Absorbing new documentary charts the Iconic group’s enduring influence, writes Neil Fletcher
ONE of the many joys of the world returning to normal is that we can all start going back to the movies again and a good place to start would be the Landmark Theatres on Pico Boulevard in Westwood, who are currently showing The Sparks Brothers, the debut documentary from acclaimed English director Edgar Wright – he of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame.
Sparks are the influential and long running American pop duo comprised of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who grew up in Pacific Palisades before moving to the UK in the 1970s, where they shot to fame in 1974 with the huge hit “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us”. Their appeal was often their uniqueness, with vocalist Russell’s hyperactive movements in sharp contrast to the keyboard-bound, soberly dressed Ron’s expressionless squint and Chaplin-esque moustache.
The pair continued to make offbeat, quirky and theatrical music ever since, most notably partnering with Georgio Moroder for the 1979 disco hit “The Number One Song in Heaven” and in 1997 working with Faith No More, Erasure and Jimmy Somerville on the album Plagiarism. Among their other long list of credits is the 1998 soundtrack for the action film Knock Off starring Jean Claude Van Damme and they even partneredwith Franz Ferdinand in 2015 for the supergroup FFS.
This new documentary asks the questions: how can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? The movie features commentary from celebrity fans including Flea, Jane Wiedlin, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Sparks. It’s well worth catching while you can.
For showtimes visit landmarktheatres.com.
