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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 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.

Ep691: The Claim Game: An Interview with SETTLERS Writer/Director Wyatt Rockefeller

Ep691: The Claim Game: An Interview with SETTLERS Writer/Director Wyatt Rockefeller

Ian interviews Wyatt Rockefeller about his debut feature, Settlers!

Sofia Boutella and Jonny Lee Miller star in this sci-fi drama about a couple raising their daughter (Brooklynn Prince) on the Martian frontier. Beset by a series of tragedies, the family must learn to survive isolation, the elements, and other forces that may have a claim to their outpost.

In this discussion, Rockefeller talks about the film's inspiration; handling potentially traumatizing material while working with young actors; and whether or not his experiences as a trustee for The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and as a senior official in the Obama EPA influenced the way he approached the movie's themes.

He also makes a surprising connection between Settlers and the project he's writing now.

Settlers opens in select theatres and will be available On Demand Friday, July 23rd from IFC Midnight. Show

Show Links:

Ep692: Gonzo Legacy: Bobby Kennedy III on FEAR AND LOATHING IN ASPEN

Ep692: Gonzo Legacy: Bobby Kennedy III on FEAR AND LOATHING IN ASPEN

Ep690: Rebirth at MIDNIGHT: An Interview with Filmmaker Randall Emmett

Ep690: Rebirth at MIDNIGHT: An Interview with Filmmaker Randall Emmett