RESERVATION DOGS SERIES REVIEW

Taika Waititi’s stint on television isn’t slowing down any time soon. Teaming up with acclaimed Indigenous director Sterlin Harjo (“Four Sheets to the Wind,” “Barking Water“), they have decided to bring Indigenous creatives, actors, and culture to the forefront of this new dramatic comedy series “Reservation Dogs.” Set in an unspecified reservation town in Oklahoma, the story follows four teenagers as they commit petty crimes to raise money to move to California. However, various aspects of their personal and family lives, plus other borderline supernatural experiences, force them to debate whether leaving their home will truly solve their problems or not. And that only scratches the surface of the weird experiences and characters they interact with. Though it clearly borrows A LOT from “Atlanta” (including one of its cinematographers), Justin, Melina, and Eliot couldn’t help but fall in love with this quirky, leisurely paced, and wholly unique show. Listen here to understand why this shouldn’t fly under your radar anymore!

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Taika Waititi & Sterlin Harjo

STARRING: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Dallas Goldtooth, Gary Farmer, Lil Mike, Funny Bone, Elva Guerra, Jack Maricle, Jude Barnett, Xavier Bigpond, Dalton Cramer, Kirk Fox, Matty Cardarople, Jon Proudstar, Kimberly Guerrero, Casey Camp-Horinek, Keland Lee Bearpaw, Macon Blair, Garrett Hudlund, Kaniehtiio Horn, Bobby Lee, Wes Studi, Bill Burr, Bobby Wilson, Sten Joddi, Migizi Pensoneau, Jana Schmieding

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Justin Zarian (Screener Squad, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub, Assistant Site Manager)

Justin’s fate as a movie fanatic was written in the stars when his birth forced his parents to cancel their planned Oscar viewing party. While growing up in California, he was often seen in front of the television watching and re-watching Star Wars, Jurassic Park, classic Disney movies and a steady stream of animated shows. This eventually led to a B.A. in Film at Brigham Young University and an Outstanding Student Teacher Award for displaying a level of film knowledge so insane that even his fellow film students couldn’t compete. He received his M.A. from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a teaching certificate, but still volunteers at One of Us every so often for the fun of it. His hobbies include non-stop film conversations, wondering how Mass Effect 3’s ending went so wrong, espousing the joys of shooting guns (but not hunting, as he’s quick to note), writing the next great American television show in his head, and anything else entertainment related. You can find him on Facebook once in a blue moon.

 

 

Melina Eames (Screener Squad)

Melina first discovered that she carried the nerd gene at the tender age of four following her exposure to a little film called A New Hope. In the twenty-some years that followed, Melina continued to grow into her geek identity through the discovery of Batman, Mst3k, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and The Mandalorian. But perhaps her most significant discovery came at the age of fourteen when a night of YouTube mining led her to the review site of Spill.com. Melina became a devoted follower whose fandom did not end with the site’s demise. By then, it had worked its dark magic and left her with a love and appreciation for film criticism that she has yet to shrug.

 

 

Eliot Nelson (Screener Squad, Staff Writer)

Soaked in the soggy rains of Seattle, Eliot developed a love of sci-fi, movies, cartoons, heavy metal, and all of geekdom.