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.

Ep145: Tomorrow's Just Another Day & I Don't Believe in Time

Believe it or not, Kicking the Seat turned seven years old this week! For once, Ian remembers his own website's birthday, and offers up a "secret origins" episode to mark the occasion! How does a life-long visual artist transition to film criticism? Are muses real, and can they be trusted? Why does no one appreciate the mind-melting plot twist in Liam Neeson's Unknown?

The answers to these questions and more await, along with shout-outs to the Suicide Squad episodes of Erik Childress' Movie Madness Podcast and Patrick Bromley's F This Movie Podcast (which Huffington Post UK just named one of its "Top Five Essential Podcasts for Killing Time This Summer"!).

Thanks to everyone for making 948 written reviews and 145 podcast episodes possible!

As always, you can keep up with the latest seat-kicking goodness by following, liking, rating, and subscribing to us on TwitterFacebookiTunes, and Stitcher!

Ep146: KUBO and the Two Very Different Opinions

Ep144: Murdering SUICIDE