After the briefest of theatrical runs, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage was quickly released on DVD a few weeks ago. The documentary, from tireless metal anthropologists Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, is a fairly straightforward look at the band’s 40-year career, covering such topics as their tight-knit crew (they not only still have the same manager from back in the day, but the same tour manager and lighting guy), their fashion missteps (kimonos in the ’70s, brutal Miami Vice suits in the ’80s) and their legions of nerdy fans, who Geddy Lee charitably describes as “pretty intense.”

With everyone from Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan to Jack Black and South Park’s Trey Parker lining up to sing Rush’s praises, it’s not what you’d call a critical look, but it is a lot of fun. The band’s legendary divisiveness is addressed, but if you don’t already have a Rush Crush (as Toronto writer Stuart Berman recently christened the phenomenon), the film is likely to give you one—if not, as Parker declares in the film, “you’re just an old dickhead.”

Lance Hammer’s Ballast didn’t even get a Montreal release during Hammer’s self-distributed theatrical run, and its recent DVD release was low-key, but don’t let it slip through the cracks. A sombre family drama shot in Louisiana’s Mississippi Delta, it follows the travails of single mom Marlee (Tarra Riggs), her troubled son James (JimMyron Ross) and her depressed brother-in-law (Michael J. Smith). With a gripping atmosphere and powerful performances, it’s one of the stronger independent films of the last few years.