Native Film Talk

Here it is! The 1995 film, The Indian in the Cupboard.  With a name like the Indian in the Cupboard, what could go wrong?! Starring Litefoot as Little Bear, in his acting debut! He falls into the ownership of a boy Omri, for his 9th birthday. Omri is also gifted a magic cupboard with a magic key that brings any inanimate object to life, upon locking and unlocking it inside the cupboard.  As Omri l...

Hey Victor!  Come listen as I review one of the greatest Native stories ever told on big screen. Let's talk about what scenes, lines, and characters reverberate throughout Indian Country today.  I love this movie, but I didn't always love it. This movie changes with you and ages along with you. As I re-watched this movie now as a man, father, and husband, this is far different from when I first sa...

Should go without saying but...SPOILERS! I will review the cast, plot, positives/negatives on representation, and gives some final thoughts.  Sit back, and enjoy my review of this 2019 film by Jeff Barnaby...talk about a zombie film for the ages! This film takes place on the fictional Red Crow Reserve in 1981, a zombie outbreak happens that affects the salmon supply, water, and eventually the peop...

Listen as I talk about the casting choices, plot issues, reminisce about my first time seeing this film on the big screen, and why this movie is more a Nick Cage war film and less a Code Talker story.  Time stamps below: Intro/Movie Overview: 0:30-7:10 Cast Review: 7:10-11:00 Plot Review: 11:00-41:58 Reflection of Plot: 41:58-43:00 Positives: 43:00-44:50 Negatives: 44:50-48:01 Final Thoughts: 48:0...

First things first! Magua is the GOAT. Wes Studi should've been nominated for an Oscar, he was snubbed!  The Last of the Mohicans (1992) based on the novel by James Finnemoore Cooper. This is the ninth time that Hollywood made this 1826 book into a movie. This romance tale that occurs during the French-Indian War depicts where the Mohicans and Huron fell into this war at this time. Daniel Day Lewi...

Here it is! Pocahontas (1995) is about a free spirited young woman that is caught between her freedom and an arranged marriage, until sails comes on the horizon. John Smith (Mel Gibson) and the Virginia Company come to the New World in search of gold and will kill any Indians in their path! John Smith comes across Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) and this hunt for gold eventually becomes a quest for love...

A moment in Native film history! 1973 Academy Awards. Roger Moore is ready to hand the Oscar for Best Actor to Marlon Brando for his work in The Godfather when he sees a Native American woman walking to the stage. Sacheen Littlefeather refuses to take the award and says Marlon Brando sent her! This moment sent shockwaves across the film industry. 85 million people saw this moment in Oscars history...

Wind River (2017), Directed by Taylor Sheridan who also wrote Sicario and Hell or Highwater, also creator of Yellowstone. This guy loves westerns! This movie is a great take on the modern western. Exploring the disappearance and murder of Natalie Hanson (Julia Jones), Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) assists local tribal authorities and FBI Agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to find out how this occurred. Throug...

I love Parasite and I've enjoyed re-watching this movie to prep for the episode. But if you were like me when seeing it for the first time, at one point in the movie you thought, "Wait is that a teepee?!" This thriller is ripe with twists and turns, including native imagery! Join me as I talk about the random instances of cheap "Indian" decorations, native historical references, and symbolism with...

Welcome! Ya'at'eeh! Thank you for joining me on the first episode of the podcast. I created this podcast because I couldn't find anyone talking about Natives in film. Not on YouTube, Social Media, or other Podcasts. So I siezed the opportunity to combine my love for podcasts and film. I hope you find my perspective to be fresh, insightful, and makes you curious to hear more.  In this episode, I ta...