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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.

Ep656: MORTAL KOMBAT (2021) - Movie Review

Ep656: MORTAL KOMBAT (2021) - Movie Review

Ian Simmons

It's a fight to the fatality as Ian and David dig through the guts of Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat!

When a down-on-his-luck MMA fighter discovers he's been chosen to defend Earth from alien brawlers, he must train with a team of disparate warriors and discover his inner mystical powers.

The guys talk experience, expectations, and evisceration in this spoilerific look at a film that one of them enjoyed and the other thinks is a prime example of why video game movies are mostly a waste of time.

Also up for discussion are the film's "reasonable" racism; its place in the pantheon of recent Asian-centric blockbusters; and whether or not it's fair to compare McQuoid's movie to the 1995 big-screen adaptation.

Mortal Kombat is now playing in theatres and streaming on HBO Max.

Also, the Mortal Kombat score by Benjamin Wallfisch is now available wherever you buy music.

Show Links:

  • Watch the Mortal Kombat (2021) trailer.

  • Watch the Shang-Chi trailer (referenced in this discussion).

  • Follow David's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.

  • Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ep657: Late Screening: DEFENDING YOUR LIFE

Ep657: Late Screening: DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
Ep655: The Slowdown: The Unseen City of GHOST TROPIC

Ep655: The Slowdown: The Unseen City of GHOST TROPIC