Cinebuds

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! [https://mkefilm.org/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reflect the Merriam-Webster definition of camp as “something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing.”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 [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Death-Becomes-Her-Summer-CAMP] — June 4 at 6:30 p.m. * Polyester (in Odorama!) [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Polyester-in-Odorama-Summer-CAMP] — June 6 at 7:30 p.m. * Xanadu [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Xanadu-Summer-CAMP] — June 7-8 at 3 p.m. * Grease 2 [https://mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre/events/grease-2-summer-camp] — June 12-13 at 9:30 p.m. * Showgirls [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Showgirls-Summer-CAMP] — June 19-21 at 9 p.m. * Brokeback Mountain [https://mkefilm.org/oriental-theatre/events/brokeback-mountain-summer-camp] (4K restoration) — June 22 at noon and 6 p.m.; June 24 and 26 at 6 p.m. * Moonrise Kingdom [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Moonrise-Kingdom-Summer-CAMP] — June 21-22 at 3 p.m. * D.E.B.S. [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/D-E-B-S-Summer-CAMP] — June 26-27 at 9 p.m. * What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/What-Ever-Happened-to-Baby-Jane-Summer-CAMP] — June 28-29 at 3:45 p.m. * Sleepaway Camp [https://mkefilm.org/Oriental-Theatre/Events/Sleepaway-Camp-Summer-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 [https://mkefilm.org/national-theatre-live%F0%9F%8E%AD]. Cinebuds is sponsored by Joe Wilde Co. [https://www.joewilde.com]

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: * 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. [https://www.joewilde.com]