Earth's Mightiest Critics had thought they were done with the Toy Story franchise after 2019's abysmal fourth entry. But Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris's have installed a fresh set of batteries known as Toy Story 5! Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang find themselves plunged into a world of tech, in which children have no need for rough-and-tumble toys.

When 8-year-old Bonnie is gifted a "Lilypad" smart device, the eclectic assembly of action figures, dolls, and toddler trinkets must fight for their owner's affections--while also helping her to make real life friends instead of just digital ones.

Join us as we get down on the floor and smash together a spoilerific assessment of this wild new entry, which updates the 1995 original for today (for better and, in some cases, for worse) ! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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Show Links:

• Watch the Toy Story 5 (2026) 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

The lesson of Disclosure Day is that the truth is out there...and no one cares!

Steven Spielberg's return to sci-fi with a movie that's less close encounter than close call. Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt star as two strangers who find themselves at the heart of a corporate conspiracy involving aliens who've been visiting Earth for decades.

You've seen this story a thousand times, but never (unfortunately) like this!

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics as we crack open some X-Files and solve the mystery of Disclosure Day's utter lack of...mystery! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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Show Links:

• Watch the Disclosure Day (2026) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, next Wednesday (6/24) you can catch a bona fide Spielberg classic on the big screen: Chicago's Music Box Theatre will unleash 1975's Jaws on the Windy City! Get tickets here.

• Speaking of Jaws, Ian mentioned a recent episode of Robert Meyer Burnett's great Robservations podcast, in which Rob pushes back on a harsh Gen Z assessment of the film!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

We. Have. THE POWERRRRRR!!!!

Or do we?

Many of Earth's Mightiest Critics really enjoyed Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe--then again, we were the select few who actually bothered to watch this spectacular box office flop.

In this special Sunday night livestream, the gang will plunge headlong into a spoilerific defense of a movie that, while far from perfect, stands as an action-packed, heartfelt throwback that should have absolutely kickstarted a franchise. There may also be...other points of view!

Join us as we wield the critical Sword of Power and save fans from ignoring a movie that was tailor-made for them! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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Show Links:

• Watch the Masters of the Universe (2026) trailer.

• Plus! As mentioned in the show, Ian and Mark immediately followed up this stream with a look at 1990's Lord of the Flies on the Spoiler Room Podcast!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

This week, Earth's Mightiest Critics take on the film that killed Star Wars! Okay, technically, Obsession did that a few days ago, but we're talking about the number one film at the box office: Backrooms!

Kane Parsons' eerie exploration of otherworldly liminal spaces began as a series of YouTube videos, and has expanded to feature length. The transition has proved quite the global sensation, with sell-out shows and deafening buzz for the 20-year-old horror wunderkind.

But is there too much hype about a down-on-his-luck furniture store manger who discovers another dimension in the basement--or is Parsons' passion project the real deal?

Join us as we talk Escher-esque sets, zoomer horror, and much, much more in spoilerific detail! 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 Backrooms (2026) trailer.

• Watch the creepy shorts that started the Backrooms phenomenon!

• Bonus! Mike worked his compositing magic to make Ian's meme dream come true!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

Star Wars is back! Kinda...

This week, Earth's Mightiest Critics resurrect their Mandalorian review series, "What if He Doesn't Survive?", for a live roundtable review of Season 4. Officially, this is a "movie", but who're we kidding? This two-plus-hour Fett quest is writer's strike TV at best, and a case for leaving Star Wars the pop culture rearview at worst.

But will a lone warrior emerge from the pack, willing to stand up for the serialized adventures of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his wuvvable "Baby Yoda" sidekick? Join us as for a Beskar-bashin', spoiler-sprayin' sound-off--plus 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 Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) 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".

Everybody's talking about Obsession, but the conversation doesn't truly begin until Earth's Mightiest Critics chime in!

This week, the gang looks at Curry Barker's bold new horror film, which some are already hailing as a genre classic. When Bear (Michael Johnston) chickens out of professing his love for lifelong crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), he turns to a novelty wish-making toy to make his dream come true. Of course, things go horribly wrong, and Bear soon learns that unearned unconditional love can be literal Hell on Earth.

Obsession has crazy word-of-mouth, a stellar opening-take (compared to its miniscule production budget), and enormous buzz around Navarrette. But is Curry Barker really the new face of horror? Or just a slick re-packager of the millennial genre fare he grew up with?

If so, with a movie this effective--does it matter?

Join us as we obsess over one of the year's wildest moviegoing experiences! 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 Obsession (2026) 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".

Why not round out the school year with a relaxing trip to Venice? Well, none of us can afford that, so we'll just talk about Who Saw Her Die? instead!

Aldo Lado's 1972 thriller stars George Lazenby and Anita Strindberg as an estranged couple pursuing a mysterious killer in a black veil. The maniac is obsessed with murdering red-headed girls, and one of the attacks hit very close to home!

Join us as we chisel out a spoilerific masterpiece of Italian analysis--while also taking 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 Who Saw Her Die? (1972) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, we previously covered Lado's Short Night of Glass Dolls. Check it out here.

• And, Ian talked with Guido and Lucas Henkel of Celluloid Dreams about their Short Night of Glass Dolls home video release.

• Flash back to Kicking the Seat's review of Nicholas Roeg's 1973 thriller, Don’t Look Now, which is a great companion piece to Who Saw Her Die?!

• If you liked Ian's mini-review of Obsession during the show, join Earth's Mightiest Critics live this Wednesday at 8pm CST for a spoilerific roundtable review!

• To learn more about the amazing work of Celluloid Dreams, check out Ian's 2025 interview with Guido and Lucas Henkel!

• 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!

All livestreams are equal, but some livestreams are more equal than others!

Tonight, Earth's Mightiest Critics hog-tie Andy Serkis' "adaptation" of George Orwell's landmark, anti-Communist cautionary tale, Animal Farm!

This 3D animated outing from Angel Studios features an all-star voice cast and a significant change in focus that entirely misses the point of Orwell's novel. Animal Farm '26 is flopping in theatres and with critics and audiences--but does this radical reinterpretation deserve all the hate?

Join us on a spoilerific trip to the "Laughterhouse"! 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 Animal Farm (2026) 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 AC face their fears with a look back at William Castle's landmark 1959 thriller, The Tingler!

Vincent Price stars as Dr. Warren Chapin, a pathologist obsessed with discovering what scares people to death. Turns out there's a creepy microscopic organism living in all of us that, at peak moments of fear, grows exponentially and grips our spinal columns. The only release...is to SCREAM!

Will the good doctor use this newfound knowledge to help humanity? Or will he do something quite different?

In this spoilerific examination of the movie that gave us "Percepto" (which, contrary to myth, does not involve jolting moviegoers with electric shocks), the guys dig into what makes the movie cheesy instead of campy--and why its "cheesy" reputation is unfair!

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

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Show Links:

• Watch the Tingler (1959) trailer.

• "Castle Freaks" is the next leg in our classic horror journey. If you're new to the channel, catch up with our 5-year "Hammerland" series, which wrapped up last year!

Brendan Fraser is back! And he's bringing his whole globe-trotting, evil-fighting crew with him!

What? Oh... Sorry...

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics for a spoilers-packed unwrapping of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy--a film that's been savaged by critics and shrugged at by audiences.

But is there more to this than a warmed-over Evil Dead Rise, wrapped in dusty gauze? Find out what we have to say!

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

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• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links:

• Watch the Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (2026) 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".