The Rock-Afire Explosion

The new wave of American pop-docs has thrown up some unusual characters with bizarre and random obsessions: arcade game champions, amateur wrestlers, beer pong enthusiasts. But none can hold a candle to Chris Thrash, hero of 'The Rock-Afire Explosion', whose fascination with the titular animatronic rock band – fixtures in every small-town Showbiz Pizza Place restaurant back in the '80s – forms the central thread of this tender, lightweight but strangely moving documentary. A tale of squandered wealth, uncertain love and the overwhelming power of nostalgia, this is a film packed with everyday pathos and moments of unexpected, heartwrenching beauty.