profile pic ian.jpg

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.

Ep114: Forgiveness and REVENGE

The KtS Podcast celebrates (okay, acknowledges) International Podcast Day with another blockbuster installment of its seven-part Star Wars retrospective. Revenge of the Sith hobbles up to the chopping block, but finds a stunning lack of axe-swinging executioners. Could it be that George Lucas' clumsy conclusion to the Prequel Trilogy wasn't so bad after all? Join Ian, Gari, Bill, and Charlie on a trip to the Dark Side and find out!

Also, Ian offers a teasing recommendation of the upcoming horror comedy The Final Girls, and shares info on Aaron Christensen's 2015 Scare-A-Thon, which kicks off tomorrow and benefits both Planned Parenthood and Chicago's Greenhouse Shelter. To find out more about this truly fun fundraiser, and to track Aaron's progress, visit his Horror 101 blog.

If all goes according to plan, Episode 114 will give you a new hope for Star Wars!

As always, we invite you to comment, follow, like, subscribe to, and share Kicking the Seat on TwitterFacebookiTunes, and Stitcher!

Ep115: MARTIAN of Error

Ep113: ELECTRIC Company