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.

Ep778: MINORITY REPORT: 20th Anniversary Review w/ Armond White

Ep778: MINORITY REPORT: 20th Anniversary Review w/ Armond White

Ian Simmons

Ian welcomes back National Review film critic Armond White for a look at Steven Spielberg's paranoid sci-fi masterpiece, Minority Report! Based on the Philip K. Dick novella, this 2002 summer blockbuster stars Tom Cruise as John Anderton, a federal "PreCrime" cop who works with an elite team to prevent murders before they happen. When he's accused of murdering a stranger, his life becomes an unrelenting search for the truth.

Armond White wrote glowingly about the film in his 2002 essay, "Spielberg Goes to Alphaville", which appears in his book, Make Spielberg Great Again. He and Ian talk about Minority Report's unsettling prescience; its status as one of the last big-budget popcorn epics with both brains and a conscience; and why it may feature Tom Cruise's finest performance.

Note: Despite their best efforts, the guys still found themselves dealing with A/V issues. Not to worry: One of these days you'll be able to enjoy their conversations in stunning HD!

Show Links:

  • Watch the Minority Report (2002) trailer.

  • Read Armond's review of Top Gun Maverick (referenced in the show) in The National Review:

  • Order the book that inspired this discussion, Armond's Make Spielberg Great Again.

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

Ep779: There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: LITTLE FAUSS AND BIG HALSY (1970)

Ep779: There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: LITTLE FAUSS AND BIG HALSY (1970)
Ep777: LIGHTYEAR (2022) - Round Table Review

Ep777: LIGHTYEAR (2022) - Round Table Review