Kicking the Seat

Ian and Cole are dying to share their thoughts on Albert Brooks' brilliant afterlife comedy, Defending Your Life!Brooks plays Daniel Miller, an L.A. advertising exec whose accidental death finds him on trial in an otherworldly courtroom. This rich, inventive comedy also stars Meryl Streep and Rip Torn. The guys dig into the movie's many surprises, including deep themes, an off-beat pop-cultural legacy, and a main character whose lack of dimension sticks out like a sore thumb."Late Screening" is Kicking the Seat's monthly series in which 'Millennial Correspondent' Cole Rush watches a film he's never seen before and talks with Ian about the experience.Show Links:Watch the Defending Your Life trailer.Read Alex Tas's excellent article on Mad Max: Fury Road at The Quill to Live (referenced in this discussion).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

It's a fight to the fatality as Ian and David dig through the guts of Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat!When a down-on-his-luck MMA fighter discovers he's been chosen to defend Earth from alien brawlers, he must train with a team of disparate warriors and discover his inner mystical powers.The guys talk experience, expectations, and evisceration in this spoilerific look at a film that one of them enjoyed and the other thinks is a prime example of why video game movies are mostly a waste of time.Also up for discussion are the film's "reasonable" racism; its place in the pantheon of recent Asian-centric blockbusters; and whether or not it's fair to compare McQuoid's movie to the 1995 big-screen adaptation.Mortal Kombat is now playing in theatres and streaming on HBO Max.Also, the Mortal Kombat score by Benjamin Wallfisch is now available wherever you buy music.Show Links:Watch the Mortal Kombat (2021) trailer.Watch the Shang-Chi trailer (referenced in this discussion).Follow David's film criticism at Keeping It Reel. Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

We're getting back to our roots!After having explored several "Slow Cinema Adjacent" films in recent months, Ian and Sujewa enjoy a very chill and thought-provoking experience with Bas Devos' Ghost Tropic.The movie follows a custodian who must make her way across Brussells in the middle of the night, after being stranded at a train station. Devos captures her encounters and discoveries with immersive realism--for the most part.Ian and Sujewa discuss the film's origins; its oddball sequel possibilities; and whether a handful of narrative missteps were enough to affect their overall appreciation of the work.Show Links:Watch the Ghost Tropic trailer.Rent Ghost Tropic via Cinema Guild. 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 George Gallo about his latest film, Vanquish!Morgan Freeman stars as a paraplegic corrupt ex-cop who enlists the help of his assistant (played by Ruby Rose) to collect money from various gangsters around the city. His assistant, of course, has a shady past in which she used highly dangerous skills to do illicit things--meaning these will be far from courtesy calls.Ian attempts to keep George from giving away spoilers as they discuss getting the film made; its surprise powerhouse actor; and what the writer of Bad Boys and Midnight Run learned from making this film that felt new, after more than thirty years in the industry.Vanquish is now playing in select theatres and will be available On Demand beginning April 20th.Show Links:Watch the Vanquish trailer.Read Ian's Vanquish review at Kicking the Seat.Listen to Ian's interview with Ruby Rose from last year, in which she talked a bit about Vanquish.Read David Fowlie's interview with George Gallo at Keeping It Reel (don't worry, they talk about different things!).Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and David review Thunder Force, the latest "comedy" from Melissa McCarthy and writer/director Ben Falcone.When a blast of cosmic energy turns Earth's sociopaths into supervillains, a brilliant scientist (Octavia Spencer) and a slovenly forklift operator (Melissa McCarthy) team up to keep Chicago safe.This off-brand, off-key comic-book movie baffled our intrepid hosts, who delve into Thunder Force's nonsensical premise; its misuse of spectacularly talented performers; and its potential damage to the image of female-led comedies.Show Links:Watch the Thunder Force trailer.Read David's Thunder Force review at Keeping It Reel.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian talks with writer/director Nicholas Jarecki about his latest film, Crisis, which is now available On Demand.The drama weaves together three stories about America's drug war, centering on a DEA agent (Armie Hammer); a university professor (Gary Oldman) who moonlights as a Big Pharma researcher, and a single mother (Evangeline Lily) who takes the law into her own hands following a tragedy.Jarecki talks about the reason he wanted to tell this story; the mixed critical response, and the scandal surrounding CRISIS that made more headlines than the movie itself.Show Links:Watch the Crisis trailer.Read Ian's Crisis review at Kicking the Seat.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

It's a battle millennia in the making! Godzilla vs. Kong tore up the international box office last week, and has finally landed stateside.Theatre owners hope this will be a titanic leap toward recovery. Warner Bros is betting that the giant-lizard-versus-giant-ape movie will boost its HBO Max subscription service.But is it any good?That depends on what your definition of "good" is.Ian, Don, and David break down the carnage, characters, and clichés of Adam Wingard's CGI smash-fest, and take on the age-old debate of whether or not movies like this should even be approached with a critical eye.Show Links:Watch the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer.For more of each guest's thoughts on GODZILLA VS. KONG, check out their written reviews:David Fowlie at Keeping It ReelDon Shanahan at Every Movie Has a LessonIan Simmons at Kicking the Seat Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

The Color Purple had such a profound impact on film critic Armond White (and, to his mind, the pop landscape of 1985) that he marked it as an era in his latest book, Make Spielberg Great Again.Today, Ian and Armond look at Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated drama, and the movie that both inspired and mirrored it, D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm. Despite having been released more than a half-century apart, and despite focusing on two distinctly separate worlds (the Jim Crow South and Revolution-era France, respectively) both stories center on young sisters ripped apart by oppressive cultural forces--eventually reunited by a love that transcends geography, violence, and treachery.This spoilerific discussion includes thoughts on the changing attitudes about race and representation in film; how Spielberg, in adapting Alice Walker's novel for the big screen, channeled a grand narrative legacy that includes Griffith, Ford, and Dickens; and Armond's eye-popping pick for the heir to the Spielberg/Griffith throne!Show Links:Watch The Color Purple trailer.Watch Orphans of the Storm free on Amazon Prime (no trailer available). Follow Armond at The National Review.Order the book that inspired this discussion, Armond's Make Spielberg Great Again.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Pat continue their not-quite-annual Easter tradition of talking about a religious-themed movie during Holy Week.1973's Godspell is the perfect cinematic allegory for two recovering Catholics who dig the message of Jesus without the pageantry and prognosticating of a church superstructure. Victor Garber stars as a hippie-era Messiah who recruits a diverse group of apostles in modern-day New York. Together they frolic through an empty Big Apple, singing and acting out spiritual teachings that awaken new ways of seeing the world--in each other and in the one who assembled them.The guys break down the history of Godspell (which had a "dueling asteroid movie" relationship with Jesus Christ Superstar); examine director David Greene's scrappy and sparse aesthetic, and make a case for this being one of the most effective representations of the Passion Play ever filmed.Show Links:Watch the Godspell trailer.Listen to Ian and Pat discuss Kevin Smith's Dogma on the Kicking the Seat Podcast. Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.And check out Pat's brand-new interview with Godspell star Robin Lamont:Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!

Ian and Aaron continue their tour of Hammerland with 1964's The Evil of Frankenstein!Hammer Films' first collaboration with Universal Pictures opened up many creative possibilities, but Freddie Francis' out-of-continuity sequel is as lumbering and unfocused as the creature in its title (and, yes, the guys explain why, in this case, they're comfortable referring to "Frankenstein" as the monster instead of the scientist who created him).Despite the film's bizarre tone, retconned origins, and atrocious monster makeup, Ian and Aaron find a lot to love--especially Peter Cushing, who makes the most out of his utterly confused Victor Frankenstein!Part history lesson, part therapy session, this episode is not to be missed!Show Links:Watch the Evil of Frankenstein trailer.Keep up with all of Aaron's reviews at Horror 101 with Dr. AC.Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!