Anvil Easter

We mentioned this before when we did a ticket giveaway on our list, but just a reminder (especially if you don't get VH-1, who are sponsoring it). The documentary Anvil: The Story Of Anvil is playing this Sunday, April 12th at Slim's in San Francisco - followed by a performance from the band Anvil themselves! That's right, it's a package deal billed as "The Anvil Experience". A clever idea, 'cause an audience that has just watched the hilarious, sad, depressing, touching documentary will be the most adoring (or at least sympathetic) audience that the veteran '80s Canadian speed metal act could ever hope for.

The movie we've already seen - more than once - and we really, really recommend it. It was just reviewed in today's New York Times, and they liked it too. And actually some of us have seen Anvil before too, years ago, and they were great.

Seriously, when we first heard about there being an Anvil documentary, even those of us who were Anvil vans wondered if it would be all that interesting. Turned out to be one of the best films we'd seen in a long time, about dreaming dreams and (foolishly?) never, ever letting go. Even when you're in your 50's. It's about friendship and love and family (all kinds of family). Oh and metal. 

Imagine a cross between This Is Spinal Tap, The Wrestler, and Some Kind Of Monster.

It's really really funny. They're a real life Spinal Tap - with enough inadvertent references to said band/movie to confuse the heck out of some folks who weren't paying attention to metal in the '80s when Anvil was briefly popular, like the fact that Anvil's drummer is named Robb Reiner and that Anvil is shown visiting the actual Stonehenge whilst in England... plus it IS a movie about a heavy metal band, so there's bound to be similarities. Except, again, it's REAL, not a mockumentary.

Being real, it also can be - and is - really really depressing. But ultimately... well we won't spoil it. Go see it. God we hope people go see it, and them.

Anvil, with Anvil: The Story Of Anvil

Sunday April 12th @ Slim's

Doors at 6:30, movie at 7:30, followed by live performance

$18

Here's the movie preview from YouTube: