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

Read more and listen to the full episode below to hear us talk about the day-lit terror of Ari Aster's "Midsommar."

The follow-up to director Ari Aster's dark and horrifying "Hereditary," "Midsommar" is bright and yet still pretty horrifying.

If you have seen anything from "Midsommar" so far, it's probably the setting. The film takes place in a pastoral Swedish village. The sets are bright. The clothing is white. It's Sweden, basically everything we have been told is nice and pleasant and safe. Except this is the director of "Hereditary," so you know truly messed up things are going to happen.

And they do. Part of the fun is seeing how Aster can take the elements of purity and defile them into something deranged. Fun! But at this movie's core, it is really about the breakdown of a relationship and dealing with grief when you are utterly alone. And, of course, ritualistic Swedish pagan cults.

We break it all down in the pod.

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

Read more and listen to the full episode below to hear us talk about "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."

Words by kpolly

This week on Cinebuds we are discussing the feature film debut of director Joe Talbot, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco." The film is the story of Jimmie and his best friend Mont who try to reclaim the house built by Jimmie's grandfather in the 1940's, which sends them on a journey that explores friendship, family, home, and the city on the bay. The film features supporting roles by Danny Glover, Mike Epps and Thora Birch in brief cameo.

Talbot collaborated on this film with the star/co-writer Jimmie Fails. The two are friends from childhood who grew up in San Francisco. Jimmie keeps his real name in the film, most likely because the story is loosely based on his life. You can easily see how the story they've created together is a love/hate letter to their home city and they back it up with a cast of characters that highlight the varied voices in their community. Nudists, a chorus of toxic masculinity, hippies-turned-yuppies-turned-hippies, skaters and outsiders and everything in between.

At first glance the trailer may lead you to believe this is a straightforward youthful drama with a lovely score. (Trailers, as we all know, are the great misleaders - doing their best to appeal to the broadest audience possible). However, this film is far from straightforward. There is a style that is established immediately and a tone that is infused with some great film influences, while still being wholly its own. Humor, quirk, and design is paired with heart, emotion, and a very honest character. Whether you love this movie or not, there is a sense that this filmmaking collaboration will continue to make distinct work that cannot be ignored - like a naked hippie at a bus stop....

This all sounds interesting, right? Well, we'll see about that. Listen to the podcast below and find out what we thought and how hard we thought it!

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Get all 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We've got podcasts about music, food and and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week!

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

Read more and listen to the full episode below to hear us talk about "Godzilla: King of the Monsters."

"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" is the billionth movie in the Godzilla franchise. In recent years franchise movies have really become a thing, but Godzilla has been there from the beginning. The first Godzilla movie was made in 1954. They have made 30 something since, including one already titled "Godzilla: King of the Monsters." In the beginning Godzilla was a metaphor for nuclear weapons and the destruction that mankind can bring upon nature and itself, and, in time, perhaps sadly, we have fallen in love with Godzilla and he has become a protector of humanity which he remains to be in this film.

One of the great things about this franchise and any franchise is familiarity. In this movie we see the return of classic Godzilla friends and foils including Mothra, Ghidorah and it teases an upcoming match with King Kong.

It also picks up almost immediately after the last Godzilla movie, 2014's "Godzilla," so if you are unfamiliar, or just forgot the immediately forgettable and drawn out human drama of that movie you might want to refresh yourself for plenty more if it in "King of the Monsters."

In the podcast Kpolly and I will go into some of the things that were truly great about this movie and the many other things that truly weren't great. Plenty of monster talk and Godzilla jokes. Check the podcast in the player below.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We've got podcasts about music, food and and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week!

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

Read more and listen to the full episode below to hear us talk about "The Dead Don't Die," the latest from film legend Jim Jarmusch.

"The Dead Don't Die" is the new zombie comedy, or "zomedy," as Kpolly coined, for better or for worse, by acclaimed cool-guy director Jim Jarmusch. There are A LOT of draws to this movie going in. Namely, the cast, the soundtrack, and the director himself.

The cast: Jarmusch is the kind of director that has a gang. He frequently goes with Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Adam Driver, who are all in this. Jarmusch also establishes his music taste in his movies, often casting musicians in key rolls. In the past, and here, he casts Tom Waits, Iggy Pop and RZA.

Going with those musicians, his soundtracks are always great. "The Dead Don't Die" prominently features a theme song from Sturgill Simpson that ends up being a recurring theme in the movie.

Jarmusch is also a draw. He is the kind of director that gets you into a movie on name recognition alone. His movies are classically hip and he is a living auteur with a cult following. We have both seen all of his movies and seeing this one was an interesting addition to his oeuvre.

Okay, going past the draw and into the movie itself... it may not land on our list of all-time-favorite Jim Jarmusch movies. There is plenty to talk about in why this movie didn't work and we talk about them all in the podcast.

Also, we know that it didn't land on our list of Top 5 Jim Jarmusch movies because we both made lists of our Top 5 Jim Jarmusch movies! We count 'em down in the podcast. Let us know your favorites. (Kpolly had a glaring omission to his that I will never forgive him for, but, we will get over it. Maybe.)

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We've got podcasts about music, food and and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week!

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

Read more and listen to the full episode below to hear us talk about "Booksmart," a movie that feels like a 2019 update of "Superbad" in the best way possible.

This week we are talking about "Booksmart." It's the full length directorial debut from Olivia Wilde. "Booksmart" follows two lead characters Molly and Amy, who have spent their high school years getting the right grades, picking the right electives, and sacrificing their free time for future success.

On the last day of high-school they realize that some of their classmates haven't sacrificed as much and have gotten just as far and now they want to make up for all that lost time in one night and show their friends that they are more than just booksmart.

It is the directorial debut from Olivia Wild and has a sharp script from writers Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. Cameos fly in from Jason Sudeikis, Jessica Williams, Will Forte and Lisa Kudrow, but the whole thing shines through the acting of the two leads played by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein.

"Booksmart" is simultaneously a movie that has been made a dozen times before, but also, a movie that has never been made. In the podcast Kpolly cites reels of movies that have have done this same thing and I make the case that it's brilliant, since it captures this moment in time like none other.

Hear all the chat in the podcast!

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We've got podcasts about music, food and and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week!

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

Read more and listen to the full podcast episode below to hear us talk about our experiences with classic films and the way that modern audiences relate to them today.

Words by Kpolly

What constitutes a "classic" film? Just some old black and white movie about a fella and his gal? Or a silent epic story of a flower peddler and his broken shoe? Or maybe one of those unnaturally colorized musicals where people fall into a giant swimming pool in descending order of height? Well, yes. Those ARE classics.

But, we're also talking about films that have simply stood the test of time and have a dedicated group of fans. Films with lines that we quote over and over. Movies that create new cultural touchpoints and trends and make us say "Oh! You haven't seen that one?! What's wrong with you?!"

What was the first classic you can remember seeing? Were/are you turned off by the idea of a black-and-white film? Or a film where people seem to talk too fast and have outdated clothes? Or are you a younger person who considers '80s movies antiquated?

There's are SO many films that have made us what we are and have shaped not only WHAT we love today, but how we engage with film and how open we are to new and different stories. From Charlie Chaplin to John Hughes, Orson Welles to Agnes Varda, Marlene Dietrich to Meg Ryan, "Duck Soup" to "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," "Metropolis" to "E.T." I can stop listing things!!! From "Frankenstein" to "Silence of the Lambs." You haven't seen these?! What is wrong with you?!

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Get all 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you weekly at RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts. We've got podcasts about music, food and and film, with fresh episodes dropping every week!

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

This week on your favorite movie podcast we're talking about the gritty, arthouse, black and white, fiercely independent film... "Detective Pikachu!" Wait... I'm being told I've seen the wrong film. One moment...

This week on your favorite movie podcast we're talking about the bright and colorful, fantasy fun-time world of... "Detective Pikachu!"

Justice Smith plays Tim, a young man whose estranged detective father goes missing. After meeting his dad's partner - an adorable Pikachu - the pair go a-sleuthing to crack the case. Tim, being the only human who can communicate with Pikachu, seems like the best person for the job. The ever-present Ryan Reynolds lends his handsome voice to the titular detective and expels a world of wisecracks to Tim, instead of the usual limited vocabulary of the character.

Pokémon has a dedicated fan base, and with a catchphrase like "You gotta catch 'em all!" we can only assume this film will fill theater seats with little to no effort, as evidenced by Kristopher's experience in the theater of fans who cheered for every new Pokémon that appeared on screen!

Similar to a several films in recent history, "Detective Pikachu" blends live action and animation, and creates a landscape that could appeal to adults and children alike. But, did it? Oh boy, let's listen to the podcast and find out... using the very limited control group of two handsome podcasters. What do you mean, "Who?!"

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Visit RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts to get all of 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you. We have shows about food (This Bites), the local music scene (Tap'd In) and film (Cinebuds). Check it out!

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

Read more and listen to the full podcast episode below to hear us talk about Disney's very-Disney foray into nature films, "Penguins."

“Penguins” is the Disney nature film about a penguin who braves the trials and tribulations of the Antarctic in order to raise a family.

It is a documentary, of sorts. The filmmakers spent 900 days in the Antarctic, following the migratory pattern and behavior of over a million Adelie penguins that gather in the Antarctic every year. The film focuses on one penguin, who they name Steve, in order to sharpen the narrative. Over the course of the movie you see Steve following his instinct, finding his way back to the place of his birth, then stake out a spot, build a nest, find a mate and raise a family, all the while putting up with nature’s obstacles of predators, brittle weather and cruel luck.

It strays from being a straight-ahead documentary by giving Steve an actual voice. Ed Helms serves as both narrator, objectively describing the real-life drama of nature, and the actual voice of Steve. We had some differing opinions on how that worked.

The film strives to be part nature documentary and part re-watchable comedy for kids. We had some strong opinions on this one. Check the podcast for the whole thing and further discussion on Disneynature vs. David Attenborough, nature documentaries and more.

Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Visit RadioMilwaukee.org/Podcasts to get all of 88Nine's podcasts delivered right to you. We have shows about food (This Bites), the local music scene (Tap'd In) and film (Cinebuds). Check it out!

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

Read more and listen to the full podcast episode below to hear us talk about “Hail Satan?”

While it documents the history of The Satanic Temple, Penny Lane’s new documentary isn’t just about Satanism. It’s about outsider culture, minority repression and the importance of standing for something.

The film follows members of the Satanic church as they protest a 10 commandments statue placed on government property in Arkansas, raising issues about the separation of church and state. The Satanic Temple petitions to get its own Satanic statue placed next to the Christian one. Through this process The Satanic Temple establishes its own nontheistic religion, complete with its own dogma and Seven Tenants of Satanism.

After completing “Hail Satan?,” Lane actually became a member of The Satanic Temple, and it’s easy to see why: The documentary makes a compelling case for Satanism as a symbol of rebelliousness and non-conformity, as well as for the Satanic church itself, which gathers likeminded believers and creates a true community around equality, acceptance and other core American values. They even created an afterschool program for kids.

And like Lane, we walked away from the movie with a very different opinion of Satanism. Listen to the episode for our full thoughts on the film — which, without spoiling too much here, we’ll say that we loved.