"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"

Is there a point when it’s time to change your plans? You know, something just isn’t working right that you have been working on for so long? How about a business you started that just isn’t taking off? What about an acting career that has nothinged out, which led to you faking a stunt about putting your kids up in a balloon to get on TV?

Well, if the band “Anvil” is any indication, you should never quit pursuing your passion.

“Anvil” is a Candian metal band that has/had a legitimate talent. They were known back in the early 80’s as a new type of metal that brought the “heavy” into the mix. They shared the stage and influenced the likes of Slayer, Twisted Sister, Metallica, and Guns N Roses. And while all those bands went on to brainwash your children, “Anvil” was never let out of its cage to bang its head all over your stereo. No label picked them up, no band they inspired took them on tour. Many years, albums, and dwindling shows later, “Anvil” was finding itself to be a has been comprised of 4 old men who never graduated from Metal University.

So what happened? Where did they go? Should you and I care? The documentary “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” answers all these questions. It picks up in modern day where the guys get hooked up to go on an international tour. Some of the shows are genuinely great, as they share festival stages with other well known metal bands. Some of them are miserable, as we painfully share in the genuine heartbreak these guys go through. It is here where the Spinal Tap references are more than applicable.

Speaking of guys, while bass and lead guitar have been a rotating play list for “Anvil,” drummer Robb Reiner and lead singer Steve “Lips” Kudlow have been faithful and true back to where it all started in the earliest of the 1980’s. They are the kind of best friends who might as well be related. They fight and spit like brothers, and they would die for one another like brothers. It gives the movie a heart and soul that other films of its nature just don’t have. They are the reason you will end up caring, even if you hate the music.

But, as much as I cared about the guys and their never ending passion, it begs the question – When do you stop?

While watching the film, I couldn’t help but wonder. Lips and Reiner’s passion for their music and friendship is so strong, that “Anvil” is the marriage and the wives are the mistress. They work low end jobs to pay the bills. Each man has given up everything for the dream of being a full time touring musician. Even though the ship left the port when Nirvana docked in the 90’s, they still tightly held on to the dream.

Regardless, I absolutely loved this documentary because I know what it feels like to want to play music so badly that you would give up everything to do it. Ask anyone who plays music: If someone today were to present you with the opportunity play music for a living, would you drop everything and do it? The answer is “yes.” When you are fulfilling your passion, you feel a type of happy that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Nothing compares to it. This is the sort of thing where no matter if 10 or 1000 people show up, you still play with the same energy because you love the sound. You feel that feeling, and you get high on it. It is a beautiful thing to know your passion, and to relish in it. Playing music for these guys has never been a job they had to do. For them, it's why they breathe.

Since the film came out, “Anvil” has been getting more and more recognition. But I think that it may not be for the reasons they had hoped for. It is their story of the years and years of never giving up that makes me root for them, not their music. It is a double edged sword of recognition, but also novelty. Old school metalheads either knew about the band and forgot, or they have always cared. These are the ones “Anvil” will affect the most. But the rest of us probably wouldn’t go out and buy the soundtrack.

“Anvil” is a weird sort of gambling addiction for the guys. They go to the tables and play their cards, only to sometimes win. That type of positive reinforcement is called addiction. They tasted something once and have been trying to find it again ever since. However, I know of more than a few folks who are paying off recording debts in their parent’s basements while pimping out their myspace music page. You get stuck, and like an addiction it can ruin your life. You believe that someday something will happen. You’ll get that experience again, or that feeling will come back. Why go to school and get a degree if the band might take off? Why risk not playing a show? You have to wonder how far you go to hang onto the dream before moving on.

As a whole, I have a really mixed reaction. I can’t help but be happy that since the film released, they have only gotten more recognition due to the timely “don’t give up” message. It’s true, don’t give up on your passion. But the other side of me says sometimes, it’s best to know when to quit, or at least change your plans. I am grateful that in the case of “Anvil,” they stuck it out till the end.

You will be too.

Zombieland

Around elementary school age, I used to love playing with action figures. I used to spend hours pretending I would be the lone ninja GI Joe superhero spy who would come into the fray of soldiers, ninja turtles, and miscellaneous robots to save the day. I imagined being one man versus 1000, and the enemy never stood a chance. That’s because I am awesome, and my soldier could withstand any bad guy ninja in the pack.

Yep, unstoppably awesome.

My imagination about saving the day has always caught up with me at each stage of development. As a teenager, it was me pretending to walk down the hallway and ask out my dream girl, who secretly was in love with me. You see, unbeknownst to me, she had been admiring my awesome haircut, hardcore music related t-shirt, and my sense of humor. When I was on stage with my band, it wasn’t the reality of the crowd watching, it was the hope of that one person watching me.

In fantasy and imagination, no one stops you except for yourself. You can only imagine things that you understand. Often, these fantasies come from a place of wanting something you aren’t. Perhaps it was that in playing with my action figures as the lone wolf soldier, I was enjoying pretending to be invincible and in control. However, in reality I was a really anxious and socially nervous kid who dealt with a fair amount of being made fun of by my peers. Playing was way to feel cool, comfortable, and in control of my environment. Imagination and fantasy are why play therapy works so well with children, because children project onto the playing what is going on in their uncensored minds.

“Zombieland” is the ultimate in male escapist fantasy. It opens with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg from “The Squid and the Whale”) giving an overview of four simple rules to survive the world, or as the world is now known, “Zombieland.” As Columbus narrates, we see limbs flying, tendons being chewed on, flesh gushing, and all manner of zombie style gore - much of which is played for humor as opposed to terror.

Very quickly, Columbus meets Tallahassee (all characters go by the name of their home town) and off they go en route to their various destinations. While en route, the run into Little Rock and Wichita, two sister’s who are headed to a California amusement park. Columbus is immediately smitten with Wichita, and the chase is on for love…and freedom from zombies.

The story is told through the eyes of Columbus. He is your everyday lovable nerd who loves his World of Warcraft and Code Red Mountain Dew. He lacks social skills, particularly with females. The movie watches him try to be the hero in the midst of an ultimate tough guy, tiny teen, and gorgeous gal. The movie is about him, through him and by him.

It is his fantasy.

In fact “Zombieland” is every male geek’s fantasy. You know, the guy who obsessively plays videogames, is socially awkward, and has an insanely deep knowledge of all things safe (hence the rules in the film)? This is the guy who has his fun imagining slaying dragons, fighting on battlefields, and yes – saving the world. He imagines being cool while retaining his geek sense of self and makes friends with other cool people. Most importantly, he imagines getting the girl. At the end of it all, if the whole world was decaying and dying – he would survive it, show incredible courage, save the world, and get the girl.

It’s the little things that matter in life.

“Zombieland” is this male fantasy. I get the impression that the writer was making his autobiography of the future, only told through the lens of the past as his teen self. One could even argue that the character of Tallahassee is a projection of his inner fearless self. Consider that the tagline in “Zombieland” is “It’s time to nut up or shut up.” So what are the ladies supposed to do (because you know, women don’t have nuts)? In the film the women are clever con artists, but even at the end, they are transformed into damsels in distress and it’s up to Mr. Geek to save them and get his kiss of a reward. It is what every pimply faced teen dreams of accomplishing.

And yet, I really enjoyed “Zombieland.” I connected with it as a fun escapist movie that features plenty of jump scares, humor, action, and gore. It connected with the geeky male in me (there is plenty of it too). I liked the story, which had some real dynamic, emotional depth and character development in the most unlikely of places. I thought that Woody Harrelson was cast before the movie was actually written because he so embodies Tallahassee. The film had great one-liners, and the lines were delivered by actors who were fun to watch and listen to.

As a film, I have a couple criticisms. Some things are convenient, like how the protagonists first meet. Additionally there are some pacing issues. It starts off fast and loud, winds down and then ends somewhere in the middle. It wasn’t the finale it should have been. I would love to have seen some big explosions to close it out. Additionally, the rules idea was clever and set up well, but not carried through as consistently as could have been. Still, it was easy to forgive in a movie that was as much about giving you some scares and lots of laughs as it was about telling a story.

I read somewhere that “Zombieland” was America’s response to the completely awesome British film “Shaun of the Dead.” In many ways it is, though this film feels more polished – for better and for worse. I ultimately liked “Shaun” more, but that is not meant to be a knock to “Zombieland.” They both are really fun, entertaining movies that aim to do just that – entertain. It will connect with something in male’s more, but everyone will laugh at least once.

3.5/5