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 (unfortunately) like this!

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics as we crack open some X-Files and solve the mystery of Disclosure Day's utter lack of...mystery! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Disclosure Day (2026) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, next Wednesday (6/24) you can catch a bona fide Spielberg classic on the big screen: Chicago's Music Box Theatre will unleash 1975's Jaws on the Windy City! Get tickets here.

• Speaking of Jaws, Ian mentioned a recent episode of Robert Meyer Burnett's great Robservations podcast, in which Rob pushes back on a harsh Gen Z assessment of the film!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

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, heartfelt throwback that should have absolutely kickstarted a franchise. There may also be...other points of view!

Join us as we wield the critical Sword of Power and save fans from ignoring a movie that was tailor-made for them! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Masters of the Universe (2026) trailer.

• Plus! As mentioned in the show, Ian and Mark immediately followed up this stream with a look at 1990's Lord of the Flies on the Spoiler Room Podcast!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

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, with sell-out shows and deafening buzz for the 20-year-old horror wunderkind.

But is there too much hype about a down-on-his-luck furniture store manger who discovers another dimension in the basement--or is Parsons' passion project the real deal?

Join us as we talk Escher-esque sets, zoomer horror, and much, much more in spoilerific detail! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Backrooms (2026) trailer.

• Watch the creepy shorts that started the Backrooms phenomenon!

• Bonus! Mike worked his compositing magic to make Ian's meme dream come true!

• 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 read Rob Kojder's legendary reviews at Flickering Myth.

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 the pack, willing to stand up for the serialized adventures of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his wuvvable "Baby Yoda" sidekick? Join us as for a Beskar-bashin', spoiler-sprayin' sound-off--plus your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Mandalorian and Grogu (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".

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 dream come true. Of course, things go horribly wrong, and Bear soon learns that unearned unconditional love can be literal Hell on Earth.

Obsession has crazy word-of-mouth, a stellar opening-take (compared to its miniscule production budget), and enormous buzz around Navarrette. But is Curry Barker really the new face of horror? Or just a slick re-packager of the millennial genre fare he grew up with?

If so, with a movie this effective--does it matter?

Join us as we obsess over one of the year's wildest moviegoing experiences! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Obsession (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".

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 as we chisel out a spoilerific masterpiece of Italian analysis--while also taking your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Who Saw Her Die? (1972) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, we previously covered Lado's Short Night of Glass Dolls. Check it out here.

• And, Ian talked with Guido and Lucas Henkel of Celluloid Dreams about their Short Night of Glass Dolls home video release.

• Flash back to Kicking the Seat's review of Nicholas Roeg's 1973 thriller, Don’t Look Now, which is a great companion piece to Who Saw Her Die?!

• If you liked Ian's mini-review of Obsession during the show, join Earth's Mightiest Critics live this Wednesday at 8pm CST for a spoilerific roundtable review!

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

• 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!

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 flopping in theatres and with critics and audiences--but does this radical reinterpretation deserve all the hate?

Join us on a spoilerific trip to the "Laughterhouse"! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Animal Farm (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".

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 the good doctor use this newfound knowledge to help humanity? Or will he do something quite different?

In this spoilerific examination of the movie that gave us "Percepto" (which, contrary to myth, does not involve jolting moviegoers with electric shocks), the guys dig into what makes the movie cheesy instead of campy--and why its "cheesy" reputation is unfair!

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• Watch the Tingler (1959) trailer.

• "Castle Freaks" is the next leg in our classic horror journey. If you're new to the channel, catch up with our 5-year "Hammerland" series, which wrapped up last year!

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!

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• Watch the Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (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".

The film centers on "substitute sheriff" Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk), who has landed in the titular Minnesota backwater after its previous lawman died mysteriously. Ulysses soon learns that not everything in Normal is "Minnesota Nice": a botched bank robbery reveals a conspiracy that forces him to fight his way out of a town that's gunning for him.

In this brief, spoiler-free conversation, Ian talks with Bob and Derek about their unlikely creative partnership that has spanned three movies in five years; creating innovative kill scenes; and investing more into action/comedies than just gags and gunfights.

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• Watch the Normal (2026) trailer.

• "Castle Freaks" is the next leg in our classic horror journey. If you're new to the channel, catch up with our 5-year "Hammerland" series, which wrapped up last year!

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 movie, which was still in its infancy--but does Bread Machine rise to its early promise? Find out in this spoilerific review--and, if you're in New York this weekend, be sure to check out the premiere at Rollin Studios.

The guys also talk about what movie-lovers can expect from 3I/ATLAS, which will feature wild films, great guests, and greater conversations!

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• Watch the Bread Machine (2026) trailer.

• Watch the trailer for the 3I/ATLAS Film Festival!

• As mentioned in the show, Ian and Sujewa interviewed Bread Machine writer/director Rick Schmidt a couple years ago--in which he talked about his initial ideas for the movie!

• 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!

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."

Did audiences at the time miss out on a fun and funny, mold-breaking adventure? Or were they right to give a razzberry to Zane's pulpy, purple-clad putz?

Join Earth's Mightiest Critics for a spoilers-slamming superhero spectacular! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Phantom (1996) trailer.

• Pick up The Phantom on 4K, now available from Kino Lorber!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• As mentioned in the show, this weekend sees the debut of Sujewa Ekanayake's 3I/ATLAS Film Festival, taking place at Brooklyn's Rollin Studios! For tickets, showtimes, and more, click here.

• 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".

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 fireballs and chain-chomps to settle the "Are the Mario movies good?" argument once and for all (or at least, for now...)!

Join us for a spoilerific game of 1-UPsmanship! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) trailer.

• Check out the latest installment of "Target Audience", in which Ian and Luke discuss The Super Mario Galaxy Movie from a young fan's perspective!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• 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".

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 does Galaxy stack up to 2023's Super Mario Bros Movie Movie? Is it worth leaving the house to see on the big screen, or can you wait for streaming?

Let's a-go find out!

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• Watch the Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) trailer.

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

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 later?

Martin stars as Jonas Nightingale, a traveling huckster who, with his fleet of tour buses, brings a faith-healing and gospel music show to small towns across America. After breaking down in Rustwater, Kansas, Jonas and his crew set up shop for the week--and rake in cash from a financially and spiritually strapped community that's in the throes of a ruinous drought. But what happens when a suspicious sheriff (Liam Neeson) and Jesus himself push Jonas towards a dark night of the soul?

This spoilerific installment features perspectives from a lapsed Catholic who'd never seen the film until show prep, and a recently renewed Catholic who's loved Leap of Faith since seeing it as a teenager.

What follows is a wide-ranging look at faith, doubt, the movies, and how even the seemingly sickest of seeds can yield a humbling crop of salvation.

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• Watch the Leap of Faith (1992) trailer.

• Keep up with Pat at HollywoodChicago.com.

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

Tonight, the EMC will pay tribute to a great film and dig into the character's decades-long struggle with various aspects of belief, non-belief, and everything in between.

Join us as we unearth the secrets of Raiders's enduring legacy and the Indy franchise's spiritual thematic resonance! We also take your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, Ian recently saw Raiders of the Lost Ark at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre, as part of the "Auditorium Philms" series--in which attendees watch classic movies projected on the big screen, with live orchestral accompaniment! Check out the full 2026 lineup here!

• Also mentioned in the show was Ian's recent appearance on The Spoiler Room Podcast, discussing Wall-E. Give a listen!

• 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".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe, like, and comment on Kicking the Seat here on YouTube, and check us out at: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- kickseat.com: https://kickseat.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/u35249528 X: https://x.com/KICKSEAT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickseat/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kickseat/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show Links -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support ALL of Earth's Mightiest Critics at our various outlets: Get educated with Don Shanahan at Every Movie Has a Lesson: http://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/ ...And Film Obsessive: https://filmobsessive.com/ ...AND the Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6G0dYEHovZsjHd2ItOuRL2 Check out Mark "The Movie Man" Krawczyk's The Spoiler Room Podcast: https://www.specialmarkproductions.com/spoilerroompdcs.html Get seated with Cati Glidewell, The Blonde in Front! https://www.youtube.com/@theblondeinfront Follow David Fowlie's film criticism at Keeping It Reel: https://keeping-it-reel.com/ Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot! https://theestablishingshot.org/ Keep up with Annie Banks at Comic Book Resources: https://www.cbr.com/author/annie-banks AND We Got This Covered: https://wegotthiscovered.com/ Make Nice with Mike Crowley of You'll Probably Agree: https://www.ypareviews.com/ And save your celluloid soul with Dave Canfield’s Substack, "Creature Feature Preacher"! https://creaturefeaturepreacher.substack.com/

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 couple's spiritual salvation, Stu and his large, wacky family devise a plan to bring Alan into the faith during the weekend of their wedding. Premarital is unlike any film the guys have seen.

This wide-ranging discussion begins with a spoiler-free assessment before diving into the bold screenplay by Ingraham and co-writer Margaret Bienart, which drops as many f-bombs as truth bombs (and, unfortunately, broad comedy clichés).

The question is: Does it work?

Premarital opens in theaters this Friday, April 3rd.

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• Watch the Premarital (2026) trailer.

• Fun Fact: Jim O'Heir was Kicking the Seat's first recurring podcast guest! Flash back to these fun 2017 interviews centered on the indie films Landline and Middleman!

• As mentioned in the show, Ian and David talked about the 2025 family drama, A Little Prayer, which came to mind while watching Premarital. Take a look!

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 perilous journey, he encounters an unexpected fellow traveler; together they must find a way to save their worlds--and, hopefully, return to them.

Critics and audiences have fallen in love with Project Hail Mary, but one crank is willing to go head-to-head against the prevailing wisdom (and you'll never guess who it is...).

Join us as for a spoilerific space exploration, which will include your questions, comments, and SuperChats!

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• Watch the Project Hail Mary (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".

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 the world's six ruling families, now vying for ultimate control via another round of Hide and Seek.

This time, the weapons are deadlier, the stakes are higher, and Grace's younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton) has been roped into the outrageously bloody game of survival.

This film is a welcome surprise, and a fine counterpoint to Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!, which we reviewed on the show a few weeks back. We invite you on a leisurely, spoilerific walk down the aisle as Ready or Not 2 gets its due!

From writing strong female characters, to shifting this movie away from the "horror" category, and a trend that slightly hurts this film and others--there's a lot to get into with this one.

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• Watch the Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) trailer.

• Enjoy this 2019 flashback, in which Ian and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews look at the original Ready or Not!

• Did you know that both Kicking the Seat and friend of the show Jon Kitley's Discover the Horror Podcast have been nominated for "Best Podcast" at the 2026 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (aka the Rondos)! If you enjoy what we do, please vote via the link below (our category is #20 on the list, which also includes nominees for "Best Magazine", "Best Movie", etc.). Thanks! For a full list of nominees and voting instructions, click here.

• 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".

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

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Show Links

• Watch the Fifth Cord (1971) trailer.

• As mentioned in the show, you can check out The King in Giallo podcast's review of The Fifth Cord for even more insights!

• 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!