Kicking the Seat

The two-year Slowdown project comes to an end as Ian and Sujewa tackle the mother of mainstream Slow Cinema, Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life!In 2011, Ian wrote a scathing review of one of the worst films he'd ever seen. Eight years later, he met a very patient filmmaker during an interview for the movie Werewolf Ninja Philosopher--a filmmaker who would become a friend and guide through the wide, wild, weird world of Slow Cinema.Now, after nearly two dozen discussions about leisurely, ideas-laden oddities, Ian and Sujewa Ekanayake examine Malick's meditation on life, the universe, and everything, as seen through the evolution and collapse of a middle-class 1960s Waco, Texas family. How does the film hold up on second viewing (for Ian) and as a first-time experience (for Sujewa)?How do Malick's religious themes impact the story and those who receive it? And just how much film knowledge should audiences be expected to have before taking on unconventional movies? Unlike The Tree of Life, we've got tons of answers ready to go!Plus: Find out what lies ahead for Ian and Sujewa's arthouse-movie musings!Show Links:Watch the Tree of Life trailer.Read Ian's (since-disavowed) 2011 Tree of Life review.Listen to Ian and Mark Krawczyk discuss Malick's spiritual successor to The Tree of Life, Knight of Cups, on The Spoiler Room Podcast.Listen to Don Shanahan and Will Johnson debate The Tree of Life on the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast (referenced in this episode).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.Order Criterion's The Tree of Life Blu-ray, which includes Matt Zoller Seitz's two-part video essay on the film (as discussed in this episode).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Simply put, Val is one of the year's best documentaries.Ian and David discuss this intimate look at actor Val Kilmer, as told through a literal warehouse's worth of home video footage that spans decades, dozens of movies, and a doozy of a personal life.Despite finding stardom in blockbuster fare like Top Gun and Batman Forever, the actor's uncompromising search for truth through performance jeopardized his familial relationships and gained him a reputation for being difficult. Co-directors Ting Poo and Leo Scott dig deep, weaving connections with spiritual sources as diverse as Kilmer's deceased younger brother, Wesley, and the legendary Mark Twain. Watch as Ian and David talk about how they'll never be able to watch some of Kilmer's most iconic roles the same way again; their awe at Val's creativity; and the beauty of a documentary that invites viewers to decide how authenticity is on display--versus narrative manipulation.Val is now streaming on Amazon Prime.Show Links: Watch the Val trailer.Order your tickets to the After Hours Film Society's special August 16th screening of The Sparks Brothers (hosted by David!).Learn more about the After Hours Film Society. And if you want to get your hands on one of the Val Kilmer scrapbooks mentioned in our conversation...start saving your pennies.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Fresh off of last week's special screening of The Breakfast Club at the historic Tivoli Theatre, Ian caught up with the Sixteen Candles and The Dead Zone star Anthony Michael Hall to talk about his latest project; coming full circle in his acting career; and a certain movie that took home five Razzies in 2002!(The Tivoli event also served as a benefit for Multiple System Atrophy and a red carpet for Hall's latest film, The Class, which is now filming in Elmhurst, IL!) Show Links:Learn more about The Class and follow the production on Facebook. Watch The Breakfast Club trailer.Learn about how you can help fight Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and support Dan Cantillon, in whose honor last week's event took place.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

We're celebrating Harry Potter's birthday a bit early this year, with a "Page2Screen" review of The Goblet of Fire! Ian and Cole uphold their annual tradition with a literary look at the fourth book in the fantasy phenomenon, which finds Harry Potter competing in a dangerous wizarding competition while also contending with the return of He Who Must Not Be Named!This episode presents a big change in Ian's affection for the book series' big-screen adaptations, and in the next hour the guys will break down the problems (and pluses) of director Mike Newell's wildly divergent version of events.Show Links:Watch the Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire 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 and Aaron continue their sinister sojourn in Hammerland with a look at Terrence Fisher's 1969 opus, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!This is Aaron's favorite Hammer Frankenstein movie, and for good reason. A culmination of all the features leading up to it, the story centers around the mad scientist (Peter Cushing) attempting to steal the secret of artificial life from a fellow doctor who's been locked up in a mental institution.Blackmail, murder, deceit, and the darkest action of a career marked by dark actions--this film pushes what we know about Victor Frankenstein's ruthlessness to the very limit.The guys dig into this vital series entry, comparing and contrasting it with its predecessors; looking at the differences between the competing mad scientists; and praising the work of this movie's "monster", Freddie Jones.Also, Ian re-contextualizes an emotionally moving scene, thus ruining it for Aaron forever!"Hammerland" is our monthly look at the 1950s-1970s Hammer Studios horror films featuring Dracula and Frankenstein.Note 1: Due to a computer issue, this episode looks a little different from previous installments; hopefully the back-and-forth "speaker view" isn't too distracting.Note 2: Toward the end of the show, Ian and Aaron lay out the next few episodes. They get a couple of dates wrong, and the order of the films they'll be discussing is a bit out of whack. Just stay tuned. It'll all make sense by the time they leave Hammerland!Show Links:Watch the Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed trailer.Catch up with all our previous Hammerland adventures!Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with writer/director Bobby Kennedy III about his narrative feature debut, Fear and Loathing in Aspen! The film centers on Hunter S. Thompson's 1970 campaign for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, and stars Jay Bulger as an uncannily striking doppelganger of the renowned gonzo journalist.Kennedy opens up about the Thompson he knew as a boy, and the impact his writings about the famous family had on him as a young adult. He also shares some of his own adventures in gonzo filmmaking, and talks about what Thompson's legacy means today.Fear and Loathing in Aspen is now playing in select theatres, courtesy of Shout! Studios.Show Links:Watch the Fear and Loathing in Aspen trailer.Learn more about Shout! Studios' upcoming releases.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian interviews Wyatt Rockefeller about his debut feature, Settlers!Sofia Boutella and Jonny Lee Miller star in this sci-fi drama about a couple raising their daughter (Brooklynn Prince) on the Martian frontier. Beset by a series of tragedies, the family must learn to survive isolation, the elements, and other forces that may have a claim to their outpost.In this discussion, Rockefeller talks about the film's inspiration; handling potentially traumatizing material while working with young actors; and whether or not his experiences as a trustee for The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and as a senior official in the Obama EPA influenced the way he approached the movie's themes.He also makes a surprising connection between Settlers and the project he's writing now.Settlers opens in select theatres and will be available On Demand Friday, July 23rd from IFC Midnight. Show Show Links:Watch the Settlers trailer.Learn more about The Rockefeller Brothers Fund.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

How does someone leap from producing movies with Martin Scorsese to making their own movies?Find out as Ian talks with first-time feature director Randall Emmett about his new thriller, Midnight in the Switchgrass! When a Pensacola cop's investigation into a deranged serial killer intersects with a routine FBI human trafficking case, two agencies must race against the clock (while also combating bureaucracy and difficult personalities) to prevent the murderer from striking again.Megan Fox, Emile Hirsch, Lukas Haas, and Bruce Willis star in a drama that's unlike many other films in this subgenre.Emmett's decades-spanning producing credits include movies as wide-ranging as The Irishman, Boss Level, Silence, and the 2006 Wicker Man remake with Nicolas Cage. In this brief but very enlightening interview, he talks about the catalyst that pushed him out from behind the producer's desk and into the director's chair; the challenges of shooting his first movie during a pandemic; and why he hopes his film will give voice to the voiceless. Emmett also offers a glimpse into his next project.Midnight in the Switchgrass opens in select theatres and On Demand this Friday, July 23rd.Show Links:Watch the Midnight in the Switchgrass trailer.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Sujewa open up several cases of worms while discussing Barry Jenkins' breakthrough feature debut, Medicine for Melancholy!The Oscar-winning director of Moonlight started out nearly a decade earlier with a vibrant and challenging $15,000 indie about 24 hours in the lives of two San Franciscans getting to know each other after a one-night stand.The guys dig into the politics of relationships, gentrification, and diversity in indie film. They also discuss Sujewa's surprising role in promoting Jenkins early on, and talk about the future of their monthly movie-chat collaboration!Show Links:Watch the Medicine for Melancholy trailer.Read Sujewa's 2007 blog post about minority filmmakers (referenced in the show).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.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with filmmaker Jonathan Schroder about his new documentary, The Boys in Red Hats!On January 18, 2019, a group of Covington Catholic High School students made headlines when their field trip to Washington, DC's Lincoln Memorial turned into a national scandal. Native American activist Nathan Phillips approached 16-year-old Nick Sandmann while beating a drum. Sandmann's reaction became known as "the smirk heard 'round the world" and ignited a controversy centered on race, privilege, and the notorious "Make America Great Again" hats worn by Sandmann and many of his classmates.Filmmaker and Covington Catholic alum Jonathan Schroder talks with Ian about a film he'd never intended to make. What began as a defense of his alma mater quickly became a politically muddy exploration of arguments from both sides of the spectrum. From making the leap to feature filmmaking; to making tough choices in the edit; and the challenges of bursting ideological bubbles, the guys dig deep into one of the year's most insightful and provocative films!The Boys in Red Hats opens Friday, July 16th, in select theatres and On Demand.Show Links:Watch The Boys in Red Hats trailer: https://youtu.be/p1wgGy9paTUBeginning Friday, you can catch the film in select theatres and On Demand, including via Music Box Direct.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!