November 19, 2009

Bullshit: Anvil Gets Shafted


The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the folks behind the increasingly irrelevant Academy Awards, released their short list of 15 documentaries that will be "eligible" for the Best Documentary Oscar. Why these clowns feel the need to make a short list instead of simply letting Academy members vote for whatever they want is unclear, but alas, that's not the problem here.

Missing from the list is Anvil: The Story of Anvil! the fantastic documentary that told the story of the Toronto heavy metal band that formed in the late 70's and spent the bulk of the 80's somehow just missing the wave of metal mania then much of the 90's playing forgettable gigs in lousy venues refusing to give up on their dream of being rock gods. If you haven't seen this film, you really should. It was one of my favorite movies of last year, and the message of the movie: never give up on your dream no matter what anybody says and the unbelieveable spirit of these guys makes the flick - which is equal parts sad, funny and inspiring - a true gem. Yet somehow, amazingly, the Academy saw fit to omit it from the list. I'm baffled by this decision.
Also not making the cut is the excellent Davis Guggenheim film It Might Get Loud, which I posted about back in August. This is another documentary that I really, truly enjoyed, and I'm absolutely amazed that this film somehow didn't make their cut. Another surprise omission was Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. Check out the entire list of documentaries the Academy selected here.

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