Elaine Miles Speaks Out and Copes with Humor Following Encounter with ICE

December 23, 2025December 23, 2025 Lauren Lola

On November 3, actor Elaine Miles was waiting at a bus stop in Redmond, Washington, when four U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers approached her, demanding to see her ID. Miles, a registered member of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, stood her ground and in what – as she described – “felt like a lifetime, but it was only maybe 30 minutes, 45 minutes long,” they were arguing.

Interview, Movies, Reviews1 Comment

‘Americana’ is a Dark Comedy About Cultural and Literal Theft, For Our Times

August 12, 2025August 12, 2025 Dominic Mah

I got to chat with director Tony Tost and star Paul Walter Hauser about Americana, the new Western/heist/comedy opening this week from Lionsgate Films. The interviews and my review of this thoroughly enjoyable genre-mashing romp, featured below. Americana also stars Halsey (yeaaah, “Without Me,” “Closer,” “Boy With Luv,” that Halsey!), Sydney Sweeney, Zahn McClarnon, Eric Dane, and Simon Rex.

Reviews, Theatre

A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Four Women in Red’

February 23, 2025February 23, 2025 Edward Hong

Once in a while, you come across a play that has a message so important that you wish to see it succeed higher in future productions as its current iteration needs a bit more work. That is the case for Laura Shamas’ Four Women in Red, which had its world premiere at the The Victory Theatre Center.

Reviews, Theatre

A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Fake It Until You Make It’

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025 Edward Hong

The satirical farce genre isn’t commonly utilized for global majority stories but it is always most welcome to see. Such is the case for the world premiere of Larissa FastHorse‘s Fake It Until You Make It at the Center Theatre Group (in association with Arena Stage) which sets its story in the Indigenous non-profit sector in the most wacky manner. While it is occasionally rough and uneven in terms of the comedic writing, the play is overall a romping good time that has some wonderful physical comedy moments to be remembered for.

Interview, Movies, Sports

‘Rez Ball’ Director and Stars on Their Creative Approaches to the Sports Drama Genre

September 23, 2024September 18, 2024 Lauren Lola

This week will see the release of Rez Ball on Netflix. Directed and co-written by Sydney Freeland, the story is set around a high school basketball team at a Native American reservation. In the aftermath of the loss of their star player, the remaining members must learn to come together and continue their efforts in competing for the state championship title.

Animation, Podcasts

FDI Cast 190: Bring Back Bravestarr

April 19, 2024April 20, 2024 Jamie

Finally! An episode where we don’t talk about wrestling. Also, it’s about time Bravestarr get the live action treatment!

Interview, Streaming, Television

Kiawentiio is Making Waves in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

February 21, 2024February 26, 2024 Laura Sirikul

In the spring of 2021, Kiawentiio was filming a music video when she found out her life was about to be changed forever. She had received a call from her team regarding a role she had auditioned for the past few weeks. Thinking she had to do yet another audition, she mentally prepared herself for the worst. Instead, they had good news: Kiawentiio had gotten the part of Katara in Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Interview, Marvel, Television

Insights From the Cast and Creative Staff of Marvel’s ‘Echo’

January 13, 2024January 14, 2024 Dominic Mah

Wrapping up our coverage of Marvel Studios’ newest series Echo, here’s three interviews I conducted with cast members Devery Jacobs (Bonnie) and Chaske Spencer (Henry), director Sydney Freeland, and executive producer Richie Palmer.

Marvel, Reviews, Streaming1 Comment

NOC Review: ‘Echo’ is Hard Hitting and Emotionally Resonant

January 11, 2024January 14, 2024 Mike Manalo

Marvel Studios has heard the complaints from everyone post-Endgame, and has decided to create a dedicated banner specifically for one-off character stories: Marvel Spotlight. Like the comics that inspired the moniker, these shows will focus on telling stories about single characters that can be easily decoupled from the grander arcs of narrative building within the MCU. And the first series to be released under the Marvel Spotlight banner is Echo.

Marvel, Reviews, Streaming1 Comment

‘Echo’ Changes the Game and the Frame for the Marvel Cinematic Universe

January 11, 2024March 28, 2024 Dominic Mah

The question looms over every Marvel Studios release these days: “Is it a game-changer?” Does this latest show/movie/sequel change the formula, or rekindle the magic or… accomplish anything? Marvel’s new series Echo certainly serves as a frame-changer, centering a Native American character who also happens to be deaf and an amputee.

Interview, Marvel, Streaming2 Comments

‘Echo’ Star Alaqua Cox on Motherhood and Deaf Representation in the MCU

January 3, 2024January 4, 2024 Dominic Mah

It was a pleasure to talk with Alaqua Cox about Marvel’s Echo, premiering January 9 on Disney+ and Hulu, with assistance by an ASL interpreter. We’ll be sharing more from the Echo press event over the coming week.

Marvel, Streaming

First Look at Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ with Director Sydney Freeland

November 3, 2023November 3, 2023 Mike Manalo

In November 2021, Hawkeye debuted as a lovely Christmas present to fans. It continued the adventures of everyone’s favorite archer Avenger, introduced the world to Kate Bishop, gave closure to Yelena Belova, brought back the Kingpin, and introduced a formidable new villain in Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox). Now Maya is back, in her very own series: Echo!

Interview, Movies, Streaming

Alyssa Wapanatâhk on Indigenous Representation and Reimagining Tiger Lily

April 25, 2023April 26, 2023 Kelly Martinez

It’s time to grab your pixie dust and head back to Neverland. Peter Pan & Wendy premieres on Disney+ on April 28. In it, Disney reimagines Tiger Lily, the warrior princess of Neverland’s Indigenous tribe. To celebrate Peter Pan & Wendy‘s upcoming release, The Nerds of Color sat down with actress Alyssa Wapanatâhk to chat about all things Tiger Lily.

Podcasts, Sci Fi1 Comment

FDI Cast 150: We Have to ‘Prey’ Just to Make it Today

August 12, 2022 Jamie

We spend a lot of time just gushing about Prey and coming up with some other scenarios we want to see a Predator face.

Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

NOC Review: Amber Midthunder Hits Her Target Dead On in ‘Prey’

August 3, 2022August 3, 2022 Michael Lee

The Predator film franchise centered on the clash between its race of a highly evolved race of aliens who hunt alphas for sport versus man. While its predecessors were as bloody and violent as the next, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey goes back to basics with a primal and bloody David vs. Goliath story that not only is worthy of being a part of the iconic franchise but something could stand on its own thanks to Amber Midthunder’s astonishing performance that subverts tropes in a way that finally makes indigenous cultures the heroes of their own story.

Interview, Movies, Sci Fi

‘Prey’ Cast and Crew on Breaking Barriers in the ‘Predator’ Franchise

July 22, 2022 Michael Lee

The Predator movies of the past have featured some soldiers of fortune being hunted by its titular alien race of hunters seeking to add to their trophy case. But in Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg takes a different approach to that dynamic by setting the film 300 years in the Comanche nation and follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled warrior who will do anything to protect her tribe, including hunting a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal. The result is a primal David and Goliath match unlike anything we’ve ever seen from the Predator franchise.

Movies, Sci Fi

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted in New ‘Prey’ Trailer

June 7, 2022June 7, 2022 Michael Lee

20th Century Studios has released the first trailer for Dan Trachtenberg’s (The Boys, 10 Cloverfield Lane) Prey, a revival that breathes new life into the cult classic Predator film franchise. But rather than set it in modern-day times, the film steps 300 years back in time, where the fearsome titular hunting alien faces off against Naru (Amber Midthunder), a fierce and highly skilled female warrior of the Comanche Nation.

Marvel, Streaming

Marvel’s ‘Echo’ Begins Production

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 Laura Sirikul

Marvel’s Echo has begin production in Atlanta and is set to premiere in 2023. The series stars Alaqua Cox as deaf gang leader Maya Lopez aka Echo, who made her debut in the MCU in Marvel’s Hawkeye. The series picks up after finding out the truth about the death of her father — by the hands of Ronin aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) — set up by Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio).

Reviews, Streaming1 Comment

Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition’ is Wonderful and Moving

November 4, 2021November 3, 2021 Swara Salih

We obviously look forward to the holidays for the food. Whether it’s for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Passover, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Día De Los Muertos, Seollal (Korean New Year), Nowruz (Persian New Year), or some other holiday, we always enjoy diving into a scrumptious feast with our loved ones to commemorate these occasions. But how exactly did some of these food traditions develop here in the United States, and what were the specific contributions of Immigrant and Indigenous communities?

Reviews, Streaming

‘Reservation Dogs’ Brings Humor and Realness from Indigenous Perspectives

August 10, 2021August 10, 2021 Lauren Lola

Just in time for International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, FX on Hulu’s new comedy series, Reservation Dogs, officially premiered yesterday. Created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, the show is centered on four teenagers living on a reservation in Oklahoma. They spend their days finding the easiest avenues to make money — even if it means committing theft — in order to leave for California. However, when a new gang arrives in town and one of the teens starts to have a change of heart about their motivations, things start to get a little interesting.

Movies, Reviews, Streaming

‘Bring Your Own Brigade’ Burns Bright

August 4, 2021August 4, 2021 Bray Lawrence

Two cites, two fires, and rising temperatures flare up in Bring Your Own Brigade, an American documentary film by Lucy Walker, following the aftermath of the 2018 California Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire that destroyed Paradise and Malibu, California.

Interview, Television8 Comments

Elaine Miles Reflects on Native Representation and ‘Northern Exposure’

July 10, 2020February 22, 2023 Lauren Lola

On July 12, 1990, the Emmy Award-winning comedy-drama, Northern Exposure, began its run on CBS. Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, a neurotic Jewish physician (Rob Morrow) from New York is forced to work as a general practitioner in the small, fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, in order to pay the state of Alaska for underwriting his medical school education. Over the course of the series’ six seasons, not only did audiences watch Morrow’s Dr. Joel Fleischman slowly adjust to his surroundings, but they also got to know the quirky residents of the small community and follow their day-to-day lives as well.

Continue reading “Elaine Miles Reflects on Native Representation and ‘Northern Exposure’”

Books, Interview, Star Wars1 Comment

Author Rebecca Roanhorse Makes Her ‘Star Wars’ Universe Debut with ‘Resistance Reborn’

October 31, 2019July 21, 2021 Lauren Lola

Rebecca Roanhorse is no stranger to writing worlds and realities beyond our own. A speculative fiction writer of both novels and short fiction, she is a recipient of both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. Her work often features indigenous characters as the leads; such as her Sixth World series where a Dinétah monster slayer navigates a post-apocalyptic world filled with gods and monsters of legend. Continue reading “Author Rebecca Roanhorse Makes Her ‘Star Wars’ Universe Debut with ‘Resistance Reborn’”