Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).
The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.
The special unfolds in three acts, each a love letter to classic Mickey and Minnie charm:
What follows is a magical scavenger hunt across the snow-laden valley. But there’s a twist: Pete, ever the grumpy neighbor, has convinced himself that Christmas is a nuisance. Unbeknownst to the gang, he has accidentally trapped the real Christmas Star in a jar, believing it to be a "dangerous falling satellite." The race is on—not just to wish, but to soften the hardest heart in town. Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas