“You can’t look forward without looking back.” That’s a valuable piece of advice given to the protagonist of “Alex Wheatle,” but it’s also a summation of what director and co-writer Steve McQueen is doing with his extraordinary “Small Axe” series.
With its vivid portrayals of the horrors of institutionalization, “Alex Wheatle” is perhaps most reminiscent — so far — of the McQueen audiences have come to know in films like “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave.” But even as its lead character endures physical and psychological torment at the hands of authorities, the film is very much of a piece with the ebullience of “Small Axe,” as the ongoing themes of community, music and defiance play a huge role in the story.
The real-life Wheatle published his first novel in 1999, but the film begins in 1981, with Alex going to prison for his role in the Brixton Riots, in which...
With its vivid portrayals of the horrors of institutionalization, “Alex Wheatle” is perhaps most reminiscent — so far — of the McQueen audiences have come to know in films like “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave.” But even as its lead character endures physical and psychological torment at the hands of authorities, the film is very much of a piece with the ebullience of “Small Axe,” as the ongoing themes of community, music and defiance play a huge role in the story.
The real-life Wheatle published his first novel in 1999, but the film begins in 1981, with Alex going to prison for his role in the Brixton Riots, in which...
- 11/30/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
A Florida woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly pretending to have breast cancer. Kelly Johanneson, 36, was charged with organized fraud for collecting thousands of dollars in donations, according to Bay News 9. Police say Johanneson disappeared for a month in late 2013 and when she resurfaced, she told friends and family that she had been at the Moffitt Cancer Center for testing, where she'd been diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Her loved ones sprang into action, setting up a GoFundMe page and holding fundraisers in Johanneson's honor. At one such event held by the Citrus County Airboat Alliance, Johanneson collected...
- 3/18/2015
- by Tara Fowler, @waterfowlerta
- PEOPLE.com
A Florida woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly pretending to have breast cancer. Kelly Johanneson, 36, was charged with organized fraud for collecting thousands of dollars in donations, according to Bay News 9. Police say Johanneson disappeared for a month in late 2013 and when she resurfaced, she told friends and family that she had been at the Moffitt Cancer Center for testing, where she'd been diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. Her loved ones sprung into action, setting up the GoFundMe page and holding fundraisers in Johanneson's honor. At one such event held by the Citrus County Airboat Alliance, Johanneson collected...
- 3/18/2015
- by Tara Fowler, @waterfowlerta
- PEOPLE.com
Reviewed at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival.
There's little doubt Ondi Timoner's "Cool It" will grab most of the headlines at Toronto as the documentary to question the validity of global warming, but that might work in the favor of "Windfall," a film that's equally skeptical, yet wouldn't benefit from high expectations.
Part of the charm of the debut doc from Laura Israel, an editor for the likes of Ed Lachman and Robert Frank in recent years, is the fact that it sneaks up on you, nearly as unassuming in its start as the farming town of Meredith, NY where the closest thing to conflict is the theft of a sign shaped like a cow by some local teens.
Save for Israel and cinematography Brian Jackson's vivid depiction of Meredith's landscape and the twang of electric guitars that serve as its score, the film's opening promises sped-up shots of...
There's little doubt Ondi Timoner's "Cool It" will grab most of the headlines at Toronto as the documentary to question the validity of global warming, but that might work in the favor of "Windfall," a film that's equally skeptical, yet wouldn't benefit from high expectations.
Part of the charm of the debut doc from Laura Israel, an editor for the likes of Ed Lachman and Robert Frank in recent years, is the fact that it sneaks up on you, nearly as unassuming in its start as the farming town of Meredith, NY where the closest thing to conflict is the theft of a sign shaped like a cow by some local teens.
Save for Israel and cinematography Brian Jackson's vivid depiction of Meredith's landscape and the twang of electric guitars that serve as its score, the film's opening promises sped-up shots of...
- 9/8/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
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