profile pic ian.jpg

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 Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy 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.

Ep1064: Kicking the Seat Presents: Don't Read the Comments! (1/19/25)

Ep1064: Kicking the Seat Presents: Don't Read the Comments! (1/19/25)

Ian Simmons

2025 is a year of renewal at Kicking the Seat--so we're bringing back something old! That's right "Don't Read the Comments!" returns!

Join Ian for a courageous quest of cantankerous (and congenial) correspondence! He'll read the best of the past month's comments from the KtS YouTube channel and kickseat.com--and respond with as much dignity and grace as he can muster!

And, yes, he'll also respond to chats and SuperChats while reacting to other comments. How meta!

If you’d like to see your comment read and responded to in this or a future "Don't Read the Comments" video, simply...leave a comment on YouTube, kickseat.com, Facebook, or Twitch!

Ep1065: "Scrap" Mettle: An Interview with Filmmaker Vivian Kerr

Ep1065: "Scrap" Mettle: An Interview with Filmmaker Vivian Kerr
Ep1063: Se7en at Thirty -- Live Round Table Review

Ep1063: Se7en at Thirty -- Live Round Table Review