Kicking the Seat

It's back-to-school time and "Accademia Giallo" has your front-row seat to an Autopsy!

Armando Crispino's 1975 thriller centers on an outbreak of suicides in Rome, leading to a morgue attendant's hallucinations of the dead returning to life. And things only get stranger from there!

Join us for one last summer shriek as we dissect this bizarre half-century scare-fest!

We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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

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• Watch the Autopsy (1975) 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!

Earth's Mightiest Critics might be tempted to nuke Alien: Earth from orbit, but they'll wait to pass judgment on Noah Hawley's prequel series until after the finale...just to be sure.

But that won't stop us from reviewing Episode 3, "Metamorphosis":

"The team returns home with unexpected cargo. An unsettling experiment occurs, and a new talent is discovered."

Vaguely chilling, or chillingly vague! You decide--we'll analyze!

You're one click away from more spoilerific space spore savagery! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

And be sure to join us back here every Thursday night through September for more gooey Alien: Earth goodness!

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

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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".

Ian and Jeff travel back to the vibrant art scene of early-80s New York City with a look at two related but very different films, Make Me Famous and Basquiat!

The former is Brian Vincent's 2021 documentary about obscure expressionist portraitist Edward Brezinski, who lived in a crumbling 3rd Street slum; he spent his days painting and his nights hitting up gallery openings trying to drum up interest in his work (as well as scrounging for food and drink). He orbited the likes of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, but never caught on to the "It" factor that carried many of his contemporaries to super-stardom and wealth.

Julian Schnabel's 1996 drama, Basquiat, stars Jeffrey Wright as the titular, troubled painter of graffiti and challenging art pieces. The disjointed film chronicles his ascent to fame as a protege of Andy Warhol (David Bowie), and his descent into a drug-fueled early demise at the age of 27.

As alums of Chicago's American Academy of Art, your enthusiastic hosts dive right into what makes both films essential viewing--despite flaws both minor and nigh insurmountable. Ian and Jeff talk about their affinity for films about artists; the thematic threads that weave through two works that differ in form but unite in defining a vivid time, place, and people; and lament the commoditization of creativity presaged in both Basquiat and Brezinski's stories.

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

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• Watch the Make Me Famous (2021) trailer.

• Watch the Basquiat (1996) trailer.

• Follow all things Make Me Famous at the film's official website.

• Order the new 4K UHD of Basquiat from The Criterion Collection.

• And read Roger Durling's essay about the controversial restoration here.

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

Earth's Mightiest Critics may fight a lot, but at least we fight fair--thanks in part to the punky, earnest admonitions of 1985's The Legend of Billie Jean!

Helen Slater stars as the titular teen outlaw who goes on the lam with her younger brother and a couple of close friends, following a violent run-in with a skeevy local businessman. The story gains national attention, and Billie Jean becomes a symbol for rebellion and extra-judicial justice.

Four decades on, can The Legend of Billie Jean still inspire faith in youthful activism in the face of corrupted authority? Or is it yet another dated cringe-fest propped up by iconic imagery and a Top 40 single?

Join us for a spoilerific retrospective of this 80s cable staple and see if it remains...invincible!

We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Legend of Billie Jean (1985) 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.

  • 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 welcomes back author Ben Beard to discuss his latest, best, and most personal book, Four Horses, Seven Seals!

Continuing his tradition of mixing autobiography with the pop culture that helped shape his life, Ben's latest work examines three bizarre totems from the year 1990: DC Comics' The Sandman, Depeche Mode's "Violator" album, and Adrian Lyne's film, Jacob’s Ladder (which the guys review in moderate depth).

While investigating the odd connections between these three works, Ben delves further into his own troubled journey to adulthood and falling out with religion. He also discovers cosmic coincidences involving the rise and fall of Elvis Presley's stepbrother, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, and the twisted celestial visions of William Blake--all with the author's trademark blend of humor, horror, and relatability.

In this wide-ranging interview, Ian and Ben talk about book's three main pillars; getting creative with chapter notes; the controversy surrounding Sandman author Neil Gaiman; and how 1990 presaged the next millennium's splintering of our collective consciousness!

Four Horses, Seven Seals is now available on Amazon. This is your not-at-all-subtle prompt to buy it now!

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

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• Keep up with all things Ben at his website.

• Read Ben's blog, "Simone and the Silver Surfer".

• Watch Ian's previous interviews about Ben's books:

  • The Bad Class (2023)

  • The South Never Plays Itself (2020)

In space, everyone can see you stream--and Earth's Mightiest Critics do just that with the latest sci-fi/horror TV show, Alien: Earth!

This series, set two years before the events of Ridley Scott's landmark 1979 film, Alien, follows an investigation into a deep space vessel that crashed into Earth, carrying weird and ultra-deadly creatures--including everyone's favorite long-domed, double-mouthed drool machine!

Will showrunner Noah Hawley bring the same shot-in-the-arm to Alien that he did to Fargo and Legion? Or is this doomed to be another synthetic rehash of a once-great premise?

Join us as we burst open the first two episodes of the F/X prequel series. We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

And be sure to join us back here every Thursday night through September for more spoilerific livestreams!

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Alien: Earth (2025) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, Culture Crave provided a helpful in-universe timeline of all the main Alien films (including the new TV series).

• 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.

  • 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 don't condone violence, but we will review Weapons!

The latest thriller from writer/director Zach Cregger centers on a small town in mourning after 17 grade school children from the same class mysteriously vanish in the middle of the night. Tensions run high as parents suspect the kids' teacher (Julia Garner) of being a witch; as Cregger's Roshomon-style narrative unfolds, the unsettling truth of who orchestrated the mass disappearance comes to light.

In this wild EMC roundtable, we discuss the highs, lows, and WTF's of this artsy, bloody pastiche. The film has garnered much praise as a standout in the genre. But does Weapons live up to the hype--or is it another sad signifier of audiences' diminishing standards for big-studio horror?

Join us for a disarmingly spoilerific look at the latest spooky sensation.

We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Weapons (2025) trailer.

• Read Ian's controversial written review of Weapons (discussed in the show)!

• 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.

  • 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".

Summer's not over yet, and neither is Hollywood's addiction to remakes and requels! Case in point: The Naked Gun!

Akiva Schaffer's legacy sequel picks up decades after 1988's The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, and centers on Frank Drebin, Jr. (Liam Neeson), who wants nothing more than to live up to the legacy of his bumbling-hero father (Leslie Nielsen). When a bank heist connects to a murder, Frank Jr. finds himself in the midst of a wild techno conspiracy--and a whole lot of cartoon nonsense in the background!

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding original Naked Gun co-writer/director David Zucker's lack of involvement in the new movie, but Earth's Mightiest Critics feel the new creative team has done their best to uphold the franchise's zany spirit.

Does this mean that comedy is "back"? If so, where did it go? Join us for a spoilerific and oh-so-silly look at one of cinema's perfect sequels (including just what we mean by "perfect sequel") and the movie that inspired it! 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.com

• X

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• BlueSky

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Naked Gun (2025) trailer.

• Watch the Naked Gun (1988) 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.

  • 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".

Our Escape from Hammerland continues with one of the twistiest (and most twisted) psychological thrillers you'll ever see!

Freddie Francis' 1963 film, Paranoiac, follows the wealthy and extremely dysfunctional Ashby siblings, Eleanor (Janette Scott) and Simon (Oliver Reed). They are weeks away from inheriting the family fortune, left to them after their parents' untimely death (and that of middle child, Antony, who took his own life out of grief). Eleanor begins seeing visions of Antony, back from the dead--which jeopardizes Simon's plans for claiming the all the Ashby money for himself. This premise is the springboard for a movie so packed with surprises that to summarize any further would risk bumbling through a minefield of spoilers.

Suffice it to say, Ian and AC had a lot of fun diving into Paranoiac, which also boasts the talents of Hammer powerhouse screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and producer Anthony Hinds.

In this spoiler-filled discussion, the guys examine all the goings-on of this short, tight masterwork--including a minor head-scratcher that keep it from being a note-perfect classic!

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

• kickseat.com

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Show Links

• Watch the Paranoiac (1963) trailer.

• 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"

• As mentioned in the show, Hammer made a lot of black-and-white thrillers. Here are more films to catch up on, courtesy of AC!

  • The Snorkel (1958)

  • Stop Me Before I Kill (1960)

  • Scream of Fear (1961)

  • Maniac (1963)

  • Paranoiac (1963)

  • Nightmare (1964)

  • The Nanny (1965)

  • Hysteria (1965)

  • Fanatic aka Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) (color)

  • Crescendo (1970) (color)

IndieSeen returns with a BANG! BOOM! POW! of an episode as we look at the new documentary, The Last Days of Joseph Koch Comics Warehouse!

The movie follows the closing weeks of a massive Brooklyn pop culture warehouse/store run by Joseph Koch since 1988. Now, facing retirement, Koch must liquidate everything and plan for a future in which he plans to catch up on the myriad four-color adventures he's spent decades selling but not reading.

Sujewa put the film together in the midst of his 53 Spaceships project, and the results frustrated his co-host to no end. In this candid conversation, they dig into the how's, why's, and WTF's of a movie that Ian can't quite recommend to fellow comics enthusiasts.

The guys also welcome documentary participant Amanda Haynes for the first few minutes, as she extolls the virtues of biographical comics and explains her very personal connection to Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics.

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

• kickseat.com

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Show Links

• Watch The Last Days of Joseph Koch Comics Warehouse for free on YouTube!

• There's still a bit of time to get some great deals from the man himself! Check out Joe's website (or visit the warehouse if you're in Brooklyn!) through the end of July 2025.

• 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!