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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.

Ep371: Dinner at Dawn?

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and HollywoodChicago.com's Pat “The Über Critic” McDonald celebrate the spirit of the season with a look at one of cinema's little-seen gems: the colorized 1935 Scrooge, starring Seymour Hicks! Why would they choose color over black-and-white? And why not talk about one of the more popular adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? Because both are streaming on Amazon Prime, of course!

Besides that, there's a lot to dig into here, between Henry Edwards' eerie, impressionistic visuals; Hicks' truly monstrous portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge; and a remarkable focus on class division that underscores Dickens' themes of greed and redemption.

Also, Ian explains why you won't see any more KtS Facebook ads.

Episode 371 believes every day is a gift (that's why they call it "the present")!

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Ep372: Do You Feel Lucky, Skunk?

Ep370: Late Screening: It's SPEED on a DIE HARD!