We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

On this week’s episode, we dig into Greta Gerwig’s heartfelt adaptation of “Little Women.” Hear our thoughts below.

Words by kpolly

Sure, everyone’s out there watching these blockbusters like GIANT DUDES, or BIG FELLAS. Or even that brand new HEFTY GENTS. But, not us. No, we’re gonna talk about LITTLE WOMEN. Deal with it!!

That’s right! This week on Cinebuds we’re talking about Greta Gerwig’s newest film, based on the classic American novel by Louisa May Alcott. The story of the March sisters and their family. The sisters are all living their lives in their own way and bucking conventions all the while. It’s a story with no real villain and a lot of love and friendship and compassion — a nice change.

“Little Women” has been filmed at least six times as a feature film and countless times as a mini-series, made-for-TV film, theatrical production, etc. How will Gerwig’s version set itself apart? The first hint is the stellar cast. Saoirse Ronan plays the best March sister, Jo. You’ve got Laura Dern as the mother. You’ve got Timothée Chalamet as Laurie. And since Meryl Streep is contractually obligated to be in all movies, you’ve got Meryl Streep as their sweetly grumpy Aunt March. Whew!  

The film, while adhering to the time period wonderfully, also has a contemporary feel that the actors bring to it. It makes the film even more relevant than it usually is.  

Do you like your indie literary adaptations with a variety of clever, strong, brave and funny characters who occasionally die of scarlet fever? Listen to the podcast to see if we do, too.

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Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

On this week’s episode, we’re tackling one of the great cinematic oddities of 2019: Tom Hooper’s surreal screen adaptation of “Cats.” Stream the episode below.

“Cats” is the movie based on the Broadway musical that is based on the collection of poetry called “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by TS Elliot in which a death cult of street cats audition to be chosen to die.

So far, it is sitting at a cool 2.8/10 on IMDB. Critics have called it “deranged” and “too horny.” It is directed by Oscar winning director Tom Hooper, who is famous for directing “The Kings Speech” and “Les Miserables.” Its cast is jam packed with stars of the stage (Judy Dench and Ian McKellen), screen (Idris Elba and Rebel Wilson) and song (Taylor Swift and Jason Derulo). Its music is composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber and, at times is frantic and disturbing. Its CGI is uneven and at times, frightening.

It also might be brilliant. Or just weird. Or an utter failure. Or something else all together. We also give some knee-jerk reactions to the Oscar nominations and ask, “Which was better/worse, the Oscar nominations or ‘Cats?'”

Listen to the pod to hear all the takes.

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Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

On this week’s episode we’re discussing the heart-racing new thriller “Uncut Gems,” and wading into the debate over Adam Sandler’s Best Actor chances. Stream it below.

“Uncut Gems” is the new fast paced, hectic race, jewelry case, outer space movie from the Safdie Brothers. Fun fact, the Safdie Brothers’ dad worked as a jeweler in New York when they were kids and the main character is based on him and the atmosphere surrounding that type of high stakes career.

And speaking of that character, the main character is played by the one and only, Adam Sandler. The movie has many people calling for Sandler to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards for this performance. Is that what we think? I don’t want to give it away.

What I will say is that this movie is best watched IN A THEATER. There is something about watching something so anxiety ridden that is somehow made better AND worse by being stressed out around a whole bunch of people who are going through the same ride. There were moments here the whole theater let out a giant breath and other times where the whole theater gasped. Either way, go see it in the theater, and listen to what we thought of “Uncut Gems.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

On this week’s episode, we’re weighing in on Rian Johnson’s buzzy who-done-it “Knives Out.” Stream it below.

“Knives Out” is a classic who-done-it. You’ve got an old house. You’ve got a greedy-backstabbing family. You’ve got twists. You’ve got turns. It’s a stylish romp with an ensemble cast that delivers exactly what you want, and also, what you least expect. Daniel Craig has a dripping Southern accent. Didn’t see that coming. LaKeith Stanfield casts a spell on you and draws you into his every word. More of that, please.

“Knives Out” is directed by Rian Johnson. Johnson has directed stylish thinkers like “Looper” and “Brick.” He has also directed a Star Wars movie (Episode VIII The Last Jedi.) He’s also garnered some indie cred, directing music videos for LCD Soundsystem and The Mountain Goats.

Overall, me and Kpolly had similar impressions of this one, with one of us liking it more than the other. Check the podcast for who loved this who-done-it.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

Kpolly here. It’s time for the Cinebuds Review Preview! We’re listing our favorite films of the year AND giving you a brief preview of films coming out during the holidays.   

We’ll each share five of our favorite films of the year. Some overlap? A bit.  Some surprises? You bet your ass! Is Justin still talking about “Roma” even though it’s been a full calendar year? I think you know the answer.  

We’re also going to give you a rundown of films coming out around the forthcoming holidays. I know you’ve been watching that trailer to “Cats” on repeat since it was released a few weeks ago. We will address that spectacle for what seems like three hours minimum. But the management said we had to talk about some other non-“Cats” films as well, so….  whatever.  

You all will need some distractions from the highs and lows of family holidays, so run out and see a movie.  You’re not allowed to talk in there, so you’re welcome.

Stream the episode below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

Before “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda had a hit with his 2008 Broadway musical “In The Heights.” It won the Tony for Best Original Score.

Almost 12 years after “In The Heights” hit the stage, it will hit theaters in the summer of 2020.

Directed by Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,”) “In The Heights” tells the story of a block in the largely Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York over a course of three days.

The film stars Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Melissa Barrera and Jimmy Smits. Miranda is also the producer of the film and worked on the music. Check out the trailer below.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

Trey Edward Shults On this week’s episode, we’re discussing Trey Edward Shults’ breakout indie drama “Waves,” which is generating some Oscar buzz. Hear our thoughts about it below.

Words by kpolly

This week on Cinebuds, we’re talking about the intense family drama “Waves.” The new film by Trey Edward Shults (“It Comes at Night,” “Krisha”) is about a young man named Tyler in the vibrant landscape of South Florida and the journey his entire family takes as they navigate the aftermath of a tragedy.  

The film made it’s premiere at the Telluride Film Festival this year and has garnered amazing critical success, including awards and nominations from the National Board of Review, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Gotham Awards (these last two are my favorite awards selections – “you’re SO last year, Oscars!”)

There are times when you go to the movies to laugh, times to cry, etc.  There are also times to go to the theater and feel constantly nervous and on edge.  In this case, it could be because you’re invested in these characters and you just KNOW something bad is going to happen. Is it worth it? Listen to the podcast to find out.  

We’ll also go on and on about some other films we’ve seen lately and give you some recommendations for movies to check out if you liked “Waves.”  What helpful young men we are!

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

This week’s episode tackles the film that lit up Netflix accounts over the Thanksgiving weekend, Martin Scorsese’s mafia epic “The Irishman.” Stream and read about it below.

Kpolly is out this week, so it’s just me (Justin) reviewing Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.”

“The Irishman” is Martin Scorsese at his Scorsese-ist. It’s a big ode to New York and a certain kind of man. It features three Martin Scorsese classic actors, Robert DiNero, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci (not to mention Ray Romano and Harvey Keitel, among others.) It clocks in at a whopping 209 minutes, or three and a half hours. It spent about a week in “select” theaters (including Milwaukee’s Oriental Theatre!) before moving to Netflix, where plenty of people, including me, watched it over Thanksgiving recess.

“The Irishman” is based on “I Heard You Paint Houses,” the narrative non-fiction book written by former homicide prosecutor, investigator, and defense attorney Charles Brandt. The screenplay is written by Steven Zaillian who has written “Schindler’s List,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Gangs of New York.” “The Irishman” tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a hitman for the mob as he recalls his activity in ’60s and ’70s New York and the relationship between him, the mafia and Jimmy Hoffa.

I did not like this movie. I go into exactly why I didn’t in the podcast. Listen below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

We’re 88Nine’s Justin Barney and Milwaukee Film’s Kpolly. We’re buds, we like cinema — we’re Cinebuds.

This week, we’re reviewing the divisive comedy “Jojo Rabbit,” about a young boy in the Hitler Youth who becomes imaginary friends with Adolf Hitler. It’s a bright and funny movie, but it never minimizes the horrors of the Holocaust. It’s sort of a Nazi “Moonrise Kingdom.” Hear our thoughts on it below.

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Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our new podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.

Who doesn’t love a good descent into madness? Just the phrase “descent into madness.” It’s so dramatic and theatrical. “The Lighthouse,” director Robert Eggers’ new movie features two lighthouse keepers in the late 1800’s as the meet and then, well… descend.

“The Lighthouse” is Robert Eggers’ second movie. His first was “The Witch” in 2015 which was dark and stylish and strange. Here Eggers sticks to a similar timeframe and place. For “The Lighthouse” he essentially rebuilt the language of the day by reading Melville and diary writers from the time. The language is Shakespearean and the action is physical. The whole thing is filmed in a way that makes it stand out immediately. It’s almost an exact square on the screen and it’s in black and white. It’s weird, it’s wild, it’s wonderful.

Check the hot takes in the podcast below.

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Get all of 88Nine’s podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We’ve got podcasts about music, food and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week! And don’t forget to check out our long-form podcast “Backspin: The Search for Milwaukee’s First Hip-Hop Song,” a six-part exploration of the birth of Milwaukee rap. All episodes are streaming now.