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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 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.

Ep643: RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Movie Review

Ep643: RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Movie Review

Ian Simmons

Ian and David travel to an alternate reality that looks shiny and new, but which feels awfully familiar.

Raya and the Last Dragon is Disney Animation Studios' latest visual marvel, centering on a world in which a young warrior must travel a fractured world in search of the magic that will bring back her father--and everyone else who has been turned to stone by malevolent forces.

In this spoilerific discussion, the guys go head to head with defenses and detractions. One says RAYA is a beautifully rendered next-step in animation with a hopeful message; the other says the visuals barely paste over a plot that steals from absolutely everywhere in service of an alarming cynicism.

They also offer some thoughts on whether or not Raya and the Last Dragon is worth the hefty Disney Plus Premier Access price tag or a trip to the theatre.

Show Links:

Ep644: BOSS LEVEL Movie Review

Ep644: BOSS LEVEL Movie Review
Ep642: Crypto/Crime/Couriers: An Interview with SILK ROAD Director Tiller Russell

Ep642: Crypto/Crime/Couriers: An Interview with SILK ROAD Director Tiller Russell