Tom Leins - Too Old To Die Young
Words by Tom Leins
Every couple of years a quirky rock-umentary emerges from leftfield to take the film festival circuit by storm. The latest gem to insinuate itself into the public consciousness is Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Universal) - a bittersweet glimpse into the weird world of Canadian thrash metal veterans Anvil. After surging to prominence in the early 80s and inspiring the likes of Metallica and Slayer, the band faded from view, and few fans outside of their native Canada knew that they were still touring and recording. Directed by the band’s former roadie Sacha Gervasi, Anvil! is a lovingly crafted examination of what compels fifty-something strugglers Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow (vocals/guitar) and Robb Reiner (drums) to haul their arses around Europe on slapdash tours, in a bid to connect with their aging audience. At the end of a particularly desperate European jaunt, a circumspect Lips admits: “The tour went drastically wrong, but at least there was a tour for it to go wrong on”, which sums up his breezy outlook in the face of adversity. Despite my distaste for thrash metal and delusional middle-aged men, Anvil! is an utterly absorbing viewing experience that exudes heart and soul throughout. Indeed, as the band edge back towards the big time, you will get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside! The protagonists could easily be painted as figures of fun, but this sweet, unassuming documentary resists such a temptation, preferring to tweak their story into a joyous celebration of the indefatigable underdog spirit.
If Anvil’s commitment to rock is heartening to behold, the Young @ Heart Choir’s devotion to the cause is truly staggering. Stephen Walker’s downright bizarre Young @ Heart (Yume Pictures) follows the fortunes of a cult senior citizen’s choir (average age 80!) as they prepare for a hometown concert extravaganza. Under the tutelage of buoyant fifty-something musical director Bob Cilman, this posse of elderly rock ‘n’ roll desperadoes struggle to get to grips with an eclectic songbook that includes tracks by The Clash, David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Ramones and Sonic Youth! Pitched halfway between one of Louis Theroux’s wry observations on wacky American subculture, and Johnny Cash’s gut-wrenchingly poignant ‘Hurt’ video, Young @ Heart is a strangely awkward film that loses its focus too often for comfort. Although all of the ingredients are in place for a richly satisfying excursion into oddball Americana, British director Walker’s ramshackle edit undermines the potency of the raw material. By veering between self-consciously ‘zany’ music video sequences and tear-jerking reality checks (choir members literally drop like flies as the film progresses) the film is difficult to enjoy on its own terms. All in all, a fascinating subject – shame about the muddled execution…
If the unfortunate body-count racked up in Young @ Heart is a cause for concern, you should probably steer clear of My Bloody Valentine 3D (Lionsgate), a blood-soaked remake of the 1980s ‘video nasty’ of the same name. Ten years after deranged miner Harry Warden ran amok at an illicit mineshaft party, mutilating horny teens with his axe, the same small town finds itself tormented by an axe-wielding maniac once more. But who is the ghoulish culprit hiding behind the gas mask? Shifty, over-zealous cop Axel or enigmatic hunk Tom? After a frenzied, gore-streaked opening the movie resorts to type, with a lazy off-the-peg narrative that seeks to paper over its lack of fresh ideas with an under-utilised 3D gimmick… My Bloody Valentine 3D is never less than watchable, but it lacks the fiendish quality that typifies contemporary horror, and its slavish debt to retro slasher movies means that it never quite surpasses its B-movie inspirations.
Bringing up the rear this week is pint-sized Scientologist Tom Cruise, who stars in Valkyrie (MGM/20th Century Fox), a plodding historical caper helmed by the increasingly uninteresting Bryan ‘Usual Suspects’ Singer. Cruise stars as Claus Von Stauffenberg, a one-eyed Nazi with a conscience - who vows to put an end to Adolf Hitler’s warped brand of tyranny with the help of a motley crew of middle-aged thespians and a home-made bomb! Unfortunately, this potentially intriguing premise is hampered by Singer’s devotion to historical accuracy, and the plot sorely lacks the requisite dramatic tension. Although the early scenes hint teasingly at the kind of explosive action that never quite materialises, an unusually restrained Cruise typifies the movie’s energy-sapping torpor. The eclectic cast (which includes Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh) provides intermittent respite, but this historical thriller is awfully low on actual thrills. In a nutshell: it’s unlikely to get you jumping up and down on your sofa with excitement.
Posted Fri, June 12, 2009