Every 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 MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a few quotes of mine on the college football recruitment-centered 2026 release Signing Tony Raymond were recently cited on the media site Primetimer.com. Writer Santanu Das wrote a piece to explain the film’s plotlines and ending. The quotes from from my review on Every Movie Has a Lesson and Film Obsessive.
Read MoreContinuing to plod through “awards season,” Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel circled Bradley Cooper’s newest directorial effort, Is This Thing On?. The dramedy follows a separated married couple played by Will Arnett and Laura Dern as they find new outlets while single, including standup comedy.
Read MoreKicking-off their tenth year in style, the Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) have announced the nominees for their 9th annual 2025 Windie Awards. The 38 voting film critic members completed ballots this week to select Windie nominees in 27 categories. The CIC members will commence a final round of voting ending on January 10, 2026. The 2025 Windie Award winners will be announced internally at a private members-only party at Blue Bayou Chicago.
Read MoreDiving into the physical media front, Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel sought to cover Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 classic Boogie Nights. Several critics, including myself and Ian, received the new 4K-UHD disc edition of the film and took that opportunity to talk as cleanly as possible for YouTube censors, PTA’s ins-and-outs of the 1970s and 1980s porn scene of southern California.
Read MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a quote of mine on the excellent 2005 Joe Wright film Pride and Prejuduce was recently cited on the media site Daily Mail UK. Showbiz report Emma Guinness wrote a piece to cover the film’s streaming status on Netflix and used it as the crux of the headline.
Read MoreEvery week, Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel is looking for something like that, and he sure found one this week, just in time for Christmas. The movie in question is the crowd-pleasing, toe-tapping, and heart-moving Song Sung Blue, the musical biopic—not of Neil Diamond—but of a Wisconsin-based Neil Diamond tribute band starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
Read MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a quote of mine was used by the Sky Cinema Railyard location in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are currently advertising a special showing of the 2015 action epic Mad Max: Fury Road.and used my blurb from Rotten Tomatoes. They didn’t ask for my permission, but I don’t mind. Thanks for the reference and clicks!
Read MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a quote of mine on the sumptuous 2005 Joe Wright film Pride and Prejuduce was recently cited on the media site Metro. TV reporter Charlotte Minter wrote a piece to cover the film’s streaming status on Netflix and how it would be perfect for home viewing during the Christmas holiday.
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