Smoke Signals

Rating:
Summary: Moving and powerfull
Review: This movie is on that short list of all time favs. Indians are so often seen as drunks with no reason or background. The song "John Waynes' Teeth" was VERY funny and the last track on the CD is a moving tribute to all who have gone before and a hope for those to come.

Rating:
Summary: everyone with a father should see this movie without fail!
Review: If you relate at all to young men trying to grow up, this movie is for you. The fact that it has Indians as the players is not necessarily important. What is important is he very last monolog in this film. A must for all men-old and young.

Rating:
Summary: Too bad the Academy did not list it for an Oscar it should
Review: I saw the film in Switzerland with a non-English speaking group. As wonderful as the movie was you should have seen the reaction of the audience. The laughing was heard 2 blocks away, in some moments they were serious and in front of me a whole group had tears in their eyes. It is too sad that such movies have not yet made it to the Oscar. I was so totally amused and still today I treasure all the various sceenes - and not to forget I went with a mixed group - my children age 22 and 26, my friends kids age 8 and 14, our grandma age 86, my friends age 48 and 52 and a colleague of the office age 32. What more can I say. We sent to see it a second time.

Rating:
Summary: A Must See!
Review: A beautiful, honest, heart-touching story

Rating:
Summary: MUST SEE- Funny and tender, very moving
Review: Beautifully edited, a wonderful story about understanding and forgiveness. Funny and touching - one of my favorite movies. The story is told by switching between childhood and young adulthood of two Couer d'Alene Indian men. The switching is smooth and flawless and the story in great!

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful film about acceptance and forgiveness.
Review: A well written, well acted movie with a wonderful message about families and coming to terms with those things in families less than perfect. No family is picture perfect, some struggle more than others. And we all carry baggage from our childhood. But the true coming of age is in being able to accept the choices made by our parents, and forgiving them if their choices were often flawed, accepting that they did the best they could. Gary Farmer was excellent as always in the role of the father. And Adam Beach has really matured as an actor. A great cast of important and well known supporting actors made this movie both real and special. Sherman Alexie proves he can put together a screenplay that holds that magical blend of Indian humor and tragedy in a framework of charters so well developed that I know I've met them before. Alexi is a masterful story teller. It's a shame that this movie is not in wide spread distribution in theaters. Hopefully it will get the visibility it deserves in video rental and sales.

Rating:
Summary: Heartache, beauty, truth, beauty, pain, I love this movie.
Review: I was so afraid to see it, as I always fear seeing movies made from my favorite literature. But I should not have feared. What I felt while watching this movie was so close to what I felt while reading Alexie's books, which is so close to what I feel while living in the communities about which he writes, it was just perfect. The casting, the narration, the cinematography, the ending, how did they come up with such a perfect ending? SEE THIS NOW! It is meant to be owned, like a Hardcover book.

Rating:
Summary: What did I love about this movie?
Review: I loved the way Thomas closed his eyes when he told his stories. I loved the story that Victor's father told about the basketball game, about his boy an angel flying on "wings of TV dinner trays". I loved the image of Thomas and his grandmother giggling when Victor knocked on the door. The Frybread Power t-shirt. Thomas's last story at the end. The endless Denny's story. John Wayne's teeth. (Are they real?) The circular storytelling. Like the best stories, this one will run through my blood for the rest of my life. Thank you, Sherman Alexie.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate portrayal of young native american men
Review: Growing up in the U.S. as an Native American, I never could express how it felt. This movie gives people a chance to understand us. My favorite line in the movie is regarding watching Indians on TV. This movie rings true! A definite must see!

Rating:
Summary: memories
Review: the memories this movie brought back was amazing. i gave up rez life and there are times i miss it but seeing this movie reminds me of some reasons why i don't. the jokes about being indian are great. the racial problems, that some people in the east do not believe exist was nicely injected. i was home again, for the good or bad. thank-you for this movie. my mother can watch it and not curse the white man for once.