Short Cuts: The Anvil documentary, ‘Lymelife’ and ‘Nature’s Grave’

“Anvil! The Story of Anvil”

WHAT IT IS: A VH1-produced documentary about Anvil, an ’80s Canadian heavy metal band that shot straight into the “Where are they now?” file — despite one massive anthem tailor-made for headbangers (1982’s “Metal on Metal”) and shared bills with some of the scene’s biggest names. Sacha Gervasi’s film catches up with founding members Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner and follows their attempts to realign their legacy and get a new album, “This is Thirteen,” released.

WHAT ONE JERK THINKS ABOUT IT: “Anvil!” is one unforgettable film, alternating between heartbreaking and life affirming. Sure, there are numerous moments when Kudlow and Reiner’s “last-ditch quest for fame and fortune” seems utterly hopeless — like when they traverse the globe playing near-empty venues or, most stinging, when one of the band members’ sisters pretty much says they should’ve given up long ago. And even though Kudlow and Reiner complaining about how the recording business can be so cruel gets mighty old, it’s intriguing cinema. Why? The through-thick-and-thin relationship between those two old pals is altogether timeless and real (hence all the crying…). Even if you hate hard rock, the tortured camaraderie is what you’re really paying to see.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT IT: Casual (or nonexistent) metal fan? Rent it. Hardcore metalhead? Buy it. “Anvil!” isn’t just merely entertaining, it stays with viewers long after the closing credits fade to black. It’s even been known to inspire some, like Cars & Trucks frontman Tony Bennett, who mentioned the film in a recent interview with the Budgeteer: “I always said when I was growing up that I didn’t want to be one of those guys at the metal bars, where dudes would talk like they were still trying to make it big and take the world by storm,” he said. “And I always knew that I just wanted to try for awhile and, at a certain age, just say, ‘Well, that was cool. I gave it a shot.’ But I don’t know. Watching that Anvil movie the other night [got me thinking]: We can still make music, and we can do it however long we want.”

Signed copies of “Anvil!” are available for $20 at www.anvilthemovie.com.

“Lymelife”

WHAT IT IS: A quirky coming-of-age “dramedy” about suburban life in 1970s Long Island from up-and-coming filmmaking team the Martini Brothers (writer/director Derick and writer/producer/composer Steven). Based on true events, “Lymelife” tackles a handful of the big life events many go through: first love, marital strife and/or infidelity, drug experimentation, crumbling parent-child relationships and … paranoia over getting “the Lyme” from pesky deer ticks in the nearby woods?

WHAT ONE JERK THINKS ABOUT IT: Color me impressed. While sporting Martin Scorsese as an executive producer lent this indie gem instant credibility, Derick Martini’s script would’ve won me over with any set of actors and actresses. That said, “Lymelife” does possess a solid ensemble cast: Alec Baldwin is right at home as an overbearing father, while Cynthia Nixon (of “Sex and the City” fame) is equally at home as his unlikable married mistress; Kieran and Rory Culkin easily undo all the harm brother Macaulay did to the family name with “Getting Even with Dad”; and Emma Roberts, Timothy Hutton and Jill Hennessy all shine in their respective roles. And the fact that Martini’s cast pulls it all off is even more impressive given the auteur’s plot, which is a veritable web of unsavory actions and raw nerve endings.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT IT: Rent it. While some (this reviewer included) will find a lot of replay value in “Lymelife,” it’s not exactly an “upper.” That is, it’s hard to imagine throngs of viewers out there clamoring to buy this one on DVD or Blu-ray. So, unless you’re a fan of families-falling-apart films like Ang Lee’s “The Ice Storm,” you’ll get as much as you can out of this one in a single sitting.

Information about this DVD can be found at www.screenmediafilms.net.

“Nature’s Grave”

WHAT IT IS: In this remake of the 1979 Australian film “Long Weekend,” a bickering suburban couple (played by Jim Caviezel and the beautiful Claudia Karvan) attempts a marriage revival by taking to the wilderness for a little tent action. Problem is, the Mother Nature in their corner of the world apparently hates camping and people enjoying the outdoors, so “she” uses everything at her disposal to, well, dispose of said intruders.

WHAT ONE JERK THINKS ABOUT IT: You always hear about certain actors being unable to shake legendary characters (Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in the original “Star Wars” trilogy quickly comes to mind), but what do you if you made your name playing, oh, I don’t know, the son of God? Drown in obscurity, apparently. That little Jesus role in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” has plagued Jim Caviezel’s career for five years now, and this dreadful horror flick won’t be the one that saves it. While Jamie Blanks masterfully sets the tone with his direction in the first act and his stunning score throughout (yes, he’s talented on a few levels), a series of hokey, unconvincing man-versus-nature scenarios quickly ruins “Nature’s Grave.” It’s just bad. There’s really no other way to look at this straight-to-the-bargain-bin production — what a dreadful waste of time.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT IT: Avoid it at all costs. Sure, Karvan is a gorgeous creature and Blanks is a pro at creating an atmosphere of dread, but Caviezel’s Peter is an unsympathetic jerk and … really, what’s with those animal attacks? Was that a freakin’ manatee I saw crawling up the beach trying to eat this couple? How is that scary? All it did was make me giggle.

Information about this DVD can be found at www.screenmediafilms.net.

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