Kicking the Seat

Ian and David crank things up to eleven with another---

Nevermind. Not gonna finish that hackneyed joke.

But it feeds right into today's double-feature review of Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues and Megadoc.

What do a legacy sequel about a fake British rock band and a documentary about filming one of cinema's most notorious flops have to do with one another? More than you might expect, as we discover in this spoilerific deep dive.

Spinal Tap 2 picks up with Nigel, David, and Derek reuniting for one last (contractually obligated) concert. But do they still have "it", and do cameos by legends like Sirs Paul McCartney and Elton John elevate the absurdist mockumentary humor--or simply drag it out?

Mike Figgis' Megadoc finds the director chronicling the making-of chaos behind Francis Ford Coppola's Razzie Award-winning retro-futurist drama, Megalopolis. From difficult actors to incomplete ideas to entire departments being wiped out on a whim, the film drags shadowy Hollywood mystique into the daylight (for better and worse).

Join us for an examination of two movies that don't quite work--but whose seeds of greatness were trampled on by ego, age, and cynical nostalgia!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Spinal Tap 2 (2025) trailer.

• Watch the Megadoc (2025) trailer.

• Keep up with all of David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.

• Plus! Listen to Ian and David's other recent (and very raucous) reviews of:

  • Being Maria / Last Tango in Paris (2025 / 1972)

  • The Unholy Trinity (2025)

  • Magazine Dreams (2025)

  • A Real Pain (2025)

  • Rebel Ridge (2024)

  • Duchess (2024)

  • What Remains (2024)

Earth's Mightiest Critics are just about done with the Alien franchise--but Alien: Earth is not done with them!

This week, we look at Episode 7, "Emergence", which finds many of the deep-space monsters breaking containment on Prodigy Island--leading to chest-bursting, jaw-ripping mayhem, and the World Record for "Most Ambushes in a 40-minute TV Show"!

Join us as we hack our way through the rest of this nonsense jungle!

We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Alien: Earth (2025) trailer.

• Catch up with all our "Say No More, Xenomorph" roundtables in the Playlist!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 Maryue.

    • ...and We Got This Covered.

  • Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

  • And save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Ian and Jeff strap on their skates and venture into the heady neon-glow of Xanadu!

Robert Greenwald's 1980 musical fantasy stars Olivia Newton-John as Kira, a muse and daughter of Zeus, who seeks to inspire a struggling L.A. artist named Sonny Malone (Michael Beck). As romance blooms, Sonny meets a former magician-turned-construction-magnate named Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), who dreams of opening up a nightclub--and who may have crossed paths with Kira during his days as an enlisted entertainer during World War II.

This syrupy cult classic was recently brought back to stunning life on 4K, and the guys look back at Xanadu with a reverence that surprised them both. Wade through the cheese and the at times iffy filmmaking, and you'll see a truly moving story about the push-and-pull of independent artists and the end of the Mass Media Artist as Tactile Craftsman era.

This episode is part movie review, part continuation of Ian and Jeff's ongoing discussion about the role of Artificial Intelligence in the arts. Whether you love or hate Xanadu (or have no idea it ever existed), there's a veritable buffet of food for thought in this loving look back!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Xanadu (1980) trailer.

• Order the new 4K UHD of Xanadu from Kino Lorber.

• Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

The Long Walk may be one of Stephen King's finest novels, but how well does it translate to film?

Earth's Mightiest Critics look at the dystopian game show thriller, in which 50 teenagers walk for as long as they can while flanked by armed guards who execute anyone who stops. The filmmakers (which include Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence), take bizarre and often unforgivable liberties with the source material, blending elements of Death Race 2000 with tired armchair political messaging--all in the service of (allegedly) adapting a novel that demonstrated far greater economy and subtlety.

But will that matter to casual moviegoers who never read the book? And should we demand more from studios who count on such ignorance?

Join us for a spoilerific stroll that also includes your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Long Walk (2025) trailer.

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Ian and Sujewa return with a heated look at a chill movie: Hong Sang-soo's By the Stream!

Kim Min-hee stars as Jeo-nim, an instructor at a Seoul women's college. After a scandal leaves her without a director for her class's segment in an upcoming skit competition, she recruits uncle Choo Si-eon (Kwon Hae-hyo)--a disgraced former director--to help. Over several meals, rehearsals, and meaningful walks, truths are revealed and new relationships bloom.

In this spoilerfiic and contentious review, Ian and Sujewa debate the wisdom of talking about another Hong Sang-soo film; Ian had previously banned all discussion of the auteur's work on the show, but was convinced that this one was different. How much should an audience have to read into a screenplay--and do writer/directors have a responsibility to meet them more than halfway? Does a movie have to make the most of its many alleged themes--or is it okay to just go on a two-hour ride and not think too much about the weight of the ideas being presented?

Also, just who is the main character in By the Stream?

(In retrospect, one of Ian's arguments on this point is shaky--see if you can spot it.)

The guys hash all of this out, and provide an update on Sujewa's in-progress movie, 53 Spaceships!

Note: Due to a week chock full of technical difficulties, this episode was released much later than intended (it was supposed to coincide with a limited theatrical run of By the Stream at Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center). See the "Show Links" below for info on how you can see this film on the big screen.

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

• kickseat.com

• X

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the By the Stream trailer.

• By the Stream recently finished a limited run at Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center--but will play several theatres/events in the coming months. Check the Cinema Guild website for dates and venues.

• Support Sujewa's new film project, 53 Spaceships, the latest adventure of Cosmic Disco Detective Rene!

• 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!

Does it count as a "Here We Go Again" episode if we do something new?

We're about to find out, as Earth's Mightiest Critics welcome the one and only Lloyd Kaufman to discuss the 1984 superhero splat-fest, The Toxic Avenger--and the recently released re-imagining by writer/director Macon Blair!

Mark and Joe join Ian for a free-wheeling look at the "First Superhero from New Jersey", and the wild journey Troma Studios has taken over the decades.

Plus: Stay tuned to the very end (why wouldn't you?) for an unexpected guest appearance!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

• BlueSky

Show Links

• Watch the Toxic Avenger (2025) trailer.

• Watch the Toxic Avenger (1984) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, you can sign up for Troma Now to get your monthly fill of unlimited movie mayhem (try it free for 30 days--and listen to the ep for Lloyd's tips on "extending" your subscription)!

• Lloyd's daughter, Lily-Hayes Kaufman, has a new film on the festival circuit, Occupy Cannes! Watch the trailer here, and stay tuned for more on her exciting documentary!

• Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

• If you're not subscribed to Shudder...do that! So you can watch The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs--the show Joe Randazzo works for!

Earth's Mightiest Critics want to nuke Alien: Earth from orbit (just to be sure), but they soldier on through Episode 5--determined to see this frustrating series to the bitter end.

In episode 5, "In Space, No One...", the series' momentum grinds to a halt as we revisit the doomed crew of the Weyland/Yutani science vessel, The Maginot, in an hour-long flashback that serves up a cargo bay's worth of narrative contradictions.

Is Noah Hawley messing with us, serving up slop for more than half a season before wowing the (dwindling) audience with a finale packed with sharp characterization, wit, and imagination? Or is this just...it for the next three weeks?

Join us as we continue our desecration dissection! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Be sure to watch new episodes of Alien: Earth every Tuesday at 7pm CST on F/X/Hulu, and join us back here every Thursday night at 8:30pm CST through September for more gooey Alien: Earth goodness!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Alien: Earth (2025) trailer.

• Catch up with all our "Say No More, Xenomorph" roundtables in the Playlist!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 Maryue.

    • ...and We Got This Covered.

  • Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

  • And save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Grab a soda pop and join Earth's Mightiest Critics for a look at the anime phenomenon that's sweeping the globe: KPop Demon Hunters!

International singing superstars Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) are secretly part of an ancient order of warriors who defend our reality from the forces of darkness. When a rival band appears on the scene to seduce fans away from the power trio, a battle for the songs and souls of billions begins!

KPop Demon Hunters has captured the hearts and playlists of people around the world, but is there more to the hype than bright colors and catchy tunes? Does there need to be?

Join us for a spoilerific, boomerlicious look at the latest animation sensation! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

• BlueSky

Show Links

• Watch the KPop Demon Hunters (2025) trailer.

• Check out Annie's recent CBR articles on all things anime, including opinion pieces on KPop Demon Hunters!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Earth's Mightiest Critics would give a lung to be done with Alien: Earth--but we soldier on in the hopes that it will (someday, in the far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far future) get good!

The synopsis for Episode 4 ("Observation") reads: "An unexpected connection is formed while a covert plot puts everyone in danger."

Yep, that...sounds like an Alien story alright.

But beyond the synopsis, this installment brings us a truly unexpected surprise: an episode worthy of our time and analysis!

Join us for a spoilierific deep dive into the halfway point of what has suddenly become a (mildly) promising Alien prequel series!

Be sure to watch new episodes of Alien: Earth every Tuesday at 7pm CST on F/X/Hulu, and join us back here every Thursday night at 8:30pm CST through September for more gooey Alien: Earth goodness!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, watch us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Alien: Earth (2025) trailer.

• Catch up with all our "Say No More, Xenomorph" roundtables in the Playlist!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

As summer winds down, Earth's Mightiest Critics speed things up with Eenie Meanie!

Samara Weaving stars in this direct-to-streaming action movie about a reformed teenage getaway driver who gets dragged back into her unsavory past when a former employer offers her a chance to save the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend.

The film has been savaged by critics, but does it deserve the hate--or is there more to this entry in a well-worn sub-genre than meets the eye?

Join us as we take this high-octane actioner for a spin--and your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Warning: This baby's got spoilers!!!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

• X

• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

• BlueSky

Show Links

• Watch the Eenie Meanie (2025) trailer.

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".