Kicking the Seat

Ian talks with writer/director Ruth Platt about her grief-tinged ghost movie, Martyrs Lane!Ten-year-old Leah (Kiera Thompson) befriends the childlike apparition (Sienna Sayer) floating outside her bedroom window. Through a series of eerie and increasingly dangerous games, Leah discovers a terrible family secret that her new companion seems hellbent on resolving.In this spoiler-free conversation, Platt talks about the evolution of Martyrs Lane from horror film to emotionally charged atmospheric spook story; working with fearless child actors; and using practical effects and environments to accomplish scares in the absence of a big-studio budget.Martyrs Lane is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.Show Links:Watch the Martyrs Lane trailer.Subscribe to Shudder (or start a 7-day free trial).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with co-writer/director Janek Ambros about his bold and bizarre film, Mondo Hollywoodland!A 5th-dimensional traveler teams up with an L.A. mushrooms dealer to explore Tinseltown's scenic heights and depraved lows in this psychedelic sci-fi dramedy. Comprised of trippy, quick-cut bookends and three central chapters that skewer modern culture and politics with a sharp and indiscriminate double-edged sword, Mondo Hollywoodland is the furthest thing from a played-out stoner pastiche.Janek shares his unconventional path to success in Hollywood; the importance of doing social commentary well in movies, and how Oscar nominee James Cromwell helped get eyeballs on Mondo Hollywoodland! Mondo Hollywoodland is now available to rent or own on Amazon.com.Show Links:Watch the Mondo Hollywoodland trailer.Rent or own Mondo Hollywoodland on Amazon.com.Keep up with all of Janek's projects at his studio, Assembly Line Entertainment.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and David review two monster docs about the evolution of creature effects in the movies!Doppelganger Releasing and Music Box Films recently put out The Monster Collection, a 3-disc Blu-ray set featuring The Frankenstein Complex and Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters (as well as a third disc packed with extra features). Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet explore the history of cinematic makeup and special effects, from simple rubber appliances to actors in rubber suits to wholly digital creations--and all the bizarre innovations in between!Featuring interviews with legends like Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, Joe Dante, John Landis, Guillermo Del Toro, and dozens of others, both documentaries illuminate the struggle to create, expand, and save an art form that has come to define the way we experience movies.Ian and David talk about both films, their lifelong love of practical special effects, and some of the startling revelations they discovered while digging through The Monster Collection!Show Links:Watch the Frankenstein Complex trailer.Watch the Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters trailer.Click here for a complete list of special features, and to order The Monster Collection.Follow David's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Armond White returns with an episode he not only named but also suggested: A look at two films featuring The Talking Heads front-man, Davide Byrne!Byrne's directorial debut, True Stories, turns 35 this year, and finds the aloof musician wandering the streets of fictitious Virgil, Texas on the eve of its sesquicentennial celebration. More than three decades later, Byrne emerged with 2020's American Utopia, the film version of his hit Broadway show, directed by Spike Lee.Ian and Armond examine the sociopolitical themes in both films and offer a counter to some of the ideas they find unsettling. From Byrne's apparently elitist view of middle America; to an embarrassing self-flagellation in service of bumper-sticker activism, the guys track the bizarre twists and turns of an artist they'd once greatly admired.NOTE: Due to some technical issues (possibly a bum internet connection), the audio and video aren't as solid as they could be. We're working on a fix for next time.Show Links:Watch the True Stories trailer.Watch the David Byrne’s American Utopia trailer.Follow Armond at The National Review.Order the book that inspired this discussion, Armond's Make Spielberg Great Again.Listen to Ian's earlier True Stories conversation with RogerEbert.com's Nick Allen on the Kicking the Seat Podcast #393.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Amber Sealey will be the first to tell you that there are too many movies about serial killer Ted Bundy.She's also made one herself.No Man of God tells the story of Bill Hagmaier (Elijah Wood), one of the first FBI profilers, and his years-long Death Row interviews with Bundy (Luke Kirby). Eschewing sensationalism in favor of highly charged performances and dialogue taken from the actual interviews, Sealey adds a new dimension to the killer's ghoulish legend.In this illuminating conversation, Sealey talks about how she got involved with the project; working with Hagmaier, and the unique perspective she brought to a well-worn story.No Man of God is now playing in theatres and is available On Demand.Show Links:Watch the No Man of God trailer.Keep up with all of Amber Sealey's projects at her website.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and David smash all their mirrors and talk about Candyman!Nia DaCosta's long-delayed sequel to the 1992 cult hit of the same name brings everyone's favorite reflective reaper into the 21st century. An inspiration-starved Chicago artist (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) falls down an urban legend rabbit hole, bringing him face-to-face with a blood-thirsty hook-handed phantom--as well as a terrible secret from his mysterious past.This is a confused and confusing follow-up, and the guys dive deep into the problems (and pluses) of producer Jordan Peele's message-laden horror film.There are spoilers right out of the gate, so if you want to experience the movie fresh, check back after you've had a chance to catch up!Show Links:Watch the Candyman (2021) trailer.Read Robert Daniels' Candyman review at Polygon (referenced in this episode).Read Ian's capsule review for the original Candyman (1992).Follow David's film criticism at Keeping It Reel.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

In their eighth and most jam-packed episode yet, Ian and Aaron look at three Hammer films from 1970: Horror of Frankenstein, Scars of Dracula, and Taste the Blood of Dracula!Yes, it was a busy year for the house of horror, and each of these films offers a unique take on their respective legendary franchise. From Dracula taking a backseat to his children of the night; to a Frankenstein origin story that's more Austin Powers than Mary Shelley, there's a lot of weird steam still to be let off on these series--even after more than a decade of churning out sequels!The guys take on each film, with only a cursory review of Scars--since they talked about that way before their official Hammerland project (link to that audio podcast below).Join us next month for the thrills and chills of 1971!Timestamps:Intro: 0:00 - 5:57Taste the Blood of Dracula review: 5:58 - 34:15Scars of Dracula review: 34:16 - 40:17Horror of Frankenstein review: 40:18 - 56:16Outro: 56:17 - 1:00:06Show Links:Watch the Taste the Blood of Dracula trailer.Watch the Horror of Frankenstein trailer.Watch the Scars of Dracula trailer.Listen to Ian and Aaron's pre-Hammerland podcast on Scars of Dracula.Keep up with all of Aaron's reviews at Horror 101 with Dr. AC.Dying for more? Check out our other monthly horror series, "Accademia Giallo"!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

For this landmark episode, Ian and Cole not only look at Rob Reiner's big-screen adaptation of the Stephen King novella, "The Body", they celebrate 700 episodes of the Kicking the Seat Podcast!Four kids living in Maine (or is it Oregon?) venture into the woods to find a missing boy. Bullies, trains, leeches, and abrasive authority figures are just a few of the obstacles they face on their journey--which also includes a healthy dose of bonding and interpersonal conflict.In this spoilerific discussion, the guys break down the differences between King's words and the screenplay by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans--which Ian calls "a perfect adaptation, if not a faithful one."Show Links:Watch the Stand By Me trailer.Keep up with all of Cole's literary criticism at The Quill to Live.Check out Cole's TikTok channel, BookRush.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with actress Carly Pope (Popular, 24) about her role in Neill Blomkamp's latest film, Demonic!The writer/director of District 9 and Elysium tiptoes into horror with a techno-spiritual thriller about a woman named Carly who receives a strange invitation to visit her estranged, comatose mother. A cutting-edge medical research facility has created a virtual reality portal through which the two can communicate--and which may also contain a malevolent presence eager to visit our world.Pope talks about collaborating with Blomkamp on an indie film during a global pandemic; acting in a virtual environment; and getting into the mindset of a character experiencing bizarre, escalating traumas.Show Links:Watch the Demonic trailer.Read Ian's review of Demonic at Kicking the Seat.Chicagoans can catch Demonic this weekend at the historic Music Box Theatre.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff, whose feature debut Habit premieres in select theatres and On Demand this Friday, August 20th!The photographer/model/actress/music video director makes the leap with a wild story about three women who masquerade as nuns in order to escape the wrath of a crazed drug lord. Far from the quaint fare of Sister Act or Nuns on the Run, Habit is a candy-colored, hypersexual plumbing of the depths, populated by eccentric underworld lunatics and a main character whose relationship with God is...unique.Shirtcliff shares what it was like writing the movie with childhood friend (and star) Libby Mintz; how she came up with Habit's evocative 90s aesthetic; and what her God-fearing mother thought of the final film!Show Links: Watch the Habit trailer.Keep up with all things Janell at her website.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!