Kicking the Seat

The 1990s saw a string of 40s-themed flops--serial-inspired adventure movies that audiences roundly rejected.

The nail in the coffin was Simon Wincer's The Phantom, in which Billy Zane plays (no joke) a "descendent of a line of African superheroes" who "travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power."

Did audiences at the time miss out on a fun and funny, mold-breaking adventure? Or were they right to give a razzberry to Zane's pulpy, purple-clad putz?

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics for a spoilers-slamming superhero spectacular! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Phantom (1996) trailer.

• Pick up The Phantom on 4K, now available from Kino Lorber!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• As mentioned in the show, this weekend sees the debut of Sujewa Ekanayake's 3I/ATLAS Film Festival, taking place at Brooklyn's Rollin Studios! For tickets, showtimes, and more, click here.

• 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".

Until last weekend, Project Hail Mary was the number one movie in the world. Alas, it has been dethroned by a blockbuster of truly cosmic proportions: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie!

Though the film has made a Bowser-load of cash, not everyone is bowled over by its charms. It's a classic rivalry between reviewers and regular Joes and Janes. And this week, Earth's Mightiest Critics bust out the fireballs and chain-chomps to settle the "Are the Mario movies good?" argument once and for all (or at least, for now...)!

Join us for a spoilerific game of 1-UPsmanship! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) trailer.

• Check out the latest installment of "Target Audience", in which Ian and Luke discuss The Super Mario Galaxy Movie from a young fan's perspective!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• 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".

Blockbuster season is already under way, and Ian and Luke have returned to discuss the year's biggest film: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie!

In this quick, spoiler-free "Target Audience" review, your intrepid youth culture reporters look at Mario, Luigi, and Peach's space-hopping escapades as they seek to rescue a Princess, tame a dinosaur, and keep up with a roguish starfox named...Star Fox!

How does Galaxy stack up to 2023's Super Mario Bros Movie Movie? Is it worth leaving the house to see on the big screen, or can you wait for streaming?

Let's a-go find out!

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) trailer.

• Catch up with all of Ian and Luke's reviews in our "Target Audience" Playlist!

Kicking the Seat ends its special Holy Week series with one of our favorite traditions: the Good Friday episode of "There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia"!

Today, Ian and Pat look back at one of the most unusual films of Steve Martin's career, the 1992 box office disappointment, Leap of Faith! Moviegoers mostly gave this offbeat dramedy the cold shoulder, but are there signs of redemption 34 years later?

Martin stars as Jonas Nightingale, a traveling huckster who, with his fleet of tour buses, brings a faith-healing and gospel music show to small towns across America. After breaking down in Rustwater, Kansas, Jonas and his crew set up shop for the week--and rake in cash from a financially and spiritually strapped community that's in the throes of a ruinous drought. But what happens when a suspicious sheriff (Liam Neeson) and Jesus himself push Jonas towards a dark night of the soul?

This spoilerific installment features perspectives from a lapsed Catholic who'd never seen the film until show prep, and a recently renewed Catholic who's loved Leap of Faith since seeing it as a teenager.

What follows is a wide-ranging look at faith, doubt, the movies, and how even the seemingly sickest of seeds can yield a humbling crop of salvation.

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• Watch the Leap of Faith (1992) trailer.

• Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.

• Listen to Pat's movie reviews on the radio at STAR 96.7.

Raiders of the Lost Ark turns 45 this year and, for Earth's Mightiest Critics, Steven Spielberg's globe-spanning archeological adventure is a foundational part of their love of movies! But after nearly half a century and countless viewings, there's still a lot to discover about Harrison Ford's fascist-fighting scoundrel--and his intriguing relationship with faith.

Tonight, the EMC will pay tribute to a great film and dig into the character's decades-long struggle with various aspects of belief, non-belief, and everything in between.

Join us as we unearth the secrets of Raiders's enduring legacy and the Indy franchise's spiritual thematic resonance! 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 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, Ian recently saw Raiders of the Lost Ark at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, as part of the "Auditorium Philms" series--in which attendees watch classic movies projected on the big screen, with live orchestral accompaniment! Check out the full 2026 lineup here!

• Also mentioned in the show was Ian's recent appearance on The Spoiler Room Podcast, discussing Wall-E. Give a listen!

• 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".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- kickseat.com: https://kickseat.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/u35249528 X: https://x.com/KICKSEAT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickseat/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kickseat/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show Links -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support ALL of Earth's Mightiest Critics at our various outlets: Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson: http://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/ ...And Film Obsessive: https://filmobsessive.com/ ...AND the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6G0dYEHovZsjHd2ItOuRL2 Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast: https://www.specialmarkproductions.com/spoilerroompdcs.html Get seated with Cati Glidewell, The Blonde in Front! https://www.youtube.com/@theblondeinfront Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel: https://keeping-it-reel.com/ Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot! https://theestablishingshot.org/ Keep up with Annie Banks at Comic Book Resources: https://www.cbr.com/author/annie-banks AND We Got This Covered: https://wegotthiscovered.com/ Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree: https://www.ypareviews.com/ And save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher"! https://creaturefeaturepreacher.substack.com/

Ian and David look at a very different kind of religious comedy--one that may have you praying for the filmmakers!

Robert Ingraham's Premarital is like an Unrated Meet the Parents, as filtered through the lens of Protestantism. Jim O'Heir stars as Stu Whitaker, a Michigan pastor whose daughter, Sophie (Kelly Jakle), is about to marry a non-believer named Alan (Mark Hapka). Concerned for the young couple's spiritual salvation, Stu and his large, wacky family devise a plan to bring Alan into the faith during the weekend of their wedding. Premarital is unlike any film the guys have seen.

This wide-ranging discussion begins with a spoiler-free assessment before diving into the bold screenplay by Ingraham and co-writer Margaret Bienart, which drops as many f-bombs as truth bombs (and, unfortunately, broad comedy clichés).

The question is: Does it work?

Premarital opens in theaters this Friday, April 3rd.

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

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• Watch the Premarital (2026) trailer.

• Fun Fact: Jim O'Heir was Kicking the Seat's first recurring podcast guest! Flash back to these fun 2017 interviews centered on the indie films Landline and Middleman!

• As mentioned in the show, Ian and David talked about the 2025 family drama, A Little Prayer, which came to mind while watching Premarital. Take a look!

Project Hail Mary has enjoyed stratospheric success at the box office, providing Amazon Studios with its biggest hit to date. But does it work as an adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling novel?

Does it even work as a movie?

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a junior high science teacher who is recruited to help develop a spacecraft that will investigate the gradually dimming sun. During his perilous journey, he encounters an unexpected fellow traveler; together they must find a way to save their worlds--and, hopefully, return to them.

Critics and audiences have fallen in love with Project Hail Mary, but one crank is willing to go head-to-head against the prevailing wisdom (and you'll never guess who it is...).

Join us as for a spoilerific space exploration, which will include your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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

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• Letterboxd

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links:

• Watch the Project Hail Mary (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 Jeff can't hide their love for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come!

This smashing sequel to 2019's splatter comedy finds Grace (Samara Weaving) in custody for the violent murder of the family she'd just married into. Turns out the cops don't believe her story about a cult of demon-worshiping billionaires who challenged her to a deadly game of...you guessed it! Grace finds herself at the mercy of the world's six ruling families, now vying for ultimate control via another round of Hide and Seek.

This time, the weapons are deadlier, the stakes are higher, and Grace's younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton) has been roped into the outrageously bloody game of survival.

This film is a welcome surprise, and a fine counterpoint to Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!, which we reviewed on the show a few weeks back. We invite you on a leisurely, spoilerific walk down the aisle as Ready or Not 2 gets its due!

From writing strong female characters, to shifting this movie away from the "horror" category, and a trend that slightly hurts this film and others--there's a lot to get into with this one.

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) trailer.

• Enjoy this 2019 flashback, in which Ian and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews look at the original Ready or Not!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• 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".

Spring is in the air, and so is bone-chilling terror! Accademia Giallo returns with a look at Luigi Bazzoni's 1971 thriller, The Fifth Cord!

Franco Nero stars as Andrea Bild, a tough, alcoholic journalist whose latest story puts him right in the middle of several murder investigations!

Join us for hard-boiled horror, giallo-style! 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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• Watch the Fifth Cord (1971) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, you can check out The King in Giallo podcast's review of The Fifth Cord for even more insights!

• 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!

Ian recently spoke with the director and stars of one of 2026's best films, the indie dramedy, Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois!

The movie centers on Gabby and Brenda (Sara Sevigny and Jennifer Estlin), two former high school besties who are brought back together during the titular town's annual rhubarb festival. Over one tumultuous week, they reopen decades-old wounds and seek reconciliation while completing the offbeat Bucket List created by their younger, idealistic selves!

In this spoiler-free conversation, Ian talks with Sevigny, Estlin, and director Bethany Berg about bonding with the real-life residents of Aledo, building characters that feel like people you might actually meet and adore, and why Berg chose this light, life-affirming story to be her feature film debut! They also discuss working with Country singer/2026 Grand Ole Opry inductee/Aledo native Suzy Bogguss, who narrates the film!

Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois is now available for rent/purchase on Amazon Prime.

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

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• Watch the Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois trailer!

• Rent or Buy Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois on Amazon Prime!

• And plan your trip to this year's Rhubarb Festival in Aledo, Illinois! Yes! It's a real thing!