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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.

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

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

Ian Simmons

Ian talks with writer/director Ruth Platt about her grief-tinged ghost movie, Martyrs Lane!

Ten-year-old Leah (Kiera Thompson) befriends the childlike apparition (Sienna Sayer) floating outside her bedroom window. Through a series of eerie and increasingly dangerous games, Leah discovers a terrible family secret that her new companion seems hellbent on resolving.

In this spoiler-free conversation, Platt talks about the evolution of Martyrs Lane from horror film to emotionally charged atmospheric spook story; working with fearless child actors; and using practical effects and environments to accomplish scares in the absence of a big-studio budget.

Martyrs Lane is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.

Show Links:

  • Watch the Martyrs Lane trailer.

  • Subscribe to Shudder (or start a 7-day free trial).

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

Ep708: IndieSeen: SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE w/ Writer/Director Chris Hansen

Ep708: IndieSeen: SHORT FILMS ABOUT (OUR) MARRIAGE w/ Writer/Director Chris Hansen
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