My friend Matt invited me to a screening of Anvil! The Story of Anvil at the Nuart in L.A. tonight and boy, am I glad I made the drive. It is seriously one of the best documentary films I have ever seen. Imagine This is Spinal Tap except everything is real. Anvil is a metal band that at one time seemed destined for greatness, but for one reason or another descended into obscurity. Through it all, the band stayed determined and are still out there doing their thing. As someone who has been involved with music for the last ten years, I can tell you that it really struck a chord for me. Even if you are not into metal or even big into music, this inspirational story will hit you on some level. After the screening, we were treated to a short concert from the band!

The singer, Steve "Lips" Kudlow, is just a phenomenal front man. His energy is intoxicating. Matt, who isn't into metal in the slightest and wasn't planning to stay after the movie had a change of heart while watching Steve and drummer Robb Reiner (yes, that is his real name) pour it all out on screen. After the show we got to chat with director Sacha Gervasi. His story is almost as inspiring as the band themselves. He was a roadie for the band in the early 80's and lost touch with them, reconnecting with Lips and Robb in 2005 and then filming this film as a result. He was truly a nice guy and it was really cool to talk with him.

If the movie is playing ANYWHERE near you, I urge you to go. These guys deserve all the support they can get. You can find out where it is playing and buy tickets at the movie's website. You can also find out more about the band at their site.