Kicking the Seat Ian Simmons

Ian and Pat are looking at a new movie, for a change, but there's no reason that Hard Miles couldn't become a classic!R.J. Daniel Hanna's latest film stars Matthew Modine as Greg Townsend, a real-life Colorado teacher and cycling enthusiast who created a program in which he takes troubled youth on character-building bike rides to the Grand Canyon.In this spoiler-free review, the guys talk about how this surprising, gorgeously shot, and genuinely uplifting film demands to be seen on the big screen, and how it speaks to a forgotten voice in mainstream Hollywood movies. They also recommend other recent examples of uplifting "Based on a True Story" films that may have flown under your radar.Hard Miles is now playing in theatres nationwide.Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the Hard Miles trailer.Bonus! Listen to Pat's interviews with Hard Miles co-writer/director R.J. Daniel Hanna and star Matthew Modine for HollywoodChicago.com!Listen to Pat's movie reviews on the radio at STAR 96.7.Can't get enough of Ian and Pat? Check out their regular retro repartee in our "There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia" Playlist!

Earth's Mightiest Critics hop off the fence to engage with Civil War!Alex Garland's latest look into mankind's cracked crystal ball features Kyrstin Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as four journalists trekking across a combat-ravaged America on a quest to interview a dictatorial 3rd-term President (played by Nick Offerman).Writer/director Garland has said his film doesn't take sides, and leaves it up to the viewer to interpret Civil War's true political implications. Is that true--or just more Hollywood spin? And does the combination of hard-hitting drama and pulse-pounding action make ideology (or the supposed lack thereof) irrelevant?Join us as we dig into the firepower, politics, and prescience of Alex Garland's latest dystopian drama--and take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the Civil War trailer.Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.Get seated with The Blonde in Front!Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...And Film Obsessive...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebAnd stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian welcomes writer/director Laurent Nègre for an eye-opening look into his latest feature film, A Forgotten Man!Michael Neuenschwander stars as Heinrich Zwygart, a Swiss ambassador returning home from Berlin at the end of World War II. Haunted by visions of a doomed young man he'd failed to help at the start of the conflict, Zwygart begins to buckle under the lie of neutrality (both his and his country's). The film unravels at the pace of the mind, hurtling the viewer down a dark path of secrets, guilt, and good intentions.In this eye-opening conversation, Nègre talks about his ten-year journey to bring A Forgotten Man to cinemas; the social obstacles he faced in exploring this dark corner of world history; and reveals the meaning behind his film's bold aesthetic.Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show Links Watch the A Forgotten Man trailer.Learn more about Sovereign Films at their website.

Ian and Sujewa welcome writer/director Tim Lightell to discuss his outrageous indie film, Manbaby!Sal (Asa Fager) is a stand-up comedian whose stage gimmick is dressing like an overgrown baby. His wife, Dana (Sidney Jayne Hunt), is a research scientist who specializes in hormones. The two can't agree on whether or not to have kids--so Sal hatches a plot to bring out Deanna's maternal instincts by making her believe he's regressed to infancy. From here, Manbaby gets weird...In today's episode, Tim talks about the surprising origins of the "Manbaby" character; his decade-long journey to complete the film; and the upcoming 4/20 screening at Brooklyn's Film Noir Cinema.Plus: Sujewa talks about Cosmic Disco Detective Rene's newfound success on YouTube, and Ian (reluctantly) shares his thoughts on Manbaby!Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the Manbaby trailer.Get tickets for Film Noir Cinema's 4/20 Manbaby screening (with Tim and Sujewa in person!): Follow Manbaby on X.Can't make it to New York? Watch Manbaby at home on:TubiAmazonCheck out Tim's Grampaw Universe YouTube series.Watch Sujewa's latest film, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene for free on YouTube!Rent The Secret Society for Slow Romance (the predecessor to Cosmic Disco Detective Rene).Keep up with all of Sujewa's projects.Follow Sujewa on X.Rent Cosmic Disco Detective Rene on Vimeo!

Ian and AC recently attended the opening of The Music Box Theatre's "Triple Threat" 3-D festival,* and returned eager to discuss Andre de Toth's 1953 thriller, House of Wax!Vincent Price stars as the curator of a newly opened exhibit, featuring eerily lifelike recreations of tragic historical figures. But is there more to his creations than mere wax, wardrobe, and Plaster of Paris? Of course--it's a horror movie!In addition to talking about the film and their experience with the Music Box's new state-of-the-art 3-D projection system, the guys compare House of Wax with the film that inspired it: Michael "Casablanca" Curtiz's 1933 movie, Mystery of the Wax Museum!Join us for hot commentary, dripping with insight---and responses to your questions, comments, and SuperChats!*Cati Glidewell, The Blonde in Front, was there, too!Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksIf you enjoyed the show, jump on over to The Spoiler Room Podcast to hear Ian talk about 1933's King Kong (also starring Fay Wray)!Watch the House of Wax (1953) trailer: Learn about the Triple Threat 3-D movie series, taking over Chicago's Music Box Theatre this April (mentioned in the show and featuring state-of-the-art Digital 3-D technology!).Order AC's books on essential and obscure horror movies, Horror 101 and Hidden Horror!Subscribe to AC's YouTube channel, Horror 101 with Dr. AC.It’s not too late to catch up with our 2023 trip “Beyond Hammerland”!Check out 2022's year-long journey, "Son of Hammerland"!And watch the series that started it all: "Hammerland"!

Though there's a "new" dueling-giant-monsters movie now in theaters, Earth's Mightiest Critics are doing something a bit different this week: We're traveling back 70 years to the King of All Monster Movies: Godzilla!But this show isn't just about Ishiro Honda's 1954 Japanese film, Gojira--it's also a compare-and-contrast discussion of the "Americanized" 1956 version, Godzilla: King of the Monsters!Who will win? And what will be left of the panel when the dust clears?Join us as we take on these twin titans of towering terror--and answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the Gojira (1954) trailer.Watch the Godzilla: King of the Monsters! (1956) trailer.Chicagoans! Get your tickets now for the Music Box Theatre's June event, “Godzilla Versus Music Box” (featuring Godzilla Minus One and the entire Showa Era-Godzilla filmography)!Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.Get seated with The Blonde in Front!Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...And Film Obsessive...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebAnd stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.