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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.

Ep399: Fire Festival

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast muscles through an eternity of regret with a look at Neil Marshall's Hellboy reboot!* Joining Ian in the pit are Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, whose spoilerific, teeth-gnashing analysis underscores their grief at a franchise left incomplete by Guillermo del Toro in 2008.

David Harbour slips into the red bodysuit as Hellboy, a paranormal investigator with the mouth of a tween-TV sidekick and the brains to match. When an ancient witch (Milla Jovovich) plots her apocalyptic return from banishment, Hellboy must decide between demonkind and the human race that sort of not really absolutely did not adopted him.

As you'll soon hear, this disjointed and puzzlingly regressive would-be blockbuster was almost too much for Earth's Mightiest Critics--who offer up this discussion as an urgent Public Service Announcement.

Episode 399 barely remembers what movie it's about!

Show Guide:

Intro Music: 0:00 - 0:15

Intro: 0:15 - 1:25

Hellboy Trailer: 1:25 - 3:47

Hellboy Discussion: 3:47 - 54:27

Outro Music: 54:27 - 54:42

*By way of correcting a line in the episode intro, Hellboy opens nationwide tomorrow in Thursday night previews.

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Ep400: They Might've Been Giants

Ep398: What's Up, Doc10?