tin_robot wrote:

I saw The Sparks Brothers last night.

As most of you probably know it's Edgar Wright's much anticipated documentary about Sparks.

It's a pretty magnificent love letter to the band. What it isn't is a revealing expose of who the Mael brothers really are. After seeing the film I know almost as little about them as I did going in. Which is probably as it should be, really.

What the film does incredibly well is to make the case for Sparks as both an important part of collective musical history, and as an almost unassailable example of the power of sticking to your art irrespective of what everyone else might say.

Mainly though it's Edgar Wright convincingly going "I Fucking Love Sparks Me And So Should You" for two and a half hours.  Every single one of their 25 albums is discussed, as well as various side projects.  Every now and again Someone Very Famous pops up to tell you that they love Sparks too, but really all Wright needed to do was point the camera and Ron and Russell.

The bits featuring the brothers themselves are easily the highlight. They are clearly humble passionate artists, and very funny to boot. Every time someone popped up to tell us one anecdote or another I found myself hoping we'd cut back to Ron and Russell soon, and to Wright's credit, the film usually did.

There are little hints of tragedy - the realisation that much of the band's power comes from Ron writing songs about his misfit status and putting them in the mouth of his prettier, more popular brother.  (The irony being that Ron is clearly awesome, and doesn't know it.) The period in which the band sat writing songs for literally nobody. But mostly, it's a gleeful thing, and left me wanting to listen to all 25 albums right now.

The film's a little too long perhaps - a victim of that insistence on treating every album with equal (ish) love - but it's certainly effective.

So, yeah, tl;dr - I Fucking Love Sparks Me, and So Should You.

poprock wrote:

That’s outstanding. Ron’s all about commitment to the bit, isn’t he?

I was at that festival, but didn’t see Sparks. Sounds like I should have! Maybe they were clashing with someone I was more into …

Blocks100 wrote:

Is Sator any good then?  After the disappointment of In the Earth, I'm still on the look out for some jump scares in the woods.

Paul the sparky wrote:

Blood Red Sky was utter shite then. Just stick to the trailer

davyK wrote:

Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles was top drawer. He didn't sing but who could do Ray Charles?

Blocks100 wrote:

What would people say is the best film where an actor depicts an actual real life musician?  I quite enjoyed Val kilmer as Jim Morrison from the doors. I suppose Joaquin phoenix as Johnny cash in walk the line the most watchable film. Keep on meaning to properly watch that one where smeagol plays the guy from hit me with your rhythm stick.  Did Sacha baron Cohen ever get round to playing Freddie Mercury?

Dark Soldier wrote:

is he cancelled?