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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.

Ep210: Smack Soufflé

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast revives its lust for life with a look at Danny Boyle's T2 Trainspotting! Along for the trip is Pat "The Über Critic" McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, who balances Ian's fanboy perspective on the big-screen treatment of Irvine Welsh's drug-addled Scottish criminals.

Is there any benefit to going back to the well, other than pacifying fans who've demanded a follow-up for more than twenty years? Or is T2 just an empty window car on the nostalgia train? You'll find out what the guys think on this very personal episode, which includes insights Pat gleaned from a recent roundtable interview he participated in with Boyle himself!

Leading scientists warn that Episode 210 is highly addictive, even in the smallest dosage!

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Ep211: Jim O'Heir's Midwestern Handshake

Ep209: The Disconnect