_________The word dustup has appeared in three articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 23 in “‘Q Ball’ Review: Shooting Hoops While Doing Time” by Jeannette Catsoulis:In San Quentin State Prison, just north of San Francisco, the basketball team offers inmates both purpose and distraction, a chance to win in lives not characterized by victories. Those benefits, and many others, are the main focus of Michael Tolajian’s capable documentary “Q Ball,” which observes team members on and off the court, at worship services and in boisterous weekly matchups with visiting civilian teams. Despite small digressions outside the prison walls (including one to speak with a murder victim’s mother), “Q Ball” feels superficial, its positivity somewhat forced. Issues pertinent to mass incarceration are skirted (the majority of faces on screen, for instance, are nonwhite), the players’ relationships with other inmates unclear. A violent dustup off the court, which the movie shows twice but doesn’t address, could make you wonder if the team’s privileges breed envy as well as pride.

Source: New York Times March 12, 2020 06:00 UTC