Cinebuds

Sound Vision at the 2026 MKE Film Festival

The 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival is coming up in just over two weeks and if you’ve never been, it’s kinda incredible! From April 16 - 30 hundreds of films will be shown across five screens at The Oriental and The Downer theaters on Milwaukee’s very fashionable East Side. So, with 250 short and feature-length documentary and fiction films from near and far to choose from, where does one even start making that schedule? Anything co-signed by Milwaukee Record, America’s #1 source of news and entertainment (#facts) will always make the top of my list. It’s great to see them back again for the 12th year as the sole sponsor for the Cinema Hooligante program. Think “Midnite Movies” and off beat films. This year’s lineup includes stories about misfit youths, a possessed vacuum cleaner and an entire story that takes place in a toilet. Check out this week’s episode as we welcome Milwaukee Record’s Matt Wild to the pod as our very special guest. Make sure you listen all the way through if you wanna find out what movie makes Matt Wild cry the most and then come hang out with the best people at a Cinema Hooligante film.

With Milwaukee Film getting ready to celebrate 414 Day by screening the Song Sung Blue documentary at the Oriental Theatre, we're taking a timely jump back to our conversation with a key player in the 2008 film about local musical couple Mike and Claire Sardina. Enjoy.#####After coming down from our Hugh Jackman interaction at the Song Sung Blue premiere at the close of 2025, we pulled back the curtain on the Milwaukee connections that inspired the recently released biopic.For that, we called in local filmmaker Jimmy Sammarco, who was instrumental (pun very intended) in the original Song Sung Blue documentary that brought the story of musical couple Mike and Claire Sardina — aka Lightning & Thunder — into the spotlight back in 2008. In his role as director of photography, he saw the ins and outs of the whole production, including a bombshell cease-and-desist order from Sony Music and an unlikely savior from one of the godfathers of grunge.

The Oscars are the Super Bowl of movies. We’re not talking about the prestige of winning, although that certainly lines up. We’re talking about how the wider world swoops in once a year to make predictions, rubberneck at the spectacle of it all and maybe even watch the actual event itself.Obviously, Dori and Kpolly are not “the wider world.” They’re unpretentious, welcoming, discerning film lovers who want everyone to join them in the fun of cinema (and in the theater itself, because watching movies in theaters is the best). So, with the Academy Awards coming up this Sunday and everyone in full-tilt prediction mode, our duo wanted to jump on board and offer a few picks of their own.This isn’t an exhaustive list. While Dori and Kpolly are as excited as anyone about discovering who will win for “Achievement in Production Design,” they stick to the big categories in this episode. Yes, most of them revolve around the showdown between One Batter After Another and Sinners. But does F1 make an appearance? You bet it does!

We use the phrase “action star” to describe the massive talent at the center of this episode, but Michelle Yeoh has demonstrated over the course of her remarkable career that she’s so much more than that.In fact, her career as a performer didn’t start with scripts or stunts. She was more focused on pirouettes and pliés as a classically trained ballet dancer, getting all the way to London’s Royal Academy of Dance before a spinal injury set her on a path to the big screen (but not before becoming a literal beauty queen).Dori and Kpolly get into Yeoh’s off-screen activities — even touching on her humanitarian work and activism — as they give her the star treatment for this episode. It’s a well-deserved spotlight considering everything Yeoh has accomplished across her 40-year career, from performing her own stunts despite zero marital-arts training to winning Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 2023 Academy Awards.That’s just one of the Yeoh-centric movies you can check out at the Oriental Theatre throughout March as Milwaukee Film presents its irresistibly titled “Just Say Yeoh” series. You’ll hear our dynamic duo discuss all four movies in the series, a handful of her other memorable roles and the other releases you should catch at the Oriental this week.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

When Emily Brontë shared Wuthering Heights with the world back in 1847, the response to the book was … let’s just say mixed. Critics used words like “sickened” and “unsettling” and “a compound of vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors” to communicate how unnerved they were by such a scandalous work (something that only got worse when they discovered it was written by [gasp] a woman!!!).In that context, the release of the 2026 film version of Wuthering Heights and subsequent reactions have been pretty tame — or maybe just as loud for more prosaic reasons, like not being faithful enough to the source material. Those purists are represented in this episode, as are the non-bookish types, because this is a packed-house Cinebuds featuring our two hosts and a pair of guests: Radio Milwaukee’s Zoey Knox and Bianca Camiro.Our special visitors went through the arduous vetting process of talking out loud about how excited they were to see this movie, with Dori near enough to hear them. That being settled, they took their assignment VERY seriously. Like, there was a post-screening sitdown and at least one Notes app involved.And what did our intergenerational reviewers decide? The word “vibe” was used a lot, and there was a fair amount of discussion over whether book people need to lighten up when they go to see a movie adaptation (yes, they do). There was also a general consensus that Wuthering Heights is a must-see movie. Now, whether it’s a good movie? Not quite as much agreement on that one.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

When Catherine O’Hara died late last month, it was a sizable blow to the entertainment world. Whether it was on television or in movies, she brought a quality that was very particularly “her.” While that’s a tough thing to wrap up in just one episode, Dori and Kpolly give it a shot — with a little help from the Radio Milwaukee family.Fellow O’Hara appreciator Jon Adler joins our familiar cinema-loving duo to craft a retrospective that’s both heartfelt and hilarious, much like the woman herself. We trace her journey from waitress to Gilda Radner understudy at Second City to a member of the groundbreaking troupe at SCTV. We dive into her most beloved performances, from the pretentious Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice to the frantic Kate McCallister in Home Alone to her understated performance as Mickey Crabbe in A Mighty Wind. Of course, no discussion would be complete without covering her turn as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek (yes, the enchiladas make a cameo).So join us as we fold in the cheese and have a good airplane cry while paying tribute to a true comedy legend.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

Brrr, it’s cold out there! ❄️ On this episode, Dori and Kpolly lean into the freezing Wisconsin temperatures by discussing their favorite harsh winter movies. Forget the cozy blankets; for the full experience, the hosts suggest cracking a window while you watch these "could be worse" cinematic picks.The duo dives into bone-chilling thrillers like A Simple Plan and the iconic horror of The Shining. You’ll hear fun facts about Jack Nicholson’s pre-filming cheese sandwich diet, the 60 doors destroyed for the "Here's Johnny" scene, and the 900 tons of salt used for snow. They also explore the snowy landscapes of Fargo, the alien terror of The Thing, and the unusual quest in Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter.If the frostbite is getting to be too much, Dori offers a brief reprieve with the quaint charm of The Holiday, while Christopher brings the laughs with the horror-comedy Werewolves Within. From the ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back — featuring the Norwegian mountain ski team as extras — to Liam Neeson battling wolves in The Gray, this episode covers it all.Grab some matzo ball soup, huddle close to your speakers, and join the misery as we celebrate the best of winter cinema!#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

Last February, having just inherited the title of Black Lens programmer at Milwaukee Film, Ty Williams absolutely nailed his selections for a series showing off the range of Black stories that have come to the big screen over the years.Now, he’s putting that UW-Milwaukee film degree to good use once again. This time, however, he pulled in his picks around a particular theme. “Afrofuturism: Fates Beyond Fiction” includes six works — two short films and four full-length features — that jump from comic books to sci-fi horror to just plain weird.As you’ll hear Williams explain in this episode, what unifies his selections are how they “focus on the concept of dreaming a better future or a different world than the one we live in now.” That comes across in a bunch of different ways during the series, including the bad-assery of Wesley Snipes in Blade, the code-switching absurdity of Sorry to Bother You, and the messianic star turn by music legend and generally far-out dude Sun Ra in Space Is the Place.You’ll get to hear Williams and our trusty co-hosts talk about how he put together the full lineup, as well as how generally awesome the theater staff are at the Oriental and Downer theaters, and whether the third movie in a trilogy is ever the best one.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

Grab your tissues and your popcorn (but maybe chew quietly) because the Cinebuds are back to talk about some of the season's biggest buzz films.Dori and Kpolly start with a dive into the beautifully heartbreaking Hamnet from visionary director Chloe Zhao. They explore this historical-fiction tale of William Shakespeare’s family, featuring stunning performances by Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal, plus a breakout turn by young Jacob Jupe. Be prepared for a symphony of sniffles as the hosts discuss how this film masterfully tackles love, grief and the special sauce that comes from a filmmaker’s personal connection to the material.Then, it’s time to talk about the Oscars’ biggest oversight: Korean dark comedy No Other Choice. Despite rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination, this "will he get away with it" thriller starring Lee Byung-hun was surprisingly snubbed by the Academy. Plus, the buds share some deep cuts to add to your queue, including the horror-comedy Dust Bunny and a vintage Lucille Ball thriller, Lured.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

The death of a public figure can hit pretty hard because we feel like we know those people. For many of us, the feeling runs deeper with the passing of an artist or creator whose work has embedded itself in our daily lives.Milwaukee Film’s currently running “In Memoriam” series stirs up those emotions by honoring people from the film world who we lost in 2025 — instantly recognizable figures, like Diane Keaton, Robert Redford and Bob Uecker; as well as those who might be better known by true cinephiles, like Kramer vs. Kramer director Robert Benton and German character actor Udo Kier.“As we reflect on the year in film, we take a moment to remember luminaries we lost in 2025 and to honor them through viewing films where their creativity is on display,” Milwaukee Film artistic director Cara Ogburn said in a release. “Think of this as an awards montage where you get a bit longer to reflect and honor those we’ve lost in the past year through revisiting or discovering exemplary work from their careers.”In this episode of Cinebuds, Dori and Kpolly cover the series in depth and share the impact some of these famous names had on their journey to becoming the movie-loving people they are today.

In the final days of 2025, the Milwaukee music community --- and the wider world --- lost a truly wonderful human being. Will Bush was half of Immortal Girlfriend, the music project he shared with his brother Kevin. Their collaborations were undeniable, and their love of pop culture in general extended well beyond the songs they created together.Back in August of 2024, we invited Will and Kevin Bush to join an episode of Cinebuds as part of our Musician Series --- conversations with musically inclined folks that explored the more tuneful side of the movie industry. Our chat checked that box in a big way and ventured into cinema in general and the brothers' affection for professional wrestling.The Radio Milwaukee family, and the Milwaukee community as a whole, misses Will every day. We're proud to share this episode with you again in his memory.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Company.

We ended 2025 on a high note (or a Hugh note?) with our review of Song Sung Blue, featuring a cameo from multitalented global superstar/song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman. So what better way to start 2026 than by pulling back the curtain on the Milwaukee connections that inspired the recently released biopic?For that, we called in a special guest: local filmmaker Jimmy Sammarco. He was instrumental (pun very intended) in the original Song Sung Blue documentary that brought the story of musical couple Mike and Claire Sardina — aka Lightning & Thunder — into the spotlight back in 2008. In his role as director of photography, he saw the ins and outs of the whole production, including a bombshell cease-and-desist order from Sony Music and an unlikely savior from one of the godfathers of grunge.#####Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Garage Door Co.

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.

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.

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.