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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.

Ep759: IndieSeen: HENRY FOOL at 25 w/ THOMAS JAY RYAN

Ep759: IndieSeen: HENRY FOOL at 25 w/ THOMAS JAY RYAN

Ian Simmons

Ian and Sujewa welcome actor Thomas Jay Ryan for a lively and enlightening look at the movie that began his film career, Henry Fool!

Writer/director Hal Hartley's bizarre dramedy centers on the contentious relationship between a Long Island garbage man named Simon (James Urbaniak) and the mysterious, eponymous drifter (Ryan) who awakens his staggering gifts as a writer. Henry Fool premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1997 and went on to win Best Screenplay at Cannes the following year.

Here, Thomas opens up about what it was like transitioning from stage to screen with hot indie fixtures like Hartley and co-star Parker Posey; discovering new definitions of success in the world of acting; and reuniting with Kevin Corrigan in Onur Tukel's dynamite 2021 film, Scenes from an Empty Church!

Also, learn about the most unintentional and least effective product placement in cinema history!

Plus: Sujewa talks about the recent Brooklyn premiere of The Secret Society for Slow Romance and teases a possible future role for our esteemed guest!

Show Links:

  • Watch the Henry Fool trailer.

  • Watch the Scenes from an Empty Church trailer (now streaming on Amazon Prime).

  • Follow Thomas Jay Ryan on Instagram.

  • For more info on Hal Hartley's movies, check out HalHartley.com.

  • Watch Ian and Sujewa's interview with Onur Tukel, who directed Thomas in Scenes from an Empty Church.

  • Catch up with all our past IndieSeen episodes.

  • Find clips, making-of videos, and other cool info about Sujewa's upcoming film, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.

Ep760: There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: LA DOLCE VITA (1960)

Ep760: There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: LA DOLCE VITA (1960)
Ep758: MORBIUS (2022) - Round Table Review

Ep758: MORBIUS (2022) - Round Table Review