Kicking the Seat

According to Hollywood, the best bait is nostalgia-bait. In this week's live panel, Earth's Mightiest Critics bite down hard on I Know What You Did Last Summer and don't let go!

In this requel of Jim Gillespie's 1997 thriller (written by Scream's Kevin Williamson) a group of twenty-somethings reunite in the storied town of South Port. Their excessive drinking leads to an accidental death on a winding road and...you know the rest. One year later. Killer with a hook. Return of legacy characters. "Surprise" twist in the climax.

Despite its lack of originality, there are some things to recommend in I Know What You Did Last Summer 2025. The question is--is there enough to recommend buying a ticket, or even bothering to stream it later?

Join us for a cutting and oh-so-spoilerific look at the latest horror retread! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) trailer.

• Watch the I Know What You Did Last Summer (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.

  • 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 visit the not-so-sleepy little town of Eddington for a spoilerific look back at 2020, through the cracked lens of indie genre giant Ari Aster!

Joaquin Phoenix stars as sheriff Joe Cross, whose crumbling marriage and personal beef with Eddington's mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is already enough to put him off kilter. In sweeps the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by BLM protests, and Antifa saboteurs--all of which push him and the town to the brink of absolute insanity.

In this no holds barred review, the guys tackle Eddington's lows, highs, and in-betweens--and ask if Aster is all he's cracked up to be as a storyteller.

They also draw strange but apt parallels to James Gunn's Superman and recommend some of the sources Aster knowingly or unknowingly cribbed from as alternatives to sitting through two-and-a-half-hours of "juvenhilism" (a word that Ian mistakenly believed he'd coined--but which is actually the title of a book. Womp, womp).

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Eddington (2025) trailer.

• For reference, check out Earth's Mightiest Critics' roundtable review of Superman 2025.

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

Ian and David aren't too old for this review of Richard Donner's seminal buddy-cop action opus, Lethal Weapon!

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover star as Riggs and Murtaugh, two police officers thrown together on a case involving a dead adult film star and her apparent connection to a drug smuggling empire. Riggs has a death wish; Murtaugh wishes his impending retirement would hurry up already. Together, they must survive colorful street thugs, a maniacal henchman played by Gary Busey, and, of course, each other!

In this lovingly spoilerific review, the guys compare the theatrical and so-called director's cut of the film (recently released on 4K); look at some of the weird themes running through 80's action movies; and play a fun game of "Six Degrees", tying this film into several other iconic movies from 1987!

Show Links

• Watch the Lethal Weapon (1987) trailer.

• You can pick up the recently released 4K version of Lethal Weapon, courtesy of Warner Bros!

• 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:

  • The Unholy Trinity (2025)

  • Magazine Dreams (2025)

  • A Real Pain (2025)

  • Rebel Ridge (2024)

  • Duchess (2024)

  • The Old Oak (2024)

The James Gunn Era of the new DCU kicks off with Superman, and Earth's Mightiest Critics have a lot to say about it!

David Corenswet stars as the latest big-screen incarnation of the Man of Steel in this wacky, rebooted-but-already-established universe. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to destroy Superman's public image so that he can hatch a nefarious plan involving geopolitical war. Throw in the misfit Justice Gang, Metropolis-munching Kaiju, pocket universes, Internet trolls, and a bizarre twist on Supes' origin story, and you have one of the boldest relaunches in cinema history.

But "bold" doesn't necessarily mean "good". And in this week's pugnacious panel, the EMC will duke it out over whether or not Gunn has laid a promising path for future DCU films--or if Superman signals the death knell of not only a franchise, but an entire genre!

Join us for a super-scrappy and spoilerific roundtable review of one of summer's most highly anticipated (and divisive) blockbusters!

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 Superman (2025) trailer.

• ICYMI: Watch Ian's Superman 2025 Public Service Announcement, including his thoughts on the DCU moving forward!

• As teased in the show, Ian interviewed Rachel Brosnahan a few years ago, during her Marvelous Mrs. Maisel days. Check it out here!

• Looking for a real punch in the feels? Check out this montage of the 1978 Donner film, set to John Williams' Superman theme.

• 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".

Join us for a Jurassic Park 7 roundtable review, and place bets on which panelist will fall asleep first.

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 Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) trailer.

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

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

  • 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 recommends skipping the new Superman. But there's another recent release that demands your attention--and offers everything James Gunn's empty, ill-fitting tights cannot!

Also, he makes a bold commitment that will change the direction of this channel...forever!

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

• kickseat.com

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• BlueSky

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Show Links

• Watch the Superman (2025) trailer.

• Not all of Earth's Mightiest Critics agree with Ian's take on the film! Prepare for the Internet battle of the century as the gang goes at it live next Wednesday (7/16) at 8pm CST!

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

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

  • 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 2025 has been the IP killer, with once-mighty franchises bombing harder than the climax of Dr. Strangelove.

But, wait! What's that coming around the track? Why, it's Brad Pitt behind the wheel of the ultimate racing flick, F1: The Movie!

This week, Earth's Mightiest Critics are revved and ready to make the case that Joseph Kosinski's latest IMAX spectacle is one of the best films of the year--and a danger to commuters everywhere! While Ehren Kruger's screenplay won't set the world on fire, F1 is packed with classic performances, hard-driving race photography, and enough Dude Energy to fuel ten Top Gun: Maverick’s!

Join us as we drive circles around other movie review podcasts with fair, spoilerific, and high-octane analysis! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Public Service Announcement: If you're planning to see this summer sleeper hit, we implore you to see it in IMAX, or whichever premium-format experience is nearest to you. This is the reason such experiences exist!

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

• kickseat.com

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• Letterboxd

• BlueSky

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the F1: The Movie (2025) trailer.

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

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

  • 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 return to the dystopian hellscape of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's stop-and-start franchise with a look at 28 Years Later!

Nearly three decades after a "rage virus" wrecked Great Britain, a small island commune attempts to restore normalcy while staying ever vigilant against the mainland's ongoing horrors. The latest film centers on a family's struggle to shape a timid preteen into a zombie killer and to find a cure for mom's mysterious illness--and also to uncover more unsettling mysteries stalking the woods!

Is this third chapter as "highly anticipated" as the media claims? Have the filmmakers bungled their own continuity by (rightfully) ignoring the second film ever existed?

And what about that ending?

We'll get into it all during this positively infectious (and oh-so-spoilerific) roundtable review--in which 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

• Letterboxd

• BlueSky

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the 28 Years Later (2025) trailer.

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

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

  • 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 "Bond & Determined" series emerges from deep cover for a 60th anniversary review of Thunderball!

Sean Connery's fourth big-screen outing as the MI6 super-spy finds James Bond tracking down stolen nuclear warheads while dodging SPECTRE's second-in-command! Packed with gutsy gals, groovy gadgets, and gorgeous underwater cinematography, this decades-old adventure outshines just about anything at the multiplex today.

In this spoilerific episode, Ian and Jeff look at how Thunderball fits into the Bond legacy; the ways in which the character comes into his own four movies in; and whether or not the franchise should have a future--and what that might entail!

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 Thunderball (1965) trailer.

• You can pick up Thunderball, and 5 other Connery Bond titles, recently remastered in 4K from Warner Bros!

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

• Spy on our other "Bond & Determined" episodes in our series playlist!

This month, "Accademia Giallo" cranks it up to "11" with a roundtable review of Murder-Rock: Dancing Death!

In Lucio Fulci's mid-80s thriller, the owner of a prestigious New York ballet school teams up with a male model to solve a series of bizarre student murders. Does this gonzo 80's experiment stack up to Fulci's earlier, more buttoned-up work?

Join us for a bloody-good, spoilerific jam session and find out! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats, and pay tribute to a very special long-time fan of the show!

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

• kickseat.com

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• BlueSky

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Show Links

• Watch the Murder-Rock (1984) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, you can catch up with our recent "Credito Extra" episode, in which Ian interviews Guido and Lucas Henkel--the father/son powerhouse behind the Celluloid Dreams home video label!

• 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!