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 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.

Ep1082: Go West, Young Filmmaker! An Interview with Guns of Redemption Director Brian Skiba

Ep1082: Go West, Young Filmmaker! An Interview with Guns of Redemption Director Brian Skiba

Ian talks with director Brian Skiba about his latest film, Guns of Redemption!

Casper Van Dien stars as Luke, a post-Civil War-era drifter looking to escape his past in a small town. He befriends a preacher (Sean Astin) and runs afoul of a traveling con man named Bork (Jeff Fahey), whose caravan of booze and games also contains several captive women whom he pimps out to the locals. Following a tragedy, Luke teams up with several of the prisoners to take down Bork and his men--in a modern indie mash-up of Unforgiven and Mad Max: Fury Road.

In this brief interview, Brian Skiba talks about building an authentic Western world in the modern era; working with Casper Van Dien in this surprisingly gritty role; and pulling off one of the coolest shots you're likely to see in any movie this year!

Guns of Redemption is now available On Demand!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

Show Links

  • Watch the Guns of Redemption trailer.

Ep1083: Mickey 17 (2025) - Live Roundtable Review

Ep1083: Mickey 17 (2025) - Live Roundtable Review

Ep1081: Amadeus (1984) - Live Roundtable Review

Ep1081: Amadeus (1984) - Live Roundtable Review