.
Posted by: DerekT | April 22, 2009 at 09:28 AM