Kicking the Seat

Ian and Pat McDonald raise a scoop of freezer-burnt ice cream to the most important women in their lives with a look at Albert Brooks' 1996 comedy, Mother!Brooks stars as John Henderson, a sci-fi novelist who moves in with his mother, Beatrice (Debbie Reynolds), after finalizing divorce #2. His plan: figure out what it is about his own strained family relationships that prevent him from finding a compatible partner.In this loving and (mostly) reverent review, the guys talk about why MOTHER took awhile to grow on them; debate whether or not Mother's Day is an actual holiday, and open up about why their own moms mean so much to them!Plus: Ian's Rob Morrow impression will send you hurtling toward the "Volume" button!Show Links:Watch the Mother trailer.Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

It's time for blushing and battling, praise and persecution!Yes, at long last, Ian is back to read your comments and defend his snarky, misinformed positions on West Side Story, Armond White, film critic bona fides, and Slow Romance!Sprinkle some cognac in your coffee, 'cause this is a long'un and a doozy!Show Links:Check out the shows that inspired all this lucid/ludicrous feedback!Darker Hughes: Career Opportunities Movie and Blu-ray Review with Erik ChildressHammerland: Dracula: Prince of DarknessSon of Hammerland: The Mummy (1951)Characters, Classics, and The Devil You Know: An Interview with Writer / Director CHARLES MURRAYMorbius (2022) - Round Table ReviewWest Side Story (2021) w/ Armond WhiteArmond White: Make Criticism Great Again (The Kicking the Seat Interview) There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: Summer of '42IndieSeen: Henry Fool at 25 w/ THOMAS JAY RYANThere's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia: La Dolce Vita (1960)Son of Hammerland: Scream of Fear (1961)Accademia Giallo: The New York Ripper Review [SPOILERS]The Secret Society for Slow Romance (2022) - Written ReviewAccademia Giallo: Trauma (1993)Mind Over Mullet: An Interview with Being Patrick Swayze Author NEAL E. FISCHERWednesday Knight Live: SE01 / EP05Verhoeven a Good Time (Robocop and Basic Instinct Reviews) w/ Mike CrowleyJohn Wayne/John Ford "Cavalry Trilogy" - ReviewAlso Referenced in the Video:Check out the 9th annual Chicago Critics Film Festival, May 13-19th at the Music Box Theatre!Watch Ian and Sujewa's interview with Onur Tukel, who directed Thomas in Scenes from an Empty Church.Catch up with all our past IndieSeen episodes.Find clips, making-of videos, and other cool info about Sujewa's upcoming film, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.Keep up with all of Sujewa's projects.Follow Sujewa on Twitter.Get tickets and more info about the Music Box Theatre's David Lynch retrospective, happening April 7-14th in Chicago!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian welcomes back Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree for a look at two Paul Verhoeven films celebrating anniversaries this year: Robocop turns 35, and Basic Instinct crosses the 3-decade mark.One is a bizarre cop drama in which a reanimated corpse gets in way over his head; the other is Robocop. The guys talk about the weird, child-friendly legacy of Robocop's hard-R dystopian satire; and marvel at the pre-internet-porn sensation of Sharon Stone's star turn in Basic Instinct.Also, does Michael Douglas play the dumbest cop in cinema history?Like Peter Weller's cyber-enhanced agent of the law, this episode is part genuine analysis, part gentle ribbing--all in good fun!Show Links:Watch the Robocop (1987) trailer.Watch the Basic Instinct trailer.Keep up with all of Mike Crowley's goings-on at You'll Probably Agree and 25YL.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian has the time of his life talking with Neal Fischer, author of Being Patrick Swayze!Sure, this colorful, hilarious hardcover may feature drinking games, trivia, fashion tips, and a bona fide connect-the-dots puzzle of the iconic Road House star--but Fischer's book is also a sweet and insightful examination of a dancer, actor, and conservationist who left the world far too soon.In this episode, Fischer talks about growing up a Swayze fan; some of the performer's notable triumphs and challenges; the years-long process from inspiration to publication, and even shares some brain-bending material that didn't make it into the book!Plus: The guys look back on 35 years of Dirty Dancing!Being Patrick SwayzeE is now available wherever books are sold, courtesy of Chronicle Books.Show Links:Watch the Dirty Dancing trailer.Buy Being Patrick Swayze.Follow Neal on:Twitter InstagramHis website...and on the Triviality podcast Read The Chicago Tribune's article about Neal and Being Patrick Swayze.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Mark look at one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, Singin’ in the Rain!Co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, the film centers on a Silent Era Hollywood power couple whose careers are upended by the advent of "talkies". Turns out the picture-perfect pair isn't so perfect, and their uncertain future in front of and behind the camera spins out into schemes, new dreams, and lots of hummable themes.In this unabashed love fest of an episode, the guys talk about their experiences with the movie; the miracle of its pop-cultural rediscover after a not-so-stellar first run, and what it can teach us about the current state of Hollywood films and celebrity culture.Singin’ in the Rain is now available on 4K UltraHD from Warner Bros.Show Links:Watch the Singin’ in the Rain trailer.Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.And keep up with his maniacal minute-long movie reviews on TikTok!Watch Mark's "Disk-covery" review of Warner Bros' 4K UltraHD release of Singin’ in the Rain. Purchase your copy of Singin’ in the Rain from your physical media merchant of choice.And learn more about the upcoming Sawdust City Fright Fest (mentioned by Mark in the episode).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

It was bound to happen: the latest "Accadmia Giallo" officially becomes a debate class as our fearsome faculty debates Dario Argento's Trauma!Asia Argento stars in this thriller about a young man trying to help a teenage girl find the serial killer who murdered her parents before the killer comes after them. The twisty and twisted 1993 horror movie has long divided Argento fans, and the finer points of the argument are well represented here. Watch as half the class defends the bizarre acting, nonsensical storytelling, and ham-handed "big issues" narrative overlay--while the other half makes a case for these not being staples of the maestro's previous works (at least not to the degree they're cranked up here).As a bonus, we welcome special guest J. Blake Fichera, author of "Scored to Death" Volumes I and II, which feature in-depth interviews with horror's top composers!You won’t want to miss this show!"Accademia Giallo" is Kicking the Seat's monthly deep dive into Italian Horror's "giallo" sub-genre. And this ain't no private school, either: the chat is open to everyone who wants to chime in about the movie and all things giallo!Show LinksWatch the Trauma trailer.Further your fearful education at Horror 101 with Dr. AC!And be sure to check out Aaron's written review of Trauma! Follow Jon down into Kitley's Krypt!And listen to Jon's great new podcast, Discover the Horror!Check out Bryan Martinez's YouTube show, The Giallo Room!And follow The Giallo Room on Instagram for your daily gialli fix!Buy Blake's "Scored to Death" Volume I and II on Amazon.…And catch up with classic episodes of his Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast!Catch up on past lessons with our "Accademia Giallo" YouTube Playlist!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Aaron go "psycho" for Seth Holt's unique Hammer thriller, Scream of Fear!When Penny (Susan Strasberg) visits her estranged father's estate, she finds the old man has gone missing and must deal with a mother-in-law she's never met (Ann Todd) and a hunky but suspicious chauffeur named Robert (Ronald Lewis). Through a series of mysterious events (and the arrival of dad's shady physician, played by Christopher Lee), Penny begins to question her sanity.Ian and Dr. AC look at why Scream of Fear was so important to Hammer Films (especially to screenwriter Jimmy Sangster); how atmosphere can overcome story padding, and what we can learn from the most ludicrous series of twist endings in recent memory!Show Links:Watch the Scream of Fear (1961) trailer.Read Dr. AC's review of Scream of FearCatch 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 becomes a first-time Fellini fanatic as Pat "The Uber Critic" McDonald introduces him to 1960's La Dolce Vita!Marcello Mastroianni plays Marcello, a tabloid journalist whose penchant for drinking, smoking, and womanizing places him smack-dab in the middle of an existential crisis. Turns out putting the "bone" in "Bon Italia" isn't all it's cracked up to be--and through a series of seven vignettes, we watch this so-called "sweet life" decay into a grim battle for a wayward soul.In their annual Easter-week podcast, Ian and Pat dig into the themes, the style, and the masterful visual storytelling of this indispensable classic.Show Links:Watch the La Dolce Vita trailer.Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Sujewa welcome actor Thomas Jay Ryan for a lively and enlightening look at the movie that began his film career, Henry Fool!Writer/director Hal Hartley's bizarre dramedy centers on the contentious relationship between a Long Island garbage man named Simon (James Urbaniak) and the mysterious, eponymous drifter (Ryan) who awakens his staggering gifts as a writer. Henry Fool premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1997 and went on to win Best Screenplay at Cannes the following year.Here, Thomas opens up about what it was like transitioning from stage to screen with hot indie fixtures like Hartley and co-star Parker Posey; discovering new definitions of success in the world of acting; and reuniting with Kevin Corrigan in Onur Tukel's dynamite 2021 film, Scenes from an Empty Church!Also, learn about the most unintentional and least effective product placement in cinema history!Plus: Sujewa talks about the recent Brooklyn premiere of The Secret Society for Slow Romance and teases a possible future role for our esteemed guest!Show Links:Watch the Henry Fool trailer.Watch the Scenes from an Empty Church trailer (now streaming on Amazon Prime).Follow Thomas Jay Ryan on Instagram.For more info on Hal Hartley's movies, check out HalHartley.com.Watch Ian and Sujewa's interview with Onur Tukel, who directed Thomas in Scenes from an Empty Church.Catch up with all our past IndieSeen episodes.Find clips, making-of videos, and other cool info about Sujewa's upcoming film, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.Keep up with all of Sujewa's projects.Follow Sujewa on Twitter.Get tickets and more info about the Music Box Theatre's David Lynch retrospective, happening April 7-14th in Chicago!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Just when you thought there was nothing left to say about Morbius...Earth's Mightiest Critics weigh in on the latest Sony/Marvel joint, which stars Jared Leto as a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose quest for a solution to his rare blood disease leads him down the path...of vampirism?Critics have lambasted Morbius, and you can fully expect that trend to continue on this panel. But at least one of the Mightiest sticks up for the MCU's resident bat-brain (two guesses as to who)! But in a surprising plot twist, this round table didn't turn out to be an hour-long bash fest. Instead, we got into the positives, the negatives, the "What If's", and the downright bizarre.And stick around 'til the very end for one of the most shocking live stream endings in the history of the Internet (okay, maybe top one hundred)...Show Links:Watch the Morbius trailer.Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets: 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.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.Also, check out the Moon Knight Episode 2 round table that directly preceded this stream!Read Ian's written Morbius review!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!