The Fly (1986) The gritty, realistic performances of Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis are at the heart of this terrifying tale of a transformation too horrifying to bear...and too relentless to stop! Goldblum's experimental scientist has created a miraculous device...but in the course of testing it, he finds that his DNA is slowly bringing about a metamorphosis which will forever trap him in the body of a hideous monster...the Fly!
At 14, school friends Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Rob Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, went on to become the 'demigods of Canadian metal', releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generaton including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil's career took a different path - straight to obscurity.
Anvil The Story of Anvil is a timeless, and at times hilarious, feel good tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream. Directed by Sasha Gervasi, we follow the band as they attempt one last shot at the big time with their thirteenth album 'This is Thirteen' and a calamitous European tour. You don't have to be a metal head to love Anvil. This is an inspirational, heart warming and uplifting tale of two best friends who refuse to give up on their dream. Metal on Metal forever!
You really couldn't make this up. It's a story crazier than This Is Spinal Tap, yet it is absolutely true and because of that, dramatic and uplifting. How these two have stayed friends, stayed married, stayed sane and stayed rockin' is just astonishing. Everything seems piled against them, but they keep punching. I don't think I've ever seen determination like this before, especially when the goal is so very far away and the unbending support of their families is actually starting to bend after all.
After brief, but influential success (there are interviews with Slash of Guns 'n' Roses, Lars of Metallica and Lemmy of Motorhead) with a couple of albums in the early 80s and a career high performance in Japan (alongside a young Bon Jovi), Lips and Robb continued to work even when the world didn't want them. The film follows them as they make their thirteenth album, despite the previous ten or so bringing them little more than obscurity. Lips now works delivering school meals and Robb is a builder. The interviews with their family can be heartbreaking; we should all be so blessed to have people like that around us. The overview is misleading in that it suggests this is their last chance. Well, that's true, but I doubt this pair would ever really give up.
The likeness to Tap is so uncanny you could be forgiven for thinking it's a tribute band, only they'd have more success! The European tour is such a disaster, your jaw will drop at how Tap-esque it is! Arranged by their Russian manager (girlfriend to one of the band, eventually) who can barely speak English , they miss trains, get lost, fight, make up. And don't get paid. It is so funny, but you'll feel for them too. They just deserve a break.
Because the huge difference with Rob Reiner's mockumentary (yes, the drummer in Anvil has the same name as the director of Spinal Tap. Told you this was uncanny) is that these guys are truly talented. They can play well. Why they haven't made it proves the record industry is more luck than judgement.
There is surprisingly little music in the film, so that actually helps it find a wider audience. It doesn't matter if you don't like Metal; it doesn't matter if you don't even like music! That would just give you another viewpoint, except I think if you dismissed Lips and Robb as completely nuts, you still wouldn't be able to help yourself willing them on, even when you question their motives.
Sasha Gervasi has made a perfect documentary. An old friend and roadie, he gets right into their lives without ever being disrespectful and has the huge stroke of luck that anyone in his position dreams of. Charming subjects, a farcical adventure and the ups and downs any story really needs.
I implore everyone to watch this. I repeat, it has nothing to do with the music! It's about these two friends and their dream and it's moving, brilliant and unique. If you enjoyed Spinal Tap on any level, this is essential.
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I loved the ending. It was poetic to return to Japan and playing to thousands of fans is just what they deserved. Lips' face as he steps into the crowd to rock out was so moving. Because he can do it, and he was at home right there, just for a moment.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd
Season 3: Disc 4
12 . Helpless For her upcoming 18th birthday, Buffy declines the Scooby gang's offer of a big party, hoping to celebrate with quiet reflection and a traditional trip to the ice show with her father. Suddenly, Buffy finds that her Slayer abilities are fading, perhaps completely. Is this some natural event in the lifecycle of the Slayer, or is it something more sinister? My Thoughts: This was another good episode. The vampire in this episode was so weird... it was nuts.
13. The Zeppo When Xander realizes that he isn't needed by the gang as much as he'd like to believe, his quest to prove he's cool leads him to an unforgettable night that finds him consorting with fast women, raising the dead and rolling with a dangerous crowd that could put Sunnydale in a world of hurt. Meanwhile, Buffy, Giles and the rest of the crew engage in a furious battle with the Sisterhood of Jhe, an all-female demon apocalypse cult that intends to reopen the Hellmouth and bring about the end of the world.
My Thoughts: I always found this one to be more of a fun episode then anything else... an episode that seemed to center more on Xander then anything else. It is a good episode... but not one I would consider a favorite.
14. Bad Girls While on a mission to retrieve an amulet before a powerful demon can use it to restore his strength, Faith introduces Buffy to her reckless method of slaying which leaves Buffy wanting more of the wild life. Meanwhile Giles is trying to keep his cool in front of the insufferably stuffy new watcher, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.
My Thoughts: This is a really good episode... with the help of Faith.. Buffy starts to explore her wilder side. I personally mostly enjoyed the 2 beautiful slayers dancing with each other in the Bronze. What more can you ask then that! This episode also introduces Wesley as the girls new watcher. After watching him on Angel... I actually forgot just how much of a dork Wesley was on Buffy!
15. Consequences When Faith refuses to face up to the consequences of her actions, Buffy tries to get help from Giles and Angel. When Xander goes to confront Faith alone, however, he may be biting off more than he can chew.
My Thoughts: This was a good continuation to the last episode.I enjoyed every minute of it.
Season 3: Disc 5
16. Doppelgangland Anya convinces an unsuspecting Willow to assist her with a spell that will return her amulet and, with it, her Vengeance Demon powers. Willow, sensing something wrong with the magic, balks at the last minute and disrupts the spell. Instead of returning the amulet, the spell summons the vampire Willow from the alternate universe in "The Wish" and sets her loose in Sunnydale.
My Thoughts: This is another of my favorite episodes! I love pretty much everything about this one... the alternate universe was very fun to see! And then there is the fact this is the first episode where we meet Anya. It was also fun to see how Buffy would have turned out without Giles and her friends. Just a fun episode all the way around...
17. Enemies
My Thoughts: This is another episode I liked a lot... I love how they played the game with Faith to learn what she knew. Not to mention how Angel hit Xander when he walked past him as he did. Another episode that was a lot of fun.
18. Earshot After an encounter with a demon with no mouth, Buffy is infected with the demon's blood and she gains the ability to hear people's thoughts. At first her newfound ability is useful for cheating on schoolwork and eavesdropping on the thoughts of those around her, but when the voices continue to flood her mind, she realizes that she cannot control the power. Amid the chaos, Buffy hears a killer planning a mass murder at the school. Now she must keep herself from going mad long enough to prevent a catastrophe.
My Thoughts: Even though this is a good episode... it is one of those ones that is nothing really special. More of a filler episode then anything else.
19. Choices
My Thoughts: Another good episode... I really liked how Willow stood her ground against Faith. Willow really showed a lot in this episode.
Season 3: Disc 6
20. The Prom The biggest night in High School life is just around the corner, when strange creatures start appearing around town attacking anyone in formalwear. Meanwhile, Angel tells Buffy that he wants her to have a chance at the normal life that he could never give her. He plans to leave Sunnydale after the Ascension. Buffy must put aside her own pain and try to track down the source of the demonic Hellhounds in time to save the Senior Prom.
My Thoughts: This one is another that is more of a filler episode then anything else. But this one I liked a lot... I thought it was funny seeing how they had Hell Hounds going after people wearing formal wear just to ruin the Prom. Another fun episode.
21. Graduation Day (Part 1) The gang receive some valuable information from their old enemy Anya, who has actually witnessed an Ascension. She reveals that the Mayor plans to transform himself into pure demon, something that has not been seen for thousands of years. When Angel is poisoned by Faith, Buffy faces Faith for the final time in order to get the only cure to the poison: the blood of a Slayer.
My Thoughts: Another really good episode... you have Angel in the midst of dying and Buffy facing Faith for their final battle... in the hopes to save Angel. Lots of really good action in this one.
22. Graduation Day (Part 2) During their battle, Faith manages to escape from Buffy, so Buffy forces Angel to drink her own blood to rid his body of the poison. With Buffy in a coma, the gang must devise a plan to defeat the Mayor once and for all.
My Thoughts: This is a great ending to the 3rd season. Really action packed... with the whole senior class getting in on the fun this time! And tell me... what high school kid didn't dream of blowing up the high school!
Over-All Season 3 Thoughts:
This is another really good season. Though I never really cared for the mayor as the big bad... he is probably my least favorite of any season... maybe second least favorite. I think the menus on this season set was done much better then season 2... not as animated.. so you don't have to go through as many menus just to play the episode... much better.
Now that season 3 is over... I am going to take a slight break from Buffy so that I can have a Weekend Movie Marathon... then I will start season 4 of Buffy on Monday morning.
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May 19, 2024, 02:57:03 AM
, they miss trains, get lost, fight, make up. And don't get paid. It is so funny, but you'll feel for them too. They just deserve a break.
That would just give you another viewpoint, except I think if you dismissed Lips and Robb as completely nuts, you still wouldn't be able to help yourself willing them on, even when you question their motives. 