Movie studio A24 gets a lot of credit for injecting new life into the horror genre. Talk to Me, Midsommar, The Witch, Hereditary — whoever’s making the decisions over there seems to have their finger firmly on the pulse of what notoriously passionate (and opinionated) fans of the genre are looking for.

Most recently, their loving gaze has fallen on Heretic and the familiar face of Hugh Grant playing a role that would’ve been deeply unfamiliar earlier in his career: unhinged psychopath.

Grant brings his unique mix of charm and smarm and menace to the new movie, which shares that complexity by throwing philosophical ingredients into its mix of horror and psychological thriller. In other words, it does what A24 movies have been doing for the last decade or so. But does it connect with everyone?

Our focus group of two shares their surprisingly divergent thoughts on this episode of Cinebuds.

When the worlds of music and movies intersect, we tend to think about concert films — gigantic spectacles glamorizing the wonderful side of fame, like Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé or Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour.

On some level, we know that we don’t really know these artists. Yet it’s still jarring every time we get a glimpse at their actual lives, especially when we discover that these larger-than-life individuals often have problems to match.

They don’t come much bigger than what indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara endured in secret for years while playing some of the biggest stages on the planet. They shared their story with the recent release of Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara — an eye-opening documentary now available on Hulu.

Dori and Kpolly provide the two perspectives most people will bring to this film: Tegan and Film superfan (Dori) or total newbie (Kpolly). Fanatical is pretty much guaranteed to connect with the first audience, but what about the second group? The conversation between our cinematic duo answers that question and might just nudge you toward Hulu for a home viewing (and spook you away from social media for a little while).

Forget the chicken and the egg. Nevermind the sound of one hand clapping. Let's answer something truly difficult:

What's your favorite Keanu Reeves movies?

That’s what Dori and Kpolly bravely take on in this episode of Cinebuds, which takes inspiration from the Keanuthon currently underway at the Oriental Theatre.

As you follow along with our duo’s typically high-minded conversation, ponder your own preference when it comes to the filmography of Keanu Reeves. Do you go for the clueless comedic version in the Bill & Ted series? The “in over his head” action star of Point Break and The Matrix? The “man of few words but many guns” from the John Wick series?

Dori and Kpolly run through all the Keanus in this episode and hopefully discuss why Milwaukee Film didn’t include his best role — Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 — in the Keanuthon that runs through the end of the month.

Dori Zori & Kristopher Pollard interview comedian Eugene Mirman (voice of Gene in Bob's Burgers) and discuss what they've been watching lately.

Dori Zori from 88Nine recently spoke with Micki Seinfeld, Director of Special Events, and Julie Lookatch, Marketing Director, to highlight must-see films at the 27th Annual Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival. The festival will take place from October 27th to 31st. For more information, visit the event website here.

First rule of bite club is to talk about it as much as you can. They talk about the Oriental Theater's upcoming "Bite Club," an exploration of vampire movies of all blood types; from funny to scary they break down their favorites.

-Produced & Edited by Guru Amrit Singh

Dori delves into the new documentary 1-800-ON-HER-OWN by talking with its central figure, Ani DiFranco. The film examines DiFranco's balancing act between two passions: creating music, and being a wife and mother. Dori speaks with director Dana Floor and DiFranco herself in this revealing interview.

Produced and edited by Marcus Doucette

MKE Film is introducing the first edition of its planned annual event: the Dialogues Documentary Festival. Dori and Kpolly chat about the LARP-oriented film "We Can Be Heroes," a doc about kids being kids and the worlds of imagination. Fun stuff! They also touch on documentaries in general and the start of a new thing you might want to try. 

Produced and Edited by Marcus Doucette

Dori Zori is on a wing of her own with writer, director and star East Forest for a conversation about mental health, magic and mushrooms, as well as the new film Music for Mushrooms.

Produced and Edited by Marcus Doucette 

Beetlejuice is back baby! Dori and K-Polly give it the old Cinebuds back rub. The 2024 version is gonna be playing for a bit at the historic Oriental Theater, and the way our cinematic duo tell it, you'll probs want to go see it. They reminisce over the original 1988 film and its more recent tranformation; role reprises, career arcs and even the dope new soundtrack. Plus, they talk about a couple of other films they've been viewing, like The Fall Guy and the documentary Lover of Men.

Produced and Edited by Marcus Doucette