Cinebuds

The divide between people who review things for a living and regular folk has existed since before Robert Green called Shakespeare “an upstart crow” back in 1592. The years since have brought us Mozart (“too many notes”), Psycho (“falls quite flat”) and Taylor Swift’s discography, post-folklore.It sounds like we can add Wicked: For Good to the list. The second half of the movie based on the Broadway production based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire has put critics on one side of the yellow brick road and fans on the other. Fortunately, we have just the duo to close that gap.Dori and Kpolly step into this episode relatively fresh from seeing the final chapter of the green-and-pink saga, and play out the internal struggle of critic vs. fan for your listening enjoyment. Despite imbibing Wicked: For Good with a side of critical pans and outright distaste, our duo’s take is a horse of a different color. Listen to their full report, and make sure you stick around until the end for more recommendations and special details about the Cinebuds Live event coming up Dec. 11. Actually, we’ll just give you that second part now: If you haven’t gotten your ticket for the very exciting screening of Scrooged and live taping of the podcast at the Oriental Theatre, go to the Milwaukee Film website and enter the creative code “SCROOGED” at checkout for $3 off.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

Milwaukee Film’s annual “Season’s Screenings” holiday movie series just got underway this week, and if you're listening to this episode on its release date, that means you’ve only missed one of the 22 selections that will run at the Oriental Theatre between now and Jan. 1 (if you really love The Holiday, you can always fork over $3.99 to stream it). With our resident Milwaukee Film-ite Kpolly, it seemed silly not to use this opportunity to dig into the topic of holiday movies. It won’t surprise you to learn that both of our hosts find this part of the calendar cinematically delightful. It’s kind of hard to argue with them, considering how un-genre-specific these movies are. Traditionalist? You’ve got White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life. Romantic? Bridget Jones’ Diary and When Harry Met Sally. Holiday hater? Krampus and Christmas Evil. Prefer straight-ahead comedies? Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Scrooged.Speaking of the Bill Murray-starring take on A Christmas Carol, only one entry in this year’s “Season’s Screenings” has an interactive element, and it happens Dec. 11 with what we’re calling “Scrooged with Cinebuds Live”! Because we believe in delivering on things promised in titles, everyone in attendance at the Oriental Theatre will enjoy a screening of the movie and a live taping of Cinebuds immediately following.So if you’ve ever fancied the idea of hearing your voice on the podcast, this is your big chance. We’ll even sweeten the deal by knocking $3 off your ticket, since you’re clearly a devoted Cinebuds fan if you’ve gotten this far down the page. Just enter the code “SCROOGED” when you check out on the Milwaukee Film website, and you’ll see the discount applied.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

It’s always preferable to have our usual dynamic duo piloting the podcast. But when that’s not the case, it usually means we’re making room for some special guests. For this episode, we’ve got two who know their way around movie making and are using that knowledge to make a positive impact on all of Wisconsin.Writer/director Nathan Deming, who hails from the northern reaches of the state, is smack dab in the middle of an ambition project to create 12 films set in Wisconsin, with each taking place in a different month (January and February are already a wrap). Jeffrey Kurz is a Racine native and former studio exec at Miramax Films. Both are involved with Action! Wisconsin, a statewide group pushing to make Wisconsin friendlier for film and television production.It’s not just movie types involved, either. In addition to the many people involved in film production — from directors to technicians — the coalition includes city governments, hotels, restaurants, small-business owners and educators. Their goal: to create jobs, lift local economies and promote tourism across the state.They scored a big win earlier this year, when Wisconsin legislators passed and Governor Tony Evers signed into law the creation of production incentives and a state film office. You’ll hear from Deming and Kurz about how that victory happened, how filming in Wisconsin can be a win for everyone and a few personal stories from their own movie-watching histories (including the ones that made them cry).#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

When is a concert film not a concert film?It's an existential question that's particularly fitting for this episode, as we focus on a movie that is literally about death. And also new-wave-slash-electronic-music legends Depeche Mode.The unfortunate intersection between those two subjects is the death of the band's keyboardist, Andy Fletcher, in 2022 and subsequent release of 2023 album Memento Mori. During that difficult time, remaining members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore went on tour to support the record and invited Mexican director to Fernando Frias capture their performances in Mexico City in September of 2023.Combining the footage with "interpretive interstitials and archival material," Frias delved into his culture's relationship with death and came away with Depeche Mode: M. On this episode, Kpolly leads our own delving with a specialized crew representing the two major sides of the movie: On the music front, we called in 88Nine program director, DJ-about-town and big Depeche Mode fan Kenny Perez. To reinforce our cinematic cred, we got 88Nine on-air personality and multidisciplinary artist (with an emphasis on film) Paula Lovo. You'll hear what all three of them had to say about the documentary, how well it connected to the culture and whether it'll hit with people not quite as familiar with the band (like Paula). Plus, there's a quick detour into favorite concert films, first movies and — perhaps in response to all the death talk — laugh-out-loud comedies.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

In this episode, we take a very special trip … to the Bizarro World.Imagine a place that is the opposite of the Cinebuds universe. A place where the two main characters are awful to their very core. A pair of people who hate everything, including each other. A couple who are … gulp … married.The duo at the center of Roald Dahl’s novel-turned-Netflix-movie The Twits are truly the Bizarro version of Dori and Kpolly, who are notoriously nice and do not hate indiscriminately and are definitely NOT married. They do, however, manage to disagree about The Twits movie adaptation in their own agreeable way. Maybe you’re more like Dori and will have trouble disconnecting the plot from certain real-world events or find the Twits “a little bit too much.” Maybe you’re more like Kpolly and will deeply dig the "really impressive" animation and creative plot additions to the source material. Find out for yourself by listening to the episode in full and checking out The Twits on Netflix.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

The only thing more plentiful than Halloween candy is Halloween watchlists. Our favorite fall holiday (you heard us, Thanksgiving) was celebrated for the first time more than 2,000 years ago, possibly to recognize the first batch of Circus Peanuts ever manufactured.Fun fact: They haven’t needed to make any more, because no human being has ever actually eaten a Circus Peanut. We’ve just been passing around the same ones for two millenia.That’s also a lot of movie-making time, enough for the catch-all “horror” genre to split off so many subgenres. Slasher. Monster. Folk. Body. Even comedy. But that still wasn’t specific enough when Dori and Kpolly set off to give you their recommendations for this film-friendly time of year. So our scions of the cinema picked two pretty granular categories — "'70s Scares"  and "Mild Frights" — and sprinkled their picks throughout this episode.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

Have you ever played a two-player game where the other person keeps getting in your way, inadvertently knocking you into the nearest lava pit or spiky enemy? Anyone who has ever played any of the Super Mario games knows the phenomenon. Well, this is the podcast version of that — except nobody rage quits.To clarify, our hosts didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on Tron: Ares, Disney’s latest attempt to breathe some life (or put another quarter into) the franchise that started way back in 1982. In fact, one of our hosts was so “out” on this movie that she didn’t even bother showing up for this episode!OK, that’s not exactly true. Dori couldn’t quite make this one work with her schedule, and fortunately we had a very able guest ready to step in: local Milwaukee filmmaker James Tindell! In addition to knowing a thing or two about movies, he’s a self-described “Tron superfan,” which means he was either going to REALLY like the latest installment or REALLY not like it.From our metaphor in the first paragraph, it's clear that however he felt, Kpolly didn't quite agree. To find out who fell on which side, check out the full episode.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

It's another special guest episode!Getting the big welcome this time around is one of our wonderful return vistors: Julie Lookatch from the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, who drops by to drop some knowledge about the 28th annual Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival. She's got all the who, what, when, where and why for this year's event that runs from Oct. 26-30 at the Marcus North Shore Cinema, followed by a streaming option the following week.Julie, Dori and Kpolly logically start with opening-night film Midas Man, the biopic about The Beatles' longtime manager (and the guy who discovered them), Brian Epstein. From there, they jump around the curated lineup to heartwarming dramedy The Ring, the more straightforward drama Soda, cat-and-mouse documentary The Stamp Thief, and the festival's romcom closer Matchmaking 2.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

Being the hosts of a big-time podcast like this one gets you access to some pretty cool stuff. It also turns out that being a fan of a big-time podcast like this one can pay off from time to time — like getting the chance to see the most talked about movie in the country before anyone else!We like exaggerating now and then, but for One Battle After Another, our cinematic trio (yes, trio) got the privilege to be in the audience for an advance screening happening at only 13 locations nationwide. Milwaukee’s own Oriental Theatre landed on that exclusive list, and Radio Milwaukee member Sara Frenn got the exclusive opportunity to watch the movie with Dori and Kpolly, then talk about it on this episode.What do they have to say about it? There are a lot of words in a 30-minute podcast, but some of the choice ones are “surprising,” “misleading” (in a good way) and “unexpected.”If you’ve only seen a trailer or ad for the film, you’d be forgiven for thinking One Battle After Another is an action-y thriller. While it has those elements, the laughs go well beyond mere comic relief and do more than break up tense moments. This is a genuinely funny movie that still manages to mix in impressive action sequences — a combination that makes this nearly 3-hour film feel much shorter and yet still epic in scale.

We've gotten more than a few chances to talk with special guests about a particular film they're involved in, but this episode takes things to a wonderful new level.At the center of our discussion is the beautiful new documentary, It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews after its Sundance premiere. Through never-before-seen footage of Jeff, as well as interviews with people close to him, the film becomes a graceful retrospective on the gifted musician we lost far too soon.Nobody understands that feeling better than Jeff Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, and we were honored to speak with her for this episode. She shares the origin story of this deeply personal project that was decades in the making, and how she decided to put the story of her son in the hands of director Amy Berg.We also hear about her earliest memories of Jeff's love for music, from singing Spanish nursery rhymes as a toddler to getting a Les Paul guitar that he practically slept with, and the nonprofit organization Road Recovery, which was inspired by Jeff's life to help at-risk youth turn tragedy into harmony through the power of music.Stick around to the end to hear Guibert's answer to Dori's trademark question, as she reveals what "Scotty" --- as his mom still calls him --- would say his childhood smelled like.*****Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

This week, we’re talking all about The Roses, the new film starring the delightful Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. It's a modern remake of the '80s classic The War of the Roses, telling the story of a lovely couple whose marriage begins to unravel, leading to a hilariously escalating divorce.Join us as we compare this updated version to the original, discussing how its deeper character development makes the couple’s mean-spirited sabotage feel both uncomfortable and pretty darn funny at the same time. We also dive into the stellar performances from the entire cast, including Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon, and touch on fun details like the clever gender-role reversal from the original film.

The only way to describe this episode is "super special" considering the person in the spotlight: Milwaukee-born director Michael Schultz! Milwaukee Film introduced a new annual award named in his honor that recognizes luminary Black directors who have profoundly impacted culture and the film industry. Schultz himself will be the first recipient and, very deservedly, will get a full weekend of programming at the Oriental Theatre on Sept. 12 and 13.Dori and Kpolly delve into Schultz on this episode with a discussion about his prolific career directing for the stage and screen, his groundbreaking moment as the first Black director nominated at the Cannes Film Festival, and a look at some of his outstanding work, including The Last Dragon.*****Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co. and our wonderful Radio Milwaukee members.

Dori is flying solo for this episode, but she made sure to keep the pod well-populated by inviting filmmakers Alex Lamb and Max Well to chat about their new documentary, The Donn of Tiki.This is a story that demanded to be told: A man living a life that makes it nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction while inadvertently creating the tiki subculture. The entire tale of Donn Beach is a wild one and extends all the way back to his birth, the location of which remains up in the air. He was a bootlegger and rum-cocktail inventor with mob ties who used his authentic love for Polynesian culture to become "the founding father of tiki.”Alex and Max share how they discovered old tapes with Donn's actual voice, used perfectly suited stop-motion animation to bring him to life, and wound up with enough material for an early cut that was three hours long. They also talk about how they whittled down that runtime and came up with a narrative approach for an unreliable narrator — something you can see for yourself at a screening of The Donn of Tiki this Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Oriental Theatre, followed immediately by a Q&A with the filmmakers.*****Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

When Milwaukee Film rolls out one of their carefully curated series, it gives Dori and Kpolly a chance to do two things: Highlight a bunch of great movies around a particular theme. Rest their voices by bringing in a guest host. For the organization's monthly "Cinematic Sisterhood" run of films, they decided to go straight to the top. That's right, Milwaukee Film Executive Director Susan Kerns steps into the studio to give a very authoritative (but friendly!) perspective of the series made possible by a grant from the Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee.Our trio of cinephiles talks about the programming that celebrates films directed by women, including the one coming up Aug. 23: The Queen of My Dreams from Fawzia Mirza, who took a creatively kinetic approach to telling a tale of mothers and daughters trying to connect. All three hosts already got their eyes on the 2023 movie and applied their respective seals of approval for the grounded story that finds a way to seamlessly stir in a heavy dose of fantasy.******Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

This episode sees our cinematic duo turning their attention to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's new Japanese thriller, Cloud. This film, a hit at the spring film festivals and an Academy Award nominee, explores themes of capitalism through a young man reselling goods online. While some might expect a horror film based on Kurosawa's past work, Cloud is decidedly a thriller that keeps you guessing who to root for.Get ready for tonal shifts as the film evolves from a quiet drama to an absurd, action-packed thriller with characters who are — as our humble hosts remark — "an inch away from losing it." Dori and Kpolly also praise the unexpected character arcs of Yoshi's assistant, O, and his girlfriend, before moving on to their other recommendations: the 1980s-set, Pedro Pascal-starring Freaky Tales; and Bob Odenkirk's unexpected action turn in Nobody.

Earlier this year, we invited the filmmakers behind Cycle to the podcast for a deeper look at their document about police violence in America. In the months since, Cycle won Best Feature Documentary at the Brooklyn Film Festival and is now gearing up for more screenings and more film festivals around Wisconsin and beyond. So it seemed like a good time to revisit our conversation with directors Laura Dyan Kezman and William Howell. Enjoy. *****On this episode, Dori welcomes some very special guests to talk about a very important film: Cycle.More than five years in the making, Cycle takes an unflinching look at the patterns behind police violence in America through the story of Ty’rese West, an 18-year-old from Racine who was shot and killed by Mount Pleasant police officer Eric Giese in 2019 after being stopped for riding a bicycle without a headlight.Joining the podcast to talk about their film — and their deep connections to it — are directors Laura Dyan Kezman and William Howell, both of whom are from Racine. Uniquely Milwaukee host Kim Shine also sits in for this one as the quartet talk about:  Howell's personal connection to West's family and the Racine community, which helped build trust for the deeply personal footage in the film. The challenging process of obtaining public information from authorities. How the death of George Floyd in 2020 reframed their work. Who holds power in the criminal justice system, particularly the District Attorney. The challenges of and potential for filmmaking in Wisconsin. The hope that Cycle serves as a catalyst and inspires viewers to push social justice forward. *****Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

 Director Wes Anderson has done something just about every person in his trade dreams to do: establish an instantly recognizable and virtually inimitable visual style.He’s reached a point in his career at which a member of the moviegoing public could jump in halfway through a trailer with no prompts whatsoever and go, “Huh, Wes Anderson’s got a new film coming out.” On this episode of Cinebuds, we ask the question: Has he reached a point in his career at which that’s not necessarily a good thing?Prompting that discussion is Anderson’s latest release, The Phoenician Scheme, which plays his greatest hits. Symmetrical shots? Yep. Scenes that could easily double as paintings? Sure. Flat, deadpan delivery? Bingo.As our hosts discuss, that final quality might be starting to catch up with Anderson, at least in this one. The Phoenician Scheme sports the top-notch writing and story beats we’ve also come to expect from Anderson. Yet, despite a cast with the ability to match that high level of scripting, they don’t get a chance to create a character. Perhaps you know the adage, “Show, don’t tell.” Based on our hosts’ experience, The Phoenician Scheme could’ve used a little more of that. But was that enough to sink the whole ship or just tip it slightly from side to side?Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

With all the enthusiasm and boundless energy of a certain super-canine, we jump all over the new Superman movie that director James Gunn controversially decided to call ... Superman.We try not to give away too much in these descriptions, but it's kind of hard to avoid the fact that our hosts do a lot of gushing in this particular episode. In that way, they took in this film the same way a lot of people did: with appreciation for quite possibly the most human Superman ever seen on the big screen.Then there's the brilliant Nicholas Hoult's turn as Lex Luthor, deep-cut heroes like bowl-cutted Green Lantern Guy Gardner and the even-keeled Mr. Terrific, so many Easter eggs and cameos, and (of course) Krypto the Superdog. Basically, it's an episode-long reminder that breaking down a film critically is equally possible with one you love as it is for one you revile.Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

Are you ready for a deep dive into cinema history?That's certainly not the last acquatic pun you'll get from us as we hunt down one of cinema's most impactful movies: Jaws! The big-mouthed killing machine (literally ... the many breakdowns the "shark" experienced on set are legendary at this point) turns 50 this year and is as relevant as ever a half-century after essentially creating the concept of a summer blockbuster.Dori and Kpolly fire up the engines and chug out into the waters off the coast of Amity to get their hooks into why Jaws remains a must-see movie. Our hosts dig into all of the ingredients that give the film its staying power, from memorable one-liners to sneaky pop-culture references to brilliant casting (particularly the scene-stealing Robert Shaw).They also explore the enduring horror of a shark attack, the iconic John Williams score, and the indelible impression of seeing Jaws on the big screen. Plus, you'll hear what else they've been watching, including The Shark Whisperer and Paddington in Peru.Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

Get ready for a local cinema deep dive as Dori chats with Michael Wendt from Woodland Pattern and Takahiro Suzuki from the aCinema series.Our guests demystify experimental film, explaining why its non-linear, poetic style isn't intimidating as you think and just might unlock new viewpoints you never would've seen otherwise. They share insights into the upcoming aCinema screening series, now in its ninth season, running July 18-20 at Woodland Pattern. This year features 41 international works across six programs that explore themes like identity, home and the environment, with some even utilizing AI.You'll hear all about the series, how Woodland Pattern became a vital home for poets and artists over the last 46 years, and how even the name "aCinema" is wonderfully unique in its own right.Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.