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

You know they passed on calling it “A Quieter Place.” It’s not like they didn’t think of it. They chose not to. Anyway, “A Quiet Place Part II” is a John Krasinski joint. He wrote, directed and appears in the movie. This one takes place right where the last one left off, but also flashes back to the first day of the disaster, which was a bit that they brilliantly left out of the first Quiet Place. 

The intrigue of the first movie was its mystery. The monsters’ particular attributes were unknown and you are dropped into a world which had adapted to the monsters. Like in most sequels, the mystery is gone. 

This sequel did as much as it could without having anything left to reveal but it had nowhere near the punch of the first. Even with that said, this is an excellent movie to see in a theater with other people, especially since it might be the first one you do that with. The quiet spaces really build more suspense with one hundred other people collectively holding their breath. If you see it, see it in a theater. 

Also, Kpolly and I get into a lengthy What Else We’ve Been Watching that takes a turn to the intricacies of doing an impression and early Bernie Mac stand up sets. Come for “A Quiet Place,” stay for the weirdness.

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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 examination of systemic racism in Milwaukee.

Just as many film fans around the city are stepping foot in movie theaters again for the first time in more than a year, the Milwaukee Film Festival has announced its 2022 dates. The film festival will celebrate its 14th year April 21-May, 2022.

“While still in the early stages of planning, the nonprofit is intending to return in-person while still offering a responsive-to-audience interest virtual component,” the festival announced in a press release. “Milwaukee Film looks forward to inviting filmmakers from all over to kick off the springtime season in the Midwest city of festivals. ”  

The organization will start acceptiong film submissions for next year’s festival later this summer.

Meanwhile Milwaukee Film is also planning a Cultures & Communities Festival for Sept. 6-12. Information about that is available at mkefilm.org/ccf.  

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

Kpolly here. What is “weird”? What is a “cult classic”? What were the “1980s”? That last one, no one knows. But, I think we get closer to the truth in this week’s episode of Cinebuds.

This is a decade rife with strange, ridiculous, and bizarre stories — not to mention the costumes, cliches and heavy cocaine use. So a good cult film from the ’80s is bound to satisfy. I have a newfound appreciation for this era that made up my formative years and a renewed passion for all things synth and neon.

From cavemen to rock star brain surgeons, from sexy cat people to rival gangs defending a community center (that old chestnut!), below are some of the trailers of the films we talk about this week.

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 examination 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.

“French Exit” is the movie based on the 2018 book of the same name by Patrick deWitt. Our main character is Francis Price, played wonderfully by Michelle Pfeiffer. Price is a proper Manhattan socialite, whose fame and money is never quite explained, but that doesn’t matter because the money has run out. So she takes the last bit of it, pulls her son, played by Lucas Hedges, out of school, stows away their cat, and moves to an apartment in Paris.

It’s a kind of aristocratic melodrama from another time, where the biggest issue is the family’s own vanity. It’s dry, it’s odd, but don’t tell Kpolly it’s surreal. The movie feels of another era, its purposeless aristocrats wandering about like characters in a Salinger book. I found it to be charming and understated — a wonderfully dry comedy posed as drama.

Also, we haven’t done a catch up since our live show, so me and Kpolly do a BIG What Else Have We Been Watching catch up on our two favorite movies of the festival each, and a handful of others that we have watched since. We also talk about our love for the Milwaukee Film Member Facebook group member John DiMotto and I talk about going to a movie theater for the first time in a year and a half.

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

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway and today is the last day! We want to make picking movies it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. This is today’s pick! If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! There are hundreds of movies to choose from and it’s all virtual. Picking movies can be daunting with all that freedom! We want to make it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. Hopefully that will make it a little easier. If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: “Holy Frit”

A Kansas megachurch commissions the world’s largest stained-glass window. An L.A. based artist wows them with his complex design, elevating the small family-owned stained-glass studio he works for. The only problem is he has no idea how to actually complete the work. Enter world-famous, Italian glass maestro Narcissus Quagliata. Juggling the church’s timeline, a tight budget, and loud personalities, these artists have the difficult challenge of bringing the impossible to light.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! There are hundreds of movies to choose from and it’s all virtual. Picking movies can be daunting with all that freedom! We want to make it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. Hopefully that will make it a little easier. If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: Rez Metal

I Don’t Konform is a heavy metal band from the Navajo Nation in Arizona that uses their music to uplift a community devastated by suicide. They catch the ear of acclaimed Metallica producer Flemming Rasmussen, who joins the band in their hooghan to begin recording their next album. REZ METAL is a stripped-down celebration of the heavy metal spirit, and a compelling portrayal of a community channeling their raw emotions, ethics, and hope through music.

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! There are hundreds of movies to choose from and it’s all virtual. Picking movies can be daunting with all that freedom! We want to make it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. Hopefully that will make it a little easier. If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: Baby

BABY is a dark fairytale about an addict mother who, in desperation, sells her newborn to traffickers. She quickly regrets the decision and ventures into an eerie forest to get him back. Inspired by Guillermo del Toro and the Brothers Grimm, Basque filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa constructs a world that is equal parts grotesque and beautiful. This macabre tale is told entirely without dialogue and stars Rosie Day (OUTLANDER), Harriet Sansom Harris (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES), and Natalia Tena (GAME OF THRONES, HARRY POTTER.)

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! There are hundreds of movies to choose from and it’s all virtual. Picking movies can be daunting with all that freedom! We want to make it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. Hopefully that will make it a little easier. If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: Cocoon

Teenager Nora experiences first love and self-acceptance during a scorching Berlin summer. Forced to play third wheel to her boy-crazy older sister and her best friend, Nora’s life is transformed when the unconventional Romy shows up. As Nora begins to find herself and assert her own identity, she is pressured to choose between her sister and the enigmatic Romy. Gorgeously photographed, COCOON stands among the very best queer coming of age films. AGES 14+

The Milwaukee Film Festival is underway! There are hundreds of movies to choose from and it’s all virtual. Picking movies can be daunting with all that freedom! We want to make it a little easier, so the Cinebuds are going to pick one movie a day that they are excited about. Hopefully that will make it a little easier. If you want to buy tickets, or see other movies go here.

Today’s pick: Shorts!

The shorts program is my FAVORITE part of the Milwaukee Film Festival. They are so incredibly curated by Anna Sampers who’s taste I trust in completely. There are a bunch of flavors of Shorts so pick your poison. And hey, if one starts and you don’t like it, just wait a couple minutes and it will be over!