I think I am a little wistful today because I am not at the Sundance Film Festival, the annual gathering in Park City where movies, stars and snow collide. Some of my favorite memories are trapsing through the snow and watching three to five movies a day between hot chocolate and sushi (not together!) and wandering in the local bookstore, where inevitably I purchase far too many stationary products.
One of my favorite Sundance movies was Anvil: The Story of Anvil! When my friend initially suggested we go see the movie, I balked, wondering why I would ever want to spend precious moments watching a movie about a failed heavy metal band from the 80s. I am so glad I went – the movie is genuine, real, and quite simply, one of the most inspiring stories about following your dreams, no matter what other people say or how others try to diminish those dreams. Oh, and there are some hilarious moments.
At Sundance, I was able to meet the director (who spent the summer touring with the band when they were touring the world in the 80s and then found them nearly twenty years later to do this movie) and see the band and their families, who were all at the screening and kind of dumbfounded that anyone would be interested in these guys who refused to give up.
It was released in theaters earlier this year, and is now available on DVD – I would definitely recommend.