The Story of Anvil is a Rock 'n' Roll cautionary tale for those of us living out our Rock 'n' Roll dreams. You can be an innovative band, have the respect of your peers, and have the same access to fans but still not make it into big time Rock 'n' Roll. The story of Anvil is also a story of hope, friendship and following your artistic vision to create something that not only do you like but will be there after you're gone. This is more than a 'rockumentary' about a metal band. Anvil are a special case. You see, back in the early 1980s they were relatively famous, touring with major names like the Scorpions and Twisted Sister. The bands they toured with went on to fame and fortune, selling hundreds of thousands if not millions of records. But somehow Anvil missed the boat. Nobody can seem to figure the reason for this failure--it certainly wasn't for lack of talent, as the performances and recorded samples in the movie attest. My guess is that these guys probably had very little business sense and made a series of poor decisions that condemned them to long-term obscurity. Combine the lack of business smarts and bad decision-making with really poor management and virtually no support from the labels on which they released records, and you have the miserable situation in which the members of the band now find themselves--in their fifties, well past their rock n' roll/heavy metal prime (it's definitely a young man's game), and still kicking around doing meagerly-paying day jobs while clinging to the dream that one day it will all come together and they will be able to play music full-time. The film flows along well; and the way the film was shot works wonders for the picture. The scenes capture the essence of the band both in their brief heyday as well as those awful, countless times when things don't work out for them. There's a lot of footage about their relationships as well; there is in particular a focus on Steve "Lips" Kudlow and his band mate and buddy for life Robb Reiner. Sure, the band had a hit or two and their music really isn't that bad; but they still weren't strong enough to make a lasting impression on people so they only got their fifteen minutes of fame. They had poor representation more often than not, although things are tough for them especially when Chris Tsangarides, who worked with bands as big as Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy, can't even make it happen for them. Whether you're a metal fan or not, this is a great movie that just may renew some of your faith in the human race. DOMO ARIGATO! Good luck to you guys!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
