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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.

EP350: YEAR OF THE DRAGON

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie plunge headfirst into the grim-and-gritty world of racist cops, warring drug empires, and luxury-apartment decor with a look at Michael Cimino's criminally underrated Year of the Dragon!

This is one of David's favorite films, and one Ian had never seen before experiencing it this week at the Music Box Theatre's 70MM Film Festival. It stars Mickey Rourke as a New York cop who's assigned to clean up Chinatown, which has been turned inside out by a war between the triads and the Italian mob. Packed with more crazy action scenes, high drama, and inappropriate dialgoue and situations than just about any modern audience can stomach, this film has to be seen to be believed.

Also, Ian tells you about a special Monday night screening of Summer 1993, hosted by David and presented by the After Hours Film Society; puts in yet another good word for the rest of the 70MM Film Festival's lineup; and plugs his latest written review, a look at Craig William Macneill's bloody Borden brouhaha, Lizzie!

Episode 350 isn't a Mac, but it's not PC, either!

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Ep351: Page2Screen: Something Wonderful

Ep349: Page2Screen: Phoenix-washing