In collaborating so long with Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel I’ve been lucky enough to meet more great minds and creative souls. Mark Krawczyk of Special Mark Productions is one of them. Recently, I was able to join his Spoiler Room podcast and YouTube live show for an episode talking about 1993’s Richard Gere/Jodie Foster romance Sommersby, as part of Mark’s “Reconstruction Junction” monthly theme.
Read MoreIn collaborating so long with Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel I’ve been lucky enough to meet more great minds and creative souls. Mark Krawczyk of Special Mark Productions is one of them. Recently, I was able to join his Spoiler Room podcast and YouTube live show for an episode talking about Disney/Pixar’s Wall-E for his “Drawing Spaces” animation theme for the month.
Read MoreMike Osborn and Curtis Menke of the irreverent and laugh-filled podcast “Let’s Talk About Flix are weekly appointment laughs for me, and pod I support on Patreon. Mike and Curtis have become two full members of the Chicago Indie Critics group that I co-direct. For the third year in a row, I was honored to be asked on as the return guest during their “Patreon Picks” month. For that guest’s choice theme, I brought them 1999’s Deterrence.
Read MoreEvery now and then, on Ian Simmons’s Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel, an anniversary comes around of a definitive classic. This year is the 45th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ian recently got to enjoy the film in a very special way, as it played with a live orchestra at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre. After that experience, he invited his “Earth’s Mightiest Critics” rotation to talk about the iconic movie.
Read MoreFollowing plenty of contention discussing Dracula and “Wuthering Heights,” it was time for the blockbuster hit of Project Hail Mary, based on the celebrated novel from Andy Weir. As is becoming the trend on Ian’s show, there are critics with a magnifying glass for detailed translations and those who loosen up for the movie’s sake.
Read MoreLast week, visit #151 extended the honor and brought another bold adaptation of a literary classic to the roundtable. This time, it was Emerald Fennell’s spicy take on Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.” Enjoy the divisive back and forth between Ian, myself, Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front, Mike Crowley of You’ll Probably Agree, and Jeff York of The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.
Read MoreThere have been too many Dracula movies. In fact, there have been over 200. Personally, I think they’ve been tough acts to follow since Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992. Coming from Frenchman Luc Besson, 2026 brings the closest—and most romance-forward—Dracula since Coppols. Join Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel hosting myself and Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front to talk all about Caleb Landry Jones and company in Dracula.
Read MoreFor their 227th episode, two third-string critics, two painkiller-addicted dads, and two steamin' teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, arrive at the weekend of the Super Bowl with one more football classic from a generation ago. As the complete opposite to the wholesome Remember the Titans from a recent episode, our hosts cover Oliver Stone's 1999 cinematic energy drink Any Given Sunday.
Read MoreFor their 226th episode, two bank-robbing critics, two strutting dads, and two war veteran teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, make their way to a long-time queue hold and blindspot of Will that came from a recommendation of Don. Our guys enter the unique pre-, post-, and during Vietnam War perspectives shared by 1995's cult classic Dead Presidents, directed by the Hughes Brothers. Hear why Don calls it one of the best Vietnam films of all-time while Will shares his first-time impressions
Read MoreFor their 225th episode, two strong side critics, two weak side dads, and two coaching teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, embraced the excitement of football season still being in the air for a classic type of film Hollywood has stopped making on the regular. We're talking about 2000's Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington. Our hosts sat down on their John Brown hindparts to tell you all about it and it's hight worth
Read MoreFor their 224th episode, two paddle-slapped critics, two ping ball-chasing dads, and two wildly arrogant teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, put a little effort in the 2025-2026 awards season with an episode on Josh Safdie's latest heart palpatation movie, Marty Supreme, starring Best Actor frontrunner Timothee Chalamet. Contrary to the overflowing critical praise following this movie, our hosts are actually quite split on this one. Find out who's the lover and who's the hater.
Read MoreFor their 223rd episode, two gun-totting critics, two bath-soaked dads, and two too-old-for-this teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, come out of the Christmas season with a special gift shared from them to all of you. They are in the camp that considers Lethal Weapon a Christmas movie. Well, this year, the podcast bestows to you a special episode that covers all four films of the Lethal Weapon series. They cover their heroes, villains, explosions, gags, and moments from what has become an action movie time capsule that will never be made the same way again.
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