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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.

Ep345: Desktop Support

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie crack open the World Wide Web with a look at Aneesh Chaganty's pseudo-techno-thriller, Searching! John Cho stars in this widely praised drama about a father using technology he doesn't full understand to track down the missing teenage daughter he doesn't really know. Does Searching live up to the hype, or have Ian and David found a glitch in the Matrix?

Also, the guys discuss Ka-Wai Kam's raucous and touching action dramedy, Big Brother; Ian shares details on the Housesitters Blu-ray/DVD Kickstarter campaign; and invites you to join him today on Twitter for the live kick-off of Chicago Film News Season Three with Sarah Robinson!

Episode 345 narrowly avoids the blue screen of death!

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Ep346: Late Screening: You're So Cool

Ep344: Do I Make You Hornby?