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Is Anvil the real Spinal Tap? That's a label that could be applied to any number of hapless hard rock bands, but there's enough evidence in Anvil: The Story of Anvil to suggest that these guys may have, uh, tapped into the motherlode. The parallels are many, including getting lost on the way to a gig, playing before 174 people in a 10,000 capacity venue (in Transylvania, yet), inept management, ridiculous songs (even Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins couldn't match "Thumb Hang," an Anvil tune about the Spanish Inquisition)… heck, they even visit (the real) Stonehenge. But dig deeper and you'll find some real heart in this 2007 documentary. Two hearts, actually--the ones belonging to singer-guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner (remove one "b" and you've got the director of This Is Spinal Tap). These two were there when the Canadian metal band formed in the early '80s and went on to share festival stages with the likes of Bon Jovi and Whitesnake. Now, a quarter century later (a new bassist and guitarist joined in the '90s), Reiner and Kudlow are in their fifties, living in Toronto with wives, kids, and menial jobs. But they still haven't given up their undying belief that with a new album (their thirteenth) and couple of breaks, they will be rock stars.
It doesn't happen on a mostly disastrous European tour organized by a well-meaning but inexperienced fan. It doesn't happen when they reunite with British producer Chris Tsangarides (Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy) but find little interest in the new recording. But Kudlow, despite some bleak moments, is remarkably resilient (of the tour, he says, "Things went drastically wrong. But at least there was a tour for them to go wrong on"). And while it's a sad truth that Anvil just isn't that good--they're nowhere near the level of some of the bands they inspired, like Anthrax and Metallica--only the hardest of heart will resist rooting for them. Bonus material includes deleted scenes and commentary by director (and former roadie) Sacha Gervasi. --Sam Graham
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best rock movie ever made? Definitely,
By
This review is from: Anvil: The Story of Anvil (DVD)
I first heard Anvil back in '84 or so. It was the MASTERS OF METAL II compilation, which had Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helix, Triumph, and yes...Anvil. "Metal On Metal" was the track. I loved it. Then I saw their videos on Much such as "Metal On Metal" and "Mad Dog", and I thought, hey, this band is funny, they're heavy, and they're good!After that, I don't know what happened. I probably never saw their albums in the stores or I would have picked one up. I sort of kept track of them over the years, saw they were still making records, and that Lips and Robb were still in the band. But still, never saw a record in the stores so I was able to buy it. That all changed with the release of this movie. Now, everywhere I go, I can find their latest record "This Is Thirteen" which I snapped up on vinyl the first time I found it. Hopefully I will find more of their albums in stores, now that they are just about a household name, 30 years later! I heard Michael Moore loved this movie. I heard it was the greatest rock movie of all time. I've seen a lot of rock movies, maybe every single one of them for all I know. Some Kind Of Monster...Still Crazy...This Is Spinal Tap...Rattle & Hum... Yeah, this is the best rock movie I've ever seen. The reason it's so good is that Lips, Robb, Ivan & Glenn are just normal people like you and me. There's nobody here who seems detached from the world like Lars Ulrich (except Lars Ulrich who is interviewed in this film about his love of Anvil). These are regular guys, with regular families, friends, and problems, and you will be familiar with all of them. While money seems to be the constant problem, each guy gets by and seems happy to be in Anvil. But not quite satisfied. Lips in particular, after 30 years of trying, truly believes that Anvil has what it takes to make it. Maybe the next album will be the one, he thinks. After a disasterous tour of Europe, Anvil are no further ahead. As a testament to his dedication, Lips said it was still a good time and he wouldn't trade that tour for anything. Back home, back at his catering job, Lips feels that Anvil's big problem is that none of their records recently have sounded any good. The only producer who ever made them sound good was Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Bruce Dickinson). He mails Chris a demo tape, hoping he'll like it, hoping he'll call. Record labels turn them down while bald-faced lying to them saying, "We'll listen to the whole thing later on." Lips and Robb, lifelong friends -- no -- lifelong soul-mates; two guys who love each other as much or more than their own families, nearly come to blows. It's really hard watching two grown men cry for real. It's really hard. Yet, this is not a depressing movie. It's actually a joyful movie. Lips' enthusiasm for his band and his music is so infectious, that nobody watching can help but cheer him on, and hope that the next turn of events won't be a screwup. Hopefully, he'll catch a break. The fans are there too, through it all, guys who have been there for 25 years and still love Anvil. At the same time, Anvil are fans too. Lips gleefully meets up with Michael Schenker, Carmine Appice, and Tommy Alridge at the Sweden Rock Festival, chatting them up and hoping they remember him. (Schenker's reaction is priceless.) Like I said, these are regular guys, fans just like you and me. Just that they play their instruments a heck of a lot better than you or me. This is not a movie to rent, this is a movie to own. After you watch it, go out and get This Is Thirteen, or any other Anvil albums you can fine. I have a feeling they won't be hard to find for very long. 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This documentary is THAT good!,
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This review is from: Anvil: The Story of Anvil (DVD)
Most of the other write-ups are pretty succinct in their assessment of the movie. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to see this documentary while Anvil did a 6 or 8 show tour to begin promotion of the film and their new album. They viewed the film in theatre sized venues then followed it up with an hour performance followed by a meet-and-greet. It was really heavy being there to see this film and the depth and emotion it allows us to take part in. There were instances of great hope and absolute emotional devastation...and in the the middle are the corny, clichéd moments associated with the metal genre.Regardless of your musical leanings, this is a movie worth picking up...if not for yourself do to keep the band's dream alive!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spinal Tap says "EH"!!!,
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This review is from: Anvil: The Story of Anvil (DVD)
What can you say about "The Story Of Anvil", a docu-biographical-drama, that almost coerces you to send money to these two somewhat hapless Canadian rockers who have just never learned how to say it's over...The movie starts off in almost a farsical style, and we get the feeling that possibly we are being treated to Spinal Tap Pt. Deux... but as it develops, there's just not the over the top satirical bent that Rob Reiner, (The Producer of Spinal Tap, and "Meat Head on All In the Family, not Robb Reiner the drummer from Anvil), brought to the hilarity that Spinal Tap was... Why? Because Spinal Tap was a Mock-Cu-Mentary, and here we are faced with a movie that appears to start in the same fashion, and as it progresses, sadly delivers a down-and-out sort of reality, which brings the viewers down, down, down, and further down into the depths of their despair, a despair that these two "rockstars" feel... an urgent despair that tugs at your heart-strings! Dedicated to their craft.. and ultimately believing they have their place in the annals of Rock History... this flick follows a somewhat scattered trek, as they try to once again resurrect what Anvil was, and what they would like it to be once again... Sort of a hope-filled journey towards success... a success which just never arrives... and so... all I could feel when the credits were rolling by. was a sort of sadness. A sadness for these two guys who care, believe and trust in the power of rock and their ability to conjure up the magic that rock 'n' roll is... even as age slowly pits it's plan against theirs.. with time is running out... If you are a fan of Rock... of Canadiana... or of Lars Ulrich, (the drummer of Metallica, because god knows he shows up here enough)... well then this is a moment in Canadian Rock Film History that you should most likely watch... with the same allure of a roadside car crash... You know the kind... When you pass an accident at roadside... and you just cannot look away... and yet once past... you realize you really saw nothing... Well...maybe that's the same thing with this movie... maybe you will see "something"...and maybe you won't... Only you will be able to know after warching! For me...I just felt kind of empty and kind of sad... Rock on ANVIL...RAWK ON!!! Here's hoping you the best!!! B
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