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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.

Ep245: DARK, SICK Yippies

This week, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and HollywoodChicago.com's Pat "The Über Critic" McDonald shoot with their hearts while discussing the latest Stephen King adaptation, The Dark Tower! This slim epic starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey as time-space-hopping personifications of good and evil opens this weekend, and the guys get into what makes the film work for King novices--and what makes it kind of stink for King fans.

Also, Pat and Ian deliver a sorta-sequel to Episode 236, with a different take on Michael Showalter's The Big Sick.* Plus, Pat has info on the first-ever YippieFest, a three-day creative extravaganza that hits Chicago's Prop Theatre on August 18th.

Episode 245 has totally forgotten the name of its father!

*Read (and listen to!) HollywoodChicago.com's conversation with The Big Sick stars Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, featuring interviewers Patrick McDonald and Jon Espino!

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Ep246: The Motormouth City

Ep244: Kennel of Truth