Cinebuds

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.

When the worlds of music and movies intersect, we tend to think about concert films — gigantic spectacles glamorizing the wonderful side of fame, like Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé or Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour.

On some level, we know that we don’t really know these artists. Yet it’s still jarring every time we get a glimpse at their actual lives, especially when we discover that these larger-than-life individuals often have problems to match.

They don’t come much bigger than what indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara endured in secret for years while playing some of the biggest stages on the planet. They shared their story with the recent release of Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara — an eye-opening documentary now available on Hulu.

Dori and Kpolly provide the two perspectives most people will bring to this film: Tegan and Film superfan (Dori) or total newbie (Kpolly). Fanatical is pretty much guaranteed to connect with the first audience, but what about the second group? The conversation between our cinematic duo answers that question and might just nudge you toward Hulu for a home viewing (and spook you away from social media for a little while).

Forget the chicken and the egg. Nevermind the sound of one hand clapping. Let's answer something truly difficult:

What's your favorite Keanu Reeves movies?

That’s what Dori and Kpolly bravely take on in this episode of Cinebuds, which takes inspiration from the Keanuthon currently underway at the Oriental Theatre.

As you follow along with our duo’s typically high-minded conversation, ponder your own preference when it comes to the filmography of Keanu Reeves. Do you go for the clueless comedic version in the Bill & Ted series? The “in over his head” action star of Point Break and The Matrix? The “man of few words but many guns” from the John Wick series?

Dori and Kpolly run through all the Keanus in this episode and hopefully discuss why Milwaukee Film didn’t include his best role — Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 — in the Keanuthon that runs through the end of the month.

Dori Zori & Kristopher Pollard interview comedian Eugene Mirman (voice of Gene in Bob's Burgers) and discuss what they've been watching lately.