Kicking the Seat

The lesson of Disclosure Day is that the truth is out there...and no one cares! Steven Spielberg's return to sci-fi with a movie that's less close encounter than close call. Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt star as two strangers who find themselves at the heart of a corporate conspiracy involving aliens who've been visiting Earth for decades. You've seen this story a thousand times, but never (unfort...

We. Have. THE POWERRRRRR!!!! Or do we? Many of Earth's Mightiest Critics really enjoyed Travis Knight's Masters of the Universe --then again, we were the select few who actually bothered to watch this spectacular box office flop. In this special Sunday night livestream, the gang will plunge headlong into a spoilerific defense of a movie that, while far from perfect, stands as an action-packed, hea...

This week, Earth's Mightiest Critics take on the film that killed Star Wars ! Okay, technically, Obsession did that a few days ago, but we're talking about the number one film at the box office: Backrooms ! Kane Parsons' eerie exploration of otherworldly liminal spaces began as a series of YouTube videos, and has expanded to feature length. The transition has proved quite the global sensation, wit...

Star Wars is back! Kinda... This week, Earth's Mightiest Critics resurrect their Mandalorian review series, "What if He Doesn't Survive?", for a live roundtable review of Season 4. Officially, this is a "movie", but who're we kidding? This two-plus-hour Fett quest is writer's strike TV at best, and a case for leaving Star Wars the pop culture rearview at worst. But will a lone warrior emerge from...

Everybody's talking about Obsession , but the conversation doesn't truly begin until Earth's Mightiest Critics chime in! This week, the gang looks at Curry Barker's bold new horror film, which some are already hailing as a genre classic. When Bear (Michael Johnston) chickens out of professing his love for lifelong crush, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), he turns to a novelty wish-making toy to make his dr...

Why not round out the school year with a relaxing trip to Venice? Well, none of us can afford that, so we'll just talk about Who Saw Her Die ? instead! Aldo Lado's 1972 thriller stars George Lazenby and Anita Strindberg as an estranged couple pursuing a mysterious killer in a black veil. The maniac is obsessed with murdering red-headed girls, and one of the attacks hit very close to home! Join us...

All livestreams are equal, but some livestreams are more equal than others! Tonight, Earth's Mightiest Critics hog-tie Andy Serkis' "adaptation" of George Orwell's landmark, anti-Communist cautionary tale, Animal Farm ! This 3D animated outing from Angel Studios features an all-star voice cast and a significant change in focus that entirely misses the point of Orwell's novel. Animal Farm '26 is fl...

Ian and AC face their fears with a look back at William Castle's landmark 1959 thriller, The Tingler ! Vincent Price stars as Dr. Warren Chapin, a pathologist obsessed with discovering what scares people to death. Turns out there's a creepy microscopic organism living in all of us that, at peak moments of fear, grows exponentially and grips our spinal columns. The only release...is to SCREAM! Will...

Brendan Fraser is back! And he's bringing his whole globe-trotting, evil-fighting crew with him! What? Oh... Sorry... Join Earth's Mightiest Critics for a spoilers-packed unwrapping of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy --a film that's been savaged by critics and shrugged at by audiences. But is there more to this than a warmed-over Evil Dead Rise , wrapped in dusty gauze? Find out what we have to say! Suppor...

Ben Wheatley's latest action film, Normal , is now in theaters. Ian recently sat down with star Bob Odenkirk ( Mr. Show , Better Call Saul , Nobody ) and writer Derek Kolstad (creator of John Wick , Nobody ) for a quick, fun, and informative interview. The film centers on "substitute sheriff" Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk), who has landed in the titular Minnesota backwater after its previous lawman...

IndieSeen bakes up more arthouse deliciousness with a look at Rick Schmidt's latest film, Bread Machine ! Ahead of its debut at this weekend's 3I/ATLAS Film Festival in Brooklyn, Ian and Sujewa dig into this quirky comedy about a struggling family who decides to launch an independent bakery out of a relative's living room. In a 2024 IndieSeen interview, Schmidt actually talked about the premise of...

The 1990s saw a string of 40s-themed flops--serial-inspired adventure movies that audiences roundly rejected. The nail in the coffin was Simon Wincer's The Phantom , in which Billy Zane plays (no joke) a "descendent of a line of African superheroes" who "travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power....

Until last weekend, Project Hail Mary was the number one movie in the world. Alas, it has been dethroned by a blockbuster of truly cosmic proportions: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ! Though the film has made a Bowser-load of cash, not everyone is bowled over by its charms. It's a classic rivalry between reviewers and regular Joes and Janes. And this week, Earth's Mightiest Critics bust out the fire...

Blockbuster season is already under way, and Ian and Luke have returned to discuss the year's biggest film: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ! In this quick, spoiler-free "Target Audience" review, your intrepid youth culture reporters look at Mario, Luigi, and Peach's space-hopping escapades as they seek to rescue a Princess, tame a dinosaur, and keep up with a roguish starfox named...Star Fox! How do...

Kicking the Seat ends its special Holy Week series with one of our favorite traditions: the Good Friday episode of "There's No Stalgia Like Nostalgia"! Today, Ian and Pat look back at one of the most unusual films of Steve Martin's career, the 1992 box office disappointment, Leap of Faith ! Moviegoers mostly gave this offbeat dramedy the cold shoulder, but are there signs of redemption 34 years la...

Raiders of the Lost Ark turns 45 this year and, for Earth's Mightiest Critics, Steven Spielberg's globe-spanning archeological adventure is a foundational part of their love of movies! But after nearly half a century and countless viewings, there's still a lot to discover about Harrison Ford's fascist-fighting scoundrel--and his intriguing relationship with faith. Tonight, the EMC will pay tribute...

Ian and David look at a very different kind of religious comedy--one that may have you praying for the filmmakers! Robert Ingraham's Premarital is like an Unrated Meet the Parents , as filtered through the lens of Protestantism. Jim O'Heir stars as Stu Whitaker, a Michigan pastor whose daughter, Sophie (Kelly Jakle), is about to marry a non-believer named Alan (Mark Hapka). Concerned for the young...

Project Hail Mary has enjoyed stratospheric success at the box office, providing Amazon Studios with its biggest hit to date. But does it work as an adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling novel? Does it even work as a movie? Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a junior high science teacher who is recruited to help develop a spacecraft that will investigate the gradually dimming sun. During his per...

Ian and Jeff can't hide their love for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come ! This smashing sequel to 2019's splatter comedy finds Grace (Samara Weaving) in custody for the violent murder of the family she'd just married into. Turns out the cops don't believe her story about a cult of demon-worshiping billionaires who challenged her to a deadly game of...you guessed it! Grace finds herself at the mercy of...

Spring is in the air, and so is bone-chilling terror! Accademia Giallo returns with a look at Luigi Bazzoni's 1971 thriller, The Fifth Cord ! Franco Nero stars as Andrea Bild, a tough, alcoholic journalist whose latest story puts him right in the middle of several murder investigations! Join us for hard-boiled horror, giallo-style! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats! Support Kic...