Cinebuds

Radio Milwaukee
  • 4.4 (25)
  • TV & FILM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Every week, Radio Milwaukee's Dori Zori and Milwaukee Film’s Kristopher Pollard talk about movies in theaters, streaming at home or wherever they might be, as well as Milwaukee's film scene.

  1. 1D AGO

    Our 'Song Sung Blue' review, plus a quick chat with Hugh Jackman!

    There are so many “firsts” on this episode, we’re honestly not sure what to do with ourselves. Let’s start by telling you (in case you skipped the headline) that we’re reviewing Song Sung Blue, the based-on-a-true-story of real-life Milwaukee couple Mike and Claire Sardina, also known as Lightning & Thunder. Their Neil Diamond tribute act — with occasional departures into ABBA, Patsy Cline and others — played stages around the area for nearly 20 years, eventually catching the attention of writer/director Craig Brewer. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson came on board his project to play the lead roles, with Jackman in particular embracing it in a huge way. That brings us to our first “first,” which saw the Oriental Theatre host a premiere for Song Sung Blue (reportedly at Jackman’s request) and give us a chance to attend our very first Hollywood-ish event. In addition to Dori, Radio Milwaukee social media strategist Zoey Knox elbowed her way to the edge of the red carpet, which was appropriately blue for the occasion. So of course we invited Zoey for her first Cinebuds appearance to share her thoughts on the movie, as well as what it was like for her and Dori to interview (sort of) the one and only Hugh Jackman!!! You’ll hear that admittedly brief but still wonderful chat in the full episode, which also includes our hosts’ reaction to this very Milwaukee tale. Some quick highlights: Hudson really nails her portrayal of Claire Sardina, she and Jackman clearly have legit singing chops, and the general uplifting-ness of the story make this a perfect release for the holiday season. Get all of the details in this episode, and make sure you check in with us after the holiday break for another perspective on Song Sung Blue from filmmaker Jimmy Sammarco, whose 2008 documentary of the same name was instrumental to the biopic hitting theaters this Christmas. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

    27 min

  2. DEC 17

    'Scrooged!' (Cinebuds Live)

    Special episodes happen on the regular around here, but this one is something extra special: our live recording right after a screening of the 1988 holiday classic, Scrooged! We gathered an amazing audience at the Oriental Theatre to watch the movie and have a chat about Bill Murray’s performance as Frank Cross, the youngest network president in television history who’s got a long night ahead of him. Does this four-decades-old film still hit? We tackled that question, along with some fun facts about Murray's acting hiatus after Ghostbusters and his on-set conflicts with director Richard Donner. You'll also hear us dive into why this is a "very pro-therapy movie" and debate who should play the Frank Cross role if the movie were cast today.  Our audience was eager to share their opinions as well and compete in Bill Murray trivia for truly impressive prizes. including an IBC towel and an autographed (possibly broken) VHS player! Grab some popcorn and enjoy this fun, chaotic celebration of an '80s holiday favorite. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

    27 min

  3. DEC 10

    'Frankenstein'

    This week, our cinematic buddies tackle Guillermo del Toro's latest masterpiece: the new Frankenstein film currently streaming on Netflix. It's a movie he wanted to make since he was 8 years old, and we explore how this master of dark genre handled the classic Mary Shelley story. Dori and Kpolly discuss the film's unexpected body-horror elements and how it manages to balance the unsettling effects with a powerful focus on the humanity of the creature. You'll also learn about the creature’s casting evolution — from initial plans for Doug Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch to the final role played by Jacob Elordi — and how del Toro's choices shaped his take on the original story. Stick around until the end for our hosts' latest recommendations, including Being Eddie, the new documentary about comedy legend Eddie Murphy. And don't forget to join Cinebuds at the Oriental Theatre at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 11, for a screening of the holiday classic Scrooged followed by a LIVE taping of the podcast! ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

    29 min

  4. DEC 3

    'Wicked: For Good'

    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.

    33 min

  5. NOV 26

    Holiday films, from 'Scrooged' to ... 'The Godfather'?

    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.

    25 min

  6. NOV 19

    Action Wisconsin: Reigniting the state's film industry

    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.

    37 min

  7. NOV 12

    Depeche Mode: M

    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.

    34 min

  8. NOV 5

    The Twits

    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.

    27 min
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4.4
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Every week, Radio Milwaukee's Dori Zori and Milwaukee Film’s Kristopher Pollard talk about movies in theaters, streaming at home or wherever they might be, as well as Milwaukee's film scene.

Information

  • Creator
    Radio Milwaukee
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    608
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 88Nine Radio Milwaukee
  • Show Website
    Cinebuds

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