With some movies, you don’t want to know what you’re in for. Processing the unexpected is part of the experience, whether it’s a great twist (The Usual Suspects). or a jaw-dropping comedic element (Something About Mary). Other films absolutely require some form of preparation. Nickel Boys is one of those.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys — as the synopsis states — “chronicles the powerful friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Florida.” What the synopsis doesn’t say is how wrecked the movie will leave you.

As Dori and Kpolly make very clear in this episode, the devastation is worth it based on the care and creativity poured into this film by all involved.

One of the prominent talking points around recent Best Picture nominee The Brutalist is the level of commitment it asks of its audience. Tipping the scales at a hefty 214 minutes, the film is thoughtful enough to include an intermission as it tells a tale about the complexity of creation, collaboration and capitalism.

With more than three and a half hours of movie to talk about, our hosts have ample opportunity to share thoughts about the latest from director Brady Corbet — well, one of them does anyway. An unfortunate household appliance situation interrupted Kpolly’s attempt to see The Brutalist, leaving Dori as our lone Cinebud with opinions to offer.

Fortunately, this just so happens to be a “very special guest” episode featuring not one but TWO podcast debutants: Milwaukee Film’s Kelsey Parks and Kevin Rice!

We asked the organization’s technical manager and technology director to join us because this film is a bit of a technological marvel because of its … film. With an assist from IMDb, here’s a quick explainer:

The film was shot entirely in VistaVision, a widescreen format that runs 35mm film horizontally through the camera to create eight perforation film frames, twice the size and resolution of standard four perforation 35mm. The film was then released in theaters with 70mm film prints. … This is the first American film in 61 years to be entirely shot in the format, the last being My Six Loves (1963). Director Brady Corbet explained: "It just seemed like the best way to access that period (1950s) was to shoot on something that was engineered in that same decade."

It’s one thing to read about the unique filming approach and another to actually show it to audiences. Kelsey and Kevin have the insiders’ perspectives on what it took to get The Brutalist on the big screen at the Oriental Theatre, which is one of a shrinking number of venues across the country equipped to project 70mm film.

Then there’s the workout the Oriental Theatre’s projectionists get with every screening. Each reel weighs roughly 40 pounds, and they need to be changed every 40 minutes without audiences noticing the transitions. It’s a really interesting look behind the curtain (or into the projection booth) that we’re proud to provide in this episode.

There are some things that are never a good idea. Eating Tide pods, for instance. Then there are things that deserve selective engagement — facing your fears, if you will.

In the movie-watching realm, the horror genre falls into this general area because it’s frequently cited as the segment certain people simply will not venture into. Occasionally, however, a film comes along that at the very least merits consideration for taking that spooky road into the woods rather than staying on Rom-Com Boulevard.

This episode of Cinebuds takes just such a detour as our hosts discuss the new Robert Eggers film, Nosferatu. Dori and Kpolly are particularly suited for this exercise, with both falling into the “not a big horror fan” camp and thus taking tentative steps into the genre from time to time.

Spoiler alert (for the podcast, not the movie): Nosferatu is worth it.

Will you need to be OK watching scenes involving thousands of rats? Yes. Does one of the main characters appear to be the physical embodiment of standing in the middle of a garbage dump in the middle of a fetid swamp and taking a big deep breath through your nose only? Sure. But, as Kpolly so eloquently states in the episode, if a film makes you feel strongly one way or the other, it’s time well spent.

When filmmaker Wendy Schneider started going to Aztalan Cycle Club in Lake Mills as a curious fan 20 years ago, there was a lot she didn’t know.

She didn’t know she’d be moved by the young girls racing motorcycles on the quarter-mile dirt oval. That she would form a strong connection to one particular racer, Charlotte Kainz, and her family. That a car accident would derail the project and a tragic racing accident would bring Schneider back to it.

It’s a story that deserves to be heard and seen, which is why we invited Schneider to join this episode and talk about the finished product, as well as the difficult road it traveled, in advance of the Angels of Dirt special screening happening at Times Cinema on Jan. 18.

A familiar face from the Cinebuds crew returns to join Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard for a lively chat about their favorite films of 2024! Who could it be? Tune in to this episode to uncover the mystery guest and their top movie picks

Adapting a beloved Brodway musical is a road fraught with danger. Just ask Dear Evan Hansen. From box-office receipts alone (more than a half-billion dollars worldwide as of this writing), we know Wicked managed to avoid any sleep-inducing poppies and flying monkeys waiting for it on the path to success. But movie executives and movie audiences have very different definitions of “good,” and we only care about the second one.

Dori and Kpolly went into Wicked with fond memories of the classic Judy Garland film, and yet carried a healthy amount of excitement into the theater rather than skepticism. For the most part, that faith was rewarded by a film that managed to balance its two assignments: entertain the audience and set the table for part two.

You’ll hear all the details about their theater-going adventures (one involved an intrusive singalong, one did not) and their in-depth feelings about Wicked in the full episode.

Even before the casting was announced, we knew the success or failure of this film would hinge on the performance of the actor at its center. Ultimately, that task fell on the physically slight but thespian-ly broad shoulders of Chalamet, who in the past few years has established himself as one of the more reliably solid actors in Hollywood.

From a breakout performance in Call Me by Your Name to the excellent Dune movies to the adequate Wonka, Chalamet consistently rises to meet the challenge in front of him.
While vastly different films, Dune and A Complete Unknown presented a similar task: Fully embody a character with a rabid fan base ready to tear you apart if you set a foot wrong. As a result, Chalamet finds himself at the center of the critical discussion around the Bob Dylan biopic — as well as the discussion you’ll hear in this episode.

The movie doesn’t come out until Christmas Day, but Dori and Kpolly managed to secure one seat at an advanced screening and — in the spirit of the season — gifted it to someone perfectly suited to cast a critical eye (and ear) toward the screen. 

Sam Taffel, in addition to earning a master’s degree in film, is a huge Dylan fan from a family of Dylan fans who grew up in New York City, the setting for most of A Complete Unknown. You’ll hear him lay out his bona fides at the top of the podcast before he launches into his well-informed review of director James Mangold’s film.

Traditions make the holiday season what it is. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. A treasured decoration hanging in a place of honor on the tree. The annual viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s psycho-sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut.

Maybe you don't venture outside the lines quite that much, but Milwaukee Film's "Season's Screenings" holiday series sure does. In honor of the adventurous range of selections being shown at the Oriental Theatre through Jan. 1, Dori and Kpolly have a spirited conversation about what we watch around this time of year, roast a few and unwrap the ones they might not be quite as familiar with (perhaps Tangerine or Tokyo Godfathers).

To see the full lineup of films, along with links to purchase tickets, go to our story on the Radio Milwaukee website.

Our two very definitely not old hosts welcome another very definitely not old guest and first-time Cinebuds visitor: Molly Snyder from OnMilwaukee!!! The young-at-heart trio talk about the newest gem in Aubrey Plaza's acting crown, My Old Ass. 

In the new movie, an 18th-birthday mushroom trip brings Elliott face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self. When the older Elliott starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn't do, she realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love and what's becoming a transformative summer.

Hear what Dori, Kpolly and Molly thought about this time-trippy and other-trippy film, and whether they learned a thing or two along the way.

Movie studio A24 gets a lot of credit for injecting new life into the horror genre. Talk to Me, Midsommar, The Witch, Hereditary — whoever’s making the decisions over there seems to have their finger firmly on the pulse of what notoriously passionate (and opinionated) fans of the genre are looking for.

Most recently, their loving gaze has fallen on Heretic and the familiar face of Hugh Grant playing a role that would’ve been deeply unfamiliar earlier in his career: unhinged psychopath.

Grant brings his unique mix of charm and smarm and menace to the new movie, which shares that complexity by throwing philosophical ingredients into its mix of horror and psychological thriller. In other words, it does what A24 movies have been doing for the last decade or so. But does it connect with everyone?

Our focus group of two shares their surprisingly divergent thoughts on this episode of Cinebuds.