The Daily Swarm

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October 12, 2009

Anvil gunning for Best Picture Nomination...

Certainly the picture has a strong shot in the documentary category (where it could compete with another populist/everyman picture in “Capitalism: A Love Story”). But the people behind “Anvil” are also gunning for a bigger prize, with producer Rebecca Yeldham revealing that she and her fellow filmmakers are aiming for a run at best picture.

They may be on to something. The film has a curious resonance: A feelgood quality that speaks to universal qualities like the need for friendship and never-give-up-on-the-dream perseverance.

Kudlow and Reiner have managed to keep their music and friendship going (with just a few rough spots) for thirty-five years, not because the band is particularly good but because the dream is particularly resilient (and, frankly, because they sometimes overestimate their own talents, though this somehow only makes you root for them more).

“Anvil” in this way has less in common with “Spinal Tap,” a movie to which some have compared it, and more with the Metallica documentary “Some Kind of Monster,” only without that band’s success.

The awards play for “Anvil” will be to highlight both the underdog story featured in the movie and the unlikely comeback tale of the picture itself. If rock ‘n’ roll dreams really do come true, look for some Canadian hair-metallers to rock out at the Oscars next year.