Kicking the Seat

"Accademia Giallo" gives 2022 a proper bloody send-off with a round table review of A Blade in the Dark!Well, almost...While writing the score to a horror film at a posh Tuscany villa, a composer is stalked by a sadistic killer. Could the music at hand contain an incriminating clue as to the killer's identity? Due to technical difficulties beyond our control, Ian winds up being a guest star on his own show! Watch as AC, Kitley, and Bryan take charge in reviewing Lamberto Bava's bonkers 1983 thriller--which isn't as good as most of the class remembers it!On a related note, Ian has since resolved his Internet connectivity issues by installing a Wi-Fi signal booster in his studio (*cough*basement*cough*). The following night's Avatar: The Way of Water stream was smoother than a bad Italian dub!"Accademia Giallo" is Kicking the Seat's monthly deep dive into Italian Horror's "giallo" sub-genre. Join us live in the chat for laughs, lessons, and lots of bad accents!Show LinksWatch the A Blade in the Dark trailer.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!

"IndieSeen" closes out 2022 by planting seeds for Kicking the Seat's next decade!"Sight and Sound" (the magazine of the British Film Institute) recently released its ranking of "The Greatest Films of All Time", and the controversial boosting of Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23. quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles from #36 to #1 set FIlm Twitter ablaze.The 1975 drama centers on three days in the life of a single mother (Delphine Seyrig). She cleans her apartment, makes coffee, takes care of her teenage son, and pays the bills by sleeping with a succession of distant, skeevy men. Does this experiment in slow cinema deserve a place among the likes of Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Tokyo Story?The guys' initial answers won't surprise you, but the episode-long evolution of one particularly harsh opinion just might. Ian and Sujewa talk about the poll, the film, the Twitter drama, and Ian's plans to discuss every film on the BFI list until the next edition comes out in 2032!Also, the guys catch up on Sujewa's current projects, as well as his own wildly ambitious plans for the future!Timestamps:Intro: 0:00 - 1:09What's New with Sujewa? 1:10 - 9:20BFI: Setting the Stage: 9:21 - 15:54Jeanne and Chantal: 15:55 - 24:35"The Greatest Film of All Time": 24:36 - 39:08The 2022 Top 20 Draft: 39:09 - 44:26"The Straight White Male Canon": 44:27 - 50:11Jeanne Dielman, Revisited: 50:12 - 59:20Outro: 59:21 - 101:18Show Links:Watch the Jeanne Dielman trailer.Read Sight and Sound's 2022 list of "The Greatest Films of All Time".Read Armond White's critique of the "Sight and Sound" poll (and of Jeanne Dielman's place in the top spot) at The National Review.Read Glenn Kenny's analysis of the "Sight and Sound" poll at Decider (mentioned, without proper citation at the time, in the show).Read Jordan Ruimy's blog about the consultant hired to help diversify the "Sight and Sound" polling results (including his controversial tweet) at World of Reel.Watch Ian and Sujewa discuss Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives on "The Slowdown" (mentioned in the show).Rent Sujewa's new movie, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.Find clips, making-of videos, and other cool info about Sujewa's upcoming film, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.Follow the production of Sujewa's Slow Romance sequel, Cosmic Disco Rene.Keep up with all of Sujewa's projects.Follow Sujewa on Twitter.And if you'd like to catch up on Ian's Jeanne Dielman live-tweets, follow him as well!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

'Tis the Season for Ian and Pat to try something a little different! Every year the guys discuss a Christmas movie, but they're closing out 2022 with the oddly dark CBS production of The Judy Garland Christmas Show from 1963.Filmed mere days after the assassination of Garland's dear friend, John F. Kennedy, this ostensibly heartwarming holiday musical feels like the production itself has been traumatized. Garland and her real-life family invite an unseen live studio audience into their fake home for an evening of song, dance, and comedy that (especially through the lens of modernity) comes off as alternately corny, creepy, and wrong. As a matter of fact, Pat's comedy troupe, Famous in the Future, will be performing a lively send-up of the special this week. Here he talks about how A Judy Christmas came to be, and what folks can expect to see at the Den Theatre in Chicago. Strap in as we leap over the rainbow and down the rabbit hole!Show Links:Watch The Judy Garland Christmas Show (1963) on YouTube.Get tickets to see Pat in Famous in the Future's production of A JUDY CHRISTMAS--playing this Thursday through Saturday at Chicago's Den Theatre!Listen to Pat's interview with Judy Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft (mentioned in the show)! Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

We're switching things up on "Son of Hammerland" with a look at Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde!Roy Ward Baker's thoroughly engrossing yet unfortunately titled thriller mashes up Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel with the Jack the Ripper murders, a slash of Burke and Hare, and a gender-bent look at the classic "tragic villain"!Ian and AC dig into what makes this film such a sinister joy, and how it fits in with some of the other Hammer horror they've reviewed over the years.!And be sure to join us back here next month as we close out 2022 with a deadly double-feature: Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter and Vampire Circus!Show Links:Watch the Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde trailer.Keep up with Aaron's reviews at Horror 101 w/ Dr. AC!Catch up on previous "Son of Hammerland" episodes!And watch the series that started it all: "Hammerland"!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Cole take a break from murder, porn, and monsters (it's been a very heavy year for "Late Screening" and "Page2Screen") to focus on some wholesome family fun...1987-style!Chris Columbus' Adventures in Babysitting turned 35 this year, and the guys look back on one of the weirdest romps of the 1980s--complete with late-night fine dining, altruistic gearheads, and an alternate-reality Chicago where the two biggest brands in the city are Playboy Magazine and The Mighty Thor! Watch as the guys celebrate the cringe and creativity of this film about a group of Oak Park squares who find themselves on the run from chop-shop gangsters, all the while learning to accept different kinds of people and awakening their inner badasses.Plus: Ian shares his bizarre childhood connection with this movie and Less Than Zero; blows Cole's mind with a character revelation; and nearly faints when hearing about the ultra-family-friendly version of the film now playing on Disney+!Show Links:Watch the Adventures in Babysitting trailer.Read Cole's literary criticism at The Quill to Live.And follow his writing at:TorForbesPlus: Watch Ian's round table interview with the cast of Home (including Kathy Bates!): Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

The latest "Accademia Giallo" is absolutely stuffed with holiday goodness as our fearsome faculty takes on Umberto Lenzi's Spasmo!While walking along the beach, Christian and his girlfriend discover a mysterious woman washed ashore. The following day, Christian meets the woman again at a yacht party and soon finds himself entangled in a web of lust, intrigue, and murder!Watch as the guys breakdown all the breakdowns in this maniacal mashup of mannequins and mental illness. From a killer who looks like a pop-art version of Dario Argento; to a conspiracy that gives The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh a run for its money; and a bonkers ending that will have you reaching for the "Rewind" button, this is one for the books!Note: Our guest for this episode, author Troy Howarth, was unable to join due to the recent loss of his beloved cat, Wookie. We're working on a make-up class, though, during which we'll discuss another Lenzi film--as well as Troy's monstrous new book, Make Them Die Slowly: The Kinetic Cinema of Umberto Lenzi! "Accademia Giallo" is Kicking the Seat's monthly deep dive into Italian Horror's "giallo" sub-genre. Join us LIVE in the chat for laughs, lessons, and lots of bad accents! Class begins promptly at 2pm CST! Show LinksWatch the Spasmo trailer.Order Troy's new book on Amazon.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!

Our adventures in Indian cinema continue with a look at Soojit Sircar's 2021 biopic, Sardar Udham!The film details the two decades that Punjabi Sikh revolutionary Udham Singh (Vicky Kaushal) spent planning the assassination of Michael O'Dwyer (Shaun Scott) the man responsible for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.Sardar Udham was overwhelmingly demanded as the next choice for a live round table review, and it's no wonder why. Ian and Mark examine the complex angles from which Sircar tests the audience's sympathies--and, in the process, completely shifts the context in the third act in a way that demands both a re-watch and a re-evaluation.Show Links:Watch the Sardar Udham trailer.Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.And watch him and Ian discuss the 2010 thriller, Hisss (recorded live the day before their Sardar Udham show).Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebAnd 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 welcomes back Jeffrey York of The Establishing Shot for his first solo appearance on the podcast! And what better topic than Jeff's favorite film of 2008, WALL-E!Andrew Stanton's comedic twist on the dystopian sci-fi epic feels more prescient today than it did on release, and the guys look this bold new direction for Pixar Animation Studios. From the opening 30 minutes (which play like a silent film); to eerily accurate takes on technological addiction at the expense of everything else; and a nuanced view of mankind that is at once scathing and redemptive, WALL-E combines the doomsday sadness of Children of Men with the whimsical acrobatics of Buster Keaton--all with Pixar's breathtaking innovations in animation, sound, and design.Part review, part examination of themes through a 2022 lens, this spoilerific discussion of WALL-E is one of our most hopeful yet!Show Links:Watch the WALL-E trailer.Keep up with Jeff's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot!You can order the brand-new WALL-E 4K UHD Blu-ray from Criterion--their first partnership on a Pixar release!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

The RRR virtual mailbag is so full, we had to do a second special episode to address all the feedback!Yes, Ian returns with replies to your questions, comments, and analyses of S.S. Rajamouli's blockbuster historical epic--which includes cultural context lessons, emoji interpretations, and, unbelievably, a hostile take on the movie!(Don't worry, Ian sets that commenter straight!)Also, Ian talks about last week's phenomenal event-of-a-lifetime event at Chicago's famed Music Box Theatre, where he and Earth's Mightiest Critics saw RRR on the big screen, saw S.S. Rajamouli participate in a post-screening Q&A--and even met the man himself!*If you haven't seen RRR yet, stream it on Netflix immediately (or whenever you have a spare 3 hours and 7 minutes)!*Yes, one key detail was left out during the episode: each member of the EMC had a separate and very special encounter with Mr. Rajamouli (not just the guy telling the story!).Show Links:Watch the RRR trailer.Watch the livestream that started it all: Kicking the Seat's Round Table Review of RRR with Earth's Mightiest Critics!Watch Ian's interview with RRR writer/director S.S. Rajamouli!Watch Don Shanahan's interview with RRR writer/director S.S. Rajamouli!Watch the full S.S. Rajamouli Q&A from last week's Music Box Theatre appearance!If you missed Part 1 of our RRR edition, watch it here.Next Wednesday! Join Earth's Mightiest Critics live for a round table review of Sardar Udham!Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson…...and 25YL...and the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.Keep up with Annie Banks at Chuck Load of Comics....and MoviewebAnd stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

This month, Ian and Pat talk about a space movie that's far from far-out!Antonio Margheriti's Battle of the Worlds stars Claude Rains and a bunch of other people playing scientists who must grapple with an alien intelligence that's on a collision course with Earth.(We're not saying it was the inspiration for MOONFALL, but we're not not saying it, either!)Join the guys as they ponder the mysteries of the cosmos and Ian works as much post-production magic as possible to compensate for his unplugged microphone! Show Links:Watch the Battle of the Worlds trailer.Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Order The Film Detective's extras-packed new Battle of the Worlds Blu-ray! Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!