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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.

Ep10: Rooting out "Life of Pi" with Matt Lazar!

If I'd waited another month to roll out episode ten, I might've been able to convince you that the podcast had simply gone quarterly--instead of rattling around in my buzzing but somehow extremely lazy brain.

But, nooOOOooo! Friend, co-worker, and all-around film nut Matt Lazar had to step up and practically demand that we do a show together. Well, here's that show. We saw Ang Lee's Life of Pi last Wednesday, and recorded part of the episode then and part of it the next day, over lunch.

It's a fun discussion, if you can get past the Golden Nugget restaurant's Bon Jovi ambiance and, later, the intrusive masticating on my part as I tried to spew venom through a mouthful of fried turkey-corndog breading.

Enjoy the episode and check back...um, whenever you want. Chances are, there won't be a new installment when you do. But stranger ships have sailed, I guess.

Thanks for listening!

Ep11: 12:30am with Neal and Dave Fischer!

Ep09: Once Upon a Rom Com / Dredding the Master