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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.

Ep302: The Bronson Age

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and HollywoodChicago.com's Pat “The Über Critic” McDonald travel back in time to the gritty streets of mid-seventies New York for a look at Michael Winner's Death Wish! This is an unofficial sequel to episode 297, in which Ian and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie discussed the Eli Roth/Bruce Willis remake--a film that sinks in the guys' estimation as they consider the 1974 original's greatness.

For a bit of contrast, Pat and Ian also talk about Death Wish 2, which came out nearly a decade after the first film (and under the "OMG" auspices of Golan-Globus, which should tell you a little bit about the follow-up's shift in tone).

Also, Ian warns you against visiting Zak Bagans' Demon House (now available On Demand and showing at the AMC Streets of Woodfield), and reminds you to see Zuzana: Music is Life this weekend (as part of the JCC Chicago Film Festival). And, speaking of sequels, someone made an unofficial Death Wish follow-up starring an uncanny Charles Bronson look-alike!

Episode 302 is the uncredited cameo of podcasts!

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Ep303: Late Screening: Lunchtime Poll

Ep301: Less Human Than Human