I could not have been more excited about this documentary.
Well this must be THE perfect movie for me.
Wrong. Oh I was so wrong.
This movie has two fatal flaws.
One, it's less of a documentary and more of a discography.
The entirety (and I mean entirety) of the film revolves around a deep, but succinct breakdown of each and every album Sparks recorded.
Which would be fine if it was a band with a small catalog or a band you already know and love. (Say for example if this was about Daft Punk, it would have been THE perfect format)
But with a band that has made 25 studio albums... After album 14 the slog really sets in. And as each segment progressess, album after album, you really lose perspective. You don't have time to enjoy the music, or soak in the context, and even worse, any charm the band has is overshadowed by a count of exactly how many more albums you have left to sit through.
Two (and perhaps most importantly) is that there really is no narrative structure in Edgar Wright's telling of the bands story.
My guess going in was that it was going to be pretty standard for a documentary: Here's a band you've never heard of. Here's why they are great. Here's why they never made it big. And here's them overcoming an obstacle to come out on top.
Nope.
It's just a chronological recount of every album with minor setbacks and obstacles that are uncovered and resolved with the 5 minute arc, if not in the same sentence.
Those big questions aren't ever really addressed.
As time progresses in this almost 2.5 hour opus, the celebrity interviews go from lip-service, to downright annoying as they are a non-stop barrage of "Sparks is so cool. You should love Sparks. I love Sparks. It's a shame Sparks aren't famous. Why aren't Sparks more famous? Oh well you should love Sparks. Sparks is so cool. I love Sparks"
It's clear that Wright is a huge fan. Even a geek for the band. And his child-like adoration comes off as sweet. But his overwhelming devotion to the subject only holds him back as a story teller and (once again) ruins the Sparks brothers "big moment".
Now this is not to say Sparks isn't worth a listen. I have been rocking them on my streaming service ever since I saw the movie, and if they came to town I would definitely grab tickets.
But good lord save 140 minutes of your life and skip this drudge of a movie.
- An avant garde indie band that I somehow had never heard of?
- A slew of comedians and musicians I love?
- AND it's being made by Edgar Wright (who proved he can handle music-based movies with Scott Pilgrim)???
Well this must be THE perfect movie for me.
Wrong. Oh I was so wrong.
This movie has two fatal flaws.
One, it's less of a documentary and more of a discography.
The entirety (and I mean entirety) of the film revolves around a deep, but succinct breakdown of each and every album Sparks recorded.
Which would be fine if it was a band with a small catalog or a band you already know and love. (Say for example if this was about Daft Punk, it would have been THE perfect format)
But with a band that has made 25 studio albums... After album 14 the slog really sets in. And as each segment progressess, album after album, you really lose perspective. You don't have time to enjoy the music, or soak in the context, and even worse, any charm the band has is overshadowed by a count of exactly how many more albums you have left to sit through.
Two (and perhaps most importantly) is that there really is no narrative structure in Edgar Wright's telling of the bands story.
My guess going in was that it was going to be pretty standard for a documentary: Here's a band you've never heard of. Here's why they are great. Here's why they never made it big. And here's them overcoming an obstacle to come out on top.
Nope.
It's just a chronological recount of every album with minor setbacks and obstacles that are uncovered and resolved with the 5 minute arc, if not in the same sentence.
Those big questions aren't ever really addressed.
As time progresses in this almost 2.5 hour opus, the celebrity interviews go from lip-service, to downright annoying as they are a non-stop barrage of "Sparks is so cool. You should love Sparks. I love Sparks. It's a shame Sparks aren't famous. Why aren't Sparks more famous? Oh well you should love Sparks. Sparks is so cool. I love Sparks"
It's clear that Wright is a huge fan. Even a geek for the band. And his child-like adoration comes off as sweet. But his overwhelming devotion to the subject only holds him back as a story teller and (once again) ruins the Sparks brothers "big moment".
Now this is not to say Sparks isn't worth a listen. I have been rocking them on my streaming service ever since I saw the movie, and if they came to town I would definitely grab tickets.
But good lord save 140 minutes of your life and skip this drudge of a movie.