Cinebuds

Radio Milwaukee

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. 4d ago

    The 2026 Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival

    The collection of film festivals that light up big screens around the area every year are more than opportunities to watch movies. They’re also a chance to share an experience you wouldn’t have otherwise, often with people from varied backgrounds and perspectives. Back for its 29th installment, the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival emphasizes that togetherness by picking five exclusively non-streaming selections that tell universal stories of inspiration, hilarity, entertainment, history and more. The main slate takes place at Marcus North Shore Cinema on Oct. 11, 12, 14, 15 and 19, with this year’s event featuring a bonus selection that organizers from the Harry and Rose Samson Jewish Community Center decided was “simply too important not to share.” Two of those organizers, Chief Communications Officer Julie Lookatch and Director of Special Events Micki Seinfeld, join us to share their thoughts on the festival’s lineup, what makes the festival’s post-screening talkbacks so special, and why these cinematic stories welcome community members of all faiths and backgrounds. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  2. Sep 30

    The 2026 Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival

    Cultural festivals are a major part of Milwaukee’s DNA, although we usually think of them in the context of summer celebrations at Henry Maier Festival Park. This category of events extends well beyond the lakefront, however, including the ones that take place in southeastern Wisconsin’s movie houses. Getting the spotlight in this episode is the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, which returns for its 11th installment from Oct. 1-4 at the Oriental Theatre. But this isn’t just four days of movies. After the credits roll, the conversation continues with post-screening talkbacks featuring filmmakers and guest speakers. Taking us behind the curtain of this year’s event is Janan Najeeb from the Muslim Women's Coalition, which is once again partnering with Milwaukee Film to put on the festival. She shares her own must-see movies, led by opening-night documentary American Doctor, which includes one of those insightful talkbacks right after the screening. Najeeb also dives into a “get to know you” chat that reveals her strict refusal to rewatch movies — despite her husband’s affinity for a certain dino-driven blockbuster.  ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  3. Sep 23

    'Time Warp,' Tim Curry and 50 years of 'Rocky Horror'

    In this episode, Dori and Kpolly dive into Time Warp, a moving new documentary featured at the Dialogues Documentary Festival. The film spotlights a passionate community group in a small Wyoming town, led by the delightfully optimistic Kenny Starling, as they put together a shadow cast production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. What starts as an ambitious theatrical experiment unfolds into a heartwarming story about breaking down assumptions, finding community,and celebrating queer joy. Along the way, Dory and Kpolly pay tribute to the legendary Tim Curry and his iconic roles in Rocky Horror, Clue and Legend. They also highlight the documentary's star-studded producer lineup — featuring Josh Gad, Billy Porter and John Cameron Mitchell — before sharing their thoughts on what else they've been watching lately (like Supergirl and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride). Grab your community and tune in for a friendly chat full of heart, laughs and pure movie magic. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  4. Sep 16

    Dialogues Documentary Film Festival

    Strange but true. Funny but true. Deeply emotionally moving … but true. Those feelings — and many others — are the foundation for Milwaukee Film’s Dialogues Documentary Film Festival, which returns to the Oriental and Downer Theatres from Sept. 24-27. The key aspect of the event, however, is truth. The features screening across the four days are the real experiences of real people, from community activists right here in Milwaukee to cowgirls defying gender roles in Wyoming to astronauts leaving the confines of our atmosphere. The festival is a favorite around the Radio Milwaukee offices, and Dori and Kpolly are more than happy to serve as our proxies as they discuss eight highlights with two very knowledgeable guests: Milwaukee Film artistic director Cara Ogburn and programmer Abbie Esterline. They talk about what audiences can look forward to, how they build the festival lineup and how important the “dialogues” part of the title is. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  5. Sep 2

    Celebrating Dolly Parton

    There isn’t a single formula for becoming a global superstar. But there are a lot of different ingredients that could potentially go into it. While Dolly Parton’s particular mixture went heavy on music, her time on screen took her to a level only a select few reach. When news of her death started to spread, Dori and Kpolly didn’t hesitate to upend their schedule for a chance to dive into the more visual aspect of Parton’s remarkable life: the television appearances and movie stardom that helped her achieve icon status. Reportedly, her first time on screen was The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour on local TV in Knoxville at the age of 10. Our discussion doesn’t go back quite that far, focusing instead on Parton’s time in the national spotlight that started on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967 and eventually extended to appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, as well as big-screen triumphs like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias. In Dori and Kpolly’s conversation, you’ll hear how the iconic 9 to 5 theme song started with literal fingernail-tapping, how she found so many ways to make a positive impact on people’s lives, and even how she played a role in bringing Kpolly and his wife together. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  6. Aug 26

    'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma'

    Many years ago, in a “you got chocolate in my peanut butter” type of moment, a wonderfully innovative mind looked at the disparate genres of horror and comedy and decided those two great things would, indeed, go great together. And so we got Evil Dead II and Shaun of the Dead and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and — as of a few weeks ago — Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The latest film from writer/director Jane Schoenbrun that uses horror wrapping paper around a gift that’s about more than jump scares and blood-streaked faces. To help uncover those deeper themes, Dori and Kpolly called in the assistance of Hannah Einbinder enthusiast and Radio Milwaukee social-media chief Zoey Knox, whose wide-ranging cinematic interests swing from satiric slasher to mid-2000s princess movies (more on that at the end of the episode), often in the same weekend. Together, our film-loving trio brave the dangers of Camp Miasma in their non-spoilery review that covers everything from the subtle messages communicated by sour candy to the unexpected role Counting Crows play in the movie’s campy climax.  ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  7. Aug 19

    'Spider Man: Brand New Day'

    When your last installment pulled in three separate Spider-Men (Spider-Mans?) and five different villains from across seven previous movies — plus a Sorcerer Supreme and the near-collapse of the universe itself — it’s almost impossible for a franchise to get even bigger. So the minds behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day did something that’s simply unheard of in the realm of superhero movies: They got small. OK, we admit that’s a relative comparison. This episode still focuses on a film that contains the return of a fully hulked-out Hulk, a slightly toned down Punisher and at least brief appearances from several classic Spider-Man villains (plus one main antagonist who will go unnamed for spoilery reasons). But in this era of neverending escalation and audiences whose interest lowers as the stakes supposedly get higher, it was still refreshing to watch someone pull on a mask and have the struggle you care most about happen internally. That’s arguably the driving force behind the droves of people who have already seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day — more than $2 billion worth worldwide as of this writing — and one of the major reasons our hosts gave it a rare 10-star rating (rare because we don’t actually rate movies on a scale). This was a legitimate tear-jerker, whether you spilled them over Peter’s painful isolation or his quietly desperate pining for friends who had long since moved on or the brief appearance of the consistently wonderful Marisa Tomei or the other thing we will not spoil here. That emotional depth balanced the energy and fun we’ve come to expect from New York’s favorite web-slinger, making us believe these superheroes (and their genre) just might have some life left in them. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

  8. Jul 29

    'The Odyssey' and its 70MM journey to the big screen

    Music has vinyl. Literature has hardcover editions. Movies have the 70MM format. Used in decades past for sweeping epics like Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the preferred presentation of film purists has found modern boosters in luminaries like Quentin Tarantino and — more relevant for this episode of Cinebuds — Christopher Nolan. Booking the British-American director wasn’t really an option for a little-podcast-that-could like ours. So when we decided to combine our review of The Odyssey with some insight to the 70MM format, we tracked down two ideal local guests: Milwaukee Film technical manager Kelsey Parks and projectionist Spencer Tye. The organization’s Oriental Theatre is one of just two locations in the state of Wisconsin capable of unspooling a 70MM film (the other is the Marcus Majestic Cinema of Brookfield), and our guests revealed exactly how big of an undertaking that is — literally. The Odyssey requires five reels to cover its 172 minutes, with the heaviest one tipping the scales at nearly 50 pounds. Aside from the technical calisthenics, we get into the quality of the movie itself, including the director’s aesthetic choices (like the giant animatronic cyclops) and several standout performances (John Leguizamo’s in particular). If you want to catch The Odyssey in 70MM, the Oriental Theatre is showing it through Aug. 5. ##### Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Doors.

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4.5
out of 5
26 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 - 2026
  • Episodes
    635
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 88Nine Radio Milwaukee
  • Show Website
    Cinebuds

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