Kicking the Seat

This Valentine's Day, Ian and Jeff explore the darker side of a comedy classic, His Girl Friday!

Howard Hawks' uproarious and influential rom-com centers on Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), a former newspaper reporter who clashes with her ex-publisher/ex-husband, Walter Burns (Cary Grant) over a breaking story. She's supposed to marry an insurance salesman (Ralph Bellamy), but gets tempted into covering a political conflict involving the pending execution of a cop killer (John Qualen).

His Girl Friday takes place over a rapid-talking, action-packed 12 hours, during which Hildy and Walter re-evaluate their rocky relationship. The question is: should they be together?

In this unusual look at a beloved, iconic film, the guys dig beneath the laughs to get at the heart of two characters who may not have one--caught in a business and a system too corrupt for anyone's good.

They also compare His Girl Friday to Lewis Milestone's The Front Page, which came out in 1931 and was the inspiration for Hawks' gender-swapped comedy!

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• Watch the His Girl Friday (1940) trailer.

• Pick up Criterion's recent 4K release of His Girl Friday (which includes a newly restored version of 1931's The Front Page!).

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Amanda Kramer's By Design is far more than "the movie where Juliette Lewis turns into a chair".

It's a surreal slice of cultural critique that looks at frivolous spending, shallow friendships, and the dark side of female friendships. In this brief interview, Ian talks with Kramer about casting 90s rebel icons as people their characters would have despised; finding a new angle on "wish" movies; and working with the great Udo Kier in one of his final roles!

By Design opens in theaters this Friday, courtesy of Music Box Films.

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• Watch the By Design (2026) trailer.

• Read Ian's By Design review at Kicking the Seat!

• In Chicago? Catch By Design at the historic Music Box Theatre, starting this weekend!

Count Dracula has survived such formidable filmmaking foes as Francis Ford Coppola, Dario Argento, and David Eggers. But will he shrink in fear at the might of...Luc Besson?

Jacob Landry-Jones is the latest to don the cape and fangs in this umpteenth retelling of the debonair undead Drac. Could this be the definitive version--or a slightly different rehash with goofier looking makeup effects?

Join us as we hang garlic and debate whether or not it's time to stake all future adaptations of Bram Stoker's classic novel!

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• Watch the Dracula (2026) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, you can enjoy a half-decade of Hammer Films discussions, starting with our "Hammerland" Playlist.

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Earth's Mightiest Critics are sending up smoke signals for Sam Raimi's latest horror/comedy, Send Help!

Rachel McAdams stars as Linda, a corporate executive-in-waiting who finds herself trapped on a desert island with a wounded Brad (Dylan O'Brien), who was recently appointed to the position she'd been promised. During the next several weeks, the duo alternates between teaming up and terrorizing each other, as diminishing hopes for escape reduce them to a savage, primal state.

Is this the second coming of Misery, or just gore-coated misandry?

Join us as we look at the good, the bad, and the truly ugly from the director of The Evil Dead and Drag Me to Hell!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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Show Links

• Watch the Send Help (2026) trailer.

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Earth's Mightiest Critics use their natural intelligence to review a movie about artificial intelligence--which is lacking in basic intelligence!

In Mercy, Chris Pratt stars as Chris Raven (not making that up), a detective accused of killing his wife. He is put on trial by an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson), and has 90 minutes to clear his name.

Join us as we draft a minority report and prepare to prosecute this bizarre cinematic thought-crime!

Also, Ian addresses an issue with the comments section.

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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Show Links

• Watch the Mercy (2026) trailer.

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Accademia Giallo rings in the New Year with diamonds in their eyes and murder on their minds!

This month's lesson centers on Cesare Canevari's 1968 black-hearted crime thriller, A Hyena in the Safe!

When six thieves meet to divvy up their cut of a heist after months in hiding, they find themselves getting picked off one by one by a mysterious assailant!

Join us for a look at this eccentric entry into the giallo pantheon (or IS it?)! We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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• Watch the A Hyena in the Safe (1968) trailer.

• Pick up Celluloid Dreams' recently released Hyena in the Safe Blu-ray!

• To learn more about the amazing work of Celluloid Dreams, check out Ian's 2025 interview with Guido and Lucas Henkel!

• As mentioned in the show, Ian recently began freelancing as a "Movies & TV" writer for CBR.com. Check out his article on Paramount+'s not-very-good Starfleet Academy series!

• Also, Ian recently appeared on the Spoiler Room, talking about 1981's Clash of the Titans!

• 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!

Believe it or not, Earth's Mightiest Critics aren’t ready to rage at 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple!

In contrast to Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later (which came out a mere six months ago) series newcomer Nia DaCosta provides the world's-end mania and weirdness promised by the previous film's trailer! It's hard to believe both movies were written by the same person (Alex Garland).

We won't give anything away, story-wise, ahead of the roundtable--except to say that the track suit-wearing "Jimmy" gang is nowhere near as lame as they appeared to be at the end of the last film.

Also, Ralph Fiennes deserves an Oscar nomination.

Join us for a positively infectious look at one of 2026's best films so far (no joke). We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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• Watch the 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) trailer.

• Catch up with our 28 Years Later roundtable from last June.

• Read David's review of The Bone Temple at Keeping it Reel.

• Check out Keeping It Reel's "Top Ten Films of 2025" list.

• And read Ian's debut as a Movies & TV freelance writer for CBR (talking about a possible path for Tales from the Crypt to return to TV)!

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

Earth's Mightiest Critics walk into a bar...and raise it!

This week we look at Bradley Cooper's latest dramedy, Is This Thing On?, in which a New Yorker named Alex (Will Arnette) stumbles into a new stand-up comedy career while navigating a complicated divorce.

In addition to reviewing this critically acclaimed new film from Cooper (who's proving just as capable a writer/director as an actor), we'll also talk about some of our favorite stand-up comics and the serious effects their jokes had on our lives.

Join us as we laugh 'til we cry and perfect our crowd work with your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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• Watch the Is This Thing On? (2025) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, one of the panel's favorite modern standup comics is Jim Gaffigan. Here are a couple of flashbacks to Ian's interviews with the masterful observational comic:

  • Being Frank Interview

  • American Dreamer

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".

IndieSeen kicks off 2026 on a high note with special guest Alain Martin, the first-time feature director of The Forgotten Occupation: Jim Crow Goes to Haiti!

This engrossing and thought-provoking documentary looks at the patterns of civil and colonial strife that have rocked the country since its inception. Framed as a letter to Martin's deceased grandfather, who held America in an esteem that directly countered that of his grandson, the film explores the complicated social movements, occupational resistance, corporate takeovers, and cultural strife that form the dueling identities at the heart of Haitian-American culture.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Ian and Sujewa dig into Martin's decade-plus struggle to make, refine, and release the film; the editorial choices that invite audiences to dig deeper into modern day issues afflicting the nation; and his hopes for turning his beloved homeland around.

The Forgotten Occupation will debut on various VOD platforms beginning in February, and kicks off a handful of limited runs in select cities, beginning with the L.A. premiere this weekend (more information below).

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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• Watch the Forgotten Occupation (2026) trailer.

• In L.A.? Catch The Forgotten Occupation at the Lumiere Theatre during its exclusive one-week engagement (including the 1/10 premiere with Alain and special guests in attendance)!

• Learn more about The Forgotten Occupation, including when/where you can see it!

• Support Sujewa's new film project, 53 Spaceships, the latest adventure of Cosmic Disco Detective Rene!

• Watch Sujewa's latest film, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene for free on YouTube!

• Rent The Secret Society for Slow Romance (the predecessor to Cosmic Disco Detective Rene).

• Follow Sujewa on X.

• Check out all the episodes in our “IndieSeen” Playlist!

Earth's Mightiest Critics ring in the New Year with the escapism of economic uncertainty!

Park Chan-wook's latest film, No Other Choice centers on Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) who has been out of work for several years. In a desperate attempt to eliminate job market competition, he concocts a darkly brilliant plan. It's no secret that Ian is not the biggest Park fan (who else on planet Earth thinks the remake of Oldboy is better than the original?!).

The question, then, is can this critically acclaimed new slice of dramatic social commentary--and the rest of the EMC's very best arguments--turn things around?

Join us as we seek truth, gainful employment, and airtight alibis. We'll also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

Support Kicking the Seat on Patreon, subscribe to us on YouTube, and follow us at:

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• Facebook

Show Links

• Watch the No Other Choice (2025) trailer.

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

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

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

  • 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 save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher".