Anvil Is Out For Gold

If you haven't seen Anvil: The Story Of Anvil yet, cease reading this and watch it now. It is quite simply one of the best documentaries of the year and is enjoyable for non-Metal fans and people who could care less for documentaries. For those not in the know, it's a film chronicling a band that influenced many Metal bands yet never received the awards and accolades that their peers and followers earned. Despite this, Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums) continued the band all these years, playing gigs and releasing albums while working day jobs. This film shows this all while answering what happened to Anvil or, like a lot of people have probably asked, who is Anvil. With that said, if nominated for Best Documentary, should it win? Absolutely.
This film is a story made for the underdogs of the world and is presented in a way that makes you laugh while giving you a chance to root for something most people can relate to: triumph of the will, human spirit, perseverance and, of course, Metal. The truth is that other bands in their situation, especially heavier bands, would've given up long before before 10 years, let alone close to 30 years. Even Black Sabbath somewhat gave up in the mid-90's before reverting back to the original lineup.

Never giving up and fighting as the underdog makes Anvil: The Story Of Anvil the perfect nominee for Best Documentary, hell, the perfect winner. It takes a subject that many people would not care about and turns them and their journey into a very interesting and captivating subject. You want to know if they succeed and what awaits them at every turn. It's a documentary that created celebrities from its subject. Over the last two years, Anvil along with director, Sacha Gervasi, have shown the film to various festivals and pulling in interest from various media outlets to the point where they made appearances on late night programs as either a guest to plug the film or as the musical guest. They really went out and promoted this film to no end and as a reward for their hard work, Anvil now has songs on Rock Band, has toured stadiums with AC/DC and a cameo in the upcoming film adaptation for The Green Hornet.

With that last part said, it would be fitting for them to win an Oscar, if not a Grammy for Long Form Video, for this film. It the proverbial cherry on top of a delicious Metal sundae. As stated earlier, it's a film about something a lot of people can relate to: being the underdog and fighting for what you believe. Sadly, Michael Moore will probably win. It's nothing against him but he releases a documentary every three or four years so there's nothing really special about him winning. Anvil and Sacha Gervasi, on the other hand, have crafted a story so brilliant that to see it not either get nominated or win would be the crime of the century.

Anvil: The Story Of Anvil is available here and is definitely worth the purchase/viewing.