SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

RichieT2000 I have to reluctantly admit that if I'm one hundred percent honest with myself I'm in love with the romance of rock n roll music more than I'm in love with the music itself. My tastes are a little more modern and to me, and I'm aware this is a sweeping statement, the music feels just a touch dated. However, with this fact in mind, The Story of Anvil ticks just every single box. Aside from being a gripping story, featuring truly endearing characters, it just oozes romance that wouldn't sit in a fictional movie but in a documentary it serves to remind me how wonderfully ironic real life can be. From start to finish I was on board, willing them to succeed, riveted by their story up to now and just thoroughly entertained. I defy anyone not to smile along with this film, no matter what your musical taste.

afilmaday The questionable quote by Picasso 'Every child is born an artist, the problem is to remain one once they grow up' is important and poignant for artists making that transition from childhood to adulthood. How far will an artist go to keep their dreams alive? What happens if things don't go to plan? How will they support themselves? These are important questions every aspiring artist, musician, actor, writer, filmmaker, animator, designer etc. must consider. Today's feature is a prime example, this is Anvil! The Story of Anvil.Plot: Canadian metal group Anvil are considered the inventors of thrash metal, with many bands citing them as a direct influence, such as Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax, and were a big act in '84, playing alongside Scorpions, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. Unfortunately were never met with the success that others had and director Sacha Gervasi, self-proclaimed 'number one Anvil fan of Britain', documents the struggling band as they approach their 50s still chasing their dreams.Metal fans everywhere will view the movies introductory interviews with Lemmy, Lars Ulrich, Slash and many other megastars as a brief subjective history lesson. It introduces Anvil's significance to the genre and heavily glorifies the band. It then dramatically juxtaposes with the celebration of lead vocalist Lips' 50th birthday with the band playing in a bar in Canada emphasising the lack of commercial success they should have had. This contrast sets the tone of being a true underdog story and we are then presented with their ups & downs throughout.This documentary is not unflinching or gritty realistic that one might expect, but director Sacha Gervasi brilliantly sets the tone to match that of the band; Lips' natural optimism, drummer Robb Reiner's endless patience and newcomers' support for their dreams. He edits the movie in such a fashion that one is only aware of it upon reflection; their first gig at Sweden Rock festival, Lips interacts with those whom he admires including Michael Schenker and Tommy Aldridge, which makes Anvil relatable and much like regular fans. At the same festival, two Japanese fans approach them, one of them labelled as an 'original Anvil fan', a foreshadowing to the climatic gig in Japan, where it appears they have a very large fan base. During their European tour, it presents the issues of their passionate but poor manager Tiziana Arrigoni who gives the band empty venues, un-paying owners and poor accommodations; the first gig in Sweden went perfect, second gig in Prague was troublesome, with a lawyer in attendance telling them they are being conned by their "shit manager", and final gig in Transylvania, being told 5,000 people are to show and only 174 do so. It was a 34 day tour, yet presented in a typical 3-Act story structure. This is not an attack or a negative comment, but Gervasi made these creative choices to give them necessary exposure and admiration the band rightfully deserves. If he had made it fully realistic, then the tone would contrast to the tone of the band and appear like an attack or putdown.It has moments of sadness when Lips is presented almost as a victim, with a clearly unsupportive but tolerant family, and this presentation of victimisation manipulates the spectator into siding with Anvil. The constant rejections from record labels and some hope with old producer Chris Tsangarides all give perfect plot points to structure this brilliant true-life underdog story.Anvil! The Story of Anvil is accessible to everyone for it does not rely on its audiences' prior knowledge to the genre. Anyone involved with the arts must watch this portrayal of artists struggling to get by and do what they love. Yes, it is manipulative for structural purposes but the message is loud; doing what you love involves plenty of sacrifice and will not always end how you wanted it. High recommendation for anyone wanting a great underdog documentary.

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain A documentary that makes a mockumentary, which preceded it by over 20 years, look irrelevant. THIS is Spinal Tap, only their name is Anvil and they are very real. As many have stated before, this is a film with amazing power. It really does make everything seem OK. Here are two men that refuse to give up on their dream or each other. Kudlow is a wonderful character and wonderful man, full of raw passion and a childlike confusion. The scenes where he approaches his peers in a fanboyish way make him truly endearing. He should be level with these men, many of whom he has met before but never remember the encounters. Sometimes you laugh at them, but in a way that can't be considered cruel. Kudlow and Reiner are a sweet couple and this is their moment. This is how people should live their lives, with responsibility, but always with one (and sometimes two) eyes focused on that dream.

estebangonzalez10 ¨Everything on the tour went drastically wrong. But at least there was a tour for it to go wrong on.¨ That is the kind of attitude that Steve ¨Lips¨ Kudlow, lead singer of the Canadian cult metal band Anvil, has had during his entire life. Things have gone wrong with the band, but his positive attitude and his fight for achieving his dreams and goals are what have made the band stick together for more than 35 years. This documentary, directed by Sacha Gervasi (who also wrote The Terminal) is a truly emotional experience that tries to examine what went wrong with this promising band from the 80's which disappeared from the map all of a sudden. Anvil seemed to be heading to certain fame in the early 80's when they went on tour opening for Bon Jovi with their hit song ¨Metal on Metal.¨ Something went drastically wrong, due to poor managing, and the band was soon forgotten by almost everyone. Other bands such as Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax that did make it big time in the metal world claimed to be heavily influenced by Anvil, but somehow Lips' band faded away. Now more than 30 years later, Gervasi (a Canadian himself) decided to make a documentary as to the whereabouts of the members of the band. Lips and drummer Rob Reiner have stuck together during all these years playing at small shows and recording new albums, while at the same time working full time jobs in order to sustain their family. They have remained best friends since they were young teens and have played together during their entire lives despite facing great adversity. The inspiring and sometimes funny story makes for an unforgettable and emotional film.The documentary begins by introducing us to this promising Canadian band from the 80's that was opening for Bon Jovi and through their music influencing some of the biggest names in rock history. Despite the spectacular moment the band was living, they were the only one's not to ever make it mainstream in the Metal world. Something went wrong and they were soon forgotten, until 30 years later Gervasi decided to make a documentary about their life. Surprisingly the band was still together playing at small gigs and releasing their 13th LP. Lead singer Steve ¨Lips¨ Kudlow and drummer Rob Reiner now in their fifties are still rocking together and dreaming of one day being able to achieve their dream. They have families to maintain and other jobs to pay the bills, but they still live for the music. Out of nowhere they receive an offer from a European fan who wants them to go on tour all over Europe. They decide to follow their dream once again and begin touring in Europe alongside their new manager Tiziana Arrigoni (the fan that e-mailed them about the tour). Things don't turn out as expected and the band returns to Canada once again with their hopes down. Lips is too much of an optimist and a fighter to let go of his dream so he continues to pursue it alongside Robbie and together they decide to release a new CD and hopefully make it big time in the music industry that has turned its back on them time after time.Let me level with you guys: I'm not a heavy metal fan at all, I don't like it. I'm not a big music fan for that matter either, but Anvil is an excellent documentary worth watching because it tells a great story we can all identify with. These two buddies have dreamed of being rock stars all their lives, they were really close to making it once and they didn't, but that never stopped them from trying and pursuing their goals. Time hasn't been on their side, much less the music industry, but the passion these guys have for what they do make the journey worthwhile. Lips and Robbie are real life friends and as such they have their up and downs, they joke, they fight, they laugh, and they cry. There is a lot of emotion here, and these heavy metal guys aren't really as tough as one might have expected. They never quit, they keep on going, and that is a very rare quality to find nowadays. A few try, but when they fail they let go of their dreams and try to fit in, but these guys keep at it time after time. Anvil might be a documentary, but it's a much better buddy comedy then you will probably find from Hollywood these days. The movie is really worth a watch, it has so much emotion put into it, I really had a great time with this documentary.http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/