Best documentary of 2009 : ANVIL – The story of Anvil

Entertainment, Movies

I don’t give a shit about 80’s metal and this is still the best documentary I have seen all year. Hell it might be the best movie that I’ve seen all year. I just connected with these guys so much. It’s the reason I love documentaries, these are real people. They aren’t some characters thought up by writers. They have real problems, real emotions, and real heart.

Through the movie you see how much promise and success they had back in the beginning and then they just kind of went nowhere, but they never gave up. Now it’s 30 years later and they’re still trying to make it. The movie focuses on the lead singer and drummer of Anvil. The lead singer ‘Lips’ is the one in the band who won’t let the dream die, he works at a catering company and takes vacation time to play shows. There are people in his life that you can see don’t share his vision and don’t really support him. But his girlfriend and older sister stick with him no matter what. Maybe that’s the part that really resonated personally with me? The other main character is the drummer, Robb Reiner (not the actor/director). He and Lips have this rocky ‘Brothers in Metal’ relationship that creates some intense emotional moments through out the film. When the ending comes you are so emotionally invested in this band that they really feel like family.

I cannot believe that this movie didn’t even get nominated for best documentary in the Academy Awards. The only close competition I would give it was The Cove and that for me is a distant second. Food Inc., the front runner for the award, was NOTHING compared to this movie. ANVIL doesn’t need flashy graphics or voice overs, it thrives on basic human spirit. The story of Anvil provided enough emotion for 10 movies.

If you have a heart and a dream, you will love this movie.

watch the trailer
buy the music

Schu-Review : 5 out of 5 Schus

*UPDATE*
Apparently this movie came out in 2007, but since I just watched it last week. I’m still calling it the best documentary of 2009.

New blog post header design

Projects, websites

Before

After

This blog redesign is still a work in progress, my strategy has been to get something out there that is functional and then add onto it piece by piece until it’s perfect. I’d always noticed that the posts themselves were a little plain, but I just couldn’t find something that fit the style. I thought it would be cool to have a sort of Apple-ish calendar poking out of the top of every blog post…. so that’s what I made. Doing these little things is a good way to keep my design skills fresh in between actual paying design jobs. Which are few and far between.

On the code side it’s not that much of a change, just added a fee floated divs here and there and a couple lines to the CSS file. I’ve pushed this template so far that I’m begining to think I should make an actual theme out of it and submit it to WordPress.

Maybe I’ll get there eventually, but it’s not perfect yet.

What Would Kevin Smith Do?

Entertainment, Random

So I’m sitting there in a spicy pickle induced nightmare in the bathroom at work when my phone vibrates. It’s an alarm I set to remind me to buy tickets for the Kevin Smith show at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue on 4/22. So I’m really in a pickle here… (rim-shot). I have 5 minutes to either finish my business and hope that there are not enough Smith fans in the DC area to sell out the show in 10 minutes or accelerate this mission and get back to my desk.

WWKSD?

I’m sure the new Kev would just light up a joint and twitter something irreverent, but I’m talking about the old Kev. The guy that maxed out his credit cards to make a movie about roof hockey and dick jokes. That’s my Edmonton Gretzky, a guy with natural talent who gets things done. So I pinched off that spicy mother and got back to the desk with minutes to spare. Got the tickets and am now writing this post.

Mission accomplished.

Rhys Cooper – Them Crooked Vultures posters

Entertainment, music

The band Them Crooked Vultures may have rocked my eardrums this year, but I don’t think I’m ready to drop $80 on a 3 poster set. That said, these posters rock. Who can’t love vultures dressed in fur lined Victorian trench coats???Â These sir, are fancy birds. The monocle clad JPJ top hat vulture is my favorite. Maybe if I didn’t have to pay $20 to get them shipped from Australia…or someone could just buy them for me…

Here’s to hoping!

via OMG Posters

Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster’s Reserve Grand Illumination Ale

Beer, Life

Long name, short number.

Beer Review:

This beer has a very long name, I mean seriously… it’s 7 words long and they aren’t short words either. It’s made in Williamsburg, VA which is about 3.5 hours from my house and always makes me think of being in the 4th grade.Â The first thing I thought of when drinking this beer was how thick it was and how much I liked the smell. It has one of those sugary, molassassy, caramely barley wine tastes.Â After the first sip you notice the bite of hops. A big bite like a gnarly dog made out of tiny green leaves. the hops sting the nostrils with their pungent aroma. It’s a formidible scent.Â After you get that kick of hops the alcohol comes at the end and stomps you in the tounge again. The beer leaves your mouth feeling tight like it was once covered in shag carpeting then ripped out. But this is a good thing! This beer reminds you why your drinking American Craft Beer and not some macro-brew swill.

Bottle review:

Unlike the beer inside the bottle and label are pretty plain. Reminds me of visiting Williamsburg, the people get dressed up as colonial folk, but you’re still aware that they are a dentist from Newport News. The only fun element is the spark in the middle and the ridiculously long name.

Conclusion:

I like this beer. You’re not going to win any hipster friends with the bottle. But the beer inside is what counts anyway. Its a strong thick barley wine in a style that I think Patrick Henry would approve of.

4 out of 5 Schus

Extreme pickle technology – Jalapeno Dill Spears

Interests, Life

Delicious Spicy Pickles

I love pickles. Recently I’ve been indulging more in my addiction to vinegar soaked cucumber slices. I could sit down to watch some tv and eat an entire jar of dill spears. I don’t know if I should be proud of this, but I just love pickles.

I saw this jar in my local pickle isle and I knew that I had to have it. It tastes like pickles soaked in jalapeno juice, which if you don’t like then get the frak off my blog. It’s delicious. when you first bite into it you think to yourself “Man, this is such a waste, it tastes just like a regular pickle” then after a few seconds you start to taste that faint hint of jalapeno and you think… “Now that’s more like it, this is the pickle experience I paid for”. The after taste is ALL jalapeno juice, which is a bit overpowering, but if you eat another one real quick it lessens the pain.. until you run out of pickles and have nothing but your tears to quench the burning.