It’s possible to be a hard-core rock fan and still be unaware of the existence of Anvil, the twenty-seven-year-old Canadian metal band that’s the subject of the new documentary Anvil! The True Story of Anvil. Director Sacha Gervasi screened the film at Sundance last week, and while some moments depicting the band’s struggles are amazingly reminiscent of This Is Spinal Tap, the band is indeed real. Here’s some proof: footage of Slash and Anthrax’s Scott Ian jamming on “Cat Scratch Fever” with the group at a Park City, Utah gig plus a few choice scenes from the doc.

[Video: Pete Maiden]

Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers has been in snowy Park City, Utah, all week for the annual Sundance Film Festival. Check out his weekly video dispatch, as well as the rest of his reviews and opinions about the fare at this year’s festival over at the The Travers Take.

>> Watch every episode of our weekly Peter Travers video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Friday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.]

Rolling Stone’s movie critic Peter Travers has been delivering Sundance updates straight from Park City, Utah, on his new blog (check it out here). And as Rock Daily told you before the big fest began, there’s a lot of music represented at this year’s event. For more proof, check out this photo gallery of rockers making the snowy scene (and performing), featuring U2, Patti Smith, Velvet Revolver, the Bravery, Mos Def and Jack Black, 50 Cent and more.

[Photo: Pimentel/Wireimage]

With the Sundance Film Festival set to kick off in three days, we thought we’d make it easy for you to fill in those gaps when you’re not skiing and run down the most essential music-oriented films Robert Redford and his selection committee have to offer. Keep checking back here throughout Sundance for Peter Travers’ frequently updated blog from the film festival, where he’ll provide the head’s up about the best films he’s seen, what you need to avoid and more.

Rock Docs

CSNY Déjà Vu
Directed by Neil Young (under his “Bernard Shakey” filmmaker alias) and shot during the quartet’s 2006 Freedom of Speech Tour, the film chronicles the shows and features interviews with fans with a special focus on soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U2 3D
Having already triumphed over the music industry and world politics, Bono and crew attempt to conquer the third dimension in this “concert experience.” Drawing from a series of South American stadium concerts from 2006, U2 3D presents many of the band’s greatest hits beamed onto the screen using the best 3D and surround-sound technology available.
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