We're long overdue for a mailbag, so let's dive in together (while also celebrating a certain subscriber milestone)

Join me for a look at the best, the worst, and the ugliest comments I've received since late January! I also respond to your real-time questions, feedback, and SuperChats in the chat!

If you’d like to see your comment read and responded to in this or a future "Don't Read the Comments" video, simply...leave a comment on YouTube, kickseat.com, Facebook, or Twitch!

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Ryan Coogler has made believers out of Earth's Mightiest Critics!

Sinners is the best film of 2025 so far, and continues a hard-charging streak of smart, game-changing genre pictures that could make this one of the best movie years in decades.

(Jinx!)

Michael B. Jordan stars as twin criminals Smoke and Stack Moore, who return to Mississippi after seven years building their ill-gotten fortunes in Chicago. They enlist several local acquaintances, including their young Christian guitarist cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), to help them open a juke joint at the edge of town. All goes to plan, until three mysterious strangers ask to join in the fun--and don't take kindly to being turned away.

If you don't know anything else about Sinners, please, please, please avoid trailers, spoilers, word-of-mouth--anything that might give away the heart (dare we say, the meat) of the film.

Just go see it (in IMAX, if you can) right away!

Then join us for a spoilerific celebration of the movie many of us have been waiting for.

We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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Show Links

• Watch the Sinners (2025) trailer.

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • 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.

  • And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

As Pat says in today's episode, it's not a Good Friday, it's a Great Friday--which is fitting, as the guys review The Greatest Story Ever Told!

George Stevens' epic adaptation of the life of Christ turns 60 this year, and it holds up as one of the most sprawling and "cinematic" tellings ever committed to film!

In the latest installment of "There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia", Ian and Pat talk about the film's spotty Biblical accuracy and undeniable visual poetry; the wild cast of characters (including Max von Sydow as Jesus, Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate, and John Wayne's infamous quarter-million-dollar cameo as a Roman soldier); and Hollywood's "Jesus curse"!

You'll also learn about the film's different versions--and which one to seek out for the best possible viewing experience!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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• Watch the Greatest Story Ever Told trailer.

• Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.

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

The Amateur is a hilarious new comedy about a CIA analyst whose world is turned upside down when he finds out the Agency isn't trustworthy!

Or did Earth's Mightiest Critics read the latest Rami Malek vehicle totally wrong?

Join us for secrets, spoilers, and your SuperChats (plus regular ol' comments and questions)!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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Show Links

• Watch the Amateur (2025) trailer.

• Bonus! Listen to Ian's vintage interview with The Amateur star Rachel Brosnahan!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • 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.

  • And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

Ian and Armond return with a look at Steven Spielberg's first (and wildly underappreciated) theatrical film, The Sugarland Express!

Based on a true story, the movie follows Clovis and Lou Jean Poplin (William Atherton and Goldie Hawn), a couple of married Texas convicts whose young son has been taken away by the court. Their kidnapping of a highway patrolman named Maxwell Slide (Michael Sacks) sparks a state-wide police chase--and more wrecked cop cars than The Blues Brothers!

In this spoilerific retrospective, the guys look at this unique bright spot in the careers of both Spielberg and Atherton (who would become known primarily for playing smarmy villains in classics like Ghostbusters and Die Hard), and how The Sugarland Express fits in with the storied history of the American "road picture"!

Plus: Get a sneak peek of their next review!

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• Watch the Sugarland Express (1974) trailer.

• Bonus! For a preview of our next episode with Armond, read his January writeup on Day of the Locust in the National Review.

• Can't get enough Armond White? Check out our "Movies with Armond" Playlist!

• Order the book that inspired these regular movie chats: Armond's Make Spielberg Great Again.

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza's Warfare is now in theatres, and we can't recommend it enough! Based on first-person accounts of a 2006 attack on US Navy SEALs in Iraq, the film offers a harrowing, on-the-ground look at modern combat.

In this spoilerific review, Ian and Cati dive into what makes this a standout among the war-picture genre--and share their experience of having front-row seats to the Chicago premiere, with the co-directors and star Will Poulter in attendance!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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• Watch the Warfare (2025) trailer.

• As mentioned in the review, you can catch the full Q&A from last month's Music Box Theatre special screening, featuring co-directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, and star Will Poulter!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • 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.

  • And make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree.

A Minecraft Movie is high-gloss, empty-calorie, IP garbage...right?

Not so fast, ya zombies!

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics as we build a case for the year's biggest box office sensation--directed by the guy who brought you Napoleon Dynamite!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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Show Links

• Watch the A Minecraft Movie (2025) trailer.

• Bonus! Check out Ian and Luke's "Target Audience" review of the movie!

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • 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 stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.

Ian and Luke enter a world of swords, zombies, and cube-shaped chickens!

Yes, it's time for a "Target Audience" review of A Minecraft Movie! Can fans (and non-fans) of the video game enjoy Warner Bros' big-screen adaptation? How does Minecraft stack up to other recent console-to-silver-screen releases? And what about those freaky McDonald's Grown-up Happy Meal toys?

Join us for this mildly spoilerific mini-review, and find out!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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• Watch the A Minecraft Movie (2025) trailer.

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

It's April. It's Accademia Giallo. It's your fearsome faculty getting downright foolish!

This month we're talking about The Editor, Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy's stalker send-up, in which a film editor gets wrapped up in a series of murders! Join us for a presentation on parodying the perilous!

We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

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Show Links

• Watch the Editor (2014) trailer.

• 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!

If you've seen Drew Hancock's Companion, you know that explaining it to those who haven’t seen it is nearly impossible--which is why Earth's Mightiest Critics are assigning you homework for this livestream!

The late-January release is still playing in some theaters (Go, go, go!), but you can also rent/buy it On Demand. It tells the story of Iris (Sophie Thatcher), a young-and-in-love young woman who's accompanying her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid), on a weekend getaway with his friends at a remote luxury cabin.

Yep, that's all we can tell you, besides:

Don’t watch the trailer.

Don’t look up the synopsis.

Don’t look at the movie poster or any streaming/physical media cover art.

But definitely do watch the movie and then join us for a complete breakdown of one of the year's sharpest, surprising, and downright relevant films!

We'll escort you down a spoilerific path of twists, turns, and totally messed-up ideas! We also answer your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at:

• kickseat.com

• X

• Letterboxd

• BlueSky

• Instagram

• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the Companion (2025) trailer.

• Companion is now available on 4K from Warner Bros.

• Support all of Earth's Mightiest Critics at their various outlets:

  • Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast.

  • Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.

  • 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 stir things up with Will Johnson of the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast.