Kicking the Seat

Our winding adventures Beyond Hammerland bring us to a lavish English estate, where nothing is what it seems--even The Innocents!Jack Clayton's eerie 1961 thriller stars Deborah Kerr as a governess who takes a job looking after two siblings in the countryside. She quickly notices something odd about young Miles (Martin Stephens) and Flora (Pamela Franklin); they're mischievous, conspiratorial, and possibly in league with ghosts!Ian and AC dig into this atmospheric mind-bender, exploring theories; heaping praise on the direction, performances, and Freddie Francis' otherworldly cinematography; and understanding why it's one of AC's all-time favorite films!Show Links:Watch The Innocents trailer.Read AC's written review of The Innocents at Horror 101 w/ Dr. AC.And be sure to support AC's YouTube channel, which is positively dripping with fiendishly fresh content!Catch up with 2022's year-long journey, "Son of Hammerland"!And watch the series that started it all: "Hammerland"!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Our "Spotlight India" series continues with a LIVE look at Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2018 historical epic, Padmaavat!Set in medieval Rajasthan, Queen Padmavati is married to a noble king and they live in a prosperous fortress with their subjects until an ambitious Sultan hears of Padmavati's beauty and forms an obsessive love for the Queen of Mewar.In this round-table-of-one, Ian talks about what he loves about Padmaavat, and Indian cinema in general, and responds to live viewer comments. Also, he addresses a minor controversy stemming from his review of Sardar Udham!Show Links:Watch the Padmaavat trailer.Bonus: As mentioned in the show, Ian was recently interviewed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Film Society about film criticism!Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebKeep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Dark Sky Films recently released a new 4K disc of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Instead of doing the Internet's 5 millionth review of Tobe Hooper's landmark horror movie, Ian and Mark look at one of the disc's many supplements!The Legacy of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a new feature-length documentary in which filmmakers and critics discuss...well, it's in the title. But is it worthwhile for diehard fans, or a talking-head retread of Wikipedia anecdotes?Watch as the guys talk BTS drama, social commentary, and the dicey reputation of film critics!The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is now available on 4k UHD from Dark Sky Films.Show LinksWatch the Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) trailer.Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.And watch Ian and Mark's review of The Host (mentioned in the show).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

The Accademia Giallo staff puts all its cards on the table with a look at The Red Queen Kills Seven Times!In Emilio Miraglia's 1972 thriller, two sisters inherit their family castle, which is said to be haunted by their ancestor--a dark-haired, red-robed woman who takes seven lives every hundred years.Join us as we talk spoilers and take your questions and comments in the chat!"Accademia Giallo" is Kicking the Seat's monthly deep dive into Italian Horror's "giallo" sub-genre.Show LinksWatch the Red Queen Kills Seven Times trailer.Per viewer request, you can listen to an early "Accademia Giallo" lesson on The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh!Support all of our terrifying teachers' axe-tracurricular activities!Stay studious with Aaron Christensen at Horror101 with Dr. AC!If you dare, venture down into Kitley's Krypt with Jon Kitley! And listen to Jon's scary-good podcast, Discover the Horror!Get devious with Bryan Martinez's Film Deviant podcast!And check out his YouTube show, The Giallo Room!Buy J. Blake Fichera's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon (mentioned in the show).And catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Continue your education with our "Accademia Giallo" Playlist! Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and David welcome back filmmaker Emily Lape to talk about her upcoming sci-fi drama, Abiquiu, and one of the movies that inspired it, Andrew Patterson's The Vast of Night!This episode is part movie review, and part promotion of the Abiquiu crowdfunding campaign, which is currently underway at Seed&Spark. But it's also a look at one writer/director's grind in getting a microbudget indie off the ground--from scripting and meeting with potential investors, to casting and location scouting from across the country--all while balancing a day job that has nothing to do with the industry!If you're interested in helping Emily make Abiquiu a reality, please consider supporting her Seed&Spark campaign via the link below, and check out her debut feature, the Chicago-set Mercy’s Girl, on Amazon Prime!Show LinksWatch the Vast of Night trailer.Support Emily's Seed&Spark campaign for Abiquiu.Watch Emily's 2018 feature, Mercy’s Girl, on Amazon Prime.Watch Ian and Emily's conversation about Mercy’s Girl.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Earth's Mightiest Critics take Manhattan in this ripping round table review of Scream VI!The surviving Woodsboro teens travel to The Big Apple, but there's a (you're not gonna believe this) new Ghostface Killer on the loose! This fifth sequel promises to reunite cast members from across the series in one last--or at least one more--stab at self-aware slasher greatness!Watch as our franchise-fatigued panel slashes through the latest installment to discover many more surprises than one might expect from this quarter-century-plus saga.Show LinksWatch the Scream VI trailer.Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebKeep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Earth's Mightiest Critics get high on Elizabeth Banks' supply with a live round table review of Cocaine Bear!This "Based on a True Story" horror-comedy centers on several groups of people trapped in the woods with a drugged-up monster on the prowl! It's a really fun, over-the-top absurdist comedy that will have you...um...snorting with laughter!At least, that's what some of the panelists say!This episode was recorded immediately after our round table review of The Mandalorian Season 3 / Episode 1. Check it out!Show LinksWatch the Cocaine Bear trailer.Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebKeep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Earth's Mightiest Critics return to a galaxy far, far away!More than two years and several Star Wars shows later, Disney+ is set to debut the third season of its flagship series, The Mandalorian!Join us as we planet-hop with Mando and Grogu, and generally try to remember just where the hell everything left off!Catch new episodes of The Mandalorian every Wednesday, exclusively on Disney+.Plus! Be sure to stick around for our Cocaine Bear livestream, recorded immediately after this episode! Show LinksWatch the Mandalorian Season 3 trailer.And see just where Kicking the Seat...um...left off with Star Wars!Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebKeep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot.And stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Jeff look back on Robert Townsend's game-changing Tinseltown satire, Hollywood Shuffle!The 1987 comedy stars co-writer/director Townsend as Bobby Taylor, a young Black actor struggling to make it in an industry that only sees him playing slaves, pimps, and drug dealers. As he navigates the hustle of running from auditions to his day job at a hot dog stand, Bobby's imagination lights up with his own take on blockbuster movies, infomercials, and movie review shows.In this wide-ranging conversation, Ian and Jeff York of The Establishing Shot look at the seeds and legacy of an independent film that was born out of real-world frustration, and ended up paving the way for countless careers and landmarks in Black entertainment.Plus: Ian talks about getting kicked out of his own living room the first time he watched the film, and gushes over some of the special features on the brand new Criterion Blu-ray!Show Links:Watch the Hollywood Shuffle trailer.Order the new Hollywood Shuffle Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.Keep up with Jeff's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Pat kick off a year of anniversary movies with a look at 1943's Cabin in the Sky!Vincente Minnelli's big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway play was also the first all-Black feature from a major movie studio. In this musical dramedy, hardcore gambler "Little Joe" Jackson (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) is mortally wounded during a dice game; his wife, Petunia (Ethel Waters), prays for his soul--resulting in a wager between Heaven and Hell as to whether or not Little Joe would turn his life around if given another six months on earth.Featuring supporting performances from Louis Armstrong, Butterfly McQueen, Mantan Moreland, and a musical guest spot by Duke Ellington, Cabin in the Sky is a vibrant and visually inventive morality play that really got Ian and Pat talking.From its deft handling of faith-based material; to its place in pop cultural and civil rights history; and its various connections to Gone with the Wind, the film sparks a lot of discussion points that the guys may revisit throughout the year!Show Links:Watch the Cabin in the Sky trailer.Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!