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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.

Ep934: If You Like THE CREATOR, You'll Love EX MACHINA

Ep934: If You Like THE CREATOR, You'll Love EX MACHINA

A.I. is all the rage, and Earth's Mightiest Critics are back with a look at two movies that dare to look into the bleak future of a technology-obsessed world!

In the second installment of "If You Like...You'll Love...", Ian, Jeff, and Don compare Gareth Edwards' latest, The Creator, with Alex Garland's 2014 sci-fi drama, Ex Machina.

The former centers on one man's quest to destroy a sentient robot army's greatest weapon against the people who created it--which turns out to be a cyborg who looks like a young girl. The latter is about a wide-eyed tech billionaire who invites his top engineer to assist in perfecting his life's greatest achievement: a cyborg who looks like Alicia Vikander!

What can we learn from these distinct visions of a common modern dilemma? And what makes one film a 2010's classic, and the other a critical and box office misfire?

Watch and find out!

Show Links

  • Watch the Creator trailer.

  • Watch the Ex Machina trailer.

  • Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

Ep935: Featured Extras LIVE! (10/22/23)

Ep935: Featured Extras LIVE! (10/22/23)

Ep933: Accademia Giallo: ARGENTO'S DRACULA 3D (Scare-a-Thon 2023 Special)

Ep933: Accademia Giallo: ARGENTO'S DRACULA 3D (Scare-a-Thon 2023 Special)