Cinebuds

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Kenosha director Danny Villanueva Jr. on the state of film in Wisconsin Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

In the 40+ years of box-office tracking, the numbers for North America are pretty easy to summarize: up.
Almost without exception, the total gross and the number of releases that found their way into theaters rose steadily every year, hitting their peak in 2018 with 993 releases grossing nearly $11.9 billion. The next year saw a slight dip to 910 releases and nearly $11.4 billion — and we know what happened after that.
The movie industry, like many others, hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels and may never get there. In 2024, 675 releases hit screens across North America and tallied just shy of $8.6 billion. While those totals are well behind the previous pace, that doesn’t necessarily mean the cinema is worse off — perhaps just different.
One of the people navigating the new environment is director Danny Villanueva Jr., a Chicago native whose move northward greatly influenced his second feature-length film, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? Since premiering in 2024, the horror movie has been met with positive reviews from audiences, including the ones at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival, where it made its Wisconsin debut.
Technically a found-footage paranormal film, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? is also described by its director as “a story about generational trauma and self-discovery.” On top of that, it’s a story about Kenosha — or at least starring Kenosha. The city’s 125-year-old Gilbert M. Simmons Library, and the ghost tours found therein, stoked Villanueva Jr.’s creative fires and ultimately became the filming location.
On this episode of Cinebuds, he joins us to talk about how he gravitated to the horror genre, his path to becoming a “micro-budget” filmmaker and the part our state — and events like the Milwaukee Film Festival — has to play in the wider world of moviemaking.

'Friendship' Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

For a podcast called Cinebuds, reviewing a film called Friendship sounds like a match made in celluloidic heaven. As you’ll hear, that depends on your vision of the afterlife.
Just to get this out of the way, your beloved hosts Dori and Kpolly have a wonderful bond that would make a … let’s say questionably entertaining movie. Fortunately, the duo in Friendship — Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd — are less focused on a seamless relationship and more focused on making a film people actually want to watch.
On that last point, how into the movie you are depends greatly on how much you get down with cringey humor that occasionally jumps over the line into downright dark. Also, how you feel about drug-trip fantasies involving a certain nationwide sandwich shop.
Check out the full episode to hear everything Dori and Kpolly had to say about Friendship, as well as their top three movies about male friendship (spoiler: one of them features Pee-Wee Herman).

MKE Film presents 'Summer Camp' for Pride Month Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Because everyone loves a double meaning, Milwaukee Film took one look at the month of June, contemplated it being the start of summer as well as Pride Month, and came up with a movie series titled “Summer CAMP!” that covers the latter with just a sprinkling of the former.
The 10 films selected for the monthlong run primarily reflect the Merriam-Webster definition of camp as “something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing.” You’ll also find a couple movies that head to camp as in cabins and mosquitos and — in one case — slasher horror.
Here’s the full lineup, all of which unspool at the Oriental Theatre:

Death Becomes Her — June 4 at 6:30 p.m.
Polyester (in Odorama!) — June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Xanadu — June 7-8 at 3 p.m.
Grease 2 — June 12-13 at 9:30 p.m.
Showgirls — June 19-21 at 9 p.m.
Brokeback Mountain (4K restoration) — June 22 at noon and 6 p.m.; June 24 and 26 at 6 p.m.
Moonrise Kingdom — June 21-22 at 3 p.m.
D.E.B.S. — June 26-27 at 9 p.m.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? — June 28-29 at 3:45 p.m.
Sleepaway Camp — June 28 at 9:45 p.m.

'Vanya' and National Theater Live May 28, 2025

Show notes

We’re switching things up for this episode of Cinebuds and talking about … the theater!
OK, sure, Dori and Kpolly talk about theaters all the time in the context of movies. For this installment, they’re talking about live theater being brought to movie theaters to give audiences the chance to experience live theater while sitting in a movie theater.
Milwaukee Film has done this in the past and recently resuscitated the practice via National Theatre Live, which for 15+ years has delivered the best of British theatre to movie houses around the world. We’re talking instantly recognizable names and faces like Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Sheen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott treading the boards in productions of Hamlet, Frankenstein and Vanya.
The brilliant Scott gets the spotlight treatment in this episode of Cinebuds, as our movie-loving duo applies some of that adoration to Scott’s astounding performance in Vanya. The stage play sees him take on every character in a way few actors can while utilizing subtle shifts in tone, expression and body language, with a little help from creative propwork.
You can hear all about Vanya and Scott’s sizable undertaking in the full episode of Cinebuds, and find more information on National Theatre Live at the Oriental via the Milwaukee Film website.
Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

'Thunderbolts*' May 21, 2025

Show notes

Reunited, and it feels so good ...
After taking a breather during the Milwaukee Film Festival (more on that in a moment), Dori and Kpolly got back behind the microphone to talk about the latest Marvel movie, Thunderbolts*. Due in part to the break in recording, this might be the first time in Cinebuds history that a film changed its title between its release and getting discussed on the podcast — nice to know the Marvel Cinematic Universe can still keep us on our toes 36 movies in.
You’ll hear our hosts talk about the focus on mental health that hovers over Thunderbolts*, the ideas about found family (or teammates), David Harbour’s welcome heaping helping of comic relief amid many other brooding characters and Florence Pugh’s commitment to her role that saw her leap off a 2,000-foot skyscraper.
Of course, we couldn’t close the episode with getting a quick Milwaukee Film Festival report from Kpolly, who happily notes the event’s 47% increase in attendance per theater.

'Cycle' May 07, 2025

Show notes

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.

MKE Film Fest preview: Week 2 Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.
The Milwaukee Film Festival doesn’t stop after week one, so neither do we!
We’re into the second phase of the annual event, and in the extremely remote chance you thought Dori and Kpolly would run out of films to talk about, rest assured that the folks at Milwaukee Film have provided plenty to cover.
Speaking of those folks, programming director Kerstin Larson is back! If you want to get technical about how we record these things, she actually never left … but still. It’s great to have an insider like Kerstin helping us sort through the 96(!) features and oodles of short programs across five screens at the Oriental and Downer theaters.
On this episode, the trio briefly hit on the unique environment of a film festival, the excitement around seeing these projects that aren’t always what you expect, and how going to a theater will always (always!!!) kick the rear end of watching a movie at home.
Milwaukee Film Festival picks: Week 2
What Happened to Dorothy Bell?
After uncovering disturbing revelations from her early childhood involving her late grandmother, Ozzie Gray sets out to investigate her past. Desperate for answers, she attempts to communicate with Dorothy's spirit but unwittingly awakens something malevolent.
Midnight Shorts
Who doesn't love a little mayhem? Your inner monster will thank you for this night of kooky comedies, hair-raising horror and cRuNCHy sqUISHYyy battles between flesh and … is that Cate Blanchett?! It's a late-night party so unhinged, you can only see it after midnight. OK, it starts at 10 p.m. … but maybe it’ll go until midnight?
Balomania
The culture and work of Brazilian baloeiros — secret groups of men who craft and launch intricate hot-air balloon art — deserve a place on the big screen. This epic portrayal captures the free-spirited artistry and subculture, showcasing a raw, authentic exploration of Brazilian masculinity.
Harvest
Over seven hallucinatory days, a village with no name, in an undefined time and place, disappears. Tsangari’s follow up to 2015's Chevalier, this tragicomic take on a Western follows townsman-turned-farmer Walter Thirsk (Caleb Landry Jones) and befuddled lord of the manor Charles Kent (Harry Melling), childhood friends who are about to face an invasion from the outside world: the trauma of modernity.
The Milwaukee Show (One and Two)
Each year, The Milwaukee Show is one of the hottest tickets of the festival — a rare chance to see work from our local best and brightest in the gloriously opulent setting of our beloved Oriental Theatre's Abele Cinema. This collection of stunning shorts allows you to watch locally, yet think globally.
40 Acres
In a post-apocalyptic future where food is scarce, the last descendants of a Black family of farmers who settled in Canada after the American Civil War must protect their homestead from an organized militia hell-bent on taking their land. Structured like a typical apocalypse film, 40 Acres subverts expectations in ways that will leave you breathless.
Magic Farm
A film crew working for an edgy media company travels to Argentina to profile a local musician, but their ineptitude leads them into the wrong country. As the crew collaborates with locals to fabricate a trend, unexpected connections blossom while a pervasive health crisis looms unacknowledged in the background.

MKE Film Fest preview: Week 1 Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

OMilwaukee Film programming director Kerstin Larson joins Dori and Kpolly to talk about the return of the Milwaukee Film Festival, including some of their favorite selections from the two-week event:

Sally, a documentary about Sally Ride, directed by Milwaukee native Christina Constantini, is the opening night film. Christina Costantini also directed Science Fair, which was an opening night film a few years prior.
Teaches of Peaches, a documentary about the musician Peaches, will be shown on the first full day of the festival. This film is part of the Sound Vision program and also fits into the genre queer category.
Desperately Seeking Susan, starring Madonna, will have a screening with Susan Sidleman in attendance for a book signing and talk. This is the film's 40th anniversary.
Boys Go to Jupiter is an animated film described as goofy and cute with a cast of alternative comedy voice actors.
Waves is a historical period piece about a rogue radio station in the Czech Republic in the 1960s.
Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse, a documentary about the graphic novelist who wrote "Mouse," will be featured.
Green Blah, The History of Green Bay Punk Rock is a documentary about the punk rock scene in Green Bay.
Pavements is a documentary about the band Pavement with an experimental twist that includes a fictional movie about the band being filmed simultaneously, starring actors like Joe Keery and Jason Schwartzman.

For more info on this year's film festival, visit the Milwaukee Film website.
Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

Val Kilmer: His Life and Work Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

When you heard the news earlier this month that Val Kilmer died, your mind likely jumped to an image of him from one of his movies. Iceman from Top Gun was no doubt the one that most people conjured. Or was it Doc Holliday from Tombstone? Or Jim Morrison from The Doors? Or Madmartigan from Willow?
If you need evidence of Kilmer’s lasting impact on the film world, that should be enough. Even the most casual of movie-watchers can easily replay a scene in their head from one of his many memorable roles (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang being a personal favorite … if you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth your four bucks to rent).
On this episode of Cinebuds, Dori and Kpolly take a beautifully heartbreaking trip through Val Kilmer’s filmography by sharing their personal connections to his work and delving into his illustrious career — with a slight bias you’d expect from kids of the ’80 and ’90s, as our hosts are.
Was Kilmer the most unsung leading man of his generation? Does that sell him short from a career perspective considering his theater work and Grammy nomination? We start to answer those questions in this episode.

'Death of a Unicorn' Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

We've got unicorns on the brain! 🦄
On this episode, Dori and Kpolly wrangle their thoughts around the mythically weird and wild recent release, Death of a Unicorn. Forget those glittery gallopers you might be used to. This one from A24 serves up some serious "don't mess with magical creatures" vibes.
Our cinematic duo chat about whether this flick gives them the same excited feeling as those old-school Miramax days (you know, before... that) and even pit it against the legendary Cocaine Bear. High praise or low bar? You gotta listen to find out!
Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

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