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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

Ep156: Smoke on the Wahlberg

This week, the Kicking the Seat Podcast gets crude with Peter Berg's oil-rig-disaster thriller, Deepwater Horizon. Ian is once again joined in the flaming lifeboat by David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, and the guys take a surprisingly positive look at what could have easily been just another case of mega-budget disaster porn. Deepwater Horizon is, for the most part, not what you'd expect from the director of Battleship and the star of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Also, Ian offers a final reminder about maestro Fabio Frizzi's appearance at the Music Box Theatre (this Thursday!!!), where he'll conduct a unique "Composer's Cut" of Lucio Fulci's The Beyond. Visit the theatre's "Events" page for more information and to get tickets--including exclusive Meet-and-Greet passes. We'll see you on the 6th!

Lastly, Ian ushers in October with an invitation to join friend of the show, Aaron Christensen, as he embarks on another Scare-a-Thon! Dr. A.C. is watching a ton of fright flicks this month (and blogging about them, too) to raise money for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. You can sign up to help horror fight hunger by emailing him at drach101@gmail.com.

Grab your hardhats, gang, 'cause Episode 156 is one of the slickest, most explosive installments yet!*

You can keep up with the latest seat-kicking goodness by following, liking, rating, and subscribing to us on TwitterFacebookiTunes, and Stitcher!

*And far more tasteful than this line suggests. Really.

Ep157: Facts. Opinions. Lies. DENIAL w/ Deborah Lipstadt

Ep155: Swedish Lemonade / A MAN CALLED OVE