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

With Covid-19 hitting record highs and us being at home forever and now the sun going down at 2 p.m. it’s got us wanting to escape into our screen. If we can’t travel in real life, we are in luck, because over 100 years of cinema has us covered. 

I thought big. I thought, “What is the movie I know that was shot in the most locations?” My answer: “Around the World in 80 Days.” The movie itself is basically an excuse to shot in as many locations as humanly possible. And they did. “Around the World in 80 Days” shot in 112 locations, on 140 sets, in 13 countries. Many of the shots are purely to show the culture and landscape of the world as it was in 1956. Pre-globalization. Early days of travel. Regional culture is so visible and beautiful in this movie. Even if the script is just okay, it’s the closest thing we are getting to truly globetrotting right now. 

Kpolly went narrow. The first movie he picks is Agnes Varda’s “Faces Places.” It’s a film that takes place solely in France. But it’s not the France that is in every movie, it’s dirt road, blue collar, pastoral France. Possibly even more romantic than Paris, only in a different way. Varda and visual artist JR get in a van and make art in this open road weird little buddy comedy doc that is so charming. 

From there we go on to even more films with even more locations, and, I finally give in. I succumb to the world and watch and review “The Queen’s Gambit.”

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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 “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

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

“The Donut King” was a runaway fan favorite at this year’s Milwaukee Film Festival — so much so that The Oriental Theatre is bringing it back to their Sofa Cinema platform for all those who missed it or who want to watch it again, and there is good reason to do so. 

As a documentary it is successful because it combines a lot of things that would make for a great doc on it’s own, but they are all part of one great story. It’s one part American Dream. The Donut King himself is Ted Ngoy, a man who started with nothing and built a donut empire in LA in the 1970s. Because it is about donuts in LA it is also an informative foodie doc about a niche food subculture. And on top of that, it’s a bit of a history of how America handles refugees and a history of Cambodia, where Ngoy came from. Because of this combination you get the story arc of a great rise and fall, an inspiration, the corruption of greed, a legacy that is still visible today, and a bunch of great facts. Who would have known that Duncan Donuts cannot break into Los Angeles because Cambodian run mom-and-pop donut shops rule the market? 

It’s informative, inspirational, tragic and very well done. In the podcast Kpolly goes into some kind of weird theory about Honeydip Donuts and a delivery man he had recently. I am not even touching that one here, and of course, we talk about what else we have been watching. Check the podcast 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 “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

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

Kpolly here. Horror movies. What are they? Why are they? And are they HOW….? Look, I’m terrified right now, so my sentences aren’t exactly well constructed. 

What I’m saying is that this week on Cinebuds we’re talking horror movies.  And the new film “His House” in particular.

Milwaukee Film had a whole festival (we’ll be talking about that too), so we were too occupied to delve into the genre of the season before Halloween, so we’re making up for lost time. And “His House” is a new offering on Netflix. Director Remi Weekes’ first feature offers a take on the haunted house story with a fresh perspective. Two asylum seekers, after a long traumatic journey from Sudan, attempt to settle in England and not only deal with issues of assimilation and identity, but they are also pursued by something otherworldly.  

We’ll discuss our reactions to the film and the current state of our ever-evolving appreciation of the genre — good and bad.

Sure, Halloween is over, but if Walgreen’s gets to start in on Christmas this early, we will damn sure feel free to extend our horror film watching season a little further!

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 “By Every Measure,” a six-part exploration of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today is the last day and we saved a fun pick for last: The Legend of Baron To’a

Fritz is the son of New Zealand’s most famous Tongan wrestler, Baron To’a. He’s not much of a fighting man himself, so when he returns home to sell his father’s house, he tries to stay neutral in the warring cul-de-sac. But when a street gang steals his father’s championship belt, Fritz employs his natural-born talents to get it back. Filmed with a predominantly Tongan cast, this movie is an action-packed ode to the martial arts film tradition.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s pick: So Late So Soon

Chicago artists Jackie and Don Seiden have been married for over 50 years. While Don works in more traditional media, Jackie’s materials are the world she inhabits through movement and, most recently, the space inside and out of their large and colorful Rogers Park home. One of Jackie’s former students, director Daniel Hymanson, lovingly immerses us in their world as they grapple with aging, revealing the same tenuousness of materiality that Jackie’s art interrogates.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s pick: Black Bear

A filmmaker (the fantastic Aubrey Plaza) embarks on a rural retreat to recharge her creative batteries. In no time, she’s pulled into the host couple’s internecine drama. Things reach their boiling point, when suddenly everything we as the audience understand to be true is shaken up and tossed aside. Filled with hairpin twists and turns reminiscent of Mullholland Dr, Black Bear is the type of movie you’ll want to begin again the moment it ends.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s Milwaukee centric pick: Growing Up Milwaukee

Tyshun Wardlaw’s feature documentary debut follows three young Black people growing up in the heart of our city as they grapple with daily experiences of racism and segregation, while fighting to avoid becoming a statistic. Stark yet hopeful, Wardlaw’s film is essential viewing for all of Milwaukee, to see through the eyes of these young folks and build empathy around their singular, yet all too familiar, experiences.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s pick: Ema

Ema is reeling as her relationship falls apart in the aftermath of an adoption gone awry. Her loss is never far from her mind as her partner (Gael García Bernal) is also the choreographer of her reggaeton dance troupe. Ema deals with her grief through a series of seemingly self-destructive decisions until it’s revealed that there is a method to her madness. Ema marks Chilean director Pablo Larraín’s (“Jackie,” “Neruda”) triumphant return home.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s pick is the centerpiece film: Coming Clean

CENTERPIECE FILM! “Coming Clean,” the latest from virtuoso documentarian Ondi Timoner, examines the opioid crisis from the inside, exploring the painful experiences of those in recovery and of policymakers working to undo the systems and industries that perpetuate — and even thrive off of — addiction. This timely documentary offers innovative solutions, while also exposing the uphill battle against the forces of corporate greed and deeply-held stigmas.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! Click here for all info on the fest. It’s all virtual this year, so no difficult schedules, no waiting in line, no uncomfortable seats! It’s the comfiest festival so far.

Here is how to fest.

Here is all the films.

And here is a list of events. Every night at 8 p.m. Milwaukee Film will be holding a get together called The Nightcap where we will all get together on our computers and check in and chat with directors, actors and maybe some other surprises too.

And every day, me and Kpolly are highlighting a movie we are watching and one that we think you would like too.

Today’s pick (for tomorrow at 9 p.m.): Stop Making Sense

We weren’t going to let some global pandemic keep us from our favorite tradition, so welcome to the virtual dance party. Stream our dance-party event on one screen (mute yourself, pls) and put the film on the biggest, loudest screen you’ve got. Don’t miss this one-night only separate-but-together dance-along to the greatest concert film ever made, Jonathan Demme’s “Stop Making Sense,” featuring the Talking Heads. FILM AVAILABLE 10/24 ONLY; party starts 9 p.m. CT.