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.

Ep1136: Here We Go Again: The Naked Gun (1988 / 2025) - Live Roundtable Review

Ep1136: Here We Go Again: The Naked Gun (1988 / 2025) - Live Roundtable Review

Summer's not over yet, and neither is Hollywood's addiction to remakes and requels! Case in point: The Naked Gun!

Akiva Schaffer's legacy sequel picks up decades after 1988's The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, and centers on Frank Drebin, Jr. (Liam Neeson), who wants nothing more than to live up to the legacy of his bumbling-hero father (Leslie Nielsen). When a bank heist connects to a murder, Frank Jr. finds himself in the midst of a wild techno conspiracy--and a whole lot of cartoon nonsense in the background!

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding original Naked Gun co-writer/director David Zucker's lack of involvement in the new movie, but Earth's Mightiest Critics feel the new creative team has done their best to uphold the franchise's zany spirit.

Does this mean that comedy is "back"? If so, where did it go? Join us for a spoilerific and oh-so-silly look at one of cinema's perfect sequels (including just what we mean by "perfect sequel") and the movie that inspired it! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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

Show Links

Ep1135: Escape from Hammerland: Paranoiac (1963) - Movie Review

Ep1135: Escape from Hammerland: Paranoiac (1963) - Movie Review