Kicking the Seat

Schools around the country are letting out for the year, and in our new miniseries, "Class of '95", Earth's Mightiest Critics look back on seminal teen flicks from the year Ian graduated high school--and, yes, they had movies back then!We kick things off with the Queen Bee, Amy Heckerling's "mall-sterpiece", Clueless! Alicia Silverstone stars as Cher, a bubbly, fashion-obsessed student whose days are as aimless as her notebooks are empty. But complications with friends and strange feelings for her bookish older stepbrother, Josh (Paul Rudd), force Cher to grow up and stop being so, well, y'know...Join us for a totally bitchin' look back at one of the biggest and most influential comedies of the 1990s!We also reminisce about the good ol' days while answering your questions, comments, and SuperChats! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Clueless (2025) 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Ian talks with writer/director Richard Bakewell and producer/star Anthony Michael Hall about their new sci-fi drama, Roswell Delirium!Set in an alternate 1988, the film stars Ashton Solecki as Firefly, a troubled woman who was left physically and psychologically scarred by an alien abuction in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Her therapist, Dr. Baskin (Hall) guides her through a web of dreams and memories in search of clues as to what happened to her--and to her mother (Arielle Bodenhausen), who disappeared following a similar otherworldly experience.In this brief interview, Bakewell and Hall talk about crafting parallels between 1980s Cold War paranoia and the pandemic mania that would grip the world decades later; how therapy helped Hall prepare for his role; and the twist of fate that led Bakewell to film Jeff Bezos's recent Blue Origin mission!Roswell Delirium is now available On Demand and on DVD.Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Roswell Delirium trailer.

Tenacious D once proclaimed that "Friendship is rare". That's doubly true of Friendship, A24's hilariously uncomfortable new comedy from writer/director Andrew DeYoung!Tim Robinson stars as Craig, a bored suburban dad who befriends Austin (Paul Rudd), the carefree, charismatic local weatherman who's just moved in down the street. The two make fast friends, but their bromance soon flames out as Craig's feeble attempts at being cool prove disastrous. The neighborliness soon turns nightmarish as Friendship spirals into a black hole of insecurities, workplace incidents, and more property damage than a low-tier Marvel movie!Join us as we bond over the bonkers badness of would-be besties! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Friendship (2025) trailer.As mentioned in the show, this Sunday we'll kick off our "Class of '95" miniseries with a look back at Clueless! Join us live at 3pm CST.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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Ian and Sujewa have never been to the Cannes Film Festival, but that won't stop them from bringing it to you (sorta)!This month, the guys look at the latest news from the South of France, featuring the buzz around Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague, which dramatizes the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless; and speculate as to why festival darling Jim Jarmusch's new movie was totally shut out of Cannes!Then they take a bumpy trip down Stardust Memories lane, to look at one of Woody Allen's sharpest, most surreal, and eerily contemporary comedies--centering on a neurotic filmmaker who must wrestle with loves both lost and lingering while navigating a weekend retrospective of his work.Join us as we talk snubs, spoilers, and a sneak peek at our next episode--which will be a star-studded Cannes-tinuation of the discussion you're about to hear!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Stardust Memories (1980) trailer.Watch the trailer for Richard Linklater's Cannes sensation, Nouvelle Vague.Watch Ian and Sujewa talk Breathless on a previous installment of "IndieSeen"!Bonus! Read Ian's archive interview with Nouvelle Vague star Zooey Deutch!Check out Sujewa's latest podcast venture, This Arthouse Life! 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).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Earth's Mightiest Critics come alive with a 40th-anniversary review of Stuart Gordon's horror/comedy classic, Re-Animator!Based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story, the film stars Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West, a weaselly med student whose single-minded focus on conquering death leads to disastrous consequences. His new roommate, Dan (Bruce Abbott), and Dan's girlfriend, Megan (Barbara Crampton), get swept up in a madcap nightmare of undead cats, lecherous faculty, and a glowing green serum whose effects are as unpredictable as they are grotesque!Join us for a grave-robbin' gush-fest in which we talk spoilers, sequels, and celebrity encounters-- AND take your questions, comments and SuperChats! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Re-Animator (1985) trailer.Check out Ignite Films' new 4K UHD release of Re-Animator, available in several different collectible editions!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics in witnessing the middle of the end of the MCU: Yes, we're talking Thunderbolts*!Marvel's answer to DC's Suicide Squad kicked off the summer blockbuster season last weekend. And if this gray, introspective, pseudo-artsy take on superheroics is any indication, moviegoers will be trading in their collectible popcorn buckets for pill box organizers!In the film, a cast of cast-offs from other MCU movies and TV shows must band together to stop a willpower-gobbling threat that has emerged from a top-secret research lab--while also coming to grips with deep-seated trauma and not strangling their teammates!Join us for a spoilerific look at enemies, empathy, and that eyebrow-raising asterisk! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Thunderbolts* (2025) 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Earth's Mightiest Critics left the house to see Until Dawn...so you don't have to.Join us for a spoilerific roundtable review of a film best described as "Groundhog Day meets...every other direct-to-video horror movie you've ever turned off."We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Until Dawn (2025) 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

IndieSeen sells out! This month, Ian and Sujewa welcome Jeff York for a spirited discussion of Adrian Lyne's blockbuster relationship drama, Indecent Proposal.This (very loose) adaptation of Jack Engelhard's novel centers on David (Woody Harrelson) and Diana (Demi Moore), a young married couple who, after loosing their meager savings in Las Vegas, are presented with a life-changing offer from billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford): $1 million to spend the night with Diana. The encounter and its after-effects may have split the narrative right down the middle--but it united audiences in making Indecent Proposal one of the highest-grossing films of 1993.In this spoilerific episode, the guys examine the movie in a few different contexts: as a comparison to the source material; as an awkward attempt to fit Lyne's film into the trendy "erotic thriller" niche; and as a bungled telling of what could have been (in more thoughtful hands) a challenging and dare-we-say-"sexy" head-trip for the ages.They also talk bad casting; Indecent Proposal's unfortunate connection to The Brutalist; and the recently announced news that Redford's Sundance Film Festival is vacating Park City, Utah, after nearly 40 years!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Indecent Proposal (1993) trailer.Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.Check out Sujewa's latest podcast venture, This Arthouse Life! 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).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

We're long overdue for a mailbag, so let's dive in together (while also celebrating a certain subscriber milestone)Join me for a look at the best, the worst, and the ugliest comments I've received since late January! I also respond to your real-time questions, feedback, and SuperChats in the chat!If you'd like to see your comment read and responded to in this or a future "Don't Read the Comments" video, simply...leave a comment on YouTube, kickseat.com, Facebook, or Twitch!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebook

Ryan Coogler has made believers out of Earth's Mightiest Critics!Sinners is the best film of 2025 so far, and continues a hard-charging streak of smart, game-changing genre pictures that could make this one of the best movie years in decades.(Jinx!)Michael B. Jordan stars as twin criminals Smoke and Stack Moore, who return to Mississippi after seven years building their ill-gotten fortunes in Chicago. They enlist several local acquaintances, including their young Christian guitarist cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), to help them open a juke joint at the edge of town. All goes to plan, until three mysterious strangers ask to join in the fun--and don't take kindly to being turned away.If you don't know anything else about Sinners, please, please, please avoid trailers, spoilers, word-of-mouth--anything that might give away the heart (dare we say, the meat) of the film.Just go see it (in IMAX, if you can) right away!Then join us for a spoilerific celebration of the movie many of us have been waiting for.We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Sinners (2025) 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

As Pat says in today's episode, it's not a Good Friday, it's a Great Friday--which is fitting, as the guys review The Greatest Story Ever Told!George Stevens' epic adaptation of the life of Christ turns 60 this year, and it holds up as one of the most sprawling and "cinematic" tellings ever committed to film!In the latest installment of "There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia", Ian and Pat talk about the film's spotty Biblical accuracy and undeniable visual poetry; the wild cast of characters (including Max von Sydow as Jesus, Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate, and John Wayne's infamous quarter-million-dollar cameo as a Roman soldier); and Hollywood's "Jesus curse"!You'll also learn about the film's different versions--and which one to seek out for the best possible viewing experience!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Greatest Story Ever Told trailer.Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Listen to Pat's movie reviews on the radio at STAR 96.7.

The Amateur is a hilarious new comedy about a CIA analyst whose world is turned upside down when he finds out the Agency isn't trustworthy!Or did Earth's Mightiest Critics read the latest Rami Malek vehicle totally wrong?Join us for secrets, spoilers, and your SuperChats (plus regular ol' comments and questions)!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Amateur (2025) trailer.Bonus! Listen to Ian's vintage interview with The Amateur star Rachel Brosnahan!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Ian and Armond return with a look at Steven Spielberg's first (and wildly underappreciated) theatrical film, The Sugarland Express!Based on a true story, the movie follows Clovis and Lou Jean Poplin (William Atherton and Goldie Hawn), a couple of married Texas convicts whose young son has been taken away by the court. Their kidnapping of a highway patrolman named Maxwell Slide (Michael Sacks) sparks a state-wide police chase--and more wrecked cop cars than The Blues Brothers!In this spoilerific retrospective, the guys look at this unique bright spot in the careers of both Spielberg and Atherton (who would become known primarily for playing smarmy villains in classics like Ghostbusters and Die Hard), and how The Sugarland Express fits in with the storied history of the American "road picture"!Plus: Get a sneak peek of their next review!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Sugarland Express (1974) trailer.Bonus! For a preview of our next episode with Armond, read his January writeup on Day of the Locust in the National Review.Can't get enough Armond White? Check out our "Movies with Armond" Playlist!Order the book that inspired these regular movie chats: Armond's Make Spielberg Great Again.

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza's Warfare is now in theatres, and we can't recommend it enough! Based on first-person accounts of a 2006 attack on US Navy SEALs in Iraq, the film offers a harrowing, on-the-ground look at modern combat.In this spoilerific review, Ian and Cati dive into what makes this a standout among the war-picture genre--and share their experience of having front-row seats to the Chicago premiere, with the co-directors and star Will Poulter in attendance!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Warfare (2025) trailer.As mentioned in the review, you can catch the full Q&A from last month's Music Box Theatre special screening, featuring co-directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, and star Will Poulter!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

A Minecraft Movie is high-gloss, empty-calorie, IP garbage...right?Not so fast, ya zombies!Join Earth's Mightiest Critics as we build a case for the year's biggest box office sensation--directed by the guy who brought you Napoleon Dynamite!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the A Minecraft Movie (2025) trailer.Bonus! Check out Ian and Luke's "Target Audience" review of the movie!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian and Luke enter a world of swords, zombies, and cube-shaped chickens!Yes, it's time for a "Target Audience" review of A Minecraft Movie! Can fans (and non-fans) of the video game enjoy Warner Bros' big-screen adaptation? How does Minecraft stack up to other recent console-to-silver-screen releases? And what about those freaky McDonald's Grown-up Happy Meal toys?Join us for this mildly spoilerific mini-review, and find out! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the A Minecraft Movie (2025) trailer.Catch up with all of Ian and Luke's reviews in our "Target Audience" Playlist!

It's April. It's Accademia Giallo. It's your fearsome faculty getting downright foolish!This month we're talking about The Editor, Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy's stalker send-up, in which a film editor gets wrapped up in a series of murders! Join us for a presentation on parodying the perilous! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Editor (2014) trailer.Support all of our terrifying teachers' axe-tracurricular activities!Stay studious with Aaron Christensen at Horror101 with Dr. AC!And subscribe to his YouTube channel!If you dare, venture down into Kitley's Krypt with Jon Kitley! And listen to Jon's scary-good podcast, Discover the Horror!Stalk Bryan Martinez in The Giallo Room!Buy J. Blake Fichera's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon (mentioned in the show).Catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Continue your education with our "Accademia Giallo" Playlist!

If you've seen Drew Hancock's Companion, you know that explaining it to those who haven't seen it is nearly impossible--which is why Earth's Mightiest Critics are assigning you homework for this livestream! The late-January release is still playing in some theaters (Go, go, go!), but you can also rent/buy it On Demand. It tells the story of Iris (Sophie Thatcher), a young-and-in-love young woman who's accompanying her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), on a weekend getaway with his friends at a remote luxury cabin.Yep, that's all we can tell you, besides:Don't watch the trailer.Don't look up the synopsis.Don't look at the movie poster or any streaming/physical media cover art.But definitely do watch the movie and then join us for a complete breakdown of one of the year's sharpest, surprising, and downright relevant films!We'll escort you down a spoilerific path of twists, turns, and totally messed-up ideas! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Companion (2025) trailer.Companion is now available on 4K from Warner Bros.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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

This month, Ian and Sujewa look back on a truly remarkable indie gem from 2011: Lynn Shelton's three-character dramedy, Your Sister's Sister!Mark Duplass stars as Jack, an aimless Seattle-ite who's still grieving a year after his brother's death. His best friend, Iris (Emily Blunt), offers him the use of her family's remote cabin for a week, to relax, reflect, and plan to get his life back on track. Little do either of them know that Iris's older sister, Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) has also decided to stay at the house, following a nasty breakup. During a comedically tumultuous week, the trio will uncover secrets, shatter illusions, and make decisions that will affect them for decades to come.In this spoilerific review, the guys lament the loss of the earnest relationship indie; pay tribute to the stars' distinct approach to delivering realistic performances, in service of Shelton's keen direction and sharp screenplay (minus a few spotty contrivances); and dig into some interpretations of where the story might go, following a harsh cut to black. Plus: Stick around to learn how Sujewa approaches learning about new film gear, in preparation for shooting his films!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Your Sister's Sister (2011) trailer.Check out Sujewa's latest podcast venture, This Arthouse Life! 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).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Earth's Mightiest Critics emerge from the mines of pop culture controversy to deliver a detailed look at Snow White!And because this is a special "Here We Go Again" episode, we'll see how Marc Webb's 2025 film compares to Disney's foundational 1937 animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!In the new movie, Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White, whose kingdom was transformed by the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) from an "apples for everyone" utopia into a capitalist hellscape of brute-strength tax enforcement.(Yes, you read that right).The would-be princess leads a proletariat revolution of banished thieves, magical animals, and the formerly eponymous dwarfs to reclaim the land. There is also shoehorned singing, a magic mirror, and an "eeeww-do-we- have-to?" romance with not-a-Prince (Andrew Burnap).Is this the most audacious and revisionist of the so-called "live-action" Disney remakes? If so, is that necessarily a bad thing? Perspectives are as varied as the hand-drawn raindrops in the '37 cartoon--and we'll tackle as many of them as possible.Join us for a grumpy, dopey, (but never sleepy) spoilerific review that's guaranteed to be the fairest of them all! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) trailer.Watch the Snow White (2025) 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Amd make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

After two years on various shelves, Elijah Bynum's Magazine Dreams is finally in theaters.Why did it take so long for the critically acclaimed festival darling to reach the mainstream silver screen? Well, you may have heard of its (former rising) star, Jonathan Majors, and the legal troubles stemming from assault and stalking charges.But Kicking the Seat believes in "separating the art from the artist", and we're here today to review a film in which Majors stars as a mentally unstable bodybuilder who...stalks and assaults people.So much for objectivity, eh?In this spoilerific discussion, Ian and David break down the handful of positives, and delve into the far-too-numerous stumbling blocks that led to a split recommendation. They also review the timeline of Magazine Dreams's troubled release and explore critics' ability to truly compartmentalize real-world events when watching movies!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 Magazine Dreams (2025) trailer.Read David Fowlie's Magazine Dreams review and follow his film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Plus! Listen to Ian and David's other recent (and very raucous) reviews of:A Real Pain (2025)Rebel Ridge (2024)Duchess (2024)The Old Oak (2024)What Remains (2024)

Is escaping from Hammerland a good idea? Ian and AC are starting to wonder, as they take a look at Terence Fisher's lavish 1962 period piece, The Phantom of the Opera!Herbert Lom stars as the titular mystery man who lives beneath a prestigious opera house, plotting revenge against the ne'er do well composer who stole his life's work (Michael Gough).In today's spoilerific discussion, the guys dig into this surprisingly modern take on a film that had the unenviable task of following two iconic predecessors--and whose heightened production design and drama offered moviegoers more than just a rehash!So why isn't this Phantom more fondly remembered? And how can it be so...bad...yet so impactful?Yes, this episode is a veritable landmine of Ian and AC's tripping over the numerous story problems while simultaneously praising Fisher and company's brilliant overall presentation!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Phantom of the Opera (1962) trailer.Read AC's written review of The Phantom of the Opera at Horror 101 with Dr. AC!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.Grab only what you can carry as we "Escape from Hammerland"! Hitch a ride with our entire 2024 series in the "Return to Hammerland" Playlist!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"

Earth's Mightiest Critics get deep in their feels with Novocaine!Jack Quaid stars as Nate, an assistant credit union manager with a rare medical condition that prevents him from feeling pain. He's geeky, isolated, and extremely cautious--until one day he goes on a date with free-spirited co-worker Sherry (Amber Midthunder). Their connection is instant; their romance undeniable. Unfortunately, the next day is Christmas Eve, and a gang of gun-toting Santa suit-wearing criminals busts in and takes Sherry hostage. Nate throws caution to the wind, embarking on a citywide chase to stop the bad guys and save the girl.The trailers make Novocaine look like a fun but predictable action comedy, but there's a lot more going on here than bloody gags and quips.Join us for a spoilerific look at one of the best, most surprising films of the year so far! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Novocaine trailer.Watch Ian and Pat McDonald's review of Harry and Walter Go to New York (mentioned in the show).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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 may be a dystopian sci-fi dramedy about cloning, but the assessment of Earth's Mightiest Critics is one-of-a-kind!Robert Pattinson stars as the eponymous, disposable space worker who's tasked with dangerous grunt work aboard a deep-space colonial vessel. When the craft lands on a planet suitable for starting civilization anew, Mickey 17 (the latest iteration of a down-on-his-luck Jerseyite named Mickey Barnes) discovers that they're not the only lifeforms on the icy desolate rock--and that he's not the only "Mickey" aboard the ship! The film has a solid cast; is sourced from a popular novel (Edward Ashton's Mickey 7); and is adapted/helmed by the Oscar-winning director of Parasite--so why did it stumble at the weekend box office?Join us for a spoiler-filled look at the movie, its rocky production, and the sad state of "topical" sci-fi. Ian and Cati also talk about the filmmakers' denial that Mark Ruffalo plays a Trump-like figure, prove that civil discourse isn't dead, and provide an extended preview of next week's Novocaine livestream (mark your calendars for Wednesday the 19th at 8pm CST)! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Note: On play-back we discovered some sound distortion on Ian's mic at the 2:30 mark--which lasted for about 3 minutes. Fortunately, it cleared up after that. Apologies for the disruption!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Mickey 17 trailer.As mentioned in the show, here's a ScreenRant article detailing the differences between Bong Joon Ho's film and Edward Ashton's novel.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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian talks with director Brian Skiba about his latest film, Guns of Redemption!Casper Van Dien stars as Luke, a post-Civil War-era drifter looking to escape his past in a small town. He befriends a preacher (Sean Astin) and runs afoul of a traveling con man named Bork (Jeff Fahey), whose caravan of booze and games also contains several captive women whom he pimps out to the locals. Following a tragedy, Luke teams up with several of the prisoners to take down Bork and his men--in a modern indie mash-up of Unforgiven and Mad Max: Fury Road.In this brief interview, Brian Skiba talks about building an authentic Western world in the modern era; working with Casper Van Dien in this surprisingly gritty role; and pulling off one of the coolest shots you're likely to see in any movie this year!Guns of Redemption is now available On Demand!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Guns of Redemption trailer.

The Oscars may be over, but we're keeping the party going with a live roundtable review of Amadeus--which racked up a symphony of statues 40 years ago!In Milos Forman's adaptation of Peter Shaffer's play, F. Murray Abraham plays Italian composer Antonio Salieri, whose dreams of musical immortality are shattered when he encounters child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). The film opens with Salieri in an asylum, confessing to a priest that he'd killed Mozart years earlier--and much of Amadeus takes us behind the scenes of their tumultuous relationship.This was a first-time watch for Ian and, as you'll soon see, Amadeus is another one of those "They Should've Just Stopped Making Movies After This Movie" movies. But what do the rest of the EMC think? Join us as we compose ourselves while talking spoilers and taking your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Amadeus trailer.Warner Bros recently released a 4K UHD of the Amadeus theatrical cut, available wherever you pick up movies.Watch F. Murray Abraham's moving (and brief!) "Best Actor" acceptance speech at the 1985 Oscars (mentioned in the show).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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Earth's Mightiest Critics don't toy around--even when reviewing Osgood Perkins' The Monkey!In this (very loose) adaptation of a short story from Stephen King's Skeleton Crew collection, Theo James plays twin brothers Hall and Bill, who, as children, discovered a cursed monkey toy in a closet. When winding the gold key in its back, the spooky little novelty beats its drum...and someone dies! Decades later, after having rid themselves of the evil thing, the monkey shows up to resume its reign of terror!In what is sure to be one of the podcast's more animated episodes (one critic calls The Monkey a "year's best", another "one of the worst in years"), the gang will get into Perkins' success at bringing the short story to the big screen; the pitfalls of horror/comedy; and how this stacks up to other King adaptations!Join us as we get wound up talking spoilers and taking your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Monkey trailer.Cati filmed Osgood Perkins' recent Q&A at Chicago's historic Music Box Theatre, following a sneak preview of The Monkey. Check it out! 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian and Mark look back on 20 years of Francis Lawrence's Constantine!At the pre-dawn of our modern comic-book movie era, Warner Bros commissioned a $100 million adaptation of the cult DC Vertigo series, John Constantine: Hellblazer, featuring a sarcastic, chain-smoking British antihero who stalks the rainy streets of London contending with the supernatural.The resulting film stars a fully Americanized Keanu Reeves fighting the forces of darkness in L.A., accompanied by his spunky chauffeur, Shia LaBeouf. In 2005, lifelong Hellblazer fan Ian was unimpressed and mildly offended. Two decades on, his opinion of the film is markedly different--as is Mark's!Join us for this wide-ranging, spoilerific review, which also looks at the comics, the short-lived NBC reboot starring Matt Ryan, and the recent news of a possible Constantine sequel--which may find Reeves once again lighting up in that dapper black trenchcoat!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Constantine trailer.You can pick up the all-new 4K Ultra HD edition of Constantine from Warner Bros.Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

Earth's Mightiest Critics return to kick off the year-long deluge of comic-book movies with a look at Captain America: Brave New World!Anthony Mackie returns as Sam Wilson, with a newly minted mantle and a global conspiracy to put down. Can he stop the shadowy figure pitting the United States against Japan for control of a mysterious cosmic resource? Can he keep President "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford) from losing his temper and turning into the Red Hulk? And just how badly did the handful of reshoots hamper this film's ability to tell a story worthy of the Cap brand?Join us for super-charged spoiler talk and find out! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Captain America: Brave New World trailer.As mentioned in the show, Cati filmed Osgood Perkins' recent Q&A at Chicago's historic Music Box Theatre, following a sneak preview of The Monkey (which we reviewed here)! 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

This month, the Accademia Giallo faculty gets hitched (and stitched) with the matrimonial mayhem of Mario Bava's Hatchet for the Honeymoon!The 1970 thriller centers on a cleaver-wielding bridal designer who murders various young brides-to-be in an attempt to unlock a repressed childhood trauma.Join us for a stalk down the aisle and a spoilerific trip down memory lane! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats! Valentine's Day may be over, but the Honeymoon has just begun!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Hatchet for the Honeymoon trailer.Support all of our terrifying teachers' axe-tracurricular activities!Stay studious with Aaron Christensen at Horror101 with Dr. AC!And subscribe to his YouTube channel!If you dare, venture down into Kitley's Krypt with Jon Kitley! And listen to Jon's scary-good podcast, Discover the Horror!Stalk Bryan Martinez in The Giallo Room!Buy J. Blake Fichera's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon (mentioned in the show).Catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Continue your education with our "Accademia Giallo" Playlist!

Ian and Pat celebrate Valentine's Day with a candy-coated love-in for Chandler Levack's 2022 coming-of-age comedy, I Like Movies!Set in 2003,* the film stars Isaiah Lehtinen as Lawrence, a celluloid-obsessed high school student living in Canada, who dreams of studying film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He and his only friend, Matt (Perry Hynes White), make low-budget movies and spend their Saturday Nights watching Saturday Night Live. When Lawrence gets a job at the local video store to save for college, he meets a group of misfit adults--including "cool boss" Alana (Romina D'Ugo), on whom he inevitably develops a crush. This coincides with a series of personal tragedies that force Lawrence into a world he can neither reckon with nor rewind.In today's spoiler-lite review, the guys dig deep into Levack's phenomenally insightful and painstakingly authentic coming-of-age movie, which borrows from her own youth yet manages to capture the universal awkwardness, isolation, and small triumphs of teen-boydom.They also veer into Levack's uncanny ability to draw strong female characters in ways that utterly shame the mainstream cliche; tout I Like Movies's similarity to Adam Rehmeier's Dinner in America; and pull each other back from the Inception-like spiral of some of the film's deceptively simple creative choices!*Ian mistakenly said the movie took place in 2002, but according to the Internet, Punch-Drunk Love didn't hit home video until June of the following year (Paul Thomas Anderson's drama figures heavily in I Like Movies).Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the I Like Movies trailer.Read Ian's written review of I Like Movies at Kicking the Seat!Check out Ian's recent interview with the cast and filmmaker of Dinner in America (mentioned in the show)!Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Listen to Pat's movie reviews on the radio at STAR 96.7.

Earth's Mightiest Critics are in love with love--and with creatively cut-up body parts (only in the movies, ya freaks)!This week's romantic round table review centers on Heart Eyes, Josh Ruben's holiday-themed horror movie about...well, a serial killer whose mask has glowing heart eyes on it! Join us for a sweet and spoilerific dissection of the latest big-screen slasher!We also talk spoilers and take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Heart Eyes 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Ian and Sujewa are back with a look at Steve Martini's indie comedy, Bittersweet!The film premieres this Friday at Regal Gallery Place as part of the DC Independent Film Forum Collection, and centers on an Autistic dad named Sam (Martini) who, through a series of wild events, finds himself embroiled in a nightmarish custody battle. Bittersweet also stars William Baldwin as a sleazy divorce attorney/men's rights activist, who delivers a speech comparable to his brother Alec's "Coffee is for Closers" diatribe from Glengarry Glen Ross!In this spoiler-lite discussion, the guys dig into Bittersweet's questionable handling of Autism; its strengths as an independent film (comparable in many ways to Vivian Kerr's Scrap); and the age-old debate of an artist's responsibility to their audience--and vice versa!Plus: Stick around for tips on indie filmmaking using prosumer cameras; Sujewa's anecdote about meeting William Baldwin in the airport; and the birth of "Z-roll"!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Bittersweet trailer.If you're in the Washington, DC area this Friday, you can celebrate Valentine's Day with Steve Martini and members of the Bittersweet cast/crew! They'll be on hand for a Q&A following the 8:30pm screening at Regal Gallery Place, as part of the DC Independent Film Forum Collection. Tickets and more info here!Revisit our "Most Interesting Indies of 2024" conversation.Read the post that inspired this conversation! 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).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Spotlight India returns with a look at Shoojit Sircar's explosive political action thriller, Madras Cafe!By popular demand, Ian and Shashwat review the 2013 film, starring John Abraham as Vikram, an Indian secret agent who gets drawn into the Sri Lankan civil war. While pursuing the head of the insurgency, Vikram discovers greater forces at play, which include crooked members of his own agency and a global conspiracy to disrupt and control the entire region.In this spoilerific review, the guys talk about movies that draw inspiration from real-world strife; the pros and cons of Sircar's exceedingly technical approach to dramatizing geopolitical mechanics; and how one truly great scene can elevate an entire film!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Madras Cafe (2013) trailer.Check out (and subscribe to) the IndieRise YouTube channel!Watch Shashwat's documentary, Breaking Barriers, on the IIT Madras BS Film Society YouTube channel!Watch Shashwat's short films on YouTube (and be sure to subscribe!).Follow IIT Madras BS Film Society on Instagram.And catch up with previous "Spotlight India" episodes.

They say all good things must come to an end, "Hammerland" is no exception.But not quite yet!Ian and AC still have another terrifying year ahead as they wind down their half-decade mission to explore all the weird, chilling corners of the Hammer Films universe.Today, they look at 1960's offbeat thriller, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll! Paul Massie stars as the titular doctor whose obsession with the duality of human nature drives him to unleash a dashingly handsome, psychotic id named Edward Hyde.What sets Terence Fisher's adaptation apart from many others is the emphasis on Hyde's mind games, as he manipulates, seduces, and murders his way through Jekyll's social circle.In this spoilerific review, Ian and AC talk about screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz's bold take on the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, and how it differs from previous stabs at the material. The guys also marvel at Massie's performance, which suggests a bloodthirsty beast more than grotesque makeup ever could.So pack your bags and make for the passenger's seat: We're gettin' outta town before sundown! Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) trailer.Follow along with all of AC's macabre musings at Horror 101 w/ Dr. AC!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.Grab only what you can carry as we "Escape from Hammerland"! Hitch a ride with our entire 2024 series in the "Return to Hammerland" Playlist!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"

At long last, Earth's Mightiest Critics are tackling The Brutalist!Brady Corbet's sprawling, mid-century immigration-and-architecture epic stars Adrian Brody as László Tóth, a Hungarian Jew who escapes to America at the end of World War II. After struggling to survive on the streets of post-War Pennsylvania, the renowned architect is commissioned by multi-millionaire businessman Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce) to build a community center in his mother's name.The film spans the turbulent decade of the men's relationship, and Tóth's struggles with guilt, drugs, and the disabled wife (Felicity Jones) he was forced to leave behind.There's a lot more to the story than that synopsis, and the EMC will get into all of the sordid, spoilery details! Does The Brutalist earn its 3-hour-35-minute runtime? Or is Brady Corbet officially the "Stephen King of Movies" (i.e. can't end a compelling story to save his life)?Join us as we construct and deconstruct one of this year's Oscar front-runners! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Brutalist trailer.Bonus! Revisit Ian and Jeff's discussion on AI in the arts from last year (it comes up in this episode in a most fiery and unexpected way)!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian sits down with writer/director Adam Rehmeier and stars Kyle Gallner and Emily Skeggs to talk about their cult hit comedy, Dinner in America!Gallner stars as Simon, a troubled and struggling punk rocker who will do anything to break out of his small Michigan town (and avoid the cops). He meets Patty (Skeggs), a twenty-year-old pet store worker whom everyone writes off as mentally challenged (the movie is not so precise with its words). Together, they embark on a spree of awakening, revenge, and even...*gulp* love in this twisted romp that recalls Heathers, Pump Up the Volume, and Welcome to the Dollhouse!The film's 2020 release was knee-capped by a global pandemic, but has recently found new life through social media. In this spoiler-lite round table, the cast and creator talk about bringing their in-your-face suburban-malaise fable to life; bringing out the actors' wild side to play characters very different from themselves; and how fandom has finally caught up with Dinner in America!Plus: We're pretty sure Emily performs magic at the end! Oh, and before we forget: Adam, Emily, and Kyle will be in Chicago this Monday at the Windy City's historic Music Box Theatre for exclusive screenings and Q&A's of the film. See below for more info on this One-Night-Only event!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Dinner in America trailer.Get tickets (while you still can--the 7pm show is sold out) to The Music Box Theatre's special 9:45pm Dinner in America screening happening this Monday, February 3rd. Adam, Emily, and Kyle will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A!Can't make it to Chicago? You can stream Dinner in America at home via Hulu (but, seriously, get your butt to Chi-town!).

Critics everywhere are coming down with acute air sickness, thanks to Mel Gibson's latest film, Flight Risk. But at least two of Earth's Mightiest Critics think it's one of the best moviegoing experiences they've had in years!There's a major caveat, of course: Ian and David saw the movie in 4DX (yeah, that setup where they shake your chair and hurl smoke and water at you)!The film centers on a US Marshal (Michelle Dockery) who must transport a mob case witness (Topher Grace) to a Seattle courthouse--by way of a rickety Cessna flying over the snowy Alaskan wilderness. Their pilot (Mark Wahlberg) just happens to be a mob assassin and, well, things go south up north!Join us for a turbulent look at the latest from the Academy Award-winning director of Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge! We also talk spoilers and take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Flight Risk 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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

We bid a final farewell to 2024 with this special IndieSeen look at last year's "Most Interesting Indies"! Sujewa recently posted a list of his favorite independent movies at DIY Filmmaker, and he touches on each of them with Ian--who also throws in a couple of contenders that are worth watching. Not all of these films came out last year, but the guys watched them in 2024.Is that cheating?Maybe.But great recommendations are great recommendations!Plus: The guys say a few words in memory of filmmaker David Lynch and arthouse theatre pioneer Robert Laemmle; throw some (rhetorical) water on the California fires; and further decrease the odds of Hong Sang-soo making a guest appearance on the show!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksRead the post that inspired this conversation! 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).Follow Sujewa on X.Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Ian and Luke were slow to catch up with the super-fast characters in Sonic the Hedgehog 3--but that won't stop the latest "Target Audience" review!This week the guys caught one of the last screenings of the 2024 holiday hit, even though they've never seen the first two films! Were they utterly lost during Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails's latest adventure? Or did the movie set things up just right to make this a comfy entry point to the Sega (er, saga)?Check it out to find out!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Sonic 3 (2024) trailer.Catch up with all of Ian and Luke's reviews in our "Target Audience" Playlist!

Earth's Mightiest Critics pounce on their first theatrical-release review of the year with a look at Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man!In this twist on the classic Universal monster movie, Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner play Blake and Charlotte, a dysfunctional married couple who, along with their young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), visit Blake's rural childhood home after his father's death. The family encounters a savage creature in the woods, which attacks Chris and transfers a lycanthropic curse to him.Who will survive the night? And will Dad still be "Dad"--or the new family pet?Critics and audiences alike have savaged Whannell's Wolf Man, but there's at least one critic who thinks everyone is missing the point.Join us for a transformative look at this divisive horror movie! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Flight Risk trailer.Bonus! Listen to Ian's 2018 interview with writer/director Leigh Whannell about his film Upgrade!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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Vivian Kerr's Scrap is one of the best films Ian has seen in years.In today's very special episode, he sits down with the writer/director/producer/star to talk about her journey from taking bit roles in Hollywood productions to striking out on her own with a dazzling feature debut.The film centers on Bet (Kerr), a single mom living in Los Angeles, whose recent homelessness compels her to temporarily place daughter Birdy (Julianna Layne) with her older brother, Ben (Anthony Rapp), and his wife, Stacy (Lana Parilla). As Beth struggles against unemployment and her lifelong addiction to delusion, we discover that people in her orbit are also dealing with their own issues--resulting in conflicts that are alternately comic and poignant.In this interview, Kerr talks about the challenges and triumphs of putting herself behind the creative wheel (rather than bringing other creators' visions come to life); the logistics of putting together an independent movie during COVID; and catching the directing "bug". Ian also asks about Vivian's next project, the wildly different supernatural period drama, Seance, which recently premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival!Note: The show begins with a PSA/apology on Ian's part. There was an issue with his microphone during the conversation, which he didn't discover until afterward. Thanks to digital manipulation, his audio now sounds...passable!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXLetterboxdBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Scrap trailer.Read Ian's 5/5 review of Scrap at Kicking the Seat.Learn more about Scrap on the film's official website.Follow Scrap on Instagram.Check out the trailer for Vivian's follow-up feature, Seance!And follow Seance on Instagram, too!Keep up with all things Vivian at her production company, Rue Dangeau!

2025 is a year of renewal at Kicking the Seat--so we're bringing back something old! That's right "Don't Read the Comments!" returns!Join Ian for a courageous quest of cantankerous (and congenial) correspondence! He'll read the best of the past month's comments from the KtS YouTube channel and kickseat.com--and respond with as much dignity and grace as he can muster!And, yes, he'll also respond to chats and SuperChats while reacting to other comments. How meta!If you'd like to see your comment read and responded to in this or a future "Don't Read the Comments" video, simply...leave a comment on YouTube, kickseat.com, Facebook, or Twitch!

Earth's Mightiest Critics put their heads together for a 30th anniversary round table review of Se7en!David Fincher's gritty downer of a thriller follows two cops (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) in their pursuit of a homicidal maniac whose M.O. centers on the Seven Deadly Sins. Each crime scene is more grislier than the last, and our heroes are always three steps behind. Could it be that they are being set up as the final victims?Join us for an unrepentant look at one of the 90s' most disturbing and influential films! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Se7en trailer.Order the brand new Se7en 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Warner Bros.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 and Pipeline Artists.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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

It's a new year, and Kicking the Seat resolves to change your tune!La La Land has its fans, but Damien Chazelle's 2016 Oscar also-ran has been widely dismissed for being syrupy, derivative Hollywood nonsense. In today's episode, Ian and Jeff talk about why the film deserves a second look, especially in light of a recent 4K restoration of Jacques Demy's 1964 Palme d'Or-winning musical masterpiece, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.Both movies center on young lovers with big dreams who profess their frustrations and fantasies through song. And both take a darker, decidedly non-traditional approach to resolving their characters' conflicts--despite the candy-dipped, whimsical surroundings.So put on some jazz, pour a steely Chardonnay, and raise a glass to the ones who dream...of turning more people on to these daring and delightful movies!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the La La Land (2016) trailer.Watch the Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) trailer.Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at: The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists!Watch Ian and Aaron Christensen's review of Repulsion (Catherine Deneuve's next film, after Umbrellas).

Happy New Year, to all our beloved, black-gloved bellezze!Accademia Giallo is back with a special "Credito Extra" look at The Music Box Theatre's latest edition of its wildly popular "January Giallo" film series--kicking off this Monday, January 6!Co-programmers William Morris and Katie Rife join Ian to talk about how this terrifying tradition made its way to Chicago and what genre fans can expect from this year's lineup.Far from being a 40-minute infomercial, Will and Katie pull back the curtain on the surprising challenges of putting together an annual film series; reveal why Giallo has become so popular with younger audiences; offer a delicious tease of untapped international gialli, which may be coming soon to a classroom near you! If you're in Chicagoland on any Monday this month, treat yourself to a lurid evening of backstabbing, front-stabbing, J&B Scotch, and bumbling cops! January Giallo is back!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the trailer for The Music Box Theatre's "January Giallo 2025" series!And get your tickets to these scream-worthy screenings every Monday, starting January 6!Support our guests's creative and critical exploits! William Morris of Music Box of Horrors and Oscarbate Film Collective.Katie Rife, of too many things to list! So here's a handy Muckrack page with all the links.You can also follow Katie on X.If you haven't seen our interview with legendary director Sergio Martino from “January Giallo 2024”, you can check it out here.Support all of our terrifying teachers' axe-tracurricular activities!Stay studious with Aaron Christensen at Horror101 with Dr. AC!And subscribe to his YouTube channel!If you dare, venture down into Kitley's Krypt with Jon Kitley! And listen to Jon's scary-good podcast, Discover the Horror!Stalk Bryan Martinez in The Giallo Room!Buy J. Blake Fichera's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon (mentioned in the show).Catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Continue your education with our "Accademia Giallo" Playlist!

We're closing out 2024 with a returning special guest whose career touches on everything that makes movies special!Raphael Sbarge joins Ian for a wide-ranging conversation about growing up in the New York theatre scene; being one of the original Sesame Street kids; stepping into fame with the Risky Business cast; and carving a wholly new path as an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker--which led to his co-creating the Inside the Arthouse podcast with arthouse theater royalty, Greg Laemmle!The guys also talk about the evolution of Risky Business; its mirror-universe relationship to The Graduate; and why it's just as relevant 41 years later! If you've ever wondered what it's like to put a documentary together, navigate a dinner with Sean Penn at his most Method, or trust Tom Cruise with your life while driving at top speed down Michigan Avenue, this is the show for you!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links:Watch the Risky Business (1983) trailer.Order Criterion's recent 4K release of Risky Business!Catch up with (and subscribe to) Raphael's great new podcast, Inside the Arthouse, with Greg Laemmle!Watch Ian and Sujewa's conversation with Raphael and Greg, in promotion of the doc that started it all, Only in Theaters!As mentioned in the show, Ian and Cole Rush reviewed Risky Business a few years ago, for their "Late Screening" series. Give a listen!

Listen to them! The Earth's Mightiest Critics of the night!Yes, it's our last round table review of 2024, and we couldn't have picked a bloodier debate! Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is ostensibly a remake of F.W. Murnau's 1922 masterpiece of silent cinema, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror–but it plays like another in a long (long, long, looooong, long long) line of Dracula remakes.The question is: can solid acting, atmosphere, and impressive practical effects buoy a two-plus-hour movie whose every beat was telegraphed 127 years ago?Pop some popcorn (or chill some O negative) and watch as we slash, bite, and howl our way through this divisive horror film!Plus: Learn about divine intervention's role in keeping Ian from watching Eggers' movies up until now; learn about the complicated history between Murnau's film and the Bram Stoker estate (who owned the Dracula novel's rights); and place your bets on the winner of our sub-debate, “Who Gave Nosferatu's Worst Performance (and Who's to Blame for it)”!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links Watch the Nosferatu (2024) 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.Keep up with Annie Banks at The Mary Sue....and We Got This Covered.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Merry Christmas, folk fans!James Mangold's buzz-worthy Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, is now in theaters, and Kicking the Seat has enlisted two of the music icon's biggest fans to unwrap this spoilerific review!Timothée Chalamet stars in a snapshot of the revolutionary singer/songwriter's life, which tracks his 1961-1965 rise from obscurity to popularity to table-clearing re-definer of the form. The film is a beautifully realized time capsule, popping with spot-on performances and music that was lovingly re-created by its lead. But is that enough for the uninitiated?In this episode, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel and esteemed indie filmmaker Michael Glover Smith (who, in addition to being well-read on the life and times of Mr. Dylan, have seen him perform live 100 times between them) make the case for Mangold's mastery of the material--while Ian wonders if their familiarity with the stories, legends, and deep cuts may have papered over some of A Complete Unknown's flaws. Who will win this robust debate?The answer, my friends, is...well, you know...Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow Links:Watch the A Complete Unknown (2024) trailer.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Keep up with all of Michael's filmmaking forrays on Instagram!And watch his latest award-winning short film, Handle with Care--now streaming for free at Split Tooth Media!

Our Return to Hammerland is complete with this one-two-punch review of both takes on The Old Dark House!In our final episode of the year, Ian and AC look at James Whale's 1932 Universal spook-fest, starring Boris Karloff and Gloria Stuart--and William Castle's Hammer-produced 1963 remake. Both are very different adaptations of the J.B. Priestley novel, which centers on an eccentric family who oversees a dilapidated mansion--and the bizarre secrets within!In this spoiler-filled dive into the "quirky horror" subgenre, the guys examine how two films, made thirty years apart, tackle the same premise in ways that make them both essential viewing. In short, the term "remake" is apt but very loose, and it's easy to imagine another take on the material that combines each film's best elements into a horror-comedy version of Clue!Also, the guys talk about the strange new direction this series is headed in 2025. Will next year be...the final chapter?!Join us and find out!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Old Dark House (1932) trailer.Watch the Old Dark House (1963) trailer.Find out where to watch The Old Dark House at JustWatch!Follow along with all of AC's macabre musings at Horror 101 w/ Dr. AC!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.Hitch a ride with our entire 2024 series in the "Return to Hammerland" Playlist!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"!

The theme of today's lesson is, "Out with the old, in with the Neo"--Neo Giallo, that is!Watch along as your fearsome faculty turns the page on their favorite genre, with a look at Luciano Onetti's 2015 thriller, Francesca--which centers on a series of grisly murders whose victims all had criminal pasts. Could the motive have something to do with the disappearance of a young girl several years prior?In this lively and oh-so-spoilery round table review, Ian, AC, Bryan, and Jon will look at how Giallo transitioned from a 70's/80's horror phenomenon to a new-century curiosity, and how Onetti's film stacks up to the movies that inspired it!Join us for leather gloves, creepy dolls, and a review of Francesca (heh heh heh)! It's our last show of 2024, so let's go big for winter break!Plus: The guys reveal the lineup for next month's "January Giallo" series at the Music Box! You won't wanna miss it!Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:kickseat.comXBlueSkyInstagramFacebookShow LinksWatch the Francesca trailer.As mentioned in the show, Chicago's historic Music Box Theatre is ramping up for the 2025 installment of their "January Giallo" series! Get tickets and learn more about their incredible lineup at the MB website.Speaking of which, if you haven't seen our interview with legendary director Sergio Martino from this year's “January Giallo”, you can check it out here!Support all of our terrifying teachers' axe-tracurricular activities!Stay studious with Aaron Christensen at Horror101 with Dr. AC!And subscribe to his YouTube channel!If you dare, venture down into Kitley's Krypt with Jon Kitley! And listen to Jon's scary-good podcast, Discover the Horror!Stalk Bryan Martinez in The Giallo Room!Buy J. Blake Fichera's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon (mentioned in the show).Catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Continue your education with our "Accademia Giallo" Playlist!