NekoHomey
Purely Joyful Movie!
Mabel Munoz
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Freeman
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Beth Cole
Wow. If it's not too late, try to go into this one completely blind - no trailers, synopses or reviews. I have never been so drawn in by the hero's tragic flaw than in this movie, and that flaw is casually dropped all over the web. The moment of realization was gut-wrenching. Watched this as part of an Eric Schweig binge and so far it may be his finest performance from the four or five films I've seen. (Graham Greene sort of goes without saying.)
huh
I feel this movie was a good depiction of life in a poor small town (having lived in several myself.) I enjoyed that it treated Indians like regular folks just trying to find their place in the world. I am irritated by the person whining about Spike Lee and stereotypes. While Spike has contributed a body of work that provokes, he is not every black man.According to his IMDb bio, Chris Eyre is Cheyenne and Arapaho. Those two tribes banded together with the Sioux to fight Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn or Custer's Last Stand. The reason for the movie's joke about the Crow is because they had been scouts FOR Custer.The point of that history lesson is that Indians are no more homogenized than white folks. To imply that one person can speak for an entire race is just plain asinine.In addition, there is a little bit of truth within every stereotype. Although alcoholism is not unique to Indians, Native Americans, natives, indigenous, aboriginals, etc... (or what ever the correct 'PC' term is this week) and I like how this movie dealt with it. I also especially enjoyed the cowboy boots with the football uniform...
CJGlowacki
Watching Chris Eyre's "Skins", I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Here I was watching a seemingly realistic film about modern Native Americans made by a director of Native American descent and all I kept thinking about was how poorly structured it was. For years, I have waited for an important Native American filmmaker to emerge and take his place next to Spike Lee as the voice of his people. A filmmaker who would give us an honest and heartfelt view of his world while at the same time destroying the stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood for the better part of a century. So it is with deep regret that I inform you that such a filmmaker has yet to show his face.Going into the film, I was absolutely confident I was going to walk away praising it to everyone within earshot. After all, it is not everyday, or year for that matter, that you get to sit down and watch a film with such a unique point of view. Color me surprised then when I sulked off with a completely opposite reaction. A reaction as angry and depressing as the film itself.With the indie success of "Smoke Signals", one would think that director Eyre would've been in an easier position to finance and film this sophomore effort. And, if that is indeed the case, why is it that "Skins" feels even more amateurish than his first film? From the lighting to the editing to the incredibly poor storytelling, the film fails to meet even the most modest expectations for a low budget production. Even the proven talent of actor Graham Greene is wasted in scenes staged with pathetic attempts at humor and pathos. The perfect example being the shot of his final goodbye, which has all the subtlety of a ten ton nuclear blast.But, amid all of the clichés and shameless manipulation of emotion, the film does have one saving grace and that is the performance of lead Eric Schweig.As police officer Rudy Yellow Lodge, Schweig moves through the story with both authority and vulnerability. Two conflicting traits that add some much needed credibility to his little foray into vigilantism and his reactions afterwards.By the end of "Skins", I couldn't help but wonder if the novel by Adrian C. Louis was somehow misinterpreted here. If I was to hazard a guess, I would have to go with yes - because why waste your time turning bad literature into an even worse movie.Ration [on a 5 star system] : 2 stars
mgressma
"Skins" is much better than I thought it would be. I was expecting a stereo-typical rendition of life on an Indian Reservation, but instead was treated to an all-American story about a family with problems. It is a very well written story that really moves along. Going in, I thought it would be torture to sit through, but, it was over before I knew it, and was a delight all the way. As a result of seeing "Skins" I see Mt. Rushmore as the period at the end of a long and bloody sentence in the history of man in North America.
