Sparks are a one-off band who never seem to do the same thing twice. Impossible to pigeonhole, they may not be mainstream pop-cultural figures, but they’ve made a virtue of doing their own thing; any band who could be supported by both Queen and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are clearly mining something fairly unique. At 140+ minutes long, Edgar Wright’s documentary may well offer more insight into Sparks than anyone other than devoted fans would want, but their story is considerably more interesting than most.
Ron and Russell Mael are brothers; one is cute, the other looks like Basil Fawlty cosplaying as Hitler. Once seen, they can’t quite be forgotten, and that striking image is reflected through four decades of music and original footage, plus fresh side-by side interviews with the boys. That career has included collaborations with electro-king Giorgio Moroder, abortive film projects with Tim Burton and Jacques Tati, and a string of hits and failures which Wright catalogues with care; a roster of pop luminaries testify to the band’s originality and influence.
The length of the film is just about justified by the need to work through some 25 albums, and innumerable songs; from This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both of Us to The Number One Song in Heaven to Dick Around, The Sparks Brothers provides a useful taster for those not already under the Mael spell. Wright, however, can’t keep his affection for his heroes at arms length, and inserts himself into the film to alienating effect. Not just an interviewee; he’s also heard laughing at several contributions, and vainly leaves in a comment in which someone tells him ‘that’s why you’re a director.’ Pushing a selection of celebrity mates (Jonathan Ross, Adam Buxton) makes the film feel more like a talking heads Channel 4 Saturday night ‘I Love 1975’ filler, or a VH1 documentary; these randos are hardly key to anyone else’s version of the Sparks story but Wright’s.
Sparks are Sparks, and The Sparks Brothers does a generally effective job at capturing the long-haul reasons why they’ve got a unique place in pop music history. While undisciplined, Wright’s film cements the band’s reputation, and may well attract some new fans. Either way, the Mael brothers will continue to their next project; bouquets or brickbats seem to bounce off them anyway…
Hated Annette enough to give this a miss.
I’ve still got Annette to look forward to, may require two nights and a defibrillator in hand by most reports…
You would be bold to do it in two.
Any band that gets praise from the red hot chili peppers is one I’ll be passing on.
But on the plus side, now I don’t have to be tempted to watch a 2+hr documentary! Score!!!!
Result. I feel the same re RHCP, very hard going live…
I can tell it’s been a long day because it took me almost a solid minute to parse what RHCP was 😀
The Royal Hospital of Canadian Penguins? Why were they in contact?
I’m guessing Alex must have contacted them. He’s the only Canadian I know of who hangs out around here.
Doesn’t really seem cold enough for penguins yet though. No snow here (and praying it stays that way for another 6 weeks or so)
I hear you. Even with a 4×4, I dread the deadly sound of snow…pretty, sure, but promises physical exertion big time…
Exactly. It’s like a femme fatale, just waiting to kill you!
Well, I”m off to eat dinner. That’s the only anti-dote snow that I know of….
Bob appetite!
Nothing like a fresh off the stove spaghetti dinner to make one feel great about sitting on the couch for the rest of the evening 😀
Meatballs?
No, just ground turkey, 5cheese pasta sauce and about half a jar of parmesan cheese 😀
I’m not a big fan of taking the effort to actually make meatballs. Much easier to just cook up ground turkey and mix it all together.
No Red Hot Chili Peppers?
and he brings the conversation around the bases, he’s passing 3rd base, he’s sliding for home and SCORE!
I’m impressed 🙂
but no. My days of hot and/or spicy foods are done. A nice bowl of oatmeal with raisins, thank you very much.
And would sit like to see the dessert trolley? Or the cheese board?
I’m full up on parmesan, thanks.
And I’m watching my weight too, so no dessert. I’m rather solid at the moment and could use a little less solidity 😀
What did you have for dinner? Now I’m curious….
Like the speed of your washing machine, there are some subjects about which I choose to retain some mystery…
Mysterious!
Now I’m going to have to guess.
1) Blenderized Haggis pizza
2) Goat brains
3) curdled cheese and broccoli
4) bread and water of affliction
I feel like I’m really covering my bases with those 4. I’m close, aren’t I?
1600 revolutions a minute.
Close?
Oh no, you’re not tricking me like that….
Your anxiety betrays you! I think my investigation is at a close.
I had a roll and square sausage for lunch from the van. Street food is all the rage here.
What’s a square sausage? A burger?
Yup, in Glasgow, we call it a Govan burger. But it’s a square sausage. Fact!
That seems unnecessary.
140+ minutes? Or Alex dragging you into the debate on Cumberbatch?
Do what where when? What debate on Cumberbatch? Also a documentary on Sparks is the unnecessary bit.
If you can bear to read through the comments section on the Sparks review, Alex suggests that YOU would be an authority on whether Cumberbatch is cute or not. Just sayin’
AH those comments went up whilst I was writing mine so didn’t see them.
Fair enough, I accept this explanation of events.
I ALWAYS read all the comments incase I’m needed to intervene.
You are a voice of reason in these difficult times…
I know.
Which one is cute?
I seem to have missed them at the time so I listened to a couple of their “hits” on YouTube.
Yeah, this is going to be a big nope from me.
I guess it’s a matter of opinion, but the general opinion is that Russell was the cute one. I do like a number of their songs, Dick Around is a winner. But 140+ minutes is a long time if they’re not your bag of oranges…
The one on the left looks like a butch John Waters. The one on the right looks like Benedict Cumberbatch.
And Cumberbatch is cute, right? Or am I adrift from the pulse of popular thought on this matter?
I, for one, would never refer to Ben as cute. But as you say, it’s a matter of opinion. Maybe Fraggle can weigh in on this important matter.
I suspect she’ll have all the answers. I think Cumberbatch is a good actor, his Hamlet was terrific. And he’s generally considered to be easy on the eye for those attuned to looks, although I agree that he’s hardly a GOAT in the way that you or I are when it comes to charisma.
Didn’t see his Hamlet. Didn’t think he was a cute Richard III.
His Frankenstein was cute as well for the National Theatre. And he was a cute Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, while the critical concensus on his Julian Assange was that it was cute as well. While it was his cute turn in Sherlock Holmes that Uk audiences know him for best, I think he was most cute in Tom Stoppard’s adaptation of Parade’s End; great tv show that.
Not quite the same thing, but for an American audience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKZg0wnL7U
He’s cute!
Cumberbatch is mercurial in the cuteness stakes. He was cute as Dr Wotsit (I think DR.Strange but I mix it u with Strangelove) in the Marvel movie but not cute at all as Dominic Cummins inBrexit-Civil War. Looking forward to seeing him in The Power of The Dog, good actor!