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.

Get ready for fireworks and film!

On this special Fourth of July episode of Cinebuds, Dori and Kpolly are talking movies that scream independence. From iconic historical musicals like Hamilton and Yankee Doodle Dandy to all-American sports flicks like A League of Their Own and The Sandlot, they've got a fun list of blockbusters and hidden gems. Whether you're cheering for heroes in Captain America movies, reliving childhood memories with An American Tale or even facing terrifying sharks in Jaws, discover the perfect film for your patriotic celebrations.

Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.