I managed to watch a few extra films at MIFF 2022 that I hadn’t reviewed yet. Here they are:

BRIAN AND CHARLES – ★★★☆

Feel good comedy shot in Wales about Brian, a bit of a loner/inventor. He invents a robot and strikes up a father/son like relationship with him. The film feels like what would happen if Taika Waititi made a live actor version of Wallace & Gromit.

NAVALNY – ★★★☆

Documentary about Putin’s political opponent, Alexei Nalvany. Pretty well done, and some truly nail biting scenes as you’re shown details around his poisoning in 2020. Felt like the film makers were hedging their bets that Navalny would be dead by now to give some extra impact to a couple of the scenes, but overall worth a watch.

WHO KILLED THE KLF? – ★★★☆

I really like the KLF, so I wanted to know more about what KLF is about. Also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. Furthermore known as the Jams. The documentary is unofficial, and initially Bill Drummond & Jimmy Cauty tried to stop it from coming out. Apparently. One thing you’ll learn by watching is that there is often seemingly a lack of planning and a lot of ambiguity around the KLF. (Even their name stands for any number of things). Was this worth watching? Definitely for a fan. I found there was a bit missing, and while the film makers did get some good audio interview recordings of the band to use, I still don’t really feel like we got the inside story, and that the truth may still be out there. The number 23 is a key one for them, so here’s hoping for something new from them next year.

MASS – ★★★★

Deep, impactful drama about two couples coming together six years after a school shooting in America. One couple are the parents of a victim, the other parents of the shooter. Tense, and emotional, but never turning into unrealistic outcomes. Incredible acting by all the main characters, and I’m still thinking about this film the next day.