RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE (Scot McFadyen, Sam Dunn, Canada). 106 minutes. Thursday (April 29), 9:30 pm, Winter Garden Friday (April 30), 4 pm, Isabel Bader. Rating: NNNN
Imagine Anvil: The Story Of Anvil without the decades of failure and you’ve got a sense of Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn’s celebration of what Geddy Lee calls “the world’s most popular cult band.” Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart are profiled and venerated at length – and turn out to be well-adjusted, reasonably happy guys who love what they do and are loved in turn by millions of fans.
McFadyen and Dunn poke affectionate fun at the band’s evolving hair styles and fashion choices, most puckishly during what Peart calls “the period of absurdly prophetic robes,” and play down occasional stumbles like Lee’s early-80s keyboard obsession.
But they always respect their subjects – and by the end of the movie, so will you. And even if you’re not a fan, expect to have The Spirit Of Radio stuck in your head for at least a week.[rssbreak]
