Rating: 
Summary: if all movies were this good, they'd be worth the $8 ticket!
Review: Smoke Signals is funny without being fluff and delivers a message without being preachy. It is the first movie I have ever seen that centers on Native Americans.Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire have known each other all their lives but are not exactly friends. Victor is a tough basketball-playing youth while Thomas wears a suit and glasses and grins a lot. On their reservation in Idaho, the two are somehow inextricably bound. So when Victor learns that his father, who abandoned him and his mother years earlier, has died in Arizona, he decides to go collect his ashes. Thomas wil lend him the money to do so, but only if he gets to go too. Victor grudgingly agrees. "Where's your passport?" calls out their friends as they prepare to leave the reservation. "It's the United States!" replies Victor. "That's as foreign as it gets!" they answer. And so begins a road trip unlike any other, in which Victor and Thomas figure out why they are who they are in light of their families, their friendship and their place in the world at large.
Rating:
Summary: reflect, remember and respect
Review: Remember the old adage, "Growing up is hard to do?" Remember those words when you watch this movie. Two teens take on the road in the difficult task of retrieving the remains of ones father. They end up remembering life as they know it, reflecting on the past and learning from it, and come home as men. Not just age wise or anything like that, but real men. With hearts, minds, and "refreshed" spirits.
This movie will make you laugh your head off (if you've had your refresher course in American Indian Humor 101 then it's even funnier) and at the same time it will pull at your heart until you are fighting to understand these people and who they truly are.
I highly recommend it.
On the lighter side? I absolutely loved Thomas (Evan Adams). Pay close attention to the tales he tells. Kind of an American Indian Aesop. I just want to reach out and squeeze his beautiful self.
Victor (Adam Beach) is the macho man through the whole thing. The typically thought of stoic, serious indian. Oh, how wrong it is. Just wait 'til you see those pearly whites.
OH yeah! One more thing. In the end you get to meet grandma. Grandparents are a very important part of American Indian cultures. They are usually the ones who teach the children in the ways of right and wrong within most of our traditions. So when you hear Thomas talk about grandma, pay attention. You'll learn a little more about our peoples.
By the time all is said and done, you will find a new respect of teenagers, the American Indian peoples, and quite possibly for yourself, your family, and your loved ones.
Rating:
Summary: Fry bread, John Wayne's teeth, and storytelling.....
Review: "Smoke Signals" was the first movie to be written, directed, and co-produced by a Native American. It is based on the novel "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie, who also published a movie adaptation of "Smoke Signals" as well. The majority of the cast is from a variety of Canadian First Nations tribes (Coast Salish, Cree, Cayuga, Ojibwa), so there are different cultural backgrounds at work as well. "Smoke Signals" is a journey of the heart, an exploration of what it means to be Indian, venturing into the world outside the rez. Thomas's stories are part Indian legend, part reweaving of the facts surrounding Victor and his father. The story follows Victor Joseph as he goes to collect the remains of his father, who had abandoned his family and moved to Arizona (the film's working title was "This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona," based on a chapter of "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." His wise friend Thomas Builds-the-Fire goes with him on a trip from their rez in Coeur-d'Alene, Idaho to Arnold Joseph's trailer in Arizona. Along the way they rediscover their pasts and their perceptions of the world around them. An unusual, touching film that pokes fun at the stoic Indian stereotypes endorsed by Hollywood for decades, such as the "It's a good day to die" line. There are many notable First Nations actors (Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Tantoo Cardinal, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer, Elaine Miles) that make this film a joy to watch. Inspired performances from all, especially Adam Beach and Gary Farmer. This is my favourite film of the last few years as it never loses its humour, mystical side, and beauty.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie!!!
Review: I'm from Winnipeg, Man.,Canada just like Adam Beach.
I found this movie to be a great story. The part about
fry bread power is funny as anything. Hurray for Fry Bread!!!
Long live Fry Bread !!! The accents bring back memories
of when I spoke like that. To me it was well acted.
This is a must-see for all people!!!
Rating:
Summary: Tells a good story and changes pre-conceived perceptions
Review: This is the first of it's kind, a movie about Native Americans by Native Americans. Like other independent films though, it was a little loosely structured and a bit too long. However, it's freshness, originality and irreverent modern view of their world more than made up for these faults. The story centers on two young men, Victor and Thomas, who leave their Idaho resevaton to bring back the remains of one the young men's father who had left ten years before. The early part of the film features sharp humorous dialog which turns some stereotypes around. For example, Victor tells Thomas that to look like a proper Indian he should stop smiling and look serious, like he just finished killing a buffalo. Thomas answers that their tribe didn't kill buffalos -- they were fishermen. As the story progresses, though, it gets more serious. Told in flashbacks and voiceovers, the role of the father is superbly created by Gary Farmer a large size actor with a huge talent. He deserves top billing along with the two young men, played by Adam Beach and Evan Adams. The film is strongest when dealing with the relationship between sons and fathers. There are some very moving moments around this theme. Do see this video. Despite it's minor faults, it will enrich your knowledge of Native Americans and tell a good story as well. And, best of all, it will change some of your perceptions and make you think.
Rating: 
Summary: 1 star is all it gets and it should be lucky
Review: I just want to be different in fact I've never even seen this movie or heard of it for that matter. Yet 1 star nonetheless. Yeah I guess I learned something about acceptance today,
Rating:
Summary: If I could give more stars, I would
Review: After watching several hollywood remakes of movies that never should have been remade (which were absolutely terrible and seem to be continuing!), I picked up a copy of this movie at the local video store on a whim hoping to find something worth my viewing time. I was not to be disappointed. Smoke Signals is the story of a boy, Victor Joseph, who is a native american, dealing with his ties to his father in a society as alien to many Europeans as any sci fi author could portray. The story weaves its way through Joseph's life, from birth, to coming of age and dealing with the death of his father. It also deals with the world of friendship, talismanism, cowboys versus 'indians,' and redemption of all of these things...and more. If you are expecting to see big name actors in this movie, then I'm sorry to say that you will be sorely disappointed. The only 'big name' actor I saw was Tom Skerritt and he did a poor job. However, the other actors (almost all of whom are native americans) play their parts incredibly well, pulling you into their lives, and tugging at your spirit and heart. If you're tired of the 'hollywood' junk out there, and want to see something fresh and rejuvenating, pick up this movie. Not only did I rent the movie, but soon after I'd finished watching it I went out and purchased it to keep on my DVD shelf. Excellent, excellent, excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: NO MORE TOM SKERRITT FOR ME, THANK YOU!
Review: You watch an independent film about Native American teenage boys set in the Pacific Northwest based on a story by Native American writer Sherman Alexie, you would think you would be safe. You really think you won't encounter THE ONE ACTOR who almost literally shows up everywhere. You would, though, be wrong. You watch the film, some scenes shown in flashback sequence, seeing how one of the characters has been abandoned by his alcoholic father, how depressing the life on the reservation can be, and how society on an Indian reservation functions from the point of view of the writer. The father has apparently never been the same since he saved the second boy from a fire which consumed the second boy's parents, and his drinking got out of control. You see the other boy portrayed as the stereotypical Indian who tells long stories, wears long braids and rhapsodises about eating the best fry bread in the world. These two boys grow up as friends reluctantly. When the first boy receives word that his long absent father has died somewhere in Arizona, he knows he must go there to retrieve the father's belongings, but he nor his mother have the money to get there. So of course, the second boy offers to take the first boy if he will take him along. So they use the second boy's money to take a bus from their home in Idaho/Eastern Washington to Arizona. Along the way they argue often (quite interesting scenes) and meet a few interesting characters. When they get to Arizona they meet the father's neighbour woman and the boy sorts through the father's things. The two boys set out to come home again in the father's old truck, and they encounter trouble with a drunk driver along the way and end up being questioned by the police. AND WHO DO YOU THINK THAT POLICE MAN IS? The ubiquitous Tom Skerritt! NO! Wouldn't you think that Tom Skerritt, who seems to show up everywhere, would never show up here? I would have thought that. But no film is safe from the influence of Tom Skerritt, apparently.
Nevertheless, despite the Tom Skerritt appearance, the film is quite a telling picture, very understated. It deals well with many societal ills and problems without being preachy or annoying in any way. Very well done and worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Smoke Signals
Review: This movie very accurately portrays life in the United States, albeit tongue in cheek at times, from "the" Native American perspective in a manner that can be appreciated by anyone. Smoke Signals is very well acted and directed and is a movie I constantly - and highly - recommend. And, to date, I've never had anyone tell me they were sorry they took the time to watch it. This movie will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you think and, yes, perhaps it will even make you, if you don't already, appreciate the dilemma - if you will - of being a Native person living in modern U.S. society.
Rating:
Summary: Scoop den, Horse!
Review: For all you rez kids out there, this movie is sure to hit home. Me and a about half my family watched this movie when it came to theatre, and we all died laughing, and we all sympathized with everyone in the movie. I have a cousin just like Thomas. I also saw it two weeks after I saw it with my family, with a caucasin friend of mine. She seemed to realize all the things I tell her about the rez I grew up on. This story has an AWESOME sound track, as well. Something for everyone and anyone who likes music, a little bit of blind faith, with some ulali, and some funny 49's from the movie. If you don't know if you want to buy it, go rent it from a blockbuster or something, and then I know you will buy it after you rent it. none of my friends, indian or non indian, disliked this movie. I bet you you will love it to, hey! see ya on the flipside, ennit!
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