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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.

Ep336: Page2Screen: Snitches Get Stitches

Today, The Kicking the Seat Podcast and ColeTries.com return with another magical installment of "Page2Screen", in which Ian and Cole compare books to their big-screen adaptations!

Yesterday was Harry Potter's birthday, and to mark this momentous occasion, we kicked off a mini-series inside of a series inside of a podcast, with a look at Chris Columbus' 2001 fantasy, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--based on the J.K. Rowling book of the same name.

What does Harry Potter fandom mean to Cole, and what has prevented Ian from "getting it" all these years? Is this really as faithful an adaptation as everyone says it is? And how hard is it to pronounce "Rowling" correctly? These answers await you--along with a very ambitious pact, and some life-changing news for Cole!

Episode 336 is everything that you "wand" it to be (and more)!

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Ep337: Poohzzle

Ep335: Great CMXpectations