Quint rocks out with metal doc ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL at Sundance!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a few minutes before I check out the much buzzed about documentary on Roman Polanski. Last year at Sundance I hit the same choppy waters that I’m in right now. It’s time to play catch up and I wanted to start with my favorite of the 3 or 4 movies I’m behind on writing up.
ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL
This is a documentary about a Metal band that kicked off the craze. Before Metallica there was Anvil.
When this doc started I wasn’t sure how to take it. It’s almost too crazy to be real. The lead of this metal band is a dude named Lips and his schtick was to go out on stage in bondage gear and play his guitar with a vibrator.
Then we find out that Lips’ best friend and drummer is a guy named Robb Reiner, so naturally I thought “Oh, this is a mockumentary and we’re getting some nods to SPINAL TAP.” There’s even a moment where an amp is turned to 11 and a point when the group visits Stonehenge.
But it seems like this is a real deal band. They have footage of Anvil playing shows in the early ‘80s. If it is a joke, then the joke’s on me because I’m treating it as a real documentary.
It’s not really a comedy, though there are really funny bits in it… You spend the film watching the now 50 something Lips and Robb try to get a re-deal on the shitty hand they’ve been dealt. They go on a horribly planned tour through Europe (sometimes playing for an audience consisting only of one fat dude rocking out in a recliner), but this is their vacation. They get almost no money for it, but they have hope there’ll be a producer that’ll want to get their new album off the ground.
It’s a little sad watching these guys, so full of enthusiasm as they put a brave face on some crushing disappointment. Lips works as a guy who delivers cafeteria meals for Toronto suburb schools. He’s well liked, but has definitely fallen short of his ambition.
He never gives up the dream, though.
Yes, it’s funny. Yes, it’s sad. Yes, it’s uplifting. In many ways this reminded me of ROCK SCHOOL, not so much in the structure, but in just pure entertainment value. These guys are real characters and the people surrounding their lives are characters, all just fun to watch.
The doc flew by, never lagging or overstaying its welcome.
Reading back over the review it’s going to be hard to convince anybody that this isn’t a mockumentary, but it’s real. I have evidence. Check out their famous Metal On Metal performance below, compliments of youtube!
ANVIL seems to be one of the audience favorites so far, judging by everybody I’ve talked to. It deserves to get some recognition and hopefully might finally be the tipping point for the band. Check out their website here!
