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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.

Ep252: Late Screening: Cole's ENCOUNTERS!

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and ColeTries.com launch a new monthly series called "Late Screening", in Ian and Cole discuss a classic film that Cole (and, in some cases, Ian) has never seen before! First up is Steven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi masterpiece, Close Encounters of the Third Kind!

As you'll soon hear, the guys would definitely put "masterpiece" in quotes--and not just for the sake of grammatical correctness! How has the alien-visitation blockbuster aged in the forty years since its release? How does the theatrical re-issue sabotage the experience for newcomers? And why does no one seem to notice that Richard Drefuss' character is an irredeemable tool?

Also, Ian mentions some smaller releases hitting theatres this weekend, and shares details on the strangest contest Kicking the Seat has ever run--and that's saying something!

Episode 252 means something! It's important!

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Ep253: Floaties

Ep251: I DO...UNTIL I DEATH NOTE