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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

Ep494: Reelpolitik: Better Dead Than Redford

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and Pat “The Über Critic” McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com stump for Michael Ritchie's 1972 political satire, The Candidate! Yes, Robert Redford makes his second appearance in as many months in a "Reelpolitik" movie, here playing an idealistic California community activist who gets roped into campaigning for the U.S. Senate.

In this fun and very spoilerific conversation, Ian and Pat look at the ways in which our modern political context robs the film of exaggeration, and how The Candidate offers a bizarre message of hope in these divided, pseudo-apocalyptic times.

Episode 494's mic was cut!

Show Guide:

Debate Guidelines: 0:00 - 0:40

Intro Music: 0:40 - 0:55

Intro: 0:55 - 2:55

The Candidate Trailer: 2:55 - 5:47

The Candidate Discussion: 5:47 - 44:28

Outro Music: 44:28 - 44:44

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Ep495: The Cage Gauge

Ep493: Page2Screen: Squid Pro Squo