Milwaukee movie talk with room for tangents.
Cinebuds treats film culture as something happening in the room, not just on the screen. Its conversations move from Milwaukee Film programs and Oscar predictions to horror lineups, music documentaries, Michelle Yeoh, Catherine O'Hara, and the particular charge of seeing movies together.
PRESS PLAY
Cinebuds is a conversational film show with Milwaukee close enough to touch. Its episodes are often anchored by something concrete: a festival category, a local screening, an awards-season prediction round, a themed movie list, or a tribute to a performer. That gives the show a practical rhythm. It talks about movies, but it also talks about how movies get programmed, where they screen, who turns up, and why a room full of people can change the experience. The tone is warm and easygoing. It has film knowledge, but it rarely treats that knowledge like a wall. A Sound Vision conversation, for example, becomes a look at music documentaries, submissions, research, and the shift from watching for pleasure to watching like a programmer. A Cinema Hooligante episode brings in Milwaukee Record and makes space for creepy, kooky, one-location, buzzy horror picks without turning the discussion into pure genre gatekeeping. The show can also go broad. Oscar episodes separate likely winners from personal favorites. A Michelle Yeoh episode looks toward early life, favorite films, and a Women's History Month series built around action cinema. A Catherine O'Hara remembrance frames a long comic career with affection, memory, and a little self-aware humor. Cinebuds is especially good when the conversation starts with local logistics and ends up somewhere more personal. Office excitement over Wuthering Heights turns into a full-room discussion from people who arrived with notes ready. A Milwaukee Day screening of Song Sung Blue becomes a way to revisit a local documentary, a filmmaker's inside view, and the story behind a later feature adaptation. Even seasonal themes keep the same feel, as winter movie picks become a half-joking invitation to lean into Wisconsin cold rather than escape it. The show is not trying to sound like a grand critical tribunal. It sounds like film people making room at the table for guests, side comments, odd questions, and the real work behind a good screening calendar. For PlayNext, its appeal is the blend: local film culture, approachable movie enthusiasm, and enough inside-baseball detail to make festival programming feel human.
Made for: For film fans who like local screening culture, festival programming, performer tributes, awards chatter, horror sidebars, and casual conversations that still know the movies. It especially suits listeners who enjoy hearing how a city's film calendar comes together.
What sets it apart: Cinebuds stands apart by treating Milwaukee's film events as living culture rather than listings. The show connects programming choices, guest perspectives, and audience rituals to the broader pleasure of talking about movies.
Every week, Radio Milwaukee's Dori Zori and Milwaukee Film’s Kristopher Pollard talk about movies in theaters, streaming at home or wherever they might be, as well as Milwaukee's film scene.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Cinebuds connects movie criticism with the programmers, filmmakers, and local events that give Milwaukee's film culture its shape.
Cinebuds turns movie conversation into a close-up view of Milwaukee's screen culture. Dori Zori and Christopher Pollard pair relaxed reviews with interviews about festival programming, local productions, and the work behind public screenings.
Milwaukee movie night becomes your backstage pass, from festival programming to Hugh Jackman detours.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A warm look at Sound Vision, music docs, and the work behind programming choices.
CineBuds stays close to Milwaukee Film's Sound Vision program, with Abby Esterline framing it as a set of documentaries about music, music culture, musicians, and related subjects.
A local, conversational festival preview for listeners who like their horror creepy, kooky, and a little ooky.
Cinema Hooligante feels less like a slot and more like a mood, and that fits the conversation well. Matt Wilde from Milwaukee Record matches the banter with easy enthusiasm, and he clearly likes the creepy, kooky, ooky run of films on offer.
A warm Milwaukee film conversation with real behind-the-scenes texture.
CineBuds uses Song Sung Blue as an entry point to the 2008 documentary about Milwaukee's Lightning and Thunder, then brings in director of photography and local filmmaker Jimmy Sammarco to discuss filming the Sardinas in their home over three and a half years.
A Milwaukee-rooted movie chat that follows a tribute-act story from documentary to feature.
Song Sung Blue gives CineBuds an easy entry point into the new Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson film, while staying rooted in the Milwaukee story behind it.
A local tribute that feels like the start of something worth repeating.
CineBuds treats the Milwaukee Film tribute to Michael Schultz as more than a polite nod. It connects his career to the weekend screenings of The Last Dragon, Car Wash, and Cooley High, and the first Michael Schultz Award lands as something that could keep going, not just a…
Disney fandom around the family table.
Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explain one topic per episode, from the bicameral mind to Boeing's MCAS.
Multi-part dramatized retellings of scandals like OceanGate's Titan and the Lehman Brothers collapse.
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins dissect Oscar races, new releases, and Hollywood news.
Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen debate new releases, classics, and their own film rankings.
CineBuds hosts Christopher Pollard and Dori Zori interview Milwaukee Film programmer Abby Esterline about the Sound Vision program — a music documentary series — at the 2026 Milwaukee Film Festival running April 16-30.
Cinema Hooligante takes the spotlight.
This episode previews Milwaukee Film's 414 Day screening of the documentary 'Song Sung Blue' and re-airs an interview with local filmmaker Jimmy Sam Marco about the film's creation and inspiration for the feature film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
Two hosts from Milwaukee discuss their predictions and preferences for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, including snubs and potential winners.
This episode previews a Milwaukee Film series celebrating Michelle Yeoh's career during Women's History Month, featuring discussions on her films and impact.
This episode features a group discussion reviewing the movie 'Wuthering Heights' with enthusiastic guests who prepared notes after watching it.
This episode is a tribute to the late actress Catherine O'Hara, celebrating her 50-year career in comedy and film, including her work on Schitt's Creek and her impact on entertainment.
Two hosts discuss winter-themed movies, leaning into the cold rather than offering cozy alternatives.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard preview Milwaukee Film's Black History Month lineup focused on Afrofuturism, featuring six films including The Last Angel of History and Hello Rain.
Two hosts discuss the Oscar-buzzy film Hamnet and their love of historical fiction movies.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard discuss Milwaukee Film's In Memoriam series honoring actors lost in 2025.
A tribute episode featuring an interview with the band Immortal Girlfriend after the passing of one of its members.
A Milwaukee music story gets personal fast.
Milwaukee stays right at the center here.
Two hosts discuss holiday movies and the Milwaukee Film's Season Screenings series.
Dori Zori interviews local filmmakers Nathan Deming and Jeff Kurtz about their projects and efforts to boost film production in Wisconsin.
Two hosts and guests discuss the new Depeche Mode concert film and share their first impressions.
Two hosts discuss Halloween movie recommendations, with one focusing on 1970s scary films and the other on gentle scary movies.
Guest host James joins to discuss the movie Tron Ares and Milwaukee's film scene.
The hosts discuss the upcoming Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival and its opening night film Midas Man, a biopic about Beatles manager Brian Epstein.
Two hosts discuss the new Paul Thomas Anderson film 'One Battle After Another' starring Leonardo DiCaprio, analyzing its plot, humor, and action.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard introduce a discussion about the new film The Roses, a remake of The War of the Roses.
Reunited, Cinebuds has Michael Schultz on the brain.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard discuss the 50th anniversary of Jaws and its impact on summer blockbusters.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard discuss experimental film with guests from Woodland Pattern and A-Cinema screening series.
Hosts Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard interview local filmmaker Danny Villanueva Jr.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard introduce the Summer Camp film series at Milwaukee Film, discussing the theme of campy films and the selection process.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard discuss the National Theatre Live screening of Vanya, an updated version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.
Dori Zori and Kristopher Pollard discuss the new MCU film Thunderbolts, its marketing, and the broader state of Marvel movies.
Dori Zori hosts a solo episode of Cinebuds, interviewing the filmmakers behind the social justice documentary 'Cycle' about police violence.
The hosts preview week two of the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival, discussing the large number of films, venues, and snack preferences.
This episode previews the 2025 Milwaukee Film Festival, discussing its dates, community partnerships, and the excitement surrounding the event.
This episode of CineBuds discusses the A24 comedy monster film 'Death of a Unicorn', comparing it to other films like Cocaine Bear and exploring its genre and production.
This episode discusses Milwaukee Film's Animation April series, featuring nine diverse animated films including classics and Oscar winners.
The host discusses watching 'Lifers', a concert film documenting Local H's final tour at Chicago's Metro venue, exploring how the band created a unique music documentary during their COVID-delayed album tour.