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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.

Ep360: Number Two

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie do some early trick-or-treating with a look at the sequel to John Carpenter's Halloween...David Gordon Green's Halloween! Despite the film's exceptional box office and critical praise, the guys found themselves picking more razors out of this spectacularly bone-headed cash-grab than they'd thought possible.

Also, Ian and David talk about another John Carpenter film, 1980's The Fog, which begins a limited run at the Music Box Theatre this weekend as a 4K restoration. And Ian invites you to hop aboard the Chicago Film Tour with Pat "The Uber Critic" McDonald for a cool (or is it chilling?) trek through some of the Windy City's most iconic filming locations!

Episode 360 misses Donald Pleasence...a lot!

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Ep361: SNATCH'd!

Ep359: Late Screening: The MARVELOUS Ben Arrow!