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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.

Ep396: Lightning Hearted

Today, the Kicking the Seat Podcast and Earth's Mightiest Critics capture lightning in a podcast with their deep dive into DC's Shazam! David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, and Don Shanahan of Every Movie Has a Lesson join Ian for look at one of the most entertaining and markedly different superhero movies in years.

Zachary Levi stars as a muscle-bound do-gooder who's secretly a fourteen-year-old boy tasked with ridding the world of evil. David F. Sandberg's film is many things: a (mostly) superbly done, spiritual throwsback to the 80s; a remake of Big thinly disguised as an action film; and a touching family dramedy that makes great use of all its characters--with one glaring exception.

The round-table gets into spoilers here, along with thoughts on whether or not Shazam! is appropriate for young children (Hint: It's not), so feel free to check back after it opens wide tomorrow night.

Episode 396 will not, under any circumstances, grab your staff!

Show Guide:

Intro Music: 0:00 - 0:15

Intro: 0:15 - 2:51

Shazam! Trailer: 2:51 - 4:54

Shazam! Discussion: 4:54 - 1:12:52

Outro Music: 1:12:52 - 1:13:06

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Ep397: Page2Screen2Screen: The Rud Less Traveled

Ep395: Page2Screen2Screen: Ayuh!