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 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.

Ep706: Titans, Weirdos, Dreamers: An Interview with MONDO HOLLYWOODLAND Co-writer/Director Janek Ambros

Ep706: Titans, Weirdos, Dreamers: An Interview with MONDO HOLLYWOODLAND Co-writer/Director Janek Ambros

Ian Simmons

Ian talks with co-writer/director Janek Ambros about his bold and bizarre film, Mondo Hollywoodland!

A 5th-dimensional traveler teams up with an L.A. mushrooms dealer to explore Tinseltown's scenic heights and depraved lows in this psychedelic sci-fi dramedy. Comprised of trippy, quick-cut bookends and three central chapters that skewer modern culture and politics with a sharp and indiscriminate double-edged sword, Mondo Hollywoodland is the furthest thing from a played-out stoner pastiche.

Janek shares his unconventional path to success in Hollywood; the importance of doing social commentary well in movies, and how Oscar nominee James Cromwell helped get eyeballs on Mondo Hollywoodland!

Mondo Hollywoodland is now available to rent or own on Amazon.com.

Show Links:

Ep707: Spirited Grief: An Interview with MARTYRS LANE Writer/Director Ruth Platt

Ep707: Spirited Grief: An Interview with MARTYRS LANE Writer/Director Ruth Platt
Ep705: Love and Craft: A Review of THE MONSTER COLLECTION

Ep705: Love and Craft: A Review of THE MONSTER COLLECTION