"We have power... Our power isn’t in a political system, or a religious system, or in an economic system, or in a military system; these are authoritarian systems... they have power... but it’s not reality. The power of our intelligence, individually or collectively IS the power; this is the power that any industrial ruling class truly fears: clear coherent human beings."
Native American Activist, Musician, Actor John Trudell

I'm sure the producers of "Wind River" were disappointed when the Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday. The Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Nation of Louisiana, who partially financed the film, ran an ad in "The New York Times" last week promoting the film. It is possible "Wind River" could at least nab an original screenplay nomination from the Oscar committee. Taylor Sheridan, the writer-director of "Wind River", has been nominated before.

"Wind River" was distributed by The Weinstein Company. After the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal broke, The Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Nation and the other producers bought back the film rights and scrubbed The Weinstein Company's name from the credits. Still, the involvement of Harvey Weinstein may have tainted the film in some people's eyes. As I state in my review, my main criticism is that too much emphasis is placed on Jeremy Renner's character and not enough on the Native American characters.

I fear we may see more of the same in Scott Cooper's film "Hostiles", due for release around Christmas. The film is set in 1892 and stars Christian Bale as an Army captain who is tasked with protecting a Cheyenne warrior, played by Wes Studi. Rosamund Pike co-stars as a widow whose family is massacred by Native Americans. Based on the trailer, "Hostiles" is a meditation on violence and its consequences. Cooper, who wrote the screenplay and also directed, has emphasized the role of Native American advisors in the development of the film. However, the two main characters are the Anglos played by Bale and Pike. While there are numerous documentaries in which Native Americans are the principal characters, the makers of mainstream feature films still seem uncomfortable with the idea.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Wind River Film Review
Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed this sober tale about the rape and murder of Native American women on the Wind River Reservation. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen star.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27959.asp

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