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 learns, Little Bear is a real person that was taken from his time. What is a 9 year old boy to do with a tiny human? Make more of course!

Come listen as I unpack the moral dilemma of making that Omri finds himself in, while also assessing the racial slurs that are never corrected, why Little Bear thinks Omri is the Great Spirit, and why does Little Bear need to hunt in the movie?!

Timestamps below:

Initial thoughts: 0:00-8:52 Cast Review: 8:52-11:00 Plot: 11:00-53:20 Positives: 53:20-56:02 Negatives: 56:02-57:38 Final Thoughts: 57:38-67:47

Hope you all enjoy the episode, let me know what you think. Visit the website, shoot me a DM on IG, and subscribe!

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 saw it as a teenager.

I'll discuss what this movie meant for us Natives back in 1998 and what it'll mean moving forward. Also why does this 22 year old movie feel like the high point? I'll discuss why it feels like a high point and where we go from here.

But mostly, you'll listen to me fanboy over this movie, recite some favorite scenes, and share some personal stories about my connection to this film. Come with me and reminisce about Smoke Signals!

It's a good day to be Indigenous!

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 people. However, the only people that are immune the virus, the Natives. Non-native people seek refuge within a band of immune Native people and turmoil ensues as they allow people into their camp who are hiding their bites.

Come along as I talk about how awesome this movie is, where it will be ranked in the history of Native film, and why this should be made into a TV show.

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: 48:01-59:59 What's Coming Up Next: 59:59-1:01:55

Talk to you later!

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 Lewis plays Hawkeye, a white man who was adopted as a child to the last living Mohicans, Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his son Uncas (Eric Schweig). The trio of Mohicans come across revenge seeking Magua as he hopes to avenge the death of his family, who were killed at the hands of General Munro. Magua seeks to kill General Munro's children, Alice and Cora Munro. This story unfolds with Hawkeye falling in love with one of the women who Magua seeks to kill, Cora. Hawkeye and Cora fight for their love and survival! This action packed movie, depicts an epic tale that shows Natives speaking multiple languages, a LOT of natives, no Redface, no white savior (I'll discuss it), and feature one of the best soundtracks to ever grace this planet. Enjoy this episode and hit that subscribe button!

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 against all odds. Can the power of love conquer the hunger for gold?

This episode is a complicated review because I loved this movie as a kid! You will hear me go back and forth about the right and wrong of this movie, and where I stand on it. As I unpack this moral conundrum, I shed light on some post production interviews conducted by Russell Means (Chief Powatan) and Irene Bedard that reveal they were proud of the native representation in this film. Also this is the first Disney princess that didn't need rescuing, however...despite these positives, will it hold up as a movie that depicts natives positively? Come listen and find out!

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.

But Marlon did it because of the treatment of Natives at the Wounded Knee Occupation and the perpetuating of negative stereotypes of Native people in film. This moment represents a maturation point in Native Film history when a larger conversation began about accurate representation of Native people, along with other minorities in film.

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. Throughout the way we are introduced to an all star cast of Native actors and get a glimpse into life on the Wind River Rez and how Missing Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) affects an entire community.

Filled with a stout Native cast, does this movie fit the White Savior model that has plagued movies about Natives? Hi Avatar and Dances with Wolves! Come join me as I talk about some of the casting decisions, Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch as leads, accuracy of some stories and ultimately discuss how this movie got it right and where it missed the mark.

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 within the film. However, if we know anything about the Oscar winning director, Bong Joon Ho, nothing is random! He planted these images and curated the set intentionally to tell us something, what is that?...come find out.

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 talk about why I decided to create this podcast, my vision for the show, and ideas I have for upcoming episodes.