Have You Ever Seen

Surprise...it's a bonus episode! Have You Ever Seen #634 is another Ryan solo show. And in it, the monologue is about baseball players, journalists and a lot of liars. Meet John Doe's climax also takes place on Christmas Eve, so Frank Capra's rabble-rouser is timely in that way. It's unfortunate his speech-filled dramedy isn't funnier though, even if it's certainly inspirational. Gary Cooper plays a homeless man who isn't actually suicidal or an idealist, but Barbara Stanwyck had written a newspaper column saying he is...so they run with that lie. Meet John Doe ends up being populist v tycoon (a tycoon who highjacks the movement for his own ends) with a country galvanized by a forgotten man saying all the right things...even if he started out as a fraud. Fire this thing up.

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With Christmas just a few days away, the 633rd episode on this Have You Ever Seen channel is the right time to talk about one of the funniest holiday movies. The Santa Clause is not just a consistent laugh-getter. It's also touching...and those are 2 good reasons the flick has been so rewatchable. Tim Allen made his film debut in John Pasquin's blockbuster and it's like we said about Galaxy Quest: cast him in the right role and it's hard to think of anyone better. He's the bad dad who's forced into being the jolly man in red...but was it all a set-up? We talk a lot about that. We also talked a lot about The Santa Clause 2, since we watched that a few days later. So bring your broken family together at the holidays, call off your amber alert (not "orange" alert) and use a snow globe to get your dad to come home from work as we have a good old time yapping about The Santa Clause.

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Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were at the height of their careers when they jumped at the chance to work with the great Stanley Kubrick. He hadn't directed a movie in 12 years, then he died before Eyes Wide Shut was even released...so it turned out to be his final film. And it's a long, complex film, which Kubrick took over a year to shoot. It's a sex movie that isn't very sexy...but was that intentional? And even though the centrepiece scene is a ritualistic orgy that leads to threats and possibly murder, was Kubrick actually making a comedy? Whether others find Eyes Wide Shut to be a hoot or not, there are undeniably serious themes like jealousy, infidelity and death. We analyze Kidman & Cruise and their real-life marriage in this 632nd episode too, also addressing the hype and gossip that came out of the legend of Eyes Wide Shut. So strap on a mask on and do a lot of watching during a not-very-erotic orgy as Have You Ever Seen pieces through the infamous Eyes Wide Shut.

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Billy Crystal was on a big hot streak in the late '80s and early '90s, topped by this comedy-western blockbuster. Ron Underwood directed City Slickers and did a terrific job balancing the laughs with all the mid-life crises of the 3 main characters. It's a comedy with some sting. What this film does best is connect with middle-aged men who are going through the things that Crystal, Bruno Kirby and Daniel Stern are. Jack Palance though plays a man who knows about that "one thing"...and he was the one who won an Oscar. So ride horses, rope cows and connect with your best buddies on a cattle drive as the 631st edition of Have You Ever Seen yahoos it up for City Slickers.

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Bev is off for this 630th edition of Have You Ever Seen, so Ryan is in monologue mode talking about The Polar Express. The turn of the century saw Robert Zemeckis direct 3 consecutive motion-capture animated films (2 of which are Christmas movies), which were expensive and, to many viewers, very off-putting with that "uncanny valley" quality of the character's faces. Tom Hanks wore the tight suit to portray a half-dozen characters and he does just as many voices, although he mostly mostly sounds like Tom Hanks playing the conductor and Santa Claus. This (horror?) film is pretty exciting though, with the kids often put in terrifying danger on that train. Zemeckis' long career is also thoroughly analyzed because it's been a "tale of 2 Bobs", comparing the first 20+ years of his career to the last 20. So, Hero Boys and Hero Girls, believe in the artistry while you wonder, as many did, why The Polar Express couldn't be as fun as it is odd.

Well, Actually: Cast Away was overlooked as one of Zemeckis' Top 10 hits, so 5 of his Top 10 films did in fact get released this century.

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Danny DeVito has done all manner of laughter, seriousness and biopics for going on 50 years. When he directs movies though, they tend to be dark comedies. Pitch black. Case in point, the often-meanspirited War Of The Roses, which is his best and funniest film. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are just about at their career best as the (title) hateful married couple. They're rich yuppies, who have everything, until they commit to destroying it all because neither will let the other get to keep their big house. He's oblivious and patronizing while she's resentful and, eventually, murderous. But since DeVito's tongue is always in his cheek, it's a lot of fun. So don't let your empty nest get wrecked by spite. Take a breath, cherish those tchotchkes and, for the love of the kids, listen to the 629th edition of Have You Ever Seen as we talk about the Roses going to War.

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The 628th edition of Have You Ever Seen has Ryan doing a monologue about The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. William Dieterle directs this adaptation of Victor Hugo's tragic novel as a strange love triangle, with both Cedric Hardwicke's Frollo and Charles Laughton's Quasimodo falling hard for Maureen O'Hara's Esmeralda. Perc Westmore's makeup and many other technical aspects of this production are quite impressive, but the huge Notre Dame set and Laughton's performance as the title character are A+. A theme of persecution by both the fickle masses and by the bloodthirsty powers-that-be was timely when Hunchback was made in the late '30s, but it unfortunately remains relevant today. And while the Hunchback Of Notre Dame is not a fun film, it's a pretty terrific one.

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Bob Fosse's autobiographical musical about how he makes art until he dies is all about a guy who's doing too much and can't cope, yet he's compelled to never stop working. Name an addiction and he's got it. Yet his 8 1/2-esque story---with Roy Scheider playing a heightened version of his director---is a potent one, with all its flashy editing, production design and terrific choreography. We weren't huge fans of the songs in All That Jazz, but these actors sure can dance, especially Ann Reinking (whose name is pronounced "Rine-king"). So...5, 6, 7, 8...put on some black clothes and do your heart-killing morning routine every day as the 627th edition of Have You Ever Seen pieces through All That Jazz.

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Sometimes we turn into a fanboy and a fangirl for an entire episode...and this is one of those times. Have You Ever Seen #626 has us absolutely loving Galaxy Quest, which is director Dean Parisot's best film and it's also probably the best-ever Star Trek movie. All the characters get terrific arcs, but particularly Tim Allen as the arrogant commander. As great as he is in the leading role, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Enrico Colantoni and especially Sam Rockwell are hilarious throughout too. They play bad actors from a cancelled sci-fi TV show who get to become heroes, as Colantoni and the alien Thermians enlist the humans to battle a great villain (Robin Sachs as Sarris). And the obsessive nerds who worship the stars of their favourite show get to be heroes too. So discover that intense fandom can be what saves your life as we rave and then rave some more about Galaxy Quest.

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Our 625th episode is another Ryan solo show, with the topic of the day being George Cukor's 1954 take on A Star Is Born. Judy Garland plays a movie star on the way up while James Mason plays a movie star on the way down. While Garland was the one who was struggling with addiction in reality, Mason's character is the one who's a raging alcoholic bringing much pain to his wife, who also happens to be his discovery. She sure can sing though in this "musical"...and she sings a lot. The film is WAY too long and, while Cukor's version is a favourite of many, Bradley Cooper's 2018 ASIB is just plain better. In any case, imma let you finish your speech at an awards show, but first let's talk about tough times in Hollywood as Have You Ever Seen analyzes a beloved classic.

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A sci-fi movie about nuclear war sounds like a depressing way to honour veterans on their day, but not when the podcast is about one of the greatest (horror) movies ever made. James Cameron didn't have much of a budget to make The Terminator, but it started a franchise. And it stars the unlikeliest of movie stars, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton are terrific too, but Ah-nuld playing a murderous machine is his signature role, even if he's all wrong for an infiltration unit. He's a futuristic, murderous cyborg who's sent back in time to kill the woman who will become the mother of leader of the resistance. The chase is on. The Terminator is thrilling and it never lets up and it's all built on the back of a great screenplay. Yeah, Cameron introduces a lot of paradoxes and they don't all track, but the actors are so good in these roles that their intense performances make up for a lot of the "but how?" angles. So upgrade your pet from a lizard to a dog and prepare for a horrific future while this 624th edition of Have You Ever Seen has Ryan monologuing about The Terminator.

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Nice and uplifting movies like The Straight Story are a welcome sight in a world that's evermore cynical and meanspirited. David Lynch, a man known for sex and violence, was an usual choice to direct a real-life story about an elderly man riding his lawnmower across state lines just so he could visit his ailing brother. Still, despite some wonky acting from some of the non-professional actors, this is one of the director's finest film. Sissy Spacek is pretty great in her limited screen time as Richard Farnsworth's daughter, while Farnsworth's last performance is probably his BEST performance. He's just remarkable, playing a thoughtful man who's near the end of his life. His often-watery eyes have often inspired one of us to have watery eyes watching this film. So spend some quiet time looking up at the stars as you slowly motor across the heartland while our 623rd podcast glides through the G-rated loveliness of The Straight Story.

Well, Actually: to clarify what the Salon reviewer Charles Taylor wrote about this movie, he said "it's as wonderfully strange as anything Lynch has done".

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Happy Halloween! Scary Movie Month comes to an end with this 622nd edition of Have You Ever Seen. No, this episode isn't about George Romero's 1978 zombie classic where humans hole up in a mall. Ryan's 3rd solo show in 3 days is about Zack Snyder's intense 2004 remake. The original had plenty of blood, guts and thrills, but also a lot of satire. This has even more gore, better acting and action scenes that are even cooler. Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames lead a not-remarkably-famous cast, most of whom DO hold their own and give us a few more emotional moments than you might expect in an action/horror movie. Jake Weber and the scene-stealing Michael Kelly are the standouts. So be one of the last of the Mall-hicans as this monologue grabs the car keys, hits the gas and races away from the undead in an apocalyptic Milwaukee.

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Even though The Blair Witch Project didn't invent the genre, it's probably the best-known and the biggest hit of all the found footage movies. The online marketing campaign was especially revolutionary. It's a shame that Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez never hit these heights again as writers or directors, but they got so much mileage out of their made-up story, considering it was mostly improvised by the then-unknown Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams. The unresolved mystery takes a lot of heat for its ambiguity, yet Ryan's one-man show talks about how haunting the whole thing still feels 25 years later. This 621st edition of Have You Ever Seen also talks a lot about who or what might have caused these 3 to disappear. So face the wall on this penultimate day of both October and of Scary Movie Month as this episode tries to figure out the horrific deal in The Blair Witch Project.

Additional note: both the fake documentary "The Curse Of The Blair Witch" and the 2016 "Blair Witch" have been rewatched since recording this podcast. The "doc" is indeed very effective and even quite eerie. And while the 2016 sequel has its moments, Adam Wingard is WAY too reliant on jump scares and loud shock moments to bother building the dread the original Blair Witch did.

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Halloween Week = extra episodes! Ryan talks by himself here about the 1979 Amityville Horror...and a little about the other Amityville flicks too...all of which are based on a horrific real-life tragedy that led to a (possibly made-up) haunting in that same house. James Brolin and Margot Kidder play newlyweds who move into a place on Long Island with her 3 kids, then it starts messing with all of them...especially Brolin's mind. Chairs rock on their own, furious flies fill a room, fathers get mad and walls bleed...but will the Lutzes listen to what Rod Steiger heard early on and "GET OUT"? In any case, for God's sake, download the 620th edition of Have You Ever Seen as Stuart Rosenberg's fairly-effective horror show is discussed in fairly humorous detail.

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We kick off a big week on Have You Ever Seen with our 619th episode, a gab about Tim Burton's (probably) best film. One of the quirkiest directors of all time was actually fairly grounded making this lighthearted biopic. Johnny Depp is troublesome these days, but you can't question his work in Ed Wood as the optimistic, yet stunningly self-unaware title filmmaker. And while the entire cast is right there with him, it's the Oscar-winning Martin Landau who stands out the most as horror icon Bela Lugosi. Ed Wood is also quite sympathetic to Ed's lifestyle, whether it's that he's transgender and hasn't pulled the string on that just yet...or it's simply that he likes to wear women's clothes. In any case, Burton and the team accept the weirdness of this entire crew...and also their lack of talent. So be-vare and take carrrrre as we present a talk about the exploits of the "worst director of all time".

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Most of our choices so far in this year's Scary Movie Month haven't been all that goosebump-inducing. Creature From The Black Lagoon isn't very frightening either, but Jack Arnold's film WAS influential, especially on Guillermo Del Toro and his Oscar-winning The Shape Of Water. The Gill Man in this 1954 Universal Monster flick might look corny now in his creature suit, but the underwater shots the crew got and the stunts they all did down there remain impressive. The most-famous scene is, of course, when the creature yearns for Julie/a Adams as she swims on the surface. Ah, the loneliness of the outcast. But while the title character is violent, you could also say that he's provoked. There's a lot of "bad guy" blame to go around...to Gill AND to the Richards, Carlson & Denning. So set sail on the Rita with our 618th podcast in your ears as we discuss the soggy doings in Creature From The Black Lagoon.

Well, Actually: the pronunciation of Ricou Browning DOES seem to be "Rico". Also, the 1975 and 2005 King Kong films should have been called "remakes", not "sequels". Also also, Arthur Ross wrote "The Creature WALKS Among Us", not "The Creature Among Us".

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Fridays mean Ryan posts monologues on Have You Ever Seen and our 617th episode digs a one-man hole into Pet Sematary. Mary Lambert's 1989 horror show about unholy reanimation keeps on reminding us that "sometimes dead is better". The one who's always saying that, Fred Gwynne, is probably the best actor in this cast, although he's not THAT much better than the underwhelming Dale Midkiff or Denise Crosby. The horror highlights in the last act are excellent though. Pet Sematary also has many links to The Shining, which are 2 of the most-vivid Stephen King books. No, this gore-soaked film isn't close to perfect, but it might chill your blood more than once. So stop listening to the coot who lives across a very dangerous road and start listening to the 617th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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This is our 31 days of films that have chills & thrills, but Have You Ever Seen's 3rd posting in Scary Movie Month (and our 616th episode overall) is far more funny than it is frightening. Just like Shaun Of The Dead last week, much mirth results from nitwits dealing with reanimated corpses. Mel Brooks' beloved blockbuster is a satire of the classic Universal monster story and he's got his co-writer Gene Wilder leading a fantastic cast. Gene is a riot himself in one of Ryan's Top 10 fave comedies, even if Young Frankenstein turned out to be A LITTLE less of a grin-fest than it's been in the past. The comic highlights remain some of the most-hilarious of all time though, particularly the blind man, "Puttin' On The Ritz" and just about everything Marty Feldman and Madeleine Kahn do. So play some violin to calm Peter Boyle's savage beast as you gulp down this super-duper-like-Gary-Cooper monologue about Young Frankenstein.

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The first episode in Scary Movie Month 2024 that the Ellises are doing together gets into the second leg of Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy. We covered Hot Fuzz a few years ago, but this one that put the Englishman on the map is—-to one of us—-funnier...and is his best film. As always with Wright and Simon Pegg, the flick is jammed with clever references to other movies. And in their zombie rom-com, they found the perfect pace while also finding ways to eek humour out of frightening or disgusting or even stupid situations. Nick Frost plays a horrible friend, but he's a grin-getter. Pegg is the funniest one in the cast though. So, pickle, head to the shop for an ice cream & a Coke, then make amends with your mum, your stepdad and also your girlfriend as you run the 615th edition of Have You Ever Seen under a cold tap.

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Bob Clark made his name directing popular comedies in the '80s like Porky's and A Christmas Story, but his 1974 horror flick about a home-invading murderer has become a classic too. And that's good because Scary Movie Month 2024 is here! The ending of Black Christmas is one of the best in the history of horror...even if it also has MANY flaws. Ryan's one-man show gets into that, but also talks about how this film just might be better than ever. Clark's direction and his use of the camera are dynamite. Leading ladies and sorority sisters Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder are lovely, but this is not a nudity-drenched slash-'em-up. And in the annals of the "final girl", Hussey in Black Christmas is one of the greatest. So hang up the phone, be pro-choice and avoid the unseen killer in your attic as you take in Have You Ever Seen episode #614.

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We're hours away from Scary Movie Month and---while Nightcrawler doesn't exactly qualify as frightening---it IS intense. Jake Gyllenhaal is certainly at his Taxi Driver weirdest. He's also just about at his best in Dan Gilroy's investigation of capitalism-at-any-cost. Rough stuff, but it's also quite funny. Gyllenhaal plays an amoral "stringer" (a freelance videographer) who knows that ratings equals money and "if it bleeds, it leads". He'll do absolutely anything to get the shot...and then we discover the gory results. Rene Russo, Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed are effective too, but this film belongs to the worm in the lead role. So doll up to look your best before you go on the air to glorify crime scenes and put a scare in your viewers as the 613rd episode of Have You Ever Seen gets deep into the scummy world of Nightcrawler.

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Scarlett Johansson playing a cold, indifferent alien probably wasn't something her fans expected from her. She was an A-lister who was a key figure in all those Marvel movies, but here she was in Under The Skin, the only actor of note in a detached art film. The movie star even gets nude a lot in her role as a succubus who learns how to feel empathy. Jonathan Glazer's strangest film to date is Kubrickian (and Lynchian) in its style and also its themes of gender roles, sexual assault...and even meat-eating. So Under The Skin isn't perfect, but there are shots that really stay with you. Plus, it's interesting...and we mean that in a good way. This 612th podcast on the Have You Ever Seen channel tries to figure out what's going on in Glazer's 3rd motion picture (perhaps unsuccessfully), so tell us if you think we're onto something...or if ou think we're way off.

Well, Actually: Gemma Arterton's first name is in fact pronounced with a hard "J" sound, not a soft "G" sound.

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Share your own theories about this unique film. Email us ([email protected]), hit us with some tweets on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis...same @ for Bev on Threads) and give us a rating on your podcast app. Review our show too. Oh, and go to @hyesellis in your browser to find our show on YouTube. You can comment all you like, plus you can hit us with a thumbs up. And don't forget to subscribe there and on your app.

In The Thin Man, William Powell and Myrna Loy are 2 married, childless adults living in the big city...and they like to drink. It's the Ellis Story! Well, no, but the 611th episode of Have You Ever Seen features those 2 comedic tipplers Nick & Nora trying to solve a murder (which is really more his job than it is "theirs"). But is this acclaimed yucks-fest actually funny enough to be so revered for its comedy scenes? Perhaps not. This film is really more effective as a whodunnit than as a laugher anyway. One thing that can't be questioned though is that Powell & Loy were a marvelous team in all the Thin Man movies, starting with this saucy original that was released in the early days of the production code. It's a Friday, so this is a one-Ryan show. Light up the monologue!

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Contact us with your own thoughts about Thinnus Mannus. Our email address is "[email protected]". Our Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis (which Bev also uses on Threads). Plus, our podcasts always go up on YouTube at some point that same day. The location in your browser is "@hyesellis" or look for "Have You Ever Seen" in the search bar. Comment on the 'Tube, like the show and subscribe to us. Also, rate and review us on your podcast app.

Roland Joffe is not a director who's been beloved by critics over the years, but most seem to agree that his magnum opus is the Oscar-winning The Killing Fields. Sam Waterston plays an American journalist in war-torn Cambodia in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge went on a run of violence---especially against their fellow Cambodians---that was chilling. Haing S. Ngor won the Supporting Actor Oscar as Waterston's interpreter and compatriot who goes through horrors...and manages to make it out alive in this real-life tale of fear, friendship and politics. The Killing Fields is a terrific achievement. It just has to deal with the fact that other films have done similar things in the 40 years since this came out. But don't leave a man behind in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Just dial up our 610th episode, which happens to be a Ryan solo show.

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Some film shoots (like the one for Apocalypse Now) seem to last 12 years, but here's a movie with a production schedule that was DELIBERATELY that long. Although gimmick aside, Boyhood is Richard Linklater's lauded attempt to show the slow growth of a fractured family, with the focus on Ellar Coltrane going from 6 to 18. Linklater's daughter Lorelei plays Coltrane's older sister and their divorced parents are Ethan Hawke & Patricia Arquette. The adults are terrific---Arquette won an Oscar for her work as the put-upon mom who keeps finding romance with bad men---but the kids just aren't the actors that she and Hawke are. In any case, it's fascinating to see this arc in a family's life and the (mostly white) people they meet along the way. Our impressions of the exploits of the Evans clan down in Texas is the 609th chat on the Have You Ever Seen podcast channel, so snap some pictures and see what we thought of Boyhood.

Well, Actually: Jean-Pierre Leaud repeatedly played "Antoine Doinel" in Francois Truffaut movies. Also, Mason Senior becomes an "insurance actuary", not an "insurance actuarial".

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Ryan's first Friday show in 3 months tries to be extraordinary and also to seize a day or two in this monologue about Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams' performance as an inspirational poetry teacher at a posh prep school was up for an Oscar, but some critics thought his impressions of famous people was out of place. He IS funny, but his serious scenes are far more effective ("thank you, boys, thank you"). Robert Sean Leonard, a very-young Ethan Hawke and others are taught to think for themselves and to yawp barbarically in Dead Poets Society. They also learn about friendship, love and loyalty. Those topics and so many more come up in this 608th edition of Have You Ever Seen. So lock in for a ramble about an emotional melodrama where the boys learn a lot more about Walt Whitman than anyone thought possible.

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We continue our summertime trend of posting listicles on holidays as we exchange 10 (or perhaps a few more) theatrical experiences that stuck with us. Many of these are about laughing at funny movies with enthusiastic audiences, but sometimes the experience was seat-grippingly scary...or it might have even been an angry time at the flicks. Documentary festivals and just being in legendary theatres were themes too. So labour through our mere 30-minute chat about (mostly) excellent times we've had watching stuff in rooms with other people in this 607th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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Give us a buzz on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or find Bev on Threads with that same moniker. Email us ([email protected]). And look for us you YouTube (@hyesellis in your browser). Subscribe to us there, but also like and comment. Then why not rate and review our podcast on your favourite app.

2023 was the year of Barbenheimer, but it was the movie about serious science that went on to win 7 Academy Awards this past spring. Oppenheimer was also an absolute blockbuster, which is par for Christopher Nolan's course. He always just goes around making monster hits that also get critical acclaim. Although while the spectacle in this film wowed millions of people last summer, one of us hated it from the start and the other has mixed feelings about it...and about Nolan's filmmaking style in general. We talked about the issues of communism and treason, not to mention the morality of dropping nuclear bombs on people. Cillian Murphy won an Oscar for playing a man smart enough to create this weapon, but then has guilt about it. Our 606th episode also spends plenty of time yapping about the work of Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr, and many of the others in this enormous cast. So don't throw a genius under several busses for your own petty reasons as Have You Ever Seen gets into the real-life world of Doc Opp and his band of brilliant brothers.

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Franka Potente never became a bonafide movie star after Run Lola Run, but her intensely iconic work in this breakout movie remains awesome 25 years later. Tom Tykwer has had a solid career of his own since writing and directing this video-game-esque flick with the butterfly-effect gimmick. He and future collaborators the Wachowskis were making some of the coolest movies around back then, taking advantage of new technologies, narrative devices and editing techniques. In truth, while Tykwer clearly loves Potente, he doesn't do so right by Moritz Bleibtreu's Manni (and the first part of the man's last name rhymes with "tribe" by the way, not "leeb"). Bleibtreu is a whiny screw-up who needs his dedicated girlfriend to save his life by racing around Germany for 20 minutes to come up with a small fortune. Lather, rinse, repeat. So go ahead and scream so shrilly that you'll break glass as we yap about Run Lola Run in the 605th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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For our 604th drop in the Have You Ever Seen bucket, we're highlighting the steamy noir Body Heat. And, hey, what happened to sex thrillers?! Well, not everyone is as good at making them as Lawrence Kasdan was...in his debut as a director, no less. Many stars of these kinds of stories are not often as hot together as William Hurt and newcomer Kathleen Turner were. This movie made her an instant star, especially since she gets to be a lustier version of Barbara Stanwyck's brilliantly wicked character in Double Indemnity. The stars & the supporting cast (including Ted Danson & Mickey Rourke) are all quite terrific in Body Heat and---if you're new to the movie---the twists and turns will be hard to predict. Juicy stuff. So avoid a heatwave and also avoid being blown up as we discuss the many merits of Kasdan's sexy and very sweaty modern noir.

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Respond to our chats with an email ([email protected]) or a message on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev also uses that @ on Threads. And since we post all of our shows on YouTube (@hyesellis in your browser for our channel), you can comment and like and even subscribe over there. Also, rate and review our podcast in your lovely p-cast app.

In recent months, holidays have meant an excuse to post listicles on this channel, so here we go again for podcast #603. In this, we give our Hot Takes about a wide range of film topics. They include: self-indulgent Method actors, the problem with directors' cuts, the need for more sex thrillers, whether or not a certain cartoon is sexist and which big-name movie star is actually unappreciated. The merits of sequels & remakes came up too, not to mention the flawed way we measure if a movie is a hit. We also did brief reviews of big-screen films we saw during our vacation in July, such as Longlegs and Kinds Of Kindness. Hit that button to find out just how hot, cold or sometimes lukewarm our opinions are.

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Talk back to us. Our email is "[email protected]". We linger on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis, which she also uses on Threads). And it's a snap to feed back on YouTube. Our channel is @hyesellis in your browser. Subscribe there, like the show and comment as much as you want. Also follow us, rate us and review us on your podcast app.

If you are what you choose to podcast, then we choose to say a lot of nice things about Brad Bird's debut cartoon. As wonderful as the animation and the voicework are and as touching and emotional as the story is, The Iron Giant somehow failed at the box office. Maybe it wasn't funny or fun enough for people who were used to Disney style 'toons? Maybe it was too reliant on reminding us of other classics like E.T., Superman and Terminator 2? It also sets its scene in the '50s with a major theme of Cold War paranoia, which is heady stuff for kids. We applaud how mature The Iron Giant (usually) is though. One thing that's impossible to find fault with are the voice actors, led by young Eli Marienthal as Hogarth and Vin Diesel, who's perfectly cast as metallic voice of the Giant. In any case, our 602nd episode will do many things---including teach you a few facts about Maine---as we evaluate the goods and the greats about Bird's Iron Giant.

Well, Actually: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman are in fact tied with 8 Emmys, which are the most for a performer. Also, Brad Bird WAS working on The Simpsons during the Poochie episode (he was an executive consultant).

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Tell us your thoughts about this or any other movie we've reviewed. Our email address is "[email protected]". You can also reach us on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can contact Bev on Threads (@bevellisellis). We also post each of our shows on YouTube (@hyesellis in your browser), where you can comment and like, but also subscribe to us there. Rate and review Have You Ever Seen in your podcast app as well.

Joel & Ethan Coen's ultra-Jewish film was a project that was very personal to them. Their '60s-set A Serious Man takes a humorous look at the trials of Job in the form of Michael Stuhlbarg, an actor who's done many great things in the past 15 years, but this was his breakout. Stuhlbarg looks for meaning in this often-funny, but often-impenetrable and even stressful movie. While this isn't a classic the way many other Coen Brothers films are, it's as well-made and fascinating as just about anything else they've ever made. We just...might not get it? So let our 601st dose of Have You Ever Seen settle into your ears as we try to figure out what the boys are doing in A Serious Man.

Well, Actually: Upon further review, Larry's office is NOT a basement office, so he doesn't have much shelter from the oncoming storm.

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For episode #600 of Have You Ever Seen, we're completing the Quentin Quest. With this, we have reviewed everything Tarantino has directed (well, discounting Four Rooms). Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is the man's most-emotional film and it's his most-personal too. The outstanding cast is headlined by the hilarious Leonardo Di Caprio, the gruff (and Oscar-winning) Brad Pitt and the sweet-as-honey Margot Robbie. She doesn't get as much to do as the guys do, but her lovely performance always brings one of us to tears. This film is funny, it's heartfelt, it's tense and QT gets back into "revisionist history" territory when Leo & Pitt's fictional characters cross paths with the very-real Manson maniacs. Bring on the ultra-violence...and bring on the laughs! This movie about movie-making (and television-making) isn't Tarantino's #1 film, but it deepens with meaning every time we see it. So enjoy this fairy tale that often feels as real as a donut because we're talking about Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Well, Actually: Jodie Foster appeared in a few TV shows in 1969, so the young actress WAS acting right around the time this movie is set. Also, Bruce Dern worked with QT on The Hateful Eight, of course, but he's also in Django Unchained. Also also, they were shooting the Lancer pilot in February, so Rick not talking about working on that show is probably because a proper season would only start airing after the events of this movie. And Bibi from Kill Bill is played by Perla Haney-Jardine.

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The French New Wave was headlined by names like Truffaut & Godard, but Agnes Varda was a vital writer/director in the movement too. Her Cleo From 5 To 7 is set in in Paris and plays out in real time (90 minutes, though, not 2 hours). The beautiful and compelling Corinne Marchand wanders around the city, killing time until she will find out whether or not she has cancer. Cleo is a little aloof, which is partly the point, especially since she's a vain singer. Being that closed off though is partly why we didn't fall in love with Varda's opus the way Sight & Sound voters did in 2022, but we definitely have great appreciation for this B&W classic. So live in the moment as episode #599 of Have You Ever Seen has us hashing out one of the foremost of the (we think overrated) French New Wave.

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Have You Ever Seen doesn't post listicles or Top 10 lists very often, but for episode #598 on a holiday in our home and native land, that's exactly what you're getting on Canada Day. We each talked about 5 different directors and the most-underrated movie each of them has made, with an unintentional theme of twins and doppelgangers coming up again and again. Big names like Fincher, Soderbergh, Cronenberg, Reitman and Ridley Scott were amongst our 10 directors, so can you guess what we think is the film each of them made that not enough people have raved about? Play along as we count 'em down. We also opened the emailbag at the end of the podcast and responded to some recent listener feedback.

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We post our last episode in June (#597 overall) and wrap up this month of joyful movies by yapping about the hilariously quotable This Is Spinal Tap. Director and co-writer Rob Reiner and the Guest/McKean/Shearer trio lead a team of funny people through 82 minutes of improv, providing us with so many classic lines. This is the greatest mockumentary of all time, a genre that Guest made his bread and butter as a director in the decades that followed. Still, while Tap's high points are gut-busters, there are more not-so-funny sequences than you might remember. This does bog down in the middle. Nevertheless, we laughed hard at the best parts. So smell a glove or two, dance around a tiny monument and be lukewarm water as you crank it to 11 while the Ellises offer you some grins in our chat about This Is Spinal Tap.

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American Fiction is more of a dramedy or a clever satire than a true comedy, but few movies in recent years have been funnier than this is. Writer/director Cord Jefferson crafted a remarkable film, even though he balances maybe a few too many plots in his big-screen debut (racial strife, white guilt, difficult family issues, money troubles, inability to connect with people). The actors are always terrific in American Fiction though. Jeffrey Wright is especially wonderful in the leading role and he has chemistry with the entire cast, particularly with Tracee Ellis Ross. We really like this laugh-generator filled with secrets and lies, so take just a few days to write an entire book called "My Pafology" (then later call it...something else) and then settle in with the 596th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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Everybody cut (everybody cut) in the 1984 version of Footloose. The story takes us to a repressed middle-American town where dancing is outlawed until Kevin Bacon rages against that particular machine. He's the city slicker with fast feet who pushes back on John Lithgow's religious father figureness. They both do very good work here and so does the rebellious Lori Singer, but Chris(topher) Penn steals the entire film, especially when the brawny farmer learns the joy of dancing. Herbert Ross' movie also has an excellent soundtrack to help him balance the light side with the serious side. And since it's Ross, Footloose is even a musical of sorts. So don't angry dance at your workplace. Instead put our 595th episode into your '80s-era headphones and release the iron grip you have on your small town so the kids can just enjoy the prom.

Well, Actually: the mill is out of Bomont's jurisdiction because it's across COUNTY lines, not state lines. Also, the kids being terrorized by the brick through the window are Ren's cousins, not his nieces.

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There were a few keystone movies about Generation X that came out around 30 years ago, but Reality Bites is one of the red-letter titles. Ben Stiller was making his directorial debut and he also plays the third part of a love triangle with Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke. Ryder was at her peak in this time frame while Hawke---who was at least doing something different than he had been doing up until then---is insufferable. Not that Winona's character isn't often a putz in Reality Bites too. What these college grads would call selling out is what mature people learn to call being able to compromise. Anyway, the soundtrack is phenomenal and both Ryder & Janene Garofalo are really good in Stiller's dated rom-com. So do what people don't do so much anymore and light up a lot of cigarettes as these unremarkable people get up In Your Face in the 594th episode of Have You Ever Seen.

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Bogie and Bacall's first movie together was directed by Howard Hawks and was based on a book by Ernest Hemingway, so that's some serious cache. Of course, Hawks barely used anything from his friend's To Have And Have Not novel other than the title, even though the screenplay is filled with snappy lines. This is "Casablanca In The Caribbean" and it's set during the early days of World War II, but all of that is a backdrop for Bacall's star-making performance...which was also her debut. She and Bogart were married for real not too long after filming was finished, building on the sexual and romantic chemistry they have in the film. While To Have And Have Not is far from perfect, it has more than just "Steve" and "Slim", even though it doesn't need much more than them. So put your lips together and light up a cigarette (and also blow) as Ryan rides solo in this 593rd episode.

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Memorial Day is a good time to talk about a war movie, even if the intense Edge Of Tomorrow is almost as witty as it is heart-pounding. The one that's better known as "Live Die Repeat" has a Groundhog Day-esque hook as military hype man Tom Cruise restarts a day every time he dies. Emily Blunt is in "keep up with me" badass mode while Cruise uncharacteristically plays a coward who doesn't have all the answers, but eventually learns (most of) them. Director Doug Liman has built an excellent resume these past 3 decades and he's just about at his best guiding the Edge Of Tomorrow cast and crew through their "let's do it again" paces. Our 592nd episode is ready to airdrop onto the beach to take on the vicious aliens who are determined to take over the planet, so pop your buds into your ears and celebrate the holiday hearing us yap about how the Mimics and the humans of Earth fight in France...over and over again.

Well, Actually: the UDF is the "United Defense Force". Also, for the record, A Quiet Place Day One comes out in late June.

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Get in touch with us about this episode or any of our 591 others. To get to us on email, you've got "[email protected]". Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Threads for Bev is that same @. And since we post all of our shows on YouTube (@hyesellis), you can comment there and like and subscribe. You can do some of those things and also rate & review our work on your podcast app too.

After 3 weeks off, Bev returns to the podcast to chat about Alfred Hitchcock's chamber piece. His Dial M For Murder stars a few very talented liars. Well, the characters are, not the actors. The best of those is Ray Milland, who's tremendous in this as one of Hitchcock's most-diabolical villains. His wife was unfaithful and he has a coldblooded plan to get revenge...and to get her money too. Grace Kelly is that wife and she's not at her best here, although the writing doesn't help her character be much more than a plot device. Otherwise, Frederick Knott's script (based on his own play) is dynamite. Dial M For Murder was also part of the early-'50s fad of being shot in 3D, although it was rarely shown that way. And it didn't need it. When Hitch and his team are cooking, they don't need gimmicks. So get cozy in your small English flat as a stranger gears up to strangle you in this 591st edition of Have You Ever Seen, which makes the call to talk about Dial M For Murder.

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Ryan's quest to review at least one movie starring all the actors on the AFI's Top 50 Stars list has been achieved with this one-man-talk about Vittorio De Sica's comic anthology. Sophia Loren was the last one standing. She and "Mar-chell-o", not "Mar-cell-o" Mastroianni star in all 3 chapters of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow, each time as Italian lovers. The 1st part of the film where they play a horny married couple is definitely the best and funniest segment. The actors have chemistry and the result of this pairing is a blend of the light and the somewhat dark, although this IS intended to be a comedy. It isn't LOL funny, but it's an enjoyable 2 hours...and looking at the gorgeous and brassy Loren for that long is certainly a pleasure. In any case, if you need to know a 60-years-later opinion about Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow in this 590th edition of Have You Ever Seen, then ascoltare to this one.

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Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra were both tremendous movie stars, but their names haven't come up very often in 11+ years of Have You Ever Seen. So after covering plenty of dark films in recent weeks, Ryan talks alone in this 589th episode about these singers and dancers in their light musical romp. It's glossy and the songs are mostly good, but this Kelly/Donen affair is also silly and easy to mock. The 2 handsome stars---along with Jules Munshin---share the screen with Betty Garrett, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen. Garrett and Miller play a couple of fast women, who make it crystal clear just how into the guys they are while Kelly spends an entire day trying to romance the harder-to-get Vera-Ellen. And the things they all accomplish in 24 hours! So obsess about a woman you only know from a poster while you're on shore leave in New York as Ryan monologues about On The Town.

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The early-'30s were a tumultuous time, so it's fitting that we were introduced to violent gangster flicks during that timeframe. The Public Enemy & Howard Hawks' Scarface are both better than Mervyn LeRoy's Little Caesar, but Edward G Robinson's star-making performance is just as iconic as what Cagney & Muni did in their shoot-'em-up crime movies. And this is certainly a memorable film, with the pint-sized killer mowing down anyone who gets in his way. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. plays the Chicago mobster's best friend and while his character isn't as fleshed out as he could be (none of them are in this 80-minute movie, really), it takes dynamic filmmaking and committed performances to make this flick effective at all. So don't you dare squeal or it could get bloody as the 588th podcast that can be found on this channel takes a Ryan-sized look at Little Caesar.

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You can also find these productions on YouTube (@hyesellis)...or search for "Have You Ever Seen" when you're on the 'Tube. Subscribe, comment, like and do all that...and also rate and review on your podcast app. If you want to let us know what you think of us via email or Twi-X, the email is "[email protected]" and the social media @s are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis (same @ for Bev on Threads).

We've only covered Bette Davis twice before now (including the classic All About Eve), but she's nearly as good in Dark Victory as she was in that or in anything else she ever made. Geraldine Fitzgerald does solid work here too, but George Brent, Ronnie Reagan and even Humphrey Bogart just aren't as up to snuff. In any case, Edmund Goulding directs them all through a tragi-drama about a socialite (Davis) who gets a brain tumor, then falls in love with her brain doctor (Brent). And they're both liars. Have any of us been as dishonest as the lovebirds are in this film, especially when the stakes are so high? Well, despite those frustrations, this is a emotional film with a touching ending. Maybe prepare some crying towels...and don't let your prognosis of this 587th episode of Have You Ever Seen be negative as Ryan spends some time monologuing about Dark Victory.

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Tim Burton's dark 1989 take on the billionaire who dresses as a bat came decades after Bob Kane and Bill Finger invented the character. And while Ryan talks a little about the other films in this long-running series (and the '60s TV show), the star of this one-man show is the '89 Batman. Michael Keaton proved the naysayers very wrong in this stylish comic-book adaptation (is he still the best Batman ever?) and Jack Nicholson has a gigantic ball playing the Joker. The rest of the cast nails it too, Prince's songs remain infectious and Danny Elfman's great themes have become legendary. Love it, but Ryan still wisecracked a lot in this 586th edition of Have You Ever Seen (not the 585th as is said in the intro), but that's what happens when you see a movie 10 or 20 times. You love it and love to make fun of it. So stay out of a big-city alley, but DO fly your small plane in front of the moon as we conclude Revenge Month with the one about the tortured vigilante loving a shrieking Kim Basinger and hating a mobster-turned-psycho-clown.

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Our 6th of 7 episodes during this Revenge Month takes us to America's Deep South as we talk about Robert Mitchum making Gregory Peck's life a living hell in Cape Fear. What's more, the convicted rapist threatens the lawyer's family in some of the worst way's a hateful person can. "Rape" is never spoken in the dialogue, but it's a constant theme. Mitchum plays such a clever, sadistic villain. He's one of the most-sinister of anyone on AFI's Heroes & Villains list and he could have ranked even higher on that list than he did. We also talked a lot about the dubious morality in Martin Scorsese's flashy 1991 remake, but the focus of this show is on J. Lee Thompson's tense original. So, counsellors, take dangerous matters into your own hands as this 585th edition of Have You Ever Seen pokes a toe in the river before going off the deep end into Cape Fear.

For The Record: the actual Cape Fear is in North Carolina. Also, while Robert De Niro is certainly covered in tattoos in the 1991 version, he doesn't have the "love/hate" knuckle tattoos that Mitchum has in The Night Of The Hunter (and that Radio Raheem also has as knuckle rings in Do The Right Thing).

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We post all our shows on YouTube (@hyesellis). Comment, subscribe, hit the like button. Rate and review us on your podcast app as well. And give us feedback on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or with an email ([email protected]). Bev also uses that @ on Threads.

Since this is still Revenge Month, the time has come for a one-Ryan episode about Revenge Of The Nerds. Yes, there are a few controversial scenes where our otherwise-lovable heroes strike back against mean-spirited football players...although what they do to the jocks' snobby cheerleader girlfriends is far worse. But this IS a tacky, sex comedy that was made 40 years ago. Robert Carradine and especially Anthony Edwards are fun and sweet, but it's Carradine's character who---more than once---crosses the line with Julia Montgomery. Still, it's easy to enjoy the spirit and the sincerity of MOST of Jeff Kanew's silly comedy. It's also hard to beat the joyous musical number during the talent show or that inspirational ending. So laugh your obnoxious laugh while you get loaded with your geeky frat brothers as Ryan takes a nostalgia trip to talk about the Tri-Lambs, the Omega-Mus and their tormenters in the 584th podcast you'll find on Have You Ever Seen.

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Nicolas Cage can't be accused of making safe choices during his 40+ years of acting. He's appeared in his share of crap this century, but he also has plenty of terrific titles on his resume. Mandy is one of the best ones he's ever starred in and it's certainly one of his most unique. Director Panos Cosmatos leads Cage through a phantasmagoric odyssey of pain and brutality. The story takes a while to unfold, but it's fairly simple. After Nic and Andrea Riseborough's tranquility is shattered by some lunatics in a sick cult, he sets out to avenge her vicious and senseless death. Cosmatos (pronounced "Coz-MAW-tos") has only directed 2 films, but this and Beyond The Black Rainbow both have a hypnotic effect. And the violence in this mood piece really stings. So shout your best primal scream before you set out with a crossbow and The Beast during Revenge Month as the 583rd chat on Have You Ever Seen finds us trying to figure out the weird world of Mandy.

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Outside of Out Of Sight, it's hard to find a Jennifer Lopez performance that's any better than her work in Hustlers. Her fair-weather friends in this though? Well, except for Keke Palmer, not so much. But J Lo's stunning sex appeal and swagger overwhelm everything else. Lorene Scafaria's Goodfellas-esque execution of the story are pretty snazzy too. She wrote and directed about some not-very-innocent exotic dancers stealing from Wall Street jerks who (legally) stole from others during the financial crisis. Hustlers is fun and kinetic, but we debated if viewers are A-OK with these women being greedy and reckless, even though they claim they're exacting some justice. This is Revenge Month on our channel, so that mentality DOES track. But is any of the stuff in this flick feminist? You'll have to find out in this 582nd edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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Throwing some feedback our way is easy and it's encouraged. Our Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis (same one for Bev on Threads). Our email address is [email protected]. We also post all our chats on YouTube. The assignment in your browser is type in @hyesellis. Comment there and/or your podcast app. Rate, review, like, subscribe and tell the world you love the Ellis' take on motion pictures.

Blaxploitation movies were very popular with audiences 50 years ago. Jack Hill's Foxy Brown is a classic largely because of Pam Grier, who was not only a staggering beauty with 12/10 sex appeal, but she also plays a badass you could root for. And her sublime performance in Jackie Brown happened largely because of how much QT liked this flick. Ryan's monologue tackles the story, of course, but also speculates about what a modern remake might look like. The possibilities are fascinating. So wear a series of terrific outfits and avenge your boyfriend as this one-man talk---our 581st episode and our second in Revenge Month---takes Have You Ever Seen into the gritty world of Foxy Brown.

A programming note: a review of Batman will air on April 29th, while April 19th won't be a talk about Death Wish after all. It will actually be a funny "revenge" movie in that slot.

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Gone Girl begins our 2nd (Probably) Annual Revenge Month as Rosamund Pike plays a narcissistic sadist who wants vengeance on her lazy, cheating husband. Ben Affleck plays that husband, a very-flawed man who has to deal with tabloid "journalists" as he tries to figure out why his wife is missing...and possibly dead. David Fincher's mystery movie has its faults, but it's well-made (of course) and it shows off the savage determination of Pike's Amy Dunne, especially in the last 20 or 30 minutes. We tried to sort through Gone Girl's confusing climax, although that section also has some of the funniest things you'll see in any thriller. So put on your baseball cap (we didn't even bring up THAT silly Fincher/Affleck stalemate!) and mope your way through a charmed life as two people hate each other, but they find a way to make us enjoy all that in this 580th episode of Have You Ever Seen.

Well, Actually: the proper pronunciation of Gillian Flynn's first name is a hard G, similar to "gone" and "girl". Also, the editor who typically edits Fincher's movies with Kirk Baxter is Angus Wall, although he didn't help cut this one. Also also, now that they've reviewed 4 Fincher flicks, that makes one third of his output, not one quarter.

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This 579th edition of Have You Ever Seen wraps up our 9th Annual Oscar Month on the very day that also happens to be this podcast's 11th anniversary. Jojo Rabbit is one of the funniest movies of recent years and it's also one of the best. The tone is remarkable and it's consistent, especially considering something as deadly serious as Hitler, Nazis and the Holocaust are made so funny here. Credit to writer/director Taika Waititi and his cast for pulling that off. Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell are terrific, but child actors Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie and Archie Yates are the keys. They give some of the best child performances we've ever seen...and they're hilarious when they're not being touching. So goof around with your imaginary friend while learning to care about your real best friend as we tie our own shoes and have a great time discussing Jojo Rabbit.

Well, Actually: Scar-Jo doesn't just make a cameo in Avengers: Endgame. She's a major part of the entire movie.

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Jimmy Stewart wasn't a big star yet when he worked with Frank Capra for the first time in this picture. No matter. You Can't Take It With You belongs to the top-billed Jean Arthur and especially Lionel Barrymore anyway. A word that didn't come up in Ryan's solo show here is "screwball", although this Best Picture winner is clearly working in that genre. The flick just didn't make this fellow laugh. Of course, director Capra won his 3rd Oscar in just 5 years for this effort...and all 3 were screwball comedies. The man was in his element. At least his movie is genial and it's a solid-enough story. So agree with the movie's admirable message while trying to find something in it that might actually make you giggle as this 578th episode of Have You Ever Seen picks through You Can't Take It With You.

Well, Actually: Anthony Kirby Senior DOES smile before the scene with the harmonicas at the end. He grins when Penny tells Mrs. Kirby that her hobby is silly.

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Oscar Month takes us back to the long-ago past as we talk about the genial one that took home 7 Oscars 8 decades ago. But Going My Way didn't make it easy on us. This fluffery somehow one-upped the Double Indemnity at those Academy Awards. Bing Crosby even won a trophy for his role as a helpful priest, despite having a real-life personality that contrasted with his nice-guy image. Maybe he was a better actor than we thought. In any case, we can understand how a musical comedy would be welcomed during the height of WWII, but is this the epitome of filmmaking in ANY year? Well, we had some fun with Leo McCarey's flick, including speculating about who set the church on fire. We also poked the ribs of the Irish and the Catholic Church. So swing on a star with episode #577 of Have You Ever Seen as a songwriter bonds with wayward youths, lost loves and aging priests.

To Be Clear: the James Brown "football guy" who's referred to is not even the legendary Cleveland running back (that's Jim Brown, of course), but the host who used to be a football broadcaster with Fox and seems to be working for CBS now.

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It was an Oppenheimer kind of night. Some called the 2024 Academy Awards broadcast a snooze, but the Ellises had a good time watching the show, especially the comedy bits. The Mulaneys, the Cenas, the Spielbergs (yeah!) and especially the Goslings were funny and very entertaining. We also mostly agreed with---or at least respected---the people and the films that were given trophies. So settle in for the 576th episode of Have You Ever Seen as we break down what we thought about the best in 2023's motion pictures in our 2024 Oscars Post-View Show.

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Our first Best Picture winner in this year's Oscar Month, The Last Emperor, went 9 for 9 at the awards that year. John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O'Toole are all solid in the starring roles, but there's something fairly soulless and even a little opaque about this spectacular production...especially for a Bernardo Bertolucci film. Bertolucci and his team were the rare Western filmmakers to be allowed to shoot in The Forbidden City in China, as they told a story about a sheltered child surrounded by devious sycophants. Puyi might be a royal, but his comfortable life is spent in effectively a prison. The biggest problem we couldn't get past with this film, though, is that this was what the Oscars told us was the pinnacle of 1987 filmmaking, even though Broadcast News, Moonstruck, Robocop, Predator and Lethal Weapon were all out that year. So don't you dare try to leave the 575th edition of Have You Ever Seen---not until you get kicked out---as we marvel and moan in equal measure about The Last Emperor.

Well, Actually: Maggie Han was born in Rhode Island, but her parents were South Korean. Also, Licence To Kill was released in 1989, not 1987.

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Surprise! Back in January, Ryan posted a solo show talking about Horse Feathers. Well, here's another unexpected, unpromoted show about a movie star from the early days of cinema. Mary Pickford is a legend for business reasons though as much as she is for her films. She was a producer when not many women were AND she created the United Artists studio with Chaplin, Griffith and Fairbanks. Coquette is not her best-known title, but it DID win her an Oscar. And this early talkie is better than expected, especially considering the dreadful numbers on Rotten Tomatoes. Sound was still wonky in 1929, but this flick didn't suffer badly in that area. It's fairly well-made. Pickford might never come up on Have You Ever Seen again, so the focus in this 574th episode is split between the film itself and Mary P as one of the premiere power players in the first few decades of Hollywood filmmaking.

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This is our 9th Oscars Preview Show and this is one of the few times where we don't have too many bad things to say about the nominees. Bev went easier on Oppenheimer than she did last summer after seeing it. We each have nothing but praise for some of the great (downer) films like Anatomy Of A Fall and The Zone Of Interest. At least the Academy didn't overlook funny flicks because 2 gut-busters (Barbie and American Fiction) are up for major awards too. In short though, 2023 was the year of Barbenheimer. Both megahits are likely to win trophies...and one of them is the front-runner for a lot of the big ones. Big hint: a large kaboom. Oppenheimer has been cleaning up at other awards shows, as have actors like Murphy, Stone, Downey and Randolph. They look to be in great shape to take home Oscar gold. We addressed the controversy about Barbie's "snubs" and we talked about a lot of technical categories, but the focus was on the 4 acting categories, the 2 writing categories and of course Best Director and Best Picture. So settle in as we spend a touch over an hour during this 573rd episode of Have You Ever Seen making predictions---and often making jokes---about the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Well, Actually: With the nod this year, Martin Scorsese has 10 nominations for directing while Steven Spielberg has 9. Also, the Killers Of The Flower Moon song that's nominated is called "Wahzhazhe". Also also, the proper pronunciation of Da'Vine Joy Randolph is "Day-vine", not "Duh-vine". Also also also, both the song and the name of the Bond movie that won Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell an Oscar just a few years ago was "No Time To Die".

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Jean-Luc Godard was prolific after he went from reviewing films to making them in the early '60s. He directed a few classics of the French New Wave, many of which are beloved by Sight & Sound voters. In Contempt, bombshell Brigitte Bardot is impossibly beautiful, but she's also quite good at playing passive-aggressive anger. She and the dreamy Italian locations are a treat for the eyes, as her nightmarish scenario finds her being pimped out by her writer husband (Michel Piccoli) to a sleazy American producer (Jack Palance). Contempt is compelling, even if it's far from perfect and the characters aren't very likable. So join us in this 572nd edition of Have You Ever Seen as we wrap up "Love In A Word Month" by digging into the story of a not-so-great husband, a greatly-disappointed wife and The Odyssey in this movie about movies.

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While not a classic, Mogambo has a lot going for it. They took the production to several countries in Africa to get authentic scenery for this passionate love story. Big stars like Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly do the love triangle thing and John Ford (who had just won his 4th Oscar) is their director. And what these legends of cinema made 70+ years ago is fine. It's just far from marvelous. Gable alternates his romantic interest between Gardner & Kelly, which isn't logical. Anyway, Ryan is on his own again in this 571st episode of Have You Ever Seen, so journey to various parts of Africa---when you're not shooting in front of projection screens in the comfort of a studio, that is---as Mogambo gets a reviewin'.

Programming note: All The King's Men will not be the episode on March 22nd. What WILL be discussed is still being considered.

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Getting in touch with us is always welcomed...during the last few days of "Love In A Word" Month or anytime. Ryan's Twi-x handle is @moviefiend51. Bev's is @bevellisellis, which is also how you can contact her on Threads. Our email address is "[email protected]". And we post all of our shows on YouTube. The browser destination for that is "@hyesellis". Rate and review us there or on your podcast app. Subscribe, like, share...spread the word.

It's President's Day in America, it's Family Day here in Ontario and it's also Black History Month, but it's also "Love In A Word" Month on Have You Ever Seen...and we continue to talk about romantic movies with one-word titles. Sabrina has a tremendous pedigree. Billy Wilder directing Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden must have been an easy sell to the moneymen 70 years ago. Their romcom is pretty good and it is indeed funny & romantic (at times), but we had trouble buying the love story. Holden is not at his best, while Bogie seems miscast...and also somewhat disinterested. Audrey is about as charming and likable as she always was though, plus Wilder certainly knew what he was doing while making a comedy. Ups, downs. So put on a fancy dress and try to close that big deal to rake in mucho bucks as you hear us gab about Sabrina in our 570th episode.

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Ernst Lubitsch is one of the directors of the classic era who hasn't stayed in people's minds as much as others have. He's not as revered as, say, Billy Wilder...who happens to be a co-writer of Ninotchka. But Ernst had the famous "Lubitsch Touch", where he was able to effortlessly blend jokes and romance with a good story as well as anybody ever has. The hook here is that the always-serious Greta Garbo gets to be funny ("Garbo Laughs"). And she's great in this. She's lovable when she softens, but playing it straight as a stern Russian was her route to comic gold. She and Melvyn Douglas are a wonderful rom-com couple. As for Ninotchka's story, it's all about how capitalism is fun while communism is a dreary, almost-cultlike oppression. Politics has rarely resulted in such mirth. So loosen up and put on your ugly hat as the 569th edition of Have You Ever Seen digs into a classic comedy that's---get this---actually funny.

And Just To Be Clear: Sig Ruman is German and Alexander Granach was born in what is now Ukraine, while Felix Bressart was born in what was then East Prussia in Germany...but is now Russia. So you could argue that at least he really was Russian.

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So Woody Allen, huh? One of the most controversial men in show business wasn't always that way...at least not publicly. He made many funny classics back in his salad days. Manhattan is certainly one of them. Woody and Marshall Brickman wrote plenty of great lines and hilarious scenes, plus Gordon Willis' cinematography is fantastic. The story and themes in this complicated love rhombus, however, are at least partially ruined by the director's real-life issues. Ryan's solo show addresses the controversies about Woody's dating life, his marriage to his step-daughter and what he may have done to another step-daughter when she was a child. Yeah, Manhattan wasn't an easy one to review. In any case, this 568th episode in the Have You Ever Seen series has one man trying to figure out how to feel about another man's oddball love life.

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All of our February podcasts will be about romantic/passionate films with one-word titles...and we begin "Love In A Word Month" with a chat about Arthur. Steve Gordon's blockbuster comedy was the rare laughy performance that won an Oscar. John Gielgud took it home for what is the funniest role in the movie. Dudley Moore, on the other hand, cackles at every joke he makes when he's drunk, although at least he's actually sweet when he's not playing it blitzed. Liza Minnelli brings a lot of sass to this male-dominated yuckfest as Moore's love interest. She has chemistry with the other 2 guys. It's just that we wish we'd laughed a lot more often and---while the violent climax at the wedding is amusing---the last 5 minutes of the movie are dreadfully unearned. It was a bad ending to what was already a flawed story. So alert the media that our 567th tall glass of Have You Ever Seen is rather critical of Arthur.

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Steven Soderbergh's debut film is the 4th and final selection in this year's "Month Of Bev". Sex, Lies, And Videotape represents career-best performances by Andie MacDowell and Laura San Giacomo, although it was James Spader who got all the raves for his calm frankness. Peter Gallagher has the least-sympathetic and least-dimensional role of the 4 main characters. People are complex, which is a truth that Soderbergh understood even at this young age. So hit the play button on an antiquated technology that most young people have probably never even seen as our 566th episode is all about a man and several women sitting down to talk about Sex, Lies, And Videotape.

Well, Actually: it's true that Rocky has a big critical/audience split on Rotten Tomatoes, but Forrest Gump's big split is the opposite...the audiences on that site like it a lot more than critics do.

The kinds of explicit conversations people have in this movie would be broached even easier if they all had a cup of coffee. Sparkplug Coffee offers Have You Ever Seen listeners a 20% discount if they use our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

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Not many movies make decorative artwork a sinister part of the story...but The Picture Of Dorian Gray does. Albert Lewin's handsome adaptation of Oscar Wilde's story about a painting that evolves to show the dark deeds of the lead character while he remains young is a popular concept. It's been remade many times. In this 1945 version, Hurd Hatfield's intentionally soulless performance as Dorian is one of the least-interesting parts of the film. George Sanders gets many caustic lines though and Angela Lansbury is the heart of the movie, even though she's not in it very much. This ranked on AFI's Top 100 Thrills and it's not scary all these decades later, but that doesn't mean there isn't something eerie going on. So stop obsessing about your looks as the 565th doodle of Have You Ever Seen (and another solo show by Ryan) investigates the supernatural goings on in The Picture Of Dorian Gray.

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Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and the rest of the terrific cast of The Talented Mr. Ripley were all in the middle of a remarkable run of greatness in the late '90s, but this is the thriller that sometimes gets forgotten. Is this Damon's best performance? It's certainly the rare killer he's played...and he's really good at being bad. The boring leech is a top-notch liar...and, oh, there's that ever-fascinating angle where an actor plays a character who has to act. This is Anthony Minghella at his best, both his clever screenplay and his direction. And this is the guy who directed the Oscar juggernaut that was The English Patient. Fun ride. So realize it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody as our 564th European jaunt takes Have You Ever Seen into the sinister world of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

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Hey, it's a surprise podcast! A little bonus magic here in mid-January. Well, it's been more than 10 years since the Marx Brothers have come up on Have You Ever Seen, so they were due. Norman McLeod's football comedy is just as anarchic as Groucho, Chico and Harpo's other red-letter titles were. Trouble is, most of their zany puns and sight gags come across as "more of the same". They're hitting the same beats with different settings and different character names. So you know what you're getting from the Marx boys (although at least this kind of tomfoolery doesn't necessarily age badly), but was Horse Feathers actually funny? Ryan's monologue in our 563rd podcast tries to answer that question.

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Look at us covering one of the whitest movies ever on MLK Day. Well, it's quite a film that happens to be about many compelling things: lying, cheating and masculinity. It's also legitimately funny. Swedish writer/director Ruben Ostlund has made a career out of filming the uncomfortable and he loves to show people who are trying to save face. In Force Majeure, we've got a marriage on the rocks after Johannes Kuhnke fails his family in a crisis, which brings about a bitter conflict with his wife (Lisa Loven Kongsli). So don't be a coward when a lot of snow is rushing your way or when a bus driver is making you uneasy, but feel free to ugly cry in front of your family as the 562nd Have You Ever Seen podcast banters about Force Majeure.

Well, Actually: the proper pronunciation of Ostlund's last name DOES seem to be to rhyme the first 3 letters with "frost", not "toast" or "boost". Also, Ostlund has indeed directed a few other films besides his Big Three, including Involuntary and Play.

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Buster Keaton's silent comedies were classics, but they were also action thrillers. He was one of the greatest and gutsiest stuntmen/actors in history. That stuff is phenomenal, so the only real problem with The Navigator is the same as it was in Sherlock Jr last year. Namely, the movie just isn't all that funny. The Navigator's ending sequence has the most laughs and most of the best stunts though. And it helps that Stoneface has chemistry with Kathryn Maguire, who was also his lady love in Sherlock Jr. Here they're in a movie about two pointless, rich people having to fight for their lives while lost at sea. We eventually get into some casual racism, but The Navigator IS a century old. So, instead of dwelling on that, have fun making bad breakfast and then defending your ship from hungry natives as this 561st episode of Have You Ever Seen ambles through The Navigator.

For The Record: Monday's episode will be Ruben Ostlund's Force Majeure. Our schedule was changed, so the original throw we recorded was to a movie we'll review later in January, rather than this coming Monday.

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We begin the 9th Annual Month Of Bev by chatting about a cult classic that features punks, Reaganomics and odd automobiles. Repo Man was Alex Cox's debut (Sid And Nancy came 2 years later) and it was also very early in Emilio Estevez's film career. The man who would basically stop acting in motion pictures about 15 years later is just okay here. He's joined in this sci-fi/comedy by veteran character actors like Tracey Walter and Harry Dean Stanton. The movie still touches Bev's Gen-X heart, despite a clunky middle section and an unsatisfying ending. This is a weird flick, but you have to admire that everyone involved embraces the weirdness and had fun making it. Well, maybe not Stanton. So drive your Chevy Malibu across the country---no matter what danger the trunk contains---and obey the code as our 560th edition of Have You Ever Seen pieces through Repo Man.

To Be Clear...: Gary Oldman's co-star in Sid & Nancy is Chloe Webb (playing Nancy Spungen). Also, Sy Richardson WAS indeed one of the writers of Mario Van Peebles' Posse.

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We're in "let's look back at 2023" mode as we discuss our fave flicks of last year (so far) and also answer listeners' emails, tweets and YouTube comments. It wasn't a great 12 months at the movies, although we still have to see a lot of red-letter titles before we can make a final call on that. The writers' and actors' strikes were huge stories that might have long-lasting effects, but apart from the whopping successes of Barbenheimer, Sound Of Freedom and Taylor Swift's record-destroying concert film, the biggest story of '23 was the massive failure of most of the superhero movies released by Marvel and DC. And then, yes, we dropped some names and (finally!) responded to our loyal listeners who took the time to write to us. This 559th episode of Have You Ever Seen is a tidy 30 minutes, so get cozy on New Year's Day and spend some time with the Ellises as we tell you what we thought of the year that was.

Well, Actually: Ryan messed up the names of superhero movies a few times in this episode. Chris Nolan directed Batman Begins, not Batman Returns. Also, he twice referred to the megahit from a few years ago as Spider-Man: Far From Home, when of course it was No Way Home.

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To wrap up our podcasting year with a record-shattering 77th episode, Ryan is once again on a solo mission to review something that's considered a classic. And while it's always a pleasure to see Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, the  reason to cover The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer is that it represents our first Shirley Temple (Black) flick. She's one of the title characters---you can guess which one---while Cary plays the other title character in another in his long line of rom-com hits. He was the master of the smiley love stories, especially those in the screwball genre. But is either the comedy or the love story in Irving Reis' light-hearted Oscar-winner particularly convincing though? And did Shirley Temple actually wear bobby sox? That last question isn't answered in this 558th dose of Have You Ever Seen, but a lot of other ones are, as this half-hour monologue breaks down The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer.

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We post our final podcast of this year about a Christmas movie a day early, even though The Lion In Winter is only tangentially a Christmas movie at all. James Goldman wrote a complex King Lear story based on real people in director Anthony Harvey's authentic, dirty, unkempt Oscar-winner. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn lead a fabulous cast (well, except for one person), as they fill the movie with sound and fury, although perhaps all the machinations take them back where they started. We took shots at the concept of royalty (then or now) and also the incestuous nature of those who wear silly crowns, but at least The Lion In Winter is engrossing and entertaining about such silliness. So be kind enough to let your spouse out of the hoosegow for the holidays as our 557th jingle bell digs into King Henry II, Eleanor Of Aquitaine and their not-so-loving children.

Well, Actually: Walter Brennan won 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actor back in the '30s, so Hepburn was only tying him with her 3rd win for this performance (winning her 4th in 1981). And Ingrid Bergman had 2 Oscars, but would go on to win a 3rd a few years after Hepburn won THIS one.

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Not only are we reviewing Christmas movies this month, but Trading Places makes for the 2nd of 3 screwball comedies you will be able to find on this channel by the end of December. And like those other two, John Landis' romp tells a good story, but isn't very funny. Dan Aykroyd was established as a star, but Eddie Murphy was just starting his legendary movie career while Jamie Lee Curtis was making a successful transition from horror into comedy. Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy and plenty of others get chances to shine too in this very watchable comedy. They just didn't make us laugh. This episode isn't all fun and games either because we discussed the offensive content and we talked about Landis' involvement in The Twilight Zone tragedy. So bet a buck on the 556th edition of Have You Ever Seen as rich jerks toy with people's lives just because in the Christmassy blockbuster known as Trading Places.

Well, Actually: the great R-rated laugh in Coming To America that's discussed at the 15-minute mark is early on in the film before Akeem has fallen in love with Lisa. He's just yelling about how much he loves America before someone curses at him, then he joyfully curses back. Also, Eddie Murphy won the Cecil B DeMille Award at the Golden Globes earlier this year. Also also, Paul Gleason is the VICE Principal in The Breakfast Club.

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Television marathons helped A Christmas Story become a huge favourite this time of year, but Bob Clark's holiday comedy didn't need to be stuffed down people's throats. It earns the rep of being one of the greatest Christmas movies by being funny and sweet. Jean Shepherd's joyful memories of his own life as a kid growing up about 80 years ago in Indiana offset some of the bad memories, whether it be a furnace or a Farkus. The story is episodic by design, but the running storyline is of course Peter Billingsley's obsession with someone making sure to put a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree. He's ideally cast and pretty good as Ralphie, but Melinda Dillon is terrific as his mother and Darren McGavin is having a ball playing The Old Man. Ryan's solo show triple dog dares you not to shoot your eye out as this 555th episode of Have You Ever Seen breaks down the enduring classic that is A Christmas Story.

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We're taking a short break from covering Christmas movies by talking about Arthur Penn's The Miracle Worker. Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke are tremendous as the battling teacher and student. Both won Oscars as Bancroft's Anne Sullivan teaches manners and ASL to Duke's deaf and blind Helen Keller. The real Keller was intelligent, stubborn, ferocious and---disabilities or not---also a bit of a jerk. Sullivan pushes back though and DOESN'T have the patience of Job. This is a hard job, especially during their epic 9-minute battle in the dining room. The Miracle Worker is a movie about making connections and they eventually do that...as do we by comparing this difficult girl to our beloved dogs. Forgive us, it's what we know best. So put on some dark glasses and resist the urge to grab food right off people's plates as our 554th water pump of Have You Ever Seen analyzes this biopic about 2 extraordinary women.

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Holy moly, the 553rd ice-fish of Have You Ever Seen kicks off the Christmas season as Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau bring their crabby charm to the title characters. But the 2 comedy legends are only Grumpy Old Men with each other. They're quite sweet to everybody else, especially to each other's kids and---most of all---to the new babe in town, Ann-Margret. The love story between her and the 2 old coots is not an angle we fully believed in, partly because the decades-long feud is is the REAL love story going on here. Darryl Hannah and Kevin Pollak help make this movie work as well as it does because neither the script nor the direction by Donald Petrie are anything special. Still, we laughed, we ho ho ho'ed and we felt the cold in that small Minnesota town. So don't be a putz or a moron, but DO bring your recently-repaired fishing pole to a frozen lake as we give you the ins and the out(take)s of Grumpy Old Men.

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The early '40s was a hugely successful time for director Howard Hawks and his Ball Of Fire stars, Barbara Stanwyck & Gary Cooper. This isn't their crowning achievement (partly because it just isn't as funny as other comedies each of them made), but it's fun and the love story is certainly enjoyable. Hawks was talented enough to excel at making movies in nearly every genre, but he was always in his element when it came to the laughs. Cooper's typical stiffness works well for this nerdy grammarian too. The great Stanwyck though is a little inconsistent as the title character, who uses Cooper and his friends before falling for him (and for them). The inconsistency might be a script problem more than something Babs is failing to do. But while she was more suited to play a lying schemer in The Lady Eve that same year, she DOES help make this rom-com parable about the 7 dwarfs a screwball time at the movies. Ryan's going solo again in this 552nd yapfest of Have You Ever Seen, kids, so get ready to learn lots of details about a screwball comedy that has remained popular for over 80 years.

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Even though John Sturges is one of the most underrated directors of all time, remaking Seven Samurai could have turned out to be a big mistake if it failed. Instead, The Magnificent Seven is fun, cool and exciting...and it has a layer of sadness too. Sadness and desperation have been unintentional themes in our movies this month, actually. Still, it's hard not to make your western cool when you've got names like Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Charles Bronson in the cast. Who's your favourite of the Seven? What's your favourite broad gesture by a member of the cast? We discussed those things and we discussed how Mag Seven is revered now, but wasn't the blockbuster that it seems like it should have been when it came out. Perhaps the straightforward "good guy vs bad guy" western was a dying genre in 1960, even though this is similar to the greatest horse-and-gun movies in that it has more complications and angles than it seems at first. So go on location down in Mexico and do the right thing for a bunch of farmers who are just trying to avoid being killed by a bandit's henchman as we present a crackerjack episode here in Have You Ever Seen #551.

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For the 4th and final time, we're re-reviewing a movie we discussed 10 years ago. Some films age badly, while some become more relevant. Her is extremely relevant! We didn't have any idea just how addicted to devices our culture would get when this movie came out in late-2013. We're a society of people who are lost in their phones, so the science fiction in Spike Jonze's Oscar-winning story might soon become science fact. In the futuristic Her, Joaquin Phoenix is a lonely writer living in Los Angeles who falls in love with a computer program. Scarlett Johansson provides the friendly voice of "Samantha", and, as tremendous as Phoenix is, this voice-only performance is one of the best things Scar-Jo has ever done. We talked about the morality of our relationship to A.I. and what's real and what's not about a program like Samantha. We also got into whether or not this heartfelt film is the usually-funny Jonze being almost autobiographical in a touching way. In any case, the 550th edition of Have You Ever Seen really likes the man's movie, so fire up our chat and see if you agree.

Well, Actually: just to be clear, when Ryan says "he's better off", the intention is to suggest that even though Theodore is heartbroken that Samantha left, he's better off having known her at all. It's not to imply he's better off WITHOUT her. Also, Spielberg's regular producing partner in recent years is Kristie (not Amy) Macosko Krieger.

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Hollywood studios hadn't made very many major movies about AIDS before 1993, so Philadelphia represented a fairly safe way into this difficult subject. Many considered Jonathan Demme's picture soft and weak, but Ryan's solo show tries to explain why his approach was the right one. Casting stars like Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the leading roles was a huge step to drawing people in. And while Hanks won his first Oscar as a gay man wrongfully dismissed by his law firm, Denzel is just as good...although in an entirely different way. But, yes, there are troubling issues with this film. There are the politics of a straight actor playing a gay character, not to mention how Hollywood dealt with HIV & AIDS 30 years ago...and how they still deal with it now. Homophobia, fear of catching an incurable disease, fear of the unknown, all of it is touched on in this 549th edition of Have You Ever Seen. So, counsellor, please devote nearly an hour to the opening, middle and closing arguments that make the case for Philadelphia's relevance, then and now.

Well, Actually: just before the 24-minute mark, the phrase is "his baby's sister" when it should have been "his sister's baby". Also, Ryan botched Obba Babatunde's name (it came out "Odda"), which was an unfortunate flub of such a great name. Also also, it should have been mentioned that Jonathan Demme was the one who directed Mary Steenburgen to her Oscar in Melvin And Howard.

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There's no better way to debut Ismail Merchant and James Ivory on this channel than to chat about their finest film. The Remains Of The Day also represents the first time Emma Thompson or Hugh Grant have come up on Have You Ever Seen...although Anthony Hopkins HAS been in one classic Oscar winner that we've covered. Something about lambs. In this case, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's layered screenplay adapts Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed novel about repression through exemplary professionalism, even though that hard work comes at a cost. Did Hopkins dedicate his life to a noble cause...or was his life wasted? We tried to figure out the morality of the job done by the butler Stevens (Hopkins) and the housekeeper Kenton (Thompson) in an old-world country estate where their lord works tirelessly to, in the end, appease the Nazis. Thorny issues. Our 548th podcast analyzes what the talented English actors and their international team brought to the table in this classy production of The Remains Of The Day.

Additional thought: perhaps Stevens didn't share his opinion in the "I'm unable to be of assistance in this matter" scene because he didn't want to risk his job by contradicting the guy who was putting him on the spot OR by contradicting anything said or thought by Lord Darlington.

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Do you like taboo subject matter in your movies? Well, the 547th edition of Have You Ever Seen is filled with it. There's pedophilia, suicide, violent sex fantasies, masturbation, infidelity and so much misery...yet writer/director Todd Solondz somehow also made Happiness entertaining. It's complicated material and it's more honest than most movies are about the horrible people within, but they're relatable human beings. Even the pedophile is. We got quite personal in this review and we talked about censorship and the irrational people who have the bullhorn these days. So trigger warning if you belong in that camp, but also trigger warning in general because this dark movie is often very funny and our gallows humour came out repeatedly. Maybe our brains are as broken as the good dad who's bad enough to abuse little boys. So scarf down a tuna fish sandwich and see if you can navigate your way through love and life as we get real in our talk about Happiness.

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Glenn Ford is in Gilda more than Rita Hayworth is and the story is more about his character than hers, but the film still belongs to the gorgeous redhead. She was a true movie star, who had sass, brains, marvelous screen presence and remarkable sex appeal. It's easy to see why the prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption loved watching Charles Vidor's movie over and over again. It isn't a perfect '40s noir though. It has terrific dialogue, but the story is overstuffed. The happy ending isn't really earned either, especially since this has subplots like Germans trying to cash in down in post-WWII Argentina. The 546th hair flip of Have You Ever Seen also features a Ryan rant about the AFI's highly questionable Top 50 Stars list. Value added! So dial up this one-man yammer about Gilda, especially if you want to hear a lot of raves about Rita.

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During this horror-laden month of movies that featured plenty of serial killers, Norman Bates tops 'em all for cinematic infamy. He may be infantilized, but this sick human being sure can wield variously effective weapons when he feels the need. Now, coming up with a quality sequel to not only a Hitchcock movie---but also to the infamous Psycho---was a huge ask, but Richard Franklin did an admirable job of making Psycho II an effective suspense thriller. Just like the first flick, this story is as much a mystery as it is a horror movie...and it has its own shocking, twist ending. Psycho II isn't flawless though. We saw the merits, but also questioned the role of Mrs. Spool and we were also split on how good (or not so good) Anthony Perkins is in reprising his iconic role. So stop listening to Mother and start listening to the 545th edition of Have You Ever Seen with a sandwich and some milk by your side as we conclude our 8th Scary Movie Month.

Well, Actually: Quentin Tarantino must be just pronouncing Robert Loggia's name his own way because a YouTube interview with the actor himself confirms it's pronounced the way the rest of us have been saying it for decades. Also, 15 Jerry Goldsmith movies---not 14---have now been covered between this channel (12) and Scoring At The Movies (3). Also also, Norman Bates is AFI's #2 bad guy on their Top 100 Heroes & Villains list, not #3.

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The Wicker Man is a cult movie about a cult, so that alone makes it a good choice for Scary Movie Month. Robin Hardy's film is really more of a mystery than a horror extravaganza though, as the pious and intentionally unlikable policeman from the mainland (Edward Woodward) slowly finds out just how dedicated the Scottish islanders are to their Lord (Christopher Lee). These people love their apples. They're also liberated, sexy and even like to have fun on Summerisle, but they're often mean-spirited as they essentially torture the repressed cop. The picture isn't especially frightening, but the iconic ending is disturbing and haunting. Oh, and as influential as The Wicker Man is, we forgot to mention that this movie was also the inspiration for the Burning Man Festival! We DID often mention the ludicrous Nicolas Cage remake a lot though. Something about a shark. So sacrifice some of your time to sing and dance by the fire as you take in the 544th episode of Have You Ever Seen.

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This year's Scary Movie Month has turned into a month of undisputed horror classics, especially in these one-Ryan shows. Halloween was discussed on October 9th. Now it's time for one of the best-made, freakiest frightfests ever. William Friedkin's mega-blockbuster won 2 Oscars---it should have won more---and it remains beloved in the eyes of many, even if repeated viewings dampen the skin-crawling moments a little. Not that The Exorcist couldn't terrify the uninitiated, even if the greatly-diminishing returns of the 5 sequels have done nothing to continue its legacy. Those mostly-unworthy follow-ups are highlighted here too, but the main event is the 1973 original with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller anchoring the maniacal story about demonic possession and religious faith. For all the remarkable technical achievements on display here, the humanity of the characters is a huge reason this film still works. The emotion between Burstyn and Blair, in particular, hits home. So turn down the lights, turn up the sound and set aside an hour for an Exorcist monologue in this 543rd head-spin of Have You Ever Seen.

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Nope is about spectacle, exploitation and selling a product, no matter how that product feels about being sold. The alien---if it IS in fact an alien---is one of the most unique creations in recent history. Which is fitting because Jordan Peele is one of the most original filmmakers going. Still, just like Quentin Tarantino, Peele always finds clever ways to mix in dozens of pop culture references. He also knows how to tell a good story and he's becoming quite a visual stylist. His 3rd film is not as much about race as the Get Out and Us were, but he DOES have a diverse cast with the stoic Daniel Kaluuya and the electrifying Keke Palmer playing brother & sister in the lead roles. So whether you're a chimp, a horse, an alien named Jean Jacket, shutterbug ranchers and their associates, or just regular people who enjoy movie podcasts, avert your eyes after you cue up our 542nd show.

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Ryan talked alone about the classic slasher flick Halloween on Monday. The solo episode this time gets into the business of one of its offshoots...Friday The 13th. In fact, all 12 of the Fridays are discussed here, so this is not a traditional review of one particular film. Iconic mass murderer Jason Voorhees---and his mother before him---successfully killed people at the cursed Camp Crystal Lake for nearly 30 years...and people kept paying money to see them do it. Even though the first one is a pretty good whodunit, none of these horror shows feel scary anymore...and most of the entries are quite terrible. Yet the unkillable masked maniac endures, almost as an anti-hero. So indulge in a little machete action as you hear about the mute goalie slicing his way through dozens of oblivious teenagers in this 541st edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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It was nearly a year ago that Ryan monologued about Rob Zombie's Halloween. Well, our 540th episode was an overdue time to monologue about John Carpenter's legendary original. In this one-man show, you'll get a record number of asides, but also some theories that might answer questions that people have had about the movie for the past 45 years. This father of all modern slasher movies is influential because of its style and its themes. It's also beautifully made (especially considering the low budget), the music is classic and Michael Myers was instantly an iconic villain. Although you can't kill the iconic Laurie Strode, just like you can't kill pure evil like Tall Mike. Reviewing the first flick is the focus here, but the entire series is discussed, complete with the slew of reboots and bad sequels. So watch out for stalkers carrying sharp knives as you hear all about Halloween just a few weeks before the scariest day on the entire calendar.

Well, Actually: to call David Gordon Green's crappy trilogy a reboot or re-reboot isn't really true because it's acknowledged that those are sequels to the very first movie...and only to the very first movie. Also, this ISN'T the first time we've covered a Jamie Lee Curtis movie because we reviewed A Fish Called Wanda a few years ago.

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Our 8th Annual Scary Movie Month has arrived and we kick it off with a film that has several legit frights and some "I'm creeped out in my own basement" staying power. Our 539th episode talks about demonic possession, child endangerment and other weird things. Director James Wan knows how to use jump scares in The Conjuring, but he also knows how to build tension and he really knows how to shoot a horror movie. This Malaysian mogul based his freak-fest on a real story and he cast solid actors like Vera Farmiga and Ron Livingston, but then he had to go and (as he often does) work with...yeah, Patrick Wilson. Lili Taylor and the 5 young actresses who play her daughters are fantastic though. In any case, The Conjuring delivers and it not only became a blockbuster, it inspired an entire horror universe. So whether you crouch menacingly on top of an armoire or playfully clap in the darkness, be prepared to hear us talk about screams and skin-crawls in this 10-year-old ghost story.

Well, Actually: A Stir Of Echoes is the name of the Kevin Bacon movie we couldn't remember (the one where he discovers a terrible tragedy in his basement).

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We covered our first Ozu movie earlier this year and our first Mizoguchi review dropped just 3 days ago, so it was way past time to talk about Federico Fellini. The flamboyant Italian made several classics, but 8½ seems to be the favourite for many fellow filmmakers who've followed in his footsteps. This is about as influential as any movie we've discussed in years. It's a director's dream too (sometimes literally), as it's filled with fantasies (good and bad), self-doubt and anxiety. While we raved about the cast and the technical brilliance of Federico's film, we also got into whether or not the movie is aloof and if the dashing Marcello Mastroianni character is sexist...or if Fellini's movie is. In any case, we both respect 8½ more than we love it. So don't pine for an ideal woman, even if she IS Claudia Cardinale. Just fire up the 538th edition of Have You Ever Seen and see what you think of our take on one of the most-revered flicks ever made.

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We're still over a week away from Scary Movie Month, but Ryan is here to monologue about a Japanese ghost story anyway. Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu has long been ranked on many esteemed critics' lists of great films...including the Sight & Sound. And it should be. It's beautifully made and, while it isn't particularly frightening, it's eerie. Ugetsu's story is basically just a love of money & power versus a love of home & family. So get your priorities straight (and listen to your wife!) as the 537th edition of Have You Ever Seen breaks down Mizoguchi's 70-year-old spookfest.

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Rushmore's got Wes Anderson, Bill Murray and...yeah, Jason Schwartzman. That's a combination that's hit a lot of cinematic home runs and, to many, this was a grand slam. For a second-time filmmaker, this is an undeniably assured movie. Anderson hits a lot of the same character beats here that he does in all his movies and his (team's) production design & costume choices have been called "twee" for well over 20 years now. And that hasn't been a compliment, although we like it, partly for how much heart he brings to everything. Bill worked with Wes for the first time here, which was the beginning of Murray's deadpan acting style. He and Schwartzman obsess over Olivia Williams, so it's a comedy about an immature stalker. Does Schwartzman overdo his over-eagerness though? One of us thinks so. In any case, the 536th episode of Have You Ever Seen suggests you ignore your studies, but join every club you can as we do some dissecting of Rushmore.

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While United 93 avoids politics, we sure got political during this 535th episode. But the whole world supposedly changed on this very day 22 years ago and we felt the need to comment on that and what such upheaval has meant to all of our lives. More than 3000 people died during the terrorist attacks on 9/11, but our "civil" society quickly became more divided than ever. As such, we HYES'ers dealt with our complicated feelings about that horrible day, including talking about what "cowardice" and "heroism" really mean. As for the the movie itself, it's dynamite. Paul Greengrass' intense docudrama takes place (mostly) in real time and stars character actors and also people playing themselves. Greengrass uses a shaky cam and a "you are there" verisimilitude to put us in the middle of the mess as the airline passengers fight back against 4 terrorists who are determined to kill. Whatever your politics were then or are now, we can all agree that United 93 is a tremendously effective motion picture about a group of people who were legitimate heroes.

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Since this 534th episode of Have You Ever Seen hits the airwaves on Labour Day, it felt right to talk about a character who has FOUR different jobs in one movie. Mrs. Doubtfire is a funny film that has...well, to be honest, lost a lot of its comedic zing 30 years on, although the serious scenes still have a lot of emotional sting. This might be the most-personal movie the lovable Robin Williams ever made. He went through not 1 but 2 divorces, he "did voices", he once lived in San Francisco and he probably enjoyed racking up in-character insults at the expense of Mister Perfect Pierce Brosnan. He likely didn't wear elaborate makeup and a body suit to make people believe that he's a stern 60-year-old Englishwoman though. Sally Field doesn't get to have the fun that her "short, furry and funny" co-star does, but she's excellent in the dramatic scenes. So, my dears, avoid a run-by fruiting as Ryan breaks down Chris Columbus' wicked, wicked blockbuster all on his own.

For The Record: we've talked in the past about the fake trailers for "Shining" and "Brokeback To The Future". Well, the fake trailer that turns Mrs. Doubtfire into a horror movie is great too. Look for that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crjYYEC5drA Also, it wasn't made clear that the September 22nd episode will be Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu.

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The Night Of The Hunter is Exhibit A when you talk about films that are revered more now than they were when they came out. To many, this KEEPS getting better every time they see it. We're fans too. Charles Laughton was better known as a clever actor, but this was his directorial debut. For a first-time director, he pulled off a stylish allegory and scary fairy tale that's filled with surreal images. He and his team used light & shadows brilliantly. Now, we didn't love some of the performances and we took issue with the title of the film, although we have a theory about who really is the hunter. There's no questioning Robert Mitchum's work though. This is as vicious a villain as the tough guy ever played. He's a supposed man of god who's really just a violent misogynist who casually kills women...although in this story, he's motivated by money. Run away, kids! Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce have as much screen-time as Mitchum does---although a very-effective Shelley Winters sure doesn't---in this chase/horror river voyage that deepens once Lillian Gish comes on the scene. So sit on the porch with a shotgun and abide the children---especially those with clandestine money---as our 533rd episode sees what's up in this Depression-era, child-endangerment movie.

Well, Actually: James Agee's Pulitzer Prize was for his 1957 autobiography called A Death In The Family. Also, we didn't get into this, but is Harry Powell actually a reverend...or is he lying about that too?

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The 532nd edition of Have You Ever Seen talks about a noir that not everyone is aware of, but they should be. Pickup On South Street crackles. Richard Widmark plays a pickpocket, but he remains an anti-hero from the start to the finish...even though crime stories are often about redemption after bad behaviour. He's got (an eventually) loyal "dame" in Jean Peters, he's got a shack right on the river and he's got a friend in sweet informer Thelma Ritter. Samuel Fuller's snappy story has a lot of political subtext, which becomes flat-out text because there are Communists all over this thing. Throw in a couple of vivid punch-ups and some obstinate cops trying to recover a microfilm and you've got a pretty great little thriller. So don't be sore. Just indulge in Ryan's one-man podcast about Fuller's Pickup On South Street.

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And thus the people who started this podcast to review the AFI's Top 100 Lists have now made a point of talking about the Sight & Sound list. S&S critics ranked Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles in the #1 spot last December, which is the main reason we committed 200 minutes to watch it...let alone decided to review it. Ryan went on a passionate rant about their controversial Top 100, which led to a pretty heated debate about the merits of this lugubrious motion picture and other "women who suffer" films. Not that Jeanne Dielman doesn't find a way to draw you in. Chantal Akerman's feminist look at a widowed mother who lives a dull, repetitive life with her son is Ozu-like in its shot compositions, the unmoving camera and the (very) long takes. We watch process---do we ever---and not much happens as we see Delphine Seyrig go about her routine...until her entire world is rocked. And what causes it to be rocked? Invest a solid hour in our review of an acclaimed example of "slow cinema" in this 531st Have You Ever Seen podcast.

A follow-up thought: a problem with the Sight & Sound list that wasn't quite put into clear words in this review is that Ryan just doesn't think a lot of the movies they honoured are, well, good enough. To like them or get some meaning out of films that weren't made by or for a straight, white male is very valid, but for enough people to feel so strongly as to put them on their own Top 10 is a mind-boggler. Also, is Jeanne Dielman rewatchable? That's something we didn't get into. Is this a movie you want to see again and again?

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Martin Scorsese is the master director of movies that glamorize scumbag criminals without passing judgement on their terrible behaviour. He's (almost) in Goodfellas territory here, featuring a reprehensible-but-charismatic criminal who's too young for all this power and opportunity to do bad things. Perhaps Marty is also showing us a funny version of his own drug-addled past in The Wolf Of Wall Street and perhaps Leonardo DiCaprio is playing closer to his real self than he had before...or has since. What's for certain is that Leo's Jordan Belfort is addicted to money (well, he admits to THAT) and this 530th edition of Have You Ever Seen addresses that and the other MANY addictions of all these crummy characters. The movie is too long and excessive, but Leo and his penny-stock friends are extremely excessive too. It fits. Kudos to all for making this 3-hour motion picture so consistently entertaining. But also, we WILL judge them and truly, F these people.

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As we "celebrate" the Civic Holiday, Bev takes the week off and Ryan monologues in the 529th episode of Have You Ever Seen. The underrated Hal Ashby always got great performances out of his actors during that incredible run he had in the '70s. In Coming Home, he uses a plethora of classic songs---so many classic songs---to back up his stars' excellent work. Oscar winners Jon Voight and the remarkable Jane Fonda are romantic and sexy together. He's a veteran who returns from Vietnam unable to walk, while Bruce Dern comes back unable to cope. Fonda's married to Dern, but falls for Voight. Triangular problems! This teeth-chatter about Coming Home got quite political about government and war, so perhaps that requires a trigger warning for those who don't agree with the Ellises' liberal views. In any case, if you've got 37 minutes, fire up a podcast about a classic movie that all of us should probably feel obliged to see.

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If Harrison Ford isn't the most-successful movie star in history, then he's at least on the shortest of shortlists. And he's almost a silent-film actor in The Fugitive, while Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones as his dogged antagonist is positively verbose. Ford gets to play smart, determined and driven to find the one-armed man who killed his wife, despite having a terrible lawyer representing him. Jones is the federal marshal out to find him, who's likewise smart, determined and driven. It's such a credit to The Fugitive that a woman gets murdered, there's medical fraud, friends betray friends and yet Andrew Davis still finds so many ways to make this such a fun film. Let the 528th episode of Have You Ever Seen use not just one arm, but two to unscramble the mystery as we realize it's time to stop running.

Well, Actually: Ryan was thinking of Joseph Kosala as the real Chicago cop who plays Ron Dean's detective partner. Also, Dean IS a Chicagoan, but Richard Riehle (the guard on the prison bus) is not. Also also, L Scott Caldwell did NOT return in US Marshals as part of TLJ's team. And finally, the editor who didn't get his entire name mentioned in full is Dov Hoenig.

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John Garfield didn't even live to see 40, but he DID make several good films in the '40s. In Body And Soul, he's a decent guy who finds himself in a love triangle and makes many bad career decisions. It's the age-old story of a boxer who gets mixed up with the wrong people. Robert Rossen's acclaimed picture isn't remarkably original, but it's a well-made film. The man who directed The Hustler knew what he was doing when it came to putting sports on the silver screen. Ryan's monologue also gets into Rossen's ties to Communism and how he named names to HUAC. Body And Soul's cast and production team had a whole whack of people who leaned red, in fact. So grow a conscience as you fight for your life in this brief 527th one-man podcast.

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Bev is not a fan of biopics or of Sean Penn, but even she knows that Gus Van Sant's Milk is a great example of both. Harvey Milk was a passionate, charming, hard-working activist who was gunned down by Dan White just as he was starting his political career, but there WAS some whitewashing of his personal life in this. Still, Penn is so authentic. The movie, which mixes in plenty of real footage, very much is too. Okay, the leading actors aren't gay, but at least the director, writer, producers and many of the background actors are. Maybe that's why---even though it's about politics as much as it is about homosexuality---the film is as lusty as it is. The supporting cast (from Franco to Hirsch to Brolin to Pill to Garber) do admirable work, although Diego Luna has to play an impossibly childish character...and doesn't do it very well. Not even that slip-up can ruin one of the better based-on-a-true-story excursions of the past few decades. So join us in the Castro and give 'em hope as we yap for over an hour in this 526th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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Everything Everywhere All At Once turned into an unlikely hit last year, then went on to win 7 Oscars just a few months ago. That means it was time for us to cover it because we always review the winner of Best Picture at some point later that summer. Actually, we talked a lot in this episode about many different Oscars shows and we jumped around a lot regarding the plot...which is fitting for a movie about the multiverse. The Daniels' frenetic sci-fi, comedy, action-adventure family drama is a mash-up of jokes, pathos, horror, sincerity and lots of outright silliness. Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu make a terrific mother/daughter combination, while Hsu's alter ego is one of the best villains in recent years. Kwan & Scheinert's 2nd film uses those stars (along with Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan) to explore a slew of ideas...and references many different forms of entertainment in doing that exploring. Still, considering some people have compared this to a Tik Tok video, EEAAO is a fairly simple story about love, family and acceptance. There's a lot of glitz and craziness, but it's basically just a family fighting to connect and stay together, rather than tearing each other apart...or tearing other versions of each other apart. So try to wrap your head around the idea of infinite universes but also just be a rock as the 525th Have You Ever Seen tries to get to the bottom of one of the craziest experiences we've had at the movies in quite a while.

Well, Actually: Martin McDonagh HAS won an Oscar, but it was for Best Live Action Short Film in 2006, not for any of his nominations for writing, directing or producing.

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Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn were a great duo and they made many movies together, but they specialized in romantic comedies. Adam's Rib is a rom-com that does a great job with the rom, but isn't nearly funny enough to be called great at the com. The plot has some problems too. George Cukor's courtroom movie has been acclaimed by nearly everybody, but Ryan took real issue in this solo venture with the way Hepburn defends her client. Still, Cukor and his stars pieced together a well-made movie, even if the laughs are lacking. So don't cry (or pretend to cry) about our 524th Have You Ever Seen podcast, but settle in with your Pinky and hear what one man has to say about Adam's Rib.

Well, Actually: Frances McDormand DOES have 4 Oscars just like Hepburn does, but one of those was for producing Nomadland, so it's correct to say she's won 3 Oscars for acting specifically.

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Communicating with Ryan and Bev is a snap. The Twitterings are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis while the email is [email protected], plus you can leave a comment on our Apple Podcasts web page.

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Bullitt is famous for its car chase (an action scene that many movies have tried---and usually failed---to equal or surpass), but this police thriller has got so much more going for it than just that. As for this being called an action film, well, it's actually more of a murder mystery. Steve McQueen is his trademark Mister Cool, but his romance with Jacqueline Bissett also gives him humanity. It's not like the beautiful actress gets to do much more than that though. Bullitt's biggest problem, however, is that there are some confusing plot turns that don't always make sense. All those topics are discussed in Ryan's solo show that focuses on one bad weekend in the heart of San Francisco. The 523rd Have You Ever Seen is a brief one, so lock in for just over a half-hour monologue about Peter Yates' cop classic.

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It's become a tradition for us in recent history to cover a disaster film on or near the 4th Of July, so this year's choice is the Auteur Of Explosions, Michael Bay. Armageddon is crass, it has tonal problems, it's edited into incoherence, but, truth is truth, this blockbuster still worked on at least one of us. And we both acknowledge how entertaining it is. Bay's macho, in-your-face filmmaking style seems appropriate for a story about wisecracking oil drillers being asked to become spacemen and then save the planet from an asteroid coming to wipe out all life on the planet. We spent a lot of time mocking the "science", although tension and emotion help soothe SOME of those factual problems. What works best of all though is an eclectic cast, most of whom weren't stars yet (Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan). Of course, not even Affleck has ever gotten to be as big as Bruce Willis was then and continued to be for another decade. Oh, and Steve Buscemi! He always makes things better. So break out your American flag, shout "USA, USA" and give episode #522 of Have You Ever Seen some of your attention on this holiday weekend.

Well, Actually: It's debatable to say that Bay's movies have never lost money. The Island, 13 Hours and Ambulance are 3 examples of his works that barely broke even worldwide. After you account for marketing costs, those 3 movies DID lose money.

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Superman has been a patriotic force on the big screen seemingly forever, but Richard Donner and his team did it best in 1978. Except for Superman II, none of the sequels or reboots hold any kind of candle to Donner's Supes, especially when it comes to the ways in which Christopher Reeve chose to play him. He's great when he's Superman, but greater at playing Clark Kent. No one else has ever come close. This, of course, is a film with Marlon Brando as Space Dad, Gene Hackman as the arch rival and Margot Kidder as the lovable love interest, yet this flick belongs to the newcomer Reeve. As for the story, there are some flaws in logic, even considering this story is such a fantasy to begin with. After all, we're talking about an alien boy scout who gets sick around rocks from his home planet, yet tries his time-travelling best to stop a violent land swindler from destroying Hollywood. Anyway, Ryan is working alone on this one---and talking about most of the Kal-El movies---but the focus is on the blockbuster from 45 years ago in this, the 521st fast fly of Have You Ever Seen.

Update about the Henry Cavill Superman films: reviews for Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman and the theatrical cut of Justice League were not very good and, while they didn't exactly bomb at the box office, they certainly weren't the mega-hits that Warner Brothers expected. Also, Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill played Clark & Lois in the 1940s Superman "serial", not "sequel".

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As far as ensemble "a few days in the life of a bunch of people" movies go, Short Cuts is not only one of Robert Altman's best...it's one of the best anyone has ever made. He maintains a consistent tone and pace beautifully for over 3 hours. It's even pretty tense for a character study. Altman also ties all these Los Angelenos together brilliantly, even though Raymond Carver's short stories aren't inter-connected the way the film is. And that's the key word because this is a movie about people trying to make connections...and often failing miserably. The actors---Lemmon, Robbins, Moore, Tomlin, JJ and so many more---are mostly tremendous...with some notable exceptions (cough cough the baker). Just like Short Cuts itself, these characters are flawed, but they are oh so human and relatable. So get comfortable, but keep your clothes on as our 520th episode analyzes a truly excellent picture made by a master filmmaker.

Well, Actually: Madeleine Stowe is in fact fully naked when she's posing for Julianne Moore's painting...we just don't see bottom nudity like we do with Moore later on. Also, Tim Robbins was in Pret A Porter, so he DID work with Altman again. Also also, Jack Lemmon died in 2001, not 2000.

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Nora Ephron's When Harry Met Sally screenplay made for a classic romantic comedy. It's one of the best in the genre. Sleepless In Seattle, however, is a rom-com that isn't funny and we didn't even find it particularly romantic, partly because the couple we're supposed to root for don't even meet until the end. That's a clever idea, but we don't think it works to keep these 2 great stars apart for so long. Tom Hanks plays a sad-sack and Meg Ryan plays a stalker. Yeah. We said it. This even has the dreaded trope that we never enjoy: a precocious kid who bosses adults around. So, yeah, you could say we weren't fans of Sleepless In Seattle...but we sure had a blast making fun of it. So join us for our 519th edition of Have You Ever Seen, unless your deal-breakers are allergies or a weird laugh. We've got a little of both, so we are, thus, undeserving of love.

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Before anyone gets all excited that this is a review of the Pacino/DePalma version of Scarface, Ryan's latest solo show actually focuses on the Hawks/Muni version. The 1983 "little friend" comes up a lot though, so it's almost like getting 2 reviews in 1. And you should be just as excited about the 1932 original anyway because Paul Muni, director Howard Hawks and producer Howard Hughes (yup, him) teamed up to make a true gangster classic. Muni plays a bootlegger and a mass murderer of criminal rivals, so he's basically Al Capone. For a film that came out only about 5 years into the sound era, this is pretty terrific technically too. So dial up the 518th lip-wag about Scarface as the Italians battle the Irish in 1920s Chicago while everyone else faces the wrath of a man who has an unhealthy interest in his own sister.

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We haven't reviewed that many silent movies in our previous 516 episodes, but #517 gets into Harold Lloyd's business. There are reasons the sometimes-overlooked silent comedian doesn't have the legacy that Chaplin and Keaton do, even though he should be just as well-remembered. He had the charm of the Tramp and he performed dangerous stunts the way Keaton did. Directors Newmeyer and Taylor's 100-year-old flick is fun and it has a great pace. Their Safety Last is also the rare comedy that's also a thriller and ALSO tells a good story. And then we get the climax, with that incredible extended sequence where Lloyd climbs a building despite encountering many pitfalls. So spend more money than you can afford on your loved one and take crazy chances to earn a big stack of cash as we talk about a non-talkie in Safety Last.

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This show and all of our 2023 shows are on YouTube. Go to @hyesllis for the entire library. Many of the early-2023 episodes feature us on-camera...and we plan to get back to that again before too long.

Sidney Lumet and Al Pacino were a terrific combination in the mid-70's and their Serpico is an effectively gritty motion picture, just like their Dog Day Afternoon would be 2 years later. Pacino is nearly at his best in this, even though he feels more like a character actor in a huge cast of character actors than he does a movie star. The real-life Frank Serpico was an absolutist who risked deadly retribution for refusing to take pay-offs. Pacino is nothing if not authentic here, so he's playing a maddening man, an idealist who just will not be pragmatic. Yes, rampant corruption in the police department is bad, but the system has been rotten forever. There aren't easy answers about how to fix it. In any case though, this deliberately-paced cop drama is interesting and well-made. So stick by your principles and don't work harder to collect bribes than at doing your actual job as we offer you our 516th dash of Have You Ever Seen.

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Also, check out Ryan's sports-movie podcast Scoring At The Movies. The series finale is on June 7th. We'll talk about Rocky Balboa in that episode and also sum up our feelings about doing the podcast for these past 5 years.

POW movies might seem like a dime a dozen now, but 70 years ago they weren't common. And POW comedies? They really weren't a thing. Of course, The Great Escape set an iconic standard a decade after Stalag 17 that was hard to match...and it doesn't match it. Billy Wilder's film is filled with hijinks and physical comedy, but not even the brilliant funnyman was able to make something that's actually got a lot of laughs. It's solid work, at least, and it's an effective mystery about just who is the Nazi rat embedded with our heroes. By design, William Holden never clicks with the other actors, which makes his Oscar-winning performance quite effective. So slip contraband in your pantleg as you plug some buds into your ears to hear the 515th edition of Have You Ever Seen, Ryan's solo show about Stalag 17.

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Contacting us continues to be an easy experience. We'll read your emails ([email protected]) or your tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

We've been on YouTube this entire year. Our podcasts can be found there in full. We haven't been on camera on quite some time, but we shall return...someday. Try @hyesellis.

And there's only a few days left to enjoy new episodes of Scoring At The Movies. Ryan & Chris Di Gregorio's sports-film chatterbox is closing up shop on June 7th with a lengthy gab about Rocky Balboa.

With Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse hitting theatres on Friday, we're taking a fond look at INTO The Spider-Verse. This monumental achievement in animation wowed the world 5 years ago, but what really set it apart were 2 big things...heart and humour. Of course, Lord & Miller were heavily involved, so laughs were a given. What's almost as impressive is that this covers many of the same Spider-beats as other films about this character, but the rehash is done in such inventive and lovely ways that you can't say you're going down the same old road. This feels fresh. Shameik Moore heads a great voice cast in which some of the biggest names like Cage, Pine and Kravitz have some of the smallest parts. We talked about all sorts of angles in this 514th dose of Have You Ever Seen, but barely even brought up race...or that Miles Morales is in fact a bi-racial teenager in a superhero movie. This film is just so much deeper than labels. So prepare for the release of the funky sequel by settling in for our yammer about Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

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This episode and all of our 2023 podcasts are on YouTube (@hyesellis). The winter ones had us appearing on camera for about 10 minutes, although this episode is just this entire podcast in YouTube form.

And for the last few weeks, we can suggest you check out Ryan's sports movie podcast before it closes up shop. That's known as "Scoring At The Movies".

Who's a good boy?! Well, the miracle dog who licks his gunshot wound back to health is the Morgan family's very-good boy. Black sharecroppers in 1930s Louisiana had it tough enough, but they finally got their own movie in the early '70s and then had to play second fiddle to...the dog?! But, okay, they don't. Young Kevin Hooks is actually the main character, although Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson got the accolades and the Oscar nominations for playing his parents. Martin Ritt was an underrated director who was always good on social issues. His Sounder isn't all that political, but Ryan DID get a little political about idiotic racism in this one-man show, So as you enjoy Victoria Day, settle in for a 30-minute monologue about a hardworking family (and their dog) in this 513th edition of Have You Ever Seen.

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And for the next few weeks, you can also hear Ryan talk with Chris Di Gregorio about sports pictures on "Scoring At The Movies".

Have You Ever Seen #512 takes a bus down to the Florida Keys to see what Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Edward G. Robinson are up to at Lionel Barrymore's hotel. Bogart and co-writer/director John Huston are back doing another noir after The Maltese Falcon made them major players in the industry 7 years earlier. Key Largo was also released the very same year as their masterpiece, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. There's a lot of content packed into this strong script, but Huston ties it all together in a tidy 100-minute runtime. Everyone gets a chance to shine, even if real-life lovebirds Bogie & Bacall are muted compared to their other 1940s collaborations. Robinson stands out the most---even more than Oscar-winner Claire Trevor---playing another in his long line of criminals. So pour a drink to steady your gun-toting hand and batten down the hatches against the raging storm as Ryan handles this Key Largo review alone.

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This podcast and all of our 2023 endeavours are available on YouTube (@hyesellis).

For another few weeks, check out Ryan's podcast about sports flicks, "Scoring At The Movies".

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau didn't team up for the first time in The Odd Couple, but it's one of their most-famous collaborations...and certainly one of their funniest. Feminized Lemmon is the sad, neat-freak and alpha-male Matthau is the brash slob. Clash! This begat an unsatisfying sequel 30 years later and many TV series, but the 1968 film was a blockbuster and remains one of the most-beloved "oil and water" comedies ever. Neil Simon adapted his own Broadway hit, then went on to become a writing legend. Gene Saks directed this movie, which is stagy and (not surprisingly for a 55-year-old comedy) a little dated, but those flaws don't ruin this parade of yuks. So don't let everything we do irritate you, even if the Ellises are our very own Oscar and Felix. Just learn to live together and make the 511th rendition of Have You Ever Seen a tidy part of your day.

Our sponsor remains Sparkplug Coffee. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and you'll get a onetime 20% discount by using our "hyes" promo code.

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Like all of our 2023 efforts, this episode will be posted on YouTube sometime on Monday.

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It was about time we covered a Yasujiro Ozu film. The Japanese director is considered a legend and his Tokyo Story has consistently ranked in the Top 5 of the Sight & Sound polls for decades. He gives us a family reunion of a very unhappy family and slowly reveals why we should care about them. That takes quite a while. Ozu's trademark static camera shots are low to the ground. His characters are polite and withholding. And, yet, his style and substance wasn't a home run with both Ellises. Tokyo Story devastated one of us while leaving the other one moved, but much less so. Anyway, stroke that play button while you sit cross-legged on the floor staring off into space with a polite smile on your face. After all, life is disappointing, but we don't think our 510th podcast is.

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We are people who scroll through Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can also email us ([email protected]).

Each of our 2023 episodes are available on YouTube. Lately, it's just been the full show with a still-frame graphic, but we have in the past---and intend to again at some point---appear on camera for 8 or 10 minutes before the show begins.

Ryan also posts sports movie podcasts every other Thursday on "Scoring At The Movies"...at least until June 7th.

The day after we talked about a classic animated film set in the ocean---Finding Nemo---Ryan posts a solo gab about another highly-enjoyable seafaring adventure comedy called Moana. The Disney blockbuster is formulaic, but it's fun and fantastically well-made. So, yes, this monologue spends 10 minutes yipping about Moana, but the real thrust of this 509th episode of Have You Ever Seen is a breakdown of Dwayne Johnson's career in film. Is The Rock actually "the biggest star in the world", as his wrestling colleagues have been saying for years? Ryan deluges you with facts and figures to analyze just how true or not that "biggest star in the world' statement is.

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This episode---like our other 2023 podcasts---is available on YouTube. These solo shows are always just the same audio you can download from your podcast avenue of choice, but occasionally Ryan and Bev sit down for some on-camera chat time for the episodes we do together.

Contacting us is very easy. Twitter: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Email: [email protected]

To hear Ryan talk with Chris Di Gregorio about Dwayne Johnson's Beyond The Mat and Fighting With My Family, go to the "Scoring At The Movies" podcast because both those wrestling films are on there.

Disney will monopolize Have You Ever Seen's first 2 days of May. We start the month with Finding Nemo, which even 20 years later remains one of Pixar's best stories and feats of animation. Even though he's one of the funniest people in Hollywood, Albert Brooks has to play the killjoy, so the laughs are courtesy of the supporting voice cast, especially Ellen DeGeneres. Her Dory is one of the great characters in all of Pixar, both from a comedy standpoint, but also from a lovability standpoint. We spent a lot of time talking about her checkered real-life history, plus we jawed about the driving forces behind this film: director Andrew Stanton and the now-reviled executive producer John Lasseter. We also talked about Pixar's legacy, including their decline in the past 10 or 12 years. Still, a classic is a classic and Finding Nemo is that. So just keep swimming while you make this podcast mineminemine by downloading it, then go on a perilous mission with your helpful Memento-esque friend as our 508th edition drifts into your ears.

Well, Actually: Ellen's talk show was called "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and her sitcom was just called "Ellen". Also, the movie she made with Bill Pullman was Mr. Wrong, not Mr. Right.

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All of our podcasts this year are also on YouTube. We haven't been recording on-camera segments for a while now, but we plan to get back to that at some point. Go to @hyesellis to find our YouTube library.

To contact us, you can tweet. Ryan is @moviefiend51 and Bev is @bevellisellis. Our email address is [email protected]

Ryan also gabs about sports flicks on "Scoring At The Movies".

Emerald Fennell has been acting for more than 15 years, but the first film she wrote and directed just 3 years ago was an unforgettable debut behind the camera. We had a few problems with Promising Young Woman's ending, but this rape-revenge movie succeeds remarkably well up to that point. Fennell has a sense of humour, she casts (smartly) against type and shows empathy for everyone, even the villains. Self-preservation is a strong instinct, after all, and putting yourself in the shoes of even someone who did something horrible can be necessary to understand the entire situation. Fennell's Oscar-winning script provides no easy answers. And the sensational Carey Mulligan isn't exactly a hero in this. She's this movie's Batman, channeling her rage and courting death as she exacts justice by essentially turning into a terrorist. This might be the finest performance she's even given. Oh, and she's 5'7", so she's not as short as we thought. Everyone just looks tiny standing next to Bo Burnham. Anyway, our lengthy 507th episode concludes Revenge Month by digging into the many layers of Promising Young Woman.

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This #metoo movie might cause you to want to shoot us some feedback. You can email us ([email protected]) or try us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

Our full podcasts can also be found on YouTube. Occasionally we post 8 or 10 minutes of bonus content off the top. These shows are available at @hyesellis.

And until June 7th, you can find new podcasts about sports films with Ryan and Chris Di Gregorio. They're under "Scoring At The Movies".

Join Ryan for a solo trip back to the era of big shoulder pads and huge hair in this 506th edition of Have You Ever Seen. Working Girl represents the first time a Mike Nichols film has been hashed out on this channel since the fall of 2014. His feminist venture into the comedy arena does something The Graduate didn't. It gets funnier as it goes along. Melanie Griffith's character has long been considered an icon of woman empowerment. How much ARE we supposed to root for Tess though? For good reasons or not, she's lying to everyone around her, including the surprisingly loose Harrison Ford. Even though Ford & Sigourney Weaver aren't in their comfort zones in these roles, the two of them and Griffith make a terrific love triangle in Working Girl. So let a certain body of water run as you settle in for a monologue about a rom-com set in the corporate world that remains fun and funny 35 years later.

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To get in touch with us, you've got Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email ([email protected]).

This episode and all of our 2023 offerings are on YouTube. Check out @hyesellis to listen to us that way...and sometimes you'll get some bonus content of us on camera.

Also, clickity clack over to "Scoring At The Movies" to hear Ryan jaw about sports films with Chris Di Gregorio.

You can't have Revenge Month and not cover a Quentin Tarantino movie. His half of the Grindhouse double-bill, Death Proof, is a throwback to an era of B-level filmmaking that perhaps QT and Robert Rodriguez admire more than audiences did. After all, this was the rare QT box-office bomb. Even he admits it's his worst movie. Still, that car chase is a masterpiece of stunt-work. Real-life stuntwoman-turned-actress Zoe Bell just did what she does anyway...risk her life for the shot in spectacular ways. Sydney Poitier in the first half of Death Proof and then Rosario Dawson in the second half are both hot & cool, but this flick belongs to a malevolent Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. Is he a stand-in for his director? We discuss. The short of it is, Tarantino's flick remains entertaining and very watchable, despite some horrifying decisions made by the lady "heroes". Well, baby, it's you, so burn rubber to save your life, then drive like a maniac to get some payback as Have You Ever Seen's 505th episode covers the car-chase side of Grindhouse.

Well, Actually: It's Tura Satana in Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, not Tura SANtana. Also, Marley Shelton plays a doctor in the Grindhouse twosome, not a nurse. Also also, it's Fred Raskin---not Raksin---who became QT's editor.

If you drink coffee and you want something better than you're currently getting, try Sparkplug Coffee. Our "hyes" promo code will save you 20% off your next order, so go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

We've been putting our 2023 episodes up on YouTube. Punch @hyesellis into your browser and you'll see our growing library.

Contacting us is a snap. You can email ([email protected]) or fire off some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

Ryan continues to post sports-movie podcasts too, which can be accessed by going to "Scoring At The Movies".

A feisty and gorgeous Jane Fonda is a perfect accompaniment to this Easter Monday. Or even if young Jane has nothing to do with the rabbit holiday and even if this is far from her most-challenging role, she DOES headline a fun comedy-western where she gets some payback. And that's fitting since this is Revenge Month. Lee Marvin won the Best Actor Oscar for his dual role as the killer villain and the drunken "hero". Comedy performances don't often result in Academy Awards, so his win still stands out. Elliot Silverstein does a good job managing those tonal changes in what was his debut as a movie director. Anyway, Bev has the week off, so Ryan is working alone on this 504th edition of Have You Ever Seen. Spend a zippy 29 minutes hearing all about Cat Ballou, Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou.

We have a beverage sponsor and they are Sparkplug Coffee. Type in "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and you can get a 20% discount by entering our "hyes" promo code into the right place.

Our podcasts have been going on our YouTube page (@hyesellis) as of January. Generally, the Monday shows have the two of us on camera chatting about the movie of that week (although not in this case), as we make corrections, recommend new movies we've seen lately and address listener feedback.

To get in touch with us, hit us up on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or via email ([email protected]).

Ryan has another podcast. Sports films are the subject. Check out "Scoring At The Movies".

Vengeance is hers! Revenge Month is upon us and the main payback-getters in April will be women. We start with Coralie Fargeat's bloody, gross, violent and awesome Revenge. Her movie is fantastic, but is most of it a fantasy? We got into that possibility and also dug into the symbiosis of #metoo happening around the same time this film was made. Matilda Lutz---who, like her director, didn't become as big a name as she should have---is sexy playing the party girl, then galvanizing as the angry phoenix rising from the ashes. So go on the hunt for a podcast about a justifiably homicidal woman who was badly wronged in our 503rd chat on Have You Ever Seen.

Well, Actually: Matilda Lutz was in Final Cut, not One Cut Of The Dead (which is the title of the Japanese film that inspired Final Cut). Also, in addition to Revenge & Mandy, the other picture on Shudder's main page is of a TV show called Channel Zero and the character is known as the "Tooth Child". Also, the director pronounces her last name "Far-ja".

We are sponsored by Sparkplug Coffee. They will dole out a one-time 20% discount to anyone who uses our "hyes" promo code, Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" to get some business done with them.

We've posted most of our 2023 episodes on YouTube. This show won't have any bonus footage of us on camera, but generally our Monday podcasts do. Go to @hyesellis to see our growing library of YouTube content.

To contact us, tweet (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email ([email protected]).

Ryan talks about sports movies too. You can find all those gabs on "Scoring At The Movies".

We did a brief review of 12 Years A Slave when the film came out nearly 10 years ago. Here in Oscar Month 2023, we delve a lot deeper with the benefit of perspective. This tough-but-necessary film is the pinnacle of slavery movies, partly because it was written and directed by black men (John Ridley and Steve McQueen). Prestige Movies have had far more inclusion in the above-the-line jobs in the decade since, so there's clearly been progress in the film business. As for the story, Solomon Northup was a free man who was forced into this terrible life. It seems even more tragic that it happened to this exceptional man, although the moral question is why did ANYONE ever have to go through this? Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong'o are tremendous at showing us what it probably really was like to be a person held under the boot of vicious racists like Michael Fassbender. So as you cue up our 502nd edition of Have You Ever Seen, we ask you to understand that we're two white Canadians trying to sort through the horrors of slavery and the intricacies of the landmark achievement that is 12 Years A Slave.

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There were several corrections that need to be made to this episode as well as some additional thoughts, so go to @hyesellis and watch Ryan's 6-minute YouTube video about this film, then the podcast itself plays in its entirety. One error you won't find corrected there is that Jordan Peele produced Blackkklansman, not Judas & The Back Messiah.

We're reachable via email ([email protected]) and Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

Ryan also talks about sports films on "Scoring At The Movies".

If we had covered Braveheart about 20 years ago, most people would have said, "that Mel Gibson is an incredible movie star and can he ever direct a battle scene!" But that nutty Aussie is a complex man. The fun-loving reputation he had in his prime is in tatters now that we've all learned about his many, many flaws in the ensuing years. Yet the man is (or was) a terrific actor---even in a movie where he plays a Scotsman---and a talented director of violent action. Bonus: this is a natural lead-in to the "Revenge Month" theme we'll have in our April movies. So settle in for an extensive one-Ryan review in our 501st episode of Have You Ever Seen because while "alba gu brath" is a wonderful rallying cry to fire up the blue-faced troops, it's best to know that you'll never take our freedom to talk about Oscar-winning movies.

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If you like to listen to podcasts on YouTube, hit up @hyesellis in your browser and you'll find most of our 2023 offerings on the channel. Most of them also have on-camera content of us adding facts about the movie in question, doing brief reviews of other films we've seen and discussing listener feedback.

Want to get in touch with the Ellises and give us said feedback? You can write a soliloquy ([email protected]) or you can be briefer and tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

Hearing Ryan ramble on here may have inspired you to hear more of that. Well, he talks about sports films with Chris Di Gregorio on "Scoring At The Movies".

And so we've reached 500 episodes! We started this podcast 10 years ago with the goal of analyzing the AFI's Top 100 Lists, so what better way for us to celebrate a landmark episode than to do...a list! And it's with a flourish as we post a king-sized chat about the greatest Best Picture Oscar winners. We each pulled 10 classic Oscar champions out of a box and did a brief review of them, telling you why they're worthy of enshrinement in Awesometown. Then we took exception to a handful of winners throughout the years that were inferior to something else that was nominated against it, but didn't win. This show about The Best Best Pictures is one of the best podcasts we've ever done, so get comfy and listen to us rave about those that won gold.

Well, Actually: The Exorcist came out the day AFTER Christmas, not on Christmas Day itself the way The Sting did. Also, it should be noted that Jodie Foster DOES say in The Silence Of The Lambs that transgender people are typically very docile, not psychopathic killers. 

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This podcast is also on YouTube. Go to @hyesellis to find (most of) our 2023 episodes. The Monday shows tend to include 8 to 12 minutes of on-camera content of us talking about the movie of the week, highlighting recent films we've seen and responding to listener feedback.

To get in touch with us, shoot us a tweet or two (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]).

And to hear Ryan yammer on about motion pictures that are all about sports, check out "Scoring At The Movies".

It's a bonus episode, of sorts, but this 499th Have You Ever Seen is definitely timely. We're recapping the Academy Awards. No one got hammered in the face by a miffed man this year, but it WAS a memorable Oscar Night. Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once won 7 awards and was the king of the evening, including taking home 3 acting awards (which hadn't happened in 46 years). That film and All Quiet On The Western Front won nearly half of the total awards just by themselves, so it wasn't one of those "share the wealth" kind of years. Still, the tone in the room was friendly and supportive, especially for Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, the Daniels and everyone involved with EEAAO. We break down the whole show in our Oscars Post-View, with all the sweets and even the sours of the 95th Academy Awards. Tweet us your thoughts (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]).

Charles Dickens' hungry orphan was given the musical treatment in this Best Picture Oscar winner that came out more than a half-century ago. Homelessness and songs are a strange mixture, but Carol Reed (mostly) makes Lionel Bart's stage-show work as a movie...even though the director of The Third Man seemed to be out of his element. Oliver is an overlong, yet impressive production that represents the end of an era for these types of mega-films. We talked about what we felt was missing in Oliver and also how the current decline of superhero movies compares to big-budget musicals in the '60s...because there is something missing in recent MCU projects too. So, my dear, get ready to hear more of us talking about the Academy Awards this month in the 498th episode of Have You Ever Seen.

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Getting in touch with us is pretty easy. You can shoot us an email ([email protected]) or use Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @Ryan Ellis

Each of our podcasts in 2023 are on YouTube (@hyesellis) and our Monday shows even add some on-camera bonus content off the top.

And hearing Ryan today makes you want more pedantry, look for the sports movie podcast known as "Scoring At The Movies"

Marty is one of the most-understated winners of the Best Picture Oscar there's ever been. And at just 90 minutes long, it's also the shortest. Director Delbert Mann's film has a heavy layer of sadness, yet also has plenty of uplift and hope. Paddy Chayefsky wrote him a simple story and Mann tells it quite effectively. Sparks fly when Ernest Borgnine meets  Betsy Blair at a dance, but his friends and his mother turn up their nose at her. And that's the film. This is just a quiet, pleasant, day-in-the-life movie about regular people trying to find love and happiness. And beauty is what you make of it. So join Ryan doing the solo thing in this 497th episode as he tries not to *ahem* butcher the story of Marty.

Sparkplug Coffee sponsors us. You can score a 20% discount on your next order if you use our "hyes" promo code. "Sparkplug.coffee/hyes" is your link.

Getting in touch with us is simple. You can email ([email protected]) or tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

Look for us on YouTube (@hyesellis). Every single 2023 podcast by Have You Ever Seen is available there and the Monday shows always have about 8 to 10 minutes of bonus content with us on camera.

If you like sports pictures, Ryan also talks about those. Go to "Scoring At The Movies" in your favourite podcast app. 

The 95th Academy Awards are coming up on Sunday, so it's time for us to break down what was nominated, what we think should win and what we think WILL win gold on March 12th. There might be quite a few newbies going up on stage because most of the actors and directors have never been nominated before. 2022 was a year of underdogs and comebacks, from Brendan Fraser to Ke Huy Quan, but also one in which luminaries like Angela Bassett and Jamie Lee Curtis finally got a real chance to win an Oscar. So download our 496th podcast as we analyze the Year In Puking and the glories that might be ahead for some very-deserving people at this year's Academy Awards.

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We would love to hear what you think of this podcast...or any of them. Tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]).

This episode and all our 2023 chats are also on YouTube. The Monday shows always have us on camera for a spell, addressing that movie, talking about new films we've seen, answering listener emails, etc. Ryan has quite a few bonus thoughts about the Oscars, so make sure to go to "hyesellis" in your browser to find this particular show.

And if you want to hear Ryan yammer some more about the flicks, take a look at what's offered in the sports movie realm on "Scoring At The Movies".

It took us nearly a decade to talk about a Terrence Malick film, but our first of his is his first-ever motion picture. Malick was an artist right from the start, although Badlands is unlike just about everything he's directed since because it's mostly a two-hander with a brief running time. Sissy Spacek and the Jimmy Dean-esque Martin Sheen have probably never been so monotone, but their deliberately detached performances stand out compared to other histrionic "serial killer on the road" characters. Malick has the entire cast playing it low-key, in fact, and he doesn't glamourize his main characters or make them into fun anti-heroes. Also, because this episode ends the Month Of Crazy Stupid Love, we briefly discussed the Steve Carell/Ryan Gosling rom-com Crazy Stupid Love. So episode #495 of Have You Ever Seen awaits your attention as we wrap up this month of passion projects with one of the more unusual ones we've ever covered.

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Want to talk to us? We're tweetable (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and emailable ([email protected]).

Our 2023 shows are all on YouTube and the Monday podcasts follow 10 or 12 minutes of us giving you bonus content in an on-camera segment. Go to @hyesellis for our growing library.

And Ryan also moves his tongue about flicks with sports in them on "Scoring At The Movies".

Our Month Of Crazy Stupid Love wouldn't have been complete without an episode about one of the most-beloved love stories Hollywood has ever made. Of course, William Wyler's Roman Holiday is reprising a lot of Frank Capra's superior It Happened One Night. Roman Holiday isn't as funny as its inspiration, but it's amusing and very enjoyable. Gregory Peck is looser than he normally was and Oscar-winner Audrey Hepburn is just as likable & charming as she always was. And they sell true love (or at least infatuation) during their one day together, tooling around Italy and not being honest about who each of them really is. So dial up Ryan's monologue in this 494th episode of Have You Ever Seen to get the skinny on a classic romance with 2 great movie stars being exactly that.

If you could imagine saving 20% off some great coffee, then go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Our "hyes" promo code will save you dollars on your next order. Contacting us can be done via email ([email protected]) or Twitter (Ryan is @moviefiend51 and Bev is @bevellisellis). Look for our shows on YouTube (@hyesellis) every Monday. We post the same podcast as can be found on Apple Pod & Spotify, but with about 10 minutes of on-camera content. And to hear Ryan dig into sports films, check out "Scoring At The Movies".

The whole point of Dangerous Liaisons is to give us terrible people doing horrible things just because they can, so it's not beyond our control to make such delicious savagery our 493rd episode. Stephen Frears' cast ranges from phenomenal to, well, a bit mediocre. However, Christopher Hampton's extraordinary adaptation of his own play that started life as a French play about French characters gives us some of the best dialogue we've heard in a while...even if most of it is delivered by Americans. Deceitful Glenn Close makes the very most of her limited screen time and Michelle Pfeiffer vibrates with vulnerability, but this movie is John Malkovich's. He's very effective as a great seducer, even if he's a little miscast. So look sadly in a mirror and remove your makeup as Have You Ever Seen sifts through the many strengths and the occasional weaknesses of Dangerous Liaisons.

Our sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee. Go to "sparkplug.coffee.hyes" and then you can save 20% off your next order by using our "hyes" promo code. As for contacting us, there's Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and email ([email protected]). We post all of our 2023 shows with on-camera scenes on YouTube (@hyesellis) and Ryan also discusses sports flicks on "Scoring At The Movies".

Peter and Bobby Farrelly's most-successful comedy was 27th on the AFI's Top 100 Laughs 23 years ago. It's a movie that stands out on that list because very few of those other grinners go for broke like this does. There's Something About Mary often toes the line (sometimes even crosses it) with wildly politically incorrect material, but it was—and still is---truly funny. Guts were busted in our house for a full 2 hours, even at a lot of the cringe comedy. Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz are a good match, but Lee Evans and especially Matt Dillon steal the movie from those two lovebirds. We weren't as loony about the infamous gross-out gags as others are and Ryan doesn't think the film entirely works. The rampant stalking is a problem, sure, but maybe Stiller & Diaz aren't quite right for these roles? Well, however YOU feel about There's Something About Mary, don't comically struggle to pick up your keys while pretending you have a severe back injury and be careful when you're zipping up your fly as we continue the Month Of Crazy Stupid Love with Have You Ever Seen #492.

If you would be interested in saving money on great coffee, we have a sponsor...Sparkplug Coffee. If you go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes", you can get a 20% discount by using our "hyes" promo code. Contacting us can be done via an email ([email protected]) or Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and we've posted all our 2023 shows on YouTube (usually with bonus content with us on camera). Hit up @hyesellis in your browser for all of those episodes. And, finally, Ryan also talks about sports flicks on "Scoring At The Movies".

When you cast two movie stars to play people who are 180 degrees apart philosophically, but who fall in love anyway, sometimes you make a mint. Okay, you OFTEN do. Hollywood loves the "opposites attract" formula. The Way We Were is a stellar example of this. It was an award-winning blockbuster 50 years ago, largely because of Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, but also because of the beloved theme song. Never underestimate popular music. Streisand does undeniably strong work in this film as the social-justice underdog. Robert Redford basically gets to play himself---the perfect man for whom everything comes easily---but he plays off Babs' relentless tenacity quite well. Of course, the flick isn't flawless. It works for almost the entire running time...until the frustrating final 10 minutes. Still, this is a love story worth seeing...and worth hearing about in a podcast. So download this 491st edition of Have You Ever Seen to take in Ryan's monologue about Sydney Pollack's romantic classic, but first...

...invest some time in exploring Sparkplug Coffee's website. To save 20% on your next order, go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" (our promo code is "hyes"). On YouTube, we're @hyesellis. On Twitter, we're @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. To email, we're [email protected] And if hearing Ryan jaw about sports films has you curious, go to "Scoring At The Movies".

We begin the Month of Crazy Stupid Love with a film that the Sight And Sound absolutely worships. The BBC Culture people do too. But we don't. We do RESPECT In The Mood For Love immensely. The actors are good and it's one of the best-looking motion pictures ever made. The cinematography, the sets and especially the costumes should have won Oscars, even though the film wasn't nominated in any of those categories. But, yes, there's certainly plenty to admire in this movie about self-imposed forbidden love as Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung deal with the pain of their partners' infidelity by falling for each other. Are these feelings real though or are the two of them just wallowing in that pain? We try to sort all of that out in Have You Ever Seen #490 as we also try our hardest to see what others see in In The Mood For Love.

For stupendous coffee, go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and you can even save 20% off your very next order by using our "hyes" promo code. Find this podcast on YouTube and follow us on Twitter. Our main page on the 'Tube is @hyesellis and our tweetables are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Our YouTube videos also feature us talking a bit more about the movie of that week and then discussing recent films we've seen, then answering listener emails or online comments. As for email, that's [email protected]. And "Scoring At The Movies" is Ryan's other podcast, where sports pictures are the topic.

This one is for all you surly folk singers who wallow in failure and unhappiness. Fun! Actually, Inside Llewyn Davis is more enjoyable than the plot outline makes it sound and it's often hilarious...mostly because of Carey Mulligan. Of course, this is a 21st Century Joel & Ethan Coen picture, which guarantees it's going to have gorgeous cinematography and a certain level of opaqueness. Then again, it isn't actually an insult to say this is one of their more-puzzling films with its Mobius Strip story and maddening main character. Of course, when you've got a supremely talented actor like Oscar Isaac singing most of these great songs and carrying the film from start to finish, your pseudo-musical experience just has to be fulfilling. So tune into the 489th episode of Have You Ever Seen as we warble about Inside Llewyn Davis 10 years after we reviewed it in brief the first time...and we might find time to save a cat or two in that time.

If all you can afford on the road to Chicago is a cup of coffee, then make it Sparkplug Coffee. Go to sparkplug.coffee/hyes and you'll even save 20% by using our "hyes" promo code. You can reach us via email ([email protected]) or Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can find all of our 2023 shows on YouTube, where we also provide additional thoughts about that week's podcast and usually talk about recent movie news. Go to @hyesellis in your browser for that. And if you like sports, Ryan talks about that subject on another podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

Reviewing She Done Him Wrong was simply a ploy to finally talk about Mae West. She was a major star nearly 100 years ago and is considered an icon. This was her story idea and the film came out just before the Hays Code would prevent so many sexy outfits and double entendres to fill a movie. Ryan's monologue here focuses on how the film doesn't work because director Lowell Sherman couldn't balance the tone, plus the movie just isn't funny. There's also way too much going on in a 64-minute film and there's certainly not enough Cary Grant. And here's an unpopular opinion: Mae West is a legend who doesn't deserve to be. Sure, she's sassy and eye-catching in this, but her character is one-note and the actress apparently had no range at all. So slide into the 488th episode of Have You Ever Seen as She Done Him Wrong gets ripped into a time or twelve.

This podcast is sponsored by Sparkplug Coffee, which will give you a 20% discount if you use our "hyes" promo code. Go to sparkplug.coffee/hyes. Also, find us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected]) and plug @hyesellis into your browser to see what we've got cooking on YouTube. All our 2023 eps are on there, with bonus content of us on camera for the Monday shows. And if you want to listen to a sports-movie podcast, Ryan talks to Chris Di Gregorio about athletics on "Scoring At The Movies".

Danny Boyle insists this isn't a zombie movie, but his intense 28 Days Later influenced that popular genre and was at the forefront of digital filmmaking. The director settled for a look that was ugly as dirt to get incredible shots they never could have had with classic film cameras, which allowed for that nightmarish opening of Cillian Murphy walking alone through a deserted London. The first half of the picture is brilliant and Brendan Gleeson brings tons of heart to the middle part, but the last section with the military is disjointed. We had issues with the climax and the coda. Still, a huge plus is that Naomie Harris is tremendous as a Michonne-like leader...for a while, at least. So stay alert for any infected in your area as the 487th Have You Ever Seen yaps about an unfortunately timely subject...namely, a crippling virus that ravages society.

Sparkplug Coffee is the way to start your day. Go to sparkplug.coffee/hyes to snag a 20% discount by using our "hyes" promo code. Contact us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or via email ([email protected]) and type in @hyesellis to see our growing archive of shows on YouTube. You'll find this entire podcast plus about 8 minutes of us on-camera talking about the sequel, Triangle Of Sadness and more. And if you like to hear about sports films, Ryan has another podcast that covers that (Scoring At The Movies).

If you scroll back to January 2016 in our channel, you'll see that the 2nd episode of what we then called "The Next 100 Project" was Before Sunrise. Now for the 486th "Have You Ever Seen" (we've had a weird numbering system...it's complicated), we're finding out what Jesse and Celine are up to in Before Midnight while they're on vacation in Greece. They've been together for nearly a decade and have twin daughters now. They also get into some ugly disputes about how their relationship is going. The first 2 Before films were off-the-page romantic. While one has some of the trademark walking & talking lovey dovey, it's also a near-feature-length argument. It's such a rich, beautiful film despite all that though. We talked a lot about our own marriage, so be prepared for us to get personal as we watch the sun go down and get ready for a rumble in Before Midnight, y'know.

Sparkplug Coffee won't cure marital problems, but it CAN be had for a 20% discount if you go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and use that promo code. Find this episode with 10 minutes of on-camera content and find all of our 2023 shows on YouTube (type "@hyesellis" into your browser). Shoot us an email to tell us what you think ([email protected]) or tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). And maybe see what you like on "Scoring At The Movies", Ryan's sports-movie podcast.

For the 2nd time this week, Have You Ever Seen talks about escaped convicts. And just 3 days before Martin Luther King Day, Ryan offers up an oral essay about 2 on the run while dealing with '50s-era racism in America's south. The Defiant Ones---unlike Out Of Sight---is deadly serious. One legendary actor in Sidney Poitier and one underrated one in Tony Curtis work well together as two people who are forced to work together to survive with a posse in hot pursuit. The last 30 minutes of the film and the ending itself are puzzling, but Stanley Kramer's dynamic Oscar winner is still good enough to rise above those problems. So don't drag on the chain, man (especially since that's a bad line) as our 485th episode breaks down the hard-fought battles and gradual acceptances in The Defiant Ones.

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What happens when a federal marshal---who just happens to love the bad boy---is kidnapped by an immensely likable thief when he's breaking out of prison? Well, in Out Of Sight, it's a blend of comedy, romance and chemistry all set against a backdrop of sometimes brutally awfully crime. The prolific Steven Soderbergh was perhaps at his absolute best here directing Scott Frank's cool, funny, sexy script that helped George Clooney & Jennifer Lopez hit their acting peak. We debated which scene is greater (the trunk scene or the restaurant/hotel scene), even though those are just two in 2 hours worth of great ones. In any case, Have You Ever Seen sifts through the fish tank for the 484th time about the one that made J Lo and G Cloo true movie stars.

We have bonus content (plus the entire podcast itself) on YouTube. Go to @hyesellis for the growing Have You Ever Seen library on the 'Tube. Also, if you're diamond-rich, you don't need to save money, but everyone else might appreciate Sparkplug Coffee's arrangement with us that snags them a 20% discount. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and hit the right buttons. And contact us via email ([email protected]) or Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), but also take a look at what Ryan has talked about in a sports-movie way on "Scoring At The Movies".

A Buster Keaton film hasn't been reviewed on this channel in going on 10 years, so Sherlock Jr. seemed like the perfect way to end that drought. It's an acclaimed pratfall comedy done by the stone-faced silent stuntman who also knew how to tickle the bones that are funny. But is this movie actually funny? It's rightly famous for the gimmick where Keaton's projectionist character has a dream and literally walks into the movie he's screening. Before the superior second half and also during the first half set in the real world, he does some crazy brave things. The print is great. It's a fun watch. But...is it funny? Ryan has a lengthy oral essay trying to answer that very question in this 483rd episode of Have You Ever Seen, so mouth along to the silent antics as one man digs into the 99-year-old Sherlock Jr.

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The 469th Ellises' Analysis and our first episode in December has us asking you to appreciate the irony of an atheist and an agnostic discussing a Christmas movie about a religious man and an angel. Cary Grant plays that divine being in The Bishop's Wife and he's given the job of trying to fix Loretta Young and David Niven's struggling marriage. It's a tricky story to tell because Young has to have romantic chemistry with Grant, but not too much. Bev doesn't think they walked that tightrope very well, nor was Grant given a role where he could truly excel. We both acknowledge Henry Koster's movie is fun though, even if the laughs didn't tickle us the way they probably made audiences guffaw 75 years ago. Actually, The Bishop's Wife has a layer of sadness to it, as many Christmas classics do.

But you have no reason to be sad if you drink coffee. Maybe you can get some Sparkplug Coffee as a stocking stuffer. You'll enjoy get a one-time 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Want to contact us? We're on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or you can send us an email ([email protected]). And if you want to hear more from Ryan, go over to "Scoring At The Movies" to hear him chat about sports films with Chris Di Gregorio.

There was a time when Michael Douglas and sex thrillers went together like ice and picks, but Paul Verhoeven's steamy whodunnit belongs to Sharon Stone. She's an ultra-wealthy, often-naked, mystery novelist in Basic Instinct, a dangerous combination of beauty and brains. She also just might have a thirst for committing bloody murder. Still, we had sympathy for what might be the devil because when a character is this much better than all the dupes around her, sometimes you just have to put all your chips on evil. So don't be a detective who doesn't think to take DNA samples or fingerprints...or even see what's right in front of him. Just insert the 467th Ellises' Analysis into the appropriate holes in your body (that's your ears, weirdo) as we try to piece together Basic Instinct.

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Whether you call it the Scottish play or whether you just call it Macbeth (because you don't worry about silliness like believing saying words is bad luck), this notorious Shakespeare work has been turned into a movie many different times. Outside of the Joel Coen version last year, nobody ever did it as well and certainly not any better than Japanese master Akira Kurosawa did in Throne Of Blood. Big, bold Toshiro Mifune is the samurai warrior who doesn't handle it very well when he gets to be big man on campus while his Lady (Isuzu Yamada) schemes, manipulates and then just can't get that spot out. From the incredible set design to the contrasting acting styles to the inevitable tragedy of the foretold ending, Throne Of Blood is the kind of production that sucks you in while also never letting you relax. So speak in ghostly metaphors while prophesizing someone's future as the Ellises' Analysis chats at you for the 466th time.

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Bonus episode! On this Veteran's Day (or Remembrance Day, if you're a fellow Canadian), Ryan offers up another unexpected vocal essay, this time about a marine who's killed during a hazing that goes terribly wrong. Everybody in Rob Reiner's cast---led by an enthusiastic and charismatic Tom Cruise---is good or at least solid in this film, but A Few Good Men belongs to Jack Nicholson. His uber-famous "you can't handle the truth" monologue has a lot more going for it than just being a classic movie rant. The point of this episode is to dig deeper into that speech and to look past his reputation as a great villain to see the shades of grey in not only him, but in the two young men he ordered to "train" a substandard marine. So don't let a jarhead give you a Code Red. Just be crystal clear about my orders and download this one-man show about A Few Good Men.

Oh, and to share your thoughts about this or any other podcast we've ever done, tweet me or Bev while that's still an option (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]).

This is the rare time we've ever posted an episode on Halloween, so to put an appropriately freaky bow on Scary Movie Month, we've chosen to discuss a film that's always frightened at least one of us. David Lynch has been the master of unsettling horror (BOB!) amidst everyday settings since his career kicked off 45 years ago. That talent might be epitomized in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. This eerie prequel to the ground-breaking TV series certainly can make a person's skin crawl. Sheryl Lee is almost operatic, but she's also extraordinary playing one of Lynch's many tragic blondes. The psychotic break Laura Palmer suffers became a running theme in so much of Lynch's work and Lee nails it just as effectively as Watts or Dern or Pullman did. Okay, maybe not quite as good as Watts. The original Twin Peaks series and the 2017 follow-up miniseries came up a lot during this episode, so be prepared to hear about TV almost as much as film. Indisputably, this brand has staying power with its diehard fans and you'll learn so many tidbits from one of them in this 464th Ellises' Analysis.

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Step up, step up to hear our chat about a movie that focuses on the, let's say, more unusual circus performers...although Freaks isn't actually about the show the public gets to see. In fact, Tod Browning's revenge story focuses almost entirely on the humdrum lives (and sometimes maniacal actions) of the sideshow characters in this traveling caravan. Just don't cross one of these so-called freaks because if you mess with one, you mess with all of them. The title characters have layers though and there's not a lot of black and white in this film, even though it's literally a black-and-white film. So learn to accept that you're one of us (one of us!) as the 463rd Ellises' Analysis yammers in your ear about the 90-year-old Freaks. Just don't let anyone spike your cup of coffee with anything that'll harm you... and make that unspiked beverage Sparkplug Coffee. Do you like 20% discounts? You'll get one if you use our promo code ("top100project") at checkout. Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected]) and maybe gander at the 100+ podcasts on Ryan's sports movie podcast known as "Scoring At The Movies".

Deadites and Kandarian demons, we're back after a week off with a PG-rated talk about the extremely R-rated Evil Dead II. Director Sam Raimi, star Bruce Campbell & their friends were able to pull off a monumental blend of comedy and horror in this landmark sequel. Actually, the laughs outnumber the shrieks. The gore-soaked set pieces and the creativity of the low-budget effects get an A+, but the narrative and some of the performances aren't as excellent. Campbell though, that B-movie legend, has boatloads of charisma and his go-for-broke director was good enough at his craft to go on to become a respected maker of blockbusters. So fire up your chainsaw hand, grab your boomstick and kindly make your easily-swallowed soul available for a possession as the 462nd Ellises' Analysis picks apart the groovy goods & the bloody bads of Evil Dead II.

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We begin our 7th Scary Movie Month with this 461st Ellises' Analysis. Poltergeist is a slow-burn horror show with an insane finale as Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg throw a bunch of angry ghosts at the loving Freeling family. The movie also has a sense of humour to balance out at least some of the trauma these little children go through. Full marks to the cast. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, the novice actors playing their kids and the adults playing the bizarro ghost chasers all keep it real amidst all the pandemonium. We also talked about this movie's supposed curse, about who really directed it and about whether or not it's actually scary to 2 middle-aged podcasters. So don't dig a pool in the back yard if there are vengeful dead people down there, but DO toss your television out into the hall and then GO INTO THE LIGHT (of your cell phone) as we hash out Poltergeist. As for a good way to keep you up at night, so you can battle the spectral kidnappers hiding in your electronics, order Sparkplug Coffee. You'll get a 20% discount just by using our handy promo code ("top100project"). Also, hit us with some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected]) and follow Ryan's other movie podcast, Scoring At The Movies.

Lady Bird was a perfect way for Greta Gerwig to start her directing career. She got to make a movie based on her own life, set in her home city of Sacramento, with a young woman in the lead role, which succeeded at the box office and was beloved by critics. Mic drop. A huge plus is that Gerwig's caustically funny flick has an atypical ending to a coming-of-age story, contrast to the easy answers these kinds of movies tend to serve up. Saoirse Ronan is tremendous (this is nothing new) as the prickly, Sacramento-hating high-schooler who renamed herself to the dismay of her ultra-passive-aggressive mother. Laurie Metcalf is great as that mother, as is Tracy Letts as Ronan's father. Really, the whole cast in Lady Bird is something else. So don't dive out of a moving vehicle to win a car-gument, but come to understand that sometimes love hurts as we bring you the 460th Ellises' Analysis. By the way, leaving home to go to college is not an easy transition, but it IS easy to buy Sparkplug Coffee wherever that Canadian or American college might be. You'll get a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, we'd love to hear from you via email ([email protected]) or via tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Oh, and since you like podcasts about movies, you should know that Ryan talks about sports films on "Scoring At The Movies".

We haven't covered a Paul Thomas Anderson movie in over 6 years, so it's high time we found out what's up in his funny opus about a makeshift family doing drugs and shooting porn. Burt Reynolds is fantastic and he's so likable in Boogie Nights, but it was Mark Wahlberg who said to Hollywood "hello, I'm a big, bright shining star" after this ode to the '70s burst onto the scene. The entire cast is marvelous and almost all of them (Moore, Cheadle, Reilly, Walters, Hoffman, Graham, etc) play their characters like innocent children. Everything is changing around them, although they themselves don't really change. Yes, it's yet another film about a glorious rise and a brutal fall, but PTA's script and direction find ways to make the story fun (for a while anyway) as he classily films this seedy subject. So don't be a certain kind of idiot (an idiot, an idiot, an idiot...) as the 459th Ellises' Analysis peels back many layers of the one about a delusional family that just happens to make adult films. You can probably guzzle at least one cup of Sparkplug Coffee during some of the long takes in Boogie Nights, so get a few bags of joe and use our promo code ("top100project") to snag a 20% discount on your next order. Also, hit us with some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected]) and follow Ryan's other chat 'cast (Scoring At The Movies).

Spike Lee has spent most of his long career directing movies about racial strife, but 25th Hour isn't really about that. The terrorist attack on 9/11 wasn't even a year old when they were making this movie, so Lee instead chose to lace those complicated feelings throughout what is otherwise a quiet character study about one man's last day of freedom. Edward Norton is strong (as he always is) in the leading role as an intelligent drug dealer who made bad decisions and has to face the consequences, but the supporting cast is excellent too. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin all shine. It's Barry Pepper though who gets to play the character with the most layers. And the heartbreaking ending that evokes a certain 1980s Jesus movie is what makes 25th Hour so memorable. So know that it's all right (even if it probably isn't going to be all right) as the 458th Ellises' Analysis worries about a future in prison while enjoying one last day. To stay awake for 24 hours, guzzle a few mugs of Sparkplug Coffee. They continue to offer a 20% discount for those who use our promo code ("top100project"). You can certainly tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]). Ryan would also love it if you would take a gander at his other podcast (Scoring At The Movies) where sports pictures are discussed.

Fittingly for Labour Day, we're talking about eating the rich and helping out the poor. Even with his butler job in My Man Godfrey though, the suave William Powell isn't exactly Johnny Lunchbox. He gets to wear a tuxedo and work in the ritzy house of a wealthy family of zany idiots. It could be worse. We were overdue to cover a Carole Lombard film, although her committed comic performance is a bit marred by the way they wrote her to be so whiny and annoying. It also doesn't help that she's jamming love down Powell's throat as Gregory La Cava's picture is presenting a romance that's hard to root for. Even if we let the workplace sexual harassment slide, there's that bizarre ending. Nevertheless, it's certainly better than some of the movies from this era that the AFI put on their various lists. So don't sock the 457th Ellises' Analysis for wanting a "protege" and if you must be phony, at least be a good guy as we serve you a podcast about My Man Godfrey on a silver platter. And if you don't like a bunch of pre-dinner martinis, order a mailbox full of Sparkplug Coffee. They'll give you a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). We'd also love it if you would rate us and tweet things to us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]). Oh, one last thing to promote is that Ryan talks about sports flicker shows on "Scoring At The Movies".

Before you pop the 456th Ellises' Analysis into your ears, we offer a trigger warning if you still root for a certain Floridian man-child. His name was often besmirched and we didn't pull too many punches in comparing him to the way Queen Anne is portrayed in The Favourite. Olivia Colman is dynamite (and won a surprise Oscar) playing the whiny royal in Yorgos Lanthimos' sex-filled-yet-unsexy dark comedy. By the Greek auteur's standards, this is an accessible film, but it's probably still off-putting to a lot of people. It's also women-centric and the men barely matter, so THAT may be off-putting to a lot of people. Basically, if you don't like a movie (or your humble podcasters) getting political in off-putting ways, maybe just skip this one. But, whatever your choice, don't be an unqualified badger who toys with the likes of Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. Instead, be careful what you wish for...although you don't have to just WISH for Sparkplug Coffee. You can buy as much as you like and you'll get a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). You can also tweet sweet or sour nothings to us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected])  and you might have fun looking up Ryan's sports movie podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

While we probably wouldn't be thrilled if the characters played by Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in The Florida Project were our next-door neighbours, we absolutely loved watching them in this film. In this and in Tangerine, director Sean Baker has shown he really knows how to make an authentic and enjoyable movie with inexperienced actors. Here they're desperate people in impossible circumstances, but they're also making the most of a tough life. Who needs Disney World when they're this good at making their own fun! All the rookie actors are wonderful, but Willem Dafoe stands out too in one of his sweetest roles, a hotel manager who really cares about the little people who need a little help sometimes. So give us a break, lady, as the 455th Ellises' Analysis talks about Baker's modern-day version of the Little Rascals. If you care to score a 20% discount on Sparkplug Coffee, use our promo code at check-out ("top100project"). Also, shoot us some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us ([email protected]) and zip over to "Scoring At The Movies" in all the delectable podcast avenues to hear Ryan talk about sports flicks.

Adrian Lyne directed plenty of sex thrillers in his career, but none of them were quite the zeitgeisty blockbuster that Fatal Attraction was. Glenn Close's legendary performance as a disturbed woman who falls hard for Michael Douglas' unfaithful man remains one of the most fascinating things she's ever done. Her movie annoyed feminists though, especially when Close (against the actress' will) did things you can't really excuse. We didn't love the action-packed ending, but the original conclusion wasn't satisfying either. The best thing Lyne and writer James Dearden do in this film though is give the 2 leads plenty of dimensions and motivations throughout the story. You can pick sides, but it's difficult to see either of them as a true villain. Well, until maybe the last 30 minutes. So leave a little girl's beloved pet in the yard where it belongs, live up to your responsibilities and don't ignore the 454th Ellises' Analysis. Also, listening to a woman lecture you on tape would be an easier task if you have Sparkplug Coffee in your mug. Sparkplug will give you a 20% discount if you apply our promo code ("top100project"). Also, feel free to tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]) and take a peek at the many sports movie selections in Ryan's other podcast feed (Scoring At The Movies).

In Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes pays loving homage to sumptuous 1950's Douglas Sirk melodramas. This movie is actually more ambitious than anything Sirk ever did though. Haynes tackles multiple controversies in his "Issues Film", including closeted homosexuality and romance between a black man & a white woman. The actors---especially Julianne Moore---are excellent. Moore, Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert play it very close to the chest and they make their director's deliberately phony-sounding dialogue come across as true and accurate. These characters have three-dimensions and many shades of grey and they all get hurt by the way society was back then...and in some ways still is. Incidentally, we neglected to mention that Haynes himself is gay. We also skated over the horrible act of conversion therapy, which no one should have ever had to go through. And we didn't make the connection that Moore played ANOTHER desperately suppressed '50s housewife in her other 2002 Oscar nomination (The Hours). So don't ask who on Earth is politely knocking at your door, by golly. Just download the 453rd Ellises' Analysis, Pop, but also buy a bunch of Sparkplug Coffee. You can nab a 20% discount by using our "top100project" promo code. Also, shoot us some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and perhaps try gazing at the offerings on Ryan's sports movie podcast ("Scoring At The Movies").

Unlike many of the immature '80s teen comedies that were obsessed with sex, the star-making Fast Times At Ridgemont High stands out for not treating it like a leering joke. Amy Heckerling's first film actually cares about the young women in the huge cast, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sean Penn is uncharacteristically hilarious in one of his characteristically Method roles, but this movie belongs to JJL. She gets to be funny sometimes the way Penn and Judge Reinhold do, sure, but her story gets into dark territory like unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Heckerling and Cameron Crowe (this was his first screenplay) do a masterful job of balancing that kind of serious material with a steady string of laughs. Anyway, you don't have to scalp tickets to listen to the 452nd Ellises' Analysis, especially if you're a cool guy who's intimidated by the intense football player. Just be somebody's baaaay-by tonight. And if you want to sip some coffee while learning about Cuba and having some food, then you should become a Sparkplug Coffee customer. They'll give you a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and gander at the selections on Ryan's sports movie podcast ("Scoring At The Movies").

Some movies stand out for being great, some stand out for being terrible and some stand out for how juicy the behind-the-scenes stories are. There's always been more gossip about the behaviour of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane co-stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford than there's been talk about the movie itself. And art imitated life because the actresses playing the sisters in Robert Aldrich's thriller had a mutual hate affair. Crawford has the subdued role as the paraplegic former movie star while Davis gets to eat every little bit of that lovely scenery as the alcoholic former child star. They're tremendous. It's a long movie though, considering their conflict is pretty much the entire reason this film exists. We also didn't think the twist holds up. Still, you can't beat juicy and Baby Jane is that, as is the gossipy jabber in the 451st Ellises' Analysis. So guzzle down some Sparkplug Coffee while you hear us talk about Jane guzzling her booze. You'll get a 20% discount on your next order of Sparkplug (not the booze) if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and kindly check out Ryan's sport movie podcast "Scoring At The Movies".

Bradley Cooper started his journey to become one of the most-versatile and most-respected actors of his generation when he starred in Silver Linings Playbook. In so many movies since then (and several films before then, really), he's been far better than a 5/10. Writer/director David O. Russell expertly mixes romance & comedy with serious issues like mental illness & irrational rage. Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence (who took home an Oscar), Robert De Niro and the rest of the eclectic cast are very up to the challenge. All of their reactions when they make the parlay after the goofy dance is reason enough to love this movie. So strap on your garbage bag and go for a little run with the kooky love of your life, then sit down with your extended family to enjoy some homemades as you all listen to the 450th Ellises' Analysis together. But, my cherie amour, if you dig on the java, you should also go to Sparkplug Coffee's website and apply our promo code ("top100project") at check-out. That will get you a one-time 20% discount. Plus, we'd love it if you would engage with us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and scoot over to "Scoring At The Movies" to hear Ryan's sports movie podcast.

There might not be a better accomplishment than to make a movie that has cynics like us want to stand up and chant "USA, USA!" Wolfgang Petersen's Air Force One does just that. Harrison Ford's dogged toughness and his humanity as perhaps the most-popular president in film history is the key here, but the rest of the large cast (especially Gary Oldman as a Russian terrorist) is pretty great too. There are also surprisingly timely echoes of many recent real-life events. In fact, here's a warning for those who don't want to hear us rip on a certain golf-obsessed Floridian: skip ahead a few minutes at the 13-minute mark. But this movie doesn't even need any of these shreds of verisimilitude. It's just a wonderfully entertaining thriller that makes you want to go back to the beginning and watch it again! We also opened up the comment bag at the end of this 449th Ellises' Analysis, which brought about a pretty big announcement. So while a dozen different terrible things are happening in the country that celebrates the 4th of July, enjoy our talk about Petersen & Ford's "smart dumb" movie. To do that even better, get yourself a plane-load of Sparkplug Coffee. They'll give you a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). You can also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you should seek out Ryan's sports movie podcast ("Scoring At The Movies").

Alfonso Cuaron's remarkable career was still in its opening act when he made this beautifully raunchy movie, which inspired us to record a fairly raunchy podcast. Y Tu Mama Tambien is drenched in sex and youthful machismo, but at least there's an older leading lady to offset that with loveliness and soul. Her 2 eager boy toys are fun, dumb and ready to rock at all times. Maribel Verdu puts a fresh spin on the trope of the sexy, older woman while Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna click as friends who learn some lessons on the road. So be a good Charolastra as the 448th Ellises' Analysis hits the beach and dissects Y Tu Mama Tambien. On that long road trip, you'll need to bring along a pile of Sparkplug Coffee. A 20% discount can be had if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Contact us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and also look for Ryan's sports movie podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

It's hard to argue with the fact that CODA is a heartwarming and inclusive film about a family of fishers. Sian Heder's cast of legitimately deaf actors (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant) gel well with the only hearing member of their family (Emelia Jones). As for Heder's story, it's a well-worn one about strife between people who truly love each other, despite the disputes. You also can't argue with the fact that the critics liked CODA. It's nice and it's safe. But that's the problem. When a movie wins the Oscar for Best Picture, it really should be a lot more remarkable than this is. It's not even the best picture in recent years about this subject. Sound Of Metal and the short documentary Audible are just plain better. So while you can't hate CODA, we failed to see why so many loved it as much as they did. Anyway, fire up our 447th Ellises' Analysis to hear us grade a nice movie on a steep curve, but order a batch of Sparkplug Coffee too. They'll give you a 20% discount if you plug in our promo code ("top100project"). Oh, and tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) while also taking a gander at Ryan's sports film podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

Hero (or "Heroes", as it SHOULD have been called...maybe even "Superheroes") was a ballyhooed Chinese blockbuster that followed in the golden footsteps of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Both are beautiful, lyrical and impressive technically, but Yimou Zhang's cool-as-a-spinning-swordsman opus tops Ang Lee's remarkable accomplishment...from an aesthetic standpoint anyway. We just wished Zhang's story had stuck to our ribs the way Lee's did. Hero is indeed one of the prettiest pictures ever made though. Jet Li and his co-stars are right on point. The non-stop action is great and the flashback structure allows Zhang to feature a tremendous colour palette. So use your billowing sleeves to deflect a flurry of arrows as the 446th Ellises' Analysis chats about Nameless and the namesake of China and their noble co-stars. Oh, you should know that our brief gab would feel better in your ears if you had coffee in your mouth. Sparkplug Coffee offers a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, shoot us a tweet (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) before heading over to "Scoring At The Movies" to hear Ryan talk about sports flicks.

The one that made movie stars out of Damon & Affleck has been discussed by nearly everybody for the past 25 years, but we managed to find several new wrinkles in this well-written dramedy about friendship, love, grief and advanced math. Matt & Ben won Oscars for their quotable script and so did Robin Williams for his heartfelt performance as Damon's therapist. Williams is at his best in Good Will Hunting and now we can see how his character has even more depth than we thought at the time. Gus Van Sant got marvelous work out of those 3 stars, not to mention Stellan Skarsgard and Minnie Driver. It's an atypical film for an arthouse director like Van Sant, but he wrings all the emotion and comedy out of apples, caramels and Bah-ston coffee. So let the quirky, cool and sexy lady win you over with a kiss as the 445th Ellises' Analysis psychoanalyzes Good Will Hunting. But, hey, don't sit around eating caramels when you can get a 20% discount off Sparkplug Coffee. Use our promo code ("top100project") to save some money, but also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and why not seek out Ryan's sports movie podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

Invite all your monkey friends out for a day of river rafting as the 444th Ellises' Analysis dives into the goings on in "Apocalypse Before". Werner Herzog was still fairly new to making movies that are filled with verisimilitude when he made this incredibly authentic cult favourite deep in the Peruvian wilderness with his "best fiend" Klaus Kinski. The two of them had famous battles during this and other projects, but this first collaboration just might be their finest. Despite all of Kinski's dangerous unpredictability, he was a powerful and committed actor who deserved to be more of a movie star than he was. As for Aguirre's story, Herzog's Spanish Conquistadors (and *cough cough* all their slaves) float down a raging river to find the fabled city of gold in El Dorado, but that's a fools' journey that results in many deaths. Yeah, this is a bleak flick, but that doesn't stop it from being a great one. So don't let yourself be stalked by savages. Be a savage yourself as you seek out our thoughts about Aguirre: The Wrath Of God. Oh, and an insane trip like that would be helped by bringing along lots of Sparkplug Coffee. A 20% discount is golden and you'll get that by applying our "top100project" promo code. You can Twitter at us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can also follow Ryan's sports movie podcast in all the downloadable places ("Scoring At The Movies").

The Quiet Man is not the greatest collaboration between the Johns (Ford & Wayne, natch), but it IS probably their most light-hearted. It's also a film jammed with Irish stereotypes. Of course, the director himself was Irish, so some slack should be cut. Other aspects of the story and the performances that don't age very well, however, are more of a problem. At least Maureen O'Hara is no shrinking violet, even if her character is unreasonably upset about her bullying brother withholding her dowry. As for Duke Wayne, he gets to play a former boxer with a serious case of PTSD...and he's pretty likable doing it. So travel to Innisfree with the 443rd Ellises' Analysis filling your ears, which might drown out all those annoying neighbours who won't stay out of your business. To counteract all the beer you'll drink watching this suds-soaked movie, buy yourself a lot of Sparkplug Coffee and use our promo code ("top100project") to get 20% off. You can also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can discover Ryan's sports-movie podcast by going to "Scoring At The Movies".

Growing a conscience when you're an alcoholic, ambulance chaser is a longtime movie trope (right?), but very few of those guys have been played by Paul Newman. Unfortunately, not even one of the world's greatest actors could overcome some problems with David Mamet's script, namely that Newman's motivations for taking a "let's just settle" civil case to trial are selfish and wrongheaded. Taking on the Catholic Church seems like an honourable move in 2022, sure, but that wasn't so obvious 40 years ago. Did even THE CHURCH deserve what happens in this movie? And is the ending in Sidney Lumet's Oscar-nominee actually a happy one? Was justice done? It's a complicated film. So don't be a double agent working for a talented-but-unscrupulous attorney. Just gather in what the 442nd Ellises' Analysis has to say about The Verdict. Oh, and you might want to be like Newman in the last scene and guzzle a bunch of coffee. We have a java sponsor! They are Sparkplug Coffee. Get a 20% discount when you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and also download Ryan's podcast, which is about sports movies (Scoring At The Movies).

Orson Welles followed up his monumental Citizen Kane with this similarly-themed film about money, privilege, self-destruction and---say it with us---comeuppance. One of the most-influential directors of all time didn't even get to finish The Magnificent Ambersons though because the studio took it away from him in post-production. We can't have a talented-but-iconoclastic kid go and make 2 masterpieces in a row, right?! As good as this truncated version is, you have to wonder what might have been if they let Welles finish it his way. Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt and the rest of the actors are pretty solid, but the direction, the camerawork and the overall filmmaking are the strongest part of this family-focused classic. So put the car before the horse as our 441st Ellises' Analysis hashes out the magnificence of the Ambersons. And to make your listening experience that much tastier, get a whack of Sparkplug Coffee and use our promo code ("top100project") to get a 20% discount. Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and check out Ryan's podcast about sports movies ("Scoring At The Movies").

The Player turns 30 later this week and this satire hasn't lost very much of its punch. Hollywood is the land of phony (now more than ever!) and that atmosphere can be poison to artistic integrity, sure, but most other films of this type don't feature a guy getting away with literal murder. Yup, we wondered if Robert Altman's comeback film is even cleverer than it first appears. Could most of or even the entire film just be a sly suggestion that Tim Robbins & his co-stars are not in a real story? Is this movie actually...about them? Maybe Altman and writer Michael Tolkin were being even more meta than it appears. Of course, the tracking shot at the beginning and the dozens of cameos by A-list movie stars are what The Player is most famous for, but the character actors headlining the cast have fun playing the comedy straight. So give us your pitch while we constantly worry about losing our jobs as we hash out The Player in our 440th Ellises' Analysis. And, hey, what will be perfect at that pitch meeting at 9 am? Sparkplug Coffee, of course, and you can get a 20% discount if you write "top100project" into the promo code section. We're also tweetable (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can hear more of Ryan talking on his sports-movie podcast "Scoring At The Movies".

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead wasn't peered at by very many eyeballs 15 years ago, but Sidney Lumet's final film deserved to be seen by many and deserved to be a hit. Kelly Masterson's subtle script is award-worthy and the late & very great Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the lead of this tremendous cast. He shares the screen with pros like Hawke, Tomei, Finney and Shannon. The talent just keeps on comin'. This dark movie is about jewels, money, drugs, debt, family strife, killers and crooks. Nobody is happy, things go off the rails and the Hanson family falls apart. Fun, right?! Okay, it isn't, but their bloody journey is fascinating to watch. So rope your loser brother into helping you commit a few heinous crimes, but also stuff our 439th Ellises' Analysis into your car's CD player (okay, that's not possible) to hear our gab. Meanwhile, Sparkplug Coffee helps us with payin' the bills and they will give you a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). You can tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you should also check out Ryan's sports-movie podcast "Scoring At The Movies".

Luis Bunuel was a master director who was often ahead of his time. This isn't the only surreal movie he made, although it isn't always easy to figure out what's real and what's fantasy in this case. In fact, Belle De Jour had us questioning if ANY of this often-masochistic story is real. It's a difficult one to unravel because there's the forward-thinking focus on Catherine Deneuve's sexual empowerment, but the movie also feels like a relic of the old days when men did what they wanted to do to women. Either way, Belle De Jour is an undisputedly creative French flick that somehow found a way to feature plenty of sex without actually showing any. So let your freak flag fly at full mast as we talk about forbidden desires, daytime brothels, cuckolding and so much more in the 438th Ellises' Analysis. Oh, and don't you dare forget to indulge your coffee-tooth by buying a load of Sparkplug Coffee (a 20% discount is yours by typing in "top100project") and also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), plus you have even more podcast options where Ryan talks about sports films on "Scoring At The Movies".

We cover a lot of movies about movies on this channel. For the 437th Ellises' Analysis, we're digging into what Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas and friends are up to in The Bad And The Beautiful. The story paints Douglas' studio boss as a charismatic devil, but Ryan has sympathy for said devil (yet again) because the bad man is just not bad enough. Perhaps Vincente Minnelli or his actors or even MGM pulled their punches so they wouldn't alienate powerful people in Hollywood. Still, the workaholic David Selznick stand-in who steps on plenty of people never goes into full-on prick mode. And what do we owe people who helped get us where we are, especially after they've betrayed us? We discuss. So fire up the lights and roll the camera as we hash out this hugely entertaining '50s classic. Meantime, get a 20% discount when you buy stuff at Sparkplug Coffee (promo code: "top100project"), chat us up on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email us ([email protected]) and check out Ryan's other podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

Pete Docter has directed four of Pixar's very-best films, including Up and Inside Out. Soul makes him 4 for 4, even though it's just a step or two behind those other 2 masterpieces. It's hard to dispute that Docter & Kemp Powers helmed the best animation and design in Pixar's recent history, although we wondered if kids liked Soul as much as adults probably did when it came out. Were they interested in seeing a grumpy jazz teacher going through a bizarre, near-death day, even though there are some goofy pratfalls and body-switching? They probably DID enjoy all the "jazzing" and the sequence that leaves Jamie Foxx's Joe Gardner "mostly dead". Plus, you'd have to be a hideous, purple beast not to enjoy movie-stealer Tina Fey just killing it as 22. So keep your hat and glasses on your head no matter what tragedies befall you as we discuss the movie about keys (piano, maple) in our 436th Ellises' Analysis. Oh, and buy piles of Sparkplug Coffee (get a 20% discount by using our promo code of "top100project"), also tweet us (@moviefiend51 & @bevellisellis) AND check out Ryan's podcast about sports films known as "Scoring At The Movies".

Bonus episode! So what happened at the Oscars? Did people win awards for these mediocre movies while the Twitter-verse crapped all over everything and then the movie stars just happily & quietly went home? Well, of course not. Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock because of a joke and that cast a pall over the rest of what was otherwise an inclusive and fairly-funny show. We kicked this episode off by doing the obvious thing and breaking down the Smith/Rock brouhaha, but we also discussed pretty much everything else about the lonnnnnng broadcast too. Tweet us your own thoughts about these zany Academy Awards. We're @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. 

Box-office hit Argo was well-loved and won some top prizes at the Oscars a decade ago. In a year that also featured the likes of Amour, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty, was it worthy of winning Best Picture? Well, let’s just say that Bev was not kind to Ben Affleck’s crowning achievement. It doesn’t help that the director (mis)cast himself in the lead role, which whitewashed the real CIA operative he’s playing. Also, as dangerous as the Iranians siege on the American embassy was and the worry that the 6 who escaped might not survive, a lot of the story is fabricated. Yup, this real movie about a fake movie resorted to faking a lot of the drama! Still, Affleck’s film is well-made and it remains taut. So learn your lines, practice your Canadian accent and get comfortable living in someone else’s house because you might be there a while as the 433rd Ellises’ Analysis breaks down Argo…yourself.

Sparkplug Coffee continues to sponsor our podcast. No, they aren’t able to get their beans into Iran for those of you who live there, but at least Canadians & Americans can get plenty of ’em and will receive a one-time 20% discount by using our promo code “top100project”.

Twitter addresses: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Ryan’s other podcast does the talking thing about sporty films (Scoring At The Movies)

Let’s take a trip to Germany in the early 1930s and check into the Grand Hotel along with MGM’s all-star cast. It wasn’t as common then as it is now to cast so many big names like Garbo, Crawford, Beery and the Barrymores in the same movie, but it paid off. This was a hit and went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Edmund Goulding’s interwoven-character study represents the very first time in nearly 9 years of podcasting that we’ve covered Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford or John Barrymore. Their real (okay, real-adjacent) performances were the keys of this stylish production. So don’t steal from your fancy schmancy floormates as people come and people go. Just do normal-people things like drive to work, wash the dishes or fold the laundry as the 432nd Ellises’ Analysis yips in your ear about the Grand (Berlin) Hotel.

They didn’t have Sparkplug Coffee back in the early ’30s, which was their immense loss. Maybe it would’ve made all these unhappy people feel better. Anyway, we have it now and we suggest you get a bunch. Your next order will be 20% off if you just put “top100project” into the promo section.

Twitter, huh? Find us @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

For a little while longer, our website is top100project.com

Ryan also yaps about sports flicks on Scoring At The Movies

We are thrilled to report that Call Me By Your Name remains a deeply moving film. It might have been even more effective this time than it was back in 2017. Armie Hammer’s real-life controversies have caused many people to sour hard on him and his career is probably in jeopardy, but truth is truth: the dreamboat has more chemistry with Timothee Chalamet in this than you’ll see in an episode of Breaking Bad. As great as those 2 stars are though, their age difference (both the characters and the actual people) was enough for us to question casting Hammer at all. That troubling aspect got discussed for a long time in this 431st Ellises’ Analysis, which should tell you how lovely Luca Guadagnino’s movie since we still like it so much anyway. So grab a peach and listen to the advice of your caring parents, then feel your feelings as we wax on about Call Me By Your Name.

Well, Actually: The proper phrasing of Mandrake’s line in Dr. Strangelove is “…the court of inquiry on this will give you such a pranging…”. Also, despite making so many films with British characters, James Ivory was born and seems to have been raised in California. Also also, Hammer not only wasn’t 31 during shooting, but he wasn’t even quite 30 yet.

Sparkplug Coffee would fit in well with that great variety of java you can find in Italy. It's great stuff. A 20% discount is yours if you insert our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate box when you’re ready to head to the checkout.

Tweets galore…well, sort of: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

For a little while longer, our website is top100project.com

Ryan also drops thoughts about sports pictures on Scoring At The Movies

The “Month Of Strange Love” goes to extremely trippy places in the 430th Ellises’ Analysis as we try our best to decipher what’s going on in Lost Highway. The American original David Lynch is a wonderful enigma who often gets big-name actors to go to strange places in his baffling art films that don’t always make obvious sense. Look closer though and you also might notice that even this auteur often repeats themes in his most-noteworthy titles like Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and this. In this outing, Bill Pullman/Balthazar Getty (Billthazar Pully?) is a shockingly unreliable narrator and you just can’t trust any of the juicy story the character is…well, narrating. Patricia Arquette is at her badass best in almost every way in this sexy escapade. Wow. She's so good. So let guilt shatter your freaky fantasy because you’ll…never…have…me, but you just might have a fulfilling time listening to our layer-peeling of Lost Highway.

Well, Actually: Ryan’s nutshell isn’t entirely accurate because Pete clearly DOES choose Alice over Sheila (although being inaccurate is never the point of the nutshell). Also, Natasha Gregson Wagner is Robert Wagner’s stepdaughter, not his daughter. Also also, looking up the clip on YouTube reveals that it’s fairly clear that the distorted voice on the intercom in the beginning of the movie DOES sound like the same voice on the intercom at the end.

Funny how Sparkplug Coffee travels. You should start to believe. Now…were you singing along just now? Perhaps you’re deranged. Anyway, we won’t judge. Sparkplug continues to offer a 20% discount if you just drop our promo code “top100project” into the right place.

We’re known as @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis on Twitter

Our website remains (for now) www.top100project.com

Ryan’s other podcast raps about movies and it is Scoring At The Movies

I suppose you’d be wise to spend some of your Valentine’s Day hearing us warble about Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent and friends do mighty good work in Away From Her. The 2 leads are quiet dynamite, but Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy and Kristen Thomson are a fair bit of gentle TNT themselves. Sarah Polley’s debut as both a writer and director is a sensitive, lovely film about senior citizens. What’s especially impressive is that Polley was only 27 years old when she made it. So don’t disappear. Just learn to accept that your life is changing (maybe not for the better) as the 429th Ellises’ Analysis sorts through the beautiful, but devastating angles of this lyrical opus to aging and Alzheimer’s.

Sparkplug Coffee is not going to prevent dementia, but it CAN help a grown-up of any age get their day started deliciously. A 20% discount will be your reward if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out.

We tweet out thoughts on occasion: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website remains top100project.com

To hear Ryan talk about sports flicks, take the trip to Scoring At The Movies

February is our "Month Of Strange Love” and the 1st of 4 unusual sex and/or romance films we've chosen is the one about the Spade-ist and the Magg-osist. The 2 lead performances in Steven Shainberg’s Secretary are the main event. Slinky sexy James Spader has been in other perverse pictures like this and he’s always convincingly saucy. Maggie Gyllenhaal, on other hand, was not the obvious choice, although it’s one of many risky roles she’s sought out. Like her brother Jake, she’s willing to take chances that many actors won’t. In this case, it’s BDSM with her boss…although this movie is about so much more than just that. So don’t dig a sharp object into your leg. Just eat a couple peas before you gulp down a lot of ice cream as the 428th Elllises’ Analysis delves into the goings-on in Secretary.

If you’ve been ordered to sit at your boss’ desk for days on end, you should bring a straw and a lot of Sparkplug Coffee. They still want to give you a 20% discount on your very next order. You just have to put our “top100project” promo code into the appropriate box.

Our Twitter handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan’s got a sports movie podcast too: Scoring At The Movies

One of the greatest technically creative directors of comedies has got to be Edgar Wright. We love his enthusiasm, his warmth and his talent…although we don’t actually love a lot of his movies. Well, hold on, one of us thinks Shaun Of The Dead is hysterical and the other thinks Wright's peak of greatness is Hot Fuzz. Both yuck-fests are jammed with homages and references and also a lot of cartoonish (yet also quite gory) violence. And they’re so rewatchable! In Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg plays against type as a pedantic, by-the-book London policeman officer banished to a small town to make friends with the good-natured lug Nick Frost. Oh, and Pegg has to deal with some sinister forces, including the brilliantly funny Timothy Dalton. All in a day’s (paper)work. Listening to the 427th Ellises’ Analysis is for the greater good (the greater good), so stay back or the ginger nut (not to mention all that riff raff) will get it.

A Follow-Up: We’ve seen Last Night In Soho since we recorded this episode. As always, much respect to Edgar Wright’s talent, but we didn’t love the movie and we didn’t find it all that memorable.

If you’re about to trade gunfire with the older residents of a snooty village in the country, you’ll need to be caffeinated. Sparkplug Coffee is the ideal way to do that. A 20% discount will be yours on your next purchase if you would just use our promo code (“top100project”).

It’s a Tweet extravaganza: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

To hear Ryan yammer about sports films, go to Scoring At The Movies

If you’re keeping crazy hours living the hard life in Brazil (or anywhere), Sparkplug Coffee is the ideal choice to keep you going. Okay, Brazilians can’t get it, but Canadians and Americans certainly can. Sparkplug will provide you a 20% discount on your next order and you just have to use our promo code (“top100project”) to save that money.

If you tweet, say hi to us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

If you like hearing about sports movies, Ryan yaks about them on Scoring At The Movies

We tackle a Michael Moore documentary for the 3rd time on this channel in this 425th Ellises’ Analysis and this movie is about as politically divisive as anything the funny activist has ever made. The man has been remarkably influential from the beginning of his career, but especially after this highly successful documentary came out and asked if America is full of gun nuts...or are they just nuts. Why IS America so cuckoo for guns and, worse, tend to use them so often on their fellow Americans? Of course, we agree with Moore’s views and his message in Bowling For Columbine, but unfortunately his execution is messy, especially in the unsatisfying ending with Charlton Heston. So the picture is far from perfect, but the issue is too…and it’s become an even bigger problem than it was 20 years ago. So deliver your speech to rich movie stars at lavish ceremonies despite boos raining down on you as we dole out the dealio in Bowling For Columbine.

Political movies inspire the need for a good beverage more than almost any other, so go to Sparkplug Coffee and order up all you can. They continue to offer a 20% discount at check-out. Just enter “top100project” and you’ll be golden like an Oscar speech that makes Harrison Ford grin from ear to earring.

Twitter like you know how: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Hear more of Ryan’s film thoughts on Scoring At The Movies

Todd Solondz has been a master of “cringe cinema” for more than 25 years and Welcome To The Dollhouse is the misanthropic director at his peak. He understands what real children and real teenagers go through better than most filmmakers do and he certainly understands the effects of bullying. Heather Matarazzo’s take on Dawn Wiener is nicely complex too because she isn’t just a sweet victim of the jerks at school or a victim of her own indifferent family. She’s awkward and out of touch with the kids at school, but she also has no trouble paying that abuse forward to younger kids. So show your fingers to your unattainable crush before the dangerous boy who likes you threatens to do terrible things, but first inhale the 424th Ellises’ Analysis as we try our best to get into a good school while we break down this movie.

Well, Actually: It’s actually Robert Wisdom in that infamous sex scene with Selma Blair in Storytelling, not Keith David.

If you feel guilty about your missing sister and have to trek to the big city to find her, you just might need some Sparkplug Coffee in your travel mug. Wait…”might”? You DO need it! And the even better news is that using our promo code (“top100project”) will nab you a discount of a glorious 20%.

The Twitter tweets are in play. We are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also warbles on about flicks with sports in them. It’s called Scoring At The Movies

We begin the 7th Annual Month O’ Bev with a spirited chat about one of her favourite satires. Starship Troopers was a split decision in this 423rd Ellises’ Analysis though because Ryan just doesn’t have a good feeling about Paul Verhoeven’s intergalactic war flick. It’s deliberately campy and it’s lathered in self-aware propaganda, plus the F/X are marvelous, but it also has tonal problems. Casting beautiful young(ish) people like Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Dina Meyer just so you can put them and so many other people through bloody hell and rip ’em to pieces is a solid idea. Are they up to the challenge of giving good performances though? We debated. Oh, and there’s the big bugs, who are possibly the movie’s scapegoats. Anyway, there’s plenty of meat on this bone (and plenty of meat to get torn right off the bone), so curl up by the fire and enjoy our first episode of 2022.

Battling bugs on their home planet would go a lot easier if you were filled up with caffeine. Our sponsor continues to be Sparkplug Coffee. Their 20% discount is still available if you use our promo code “top100project”.

The little birdie sees us in action sometimes. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan has another podcast (Scoring At The Movies) that talks about sports flicks

Of all the blaxploitation films that were made in the ’70s, Shaft was the most influential and probably the coolest too. It’s even had longevity, as evidenced by all the sequels and remakes. People (including the AFI) haven’t forgotten about Gordon Parks’ private dick flick, which had a fresh take on just what a black hero could be. Richard Roundtree wasn’t righteous and measured like Sidney Poitier always had to be. John Shaft was a bad…uh, mamma jamma. This, however, wasn’t a film we enjoyed as much as others of its type, partly because it’s a little amateurish technically and the man’s sex life is a bit dicey. Still, you can’t overlook how important this movie was and is to people who look like Roundtree and not like us. Anyway, be the only one to understand our final episode of 2021 (well, you and his wuh-huh-man) as we get political, but also laugh a bunch in our 422nd Ellises’ Analysis.

Well, Actually: The Godfather was actually NOT one of the 25 movies inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989 (the inaugural year), but instead went in the following year. Also, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was inducted too, but it wasn’t the 2nd film directed by a black person to make that cut because it only went in in 2020.

Being a sex machine and killing bad guys is so much easier when you’ve got some java juice keeping you going. Sparkplug Coffee remains our delightful sponsor and they continue to offer a 20% discount if you just use our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to pay the tab.

We tweet with a certain amount of frequency: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also yibbers about sports pics on Scoring At The Movies

If you like your Christmas movies—especially the stars of your Christmas movies—to be very big and very loud, Bill Murray’s hard-drinking performance in Scrooged probably feels like your perfect slice of turkey. It's an unpopular opinion, but we weren't Murray fans in this movie, especially in the unearned finale where he just comes across as phony and desperate. He also seems…gulp…miscast? He certainly doesn’t seem like the right man for the job whenever the focus is on the love story with the delightful Karen Allen. It doesn’t help at all that the versatile Richard Donner was apparently a terrible match directing his improvisational star. But, hey, what do we know? This is a beloved holiday comedy, one of the favourites for legions of people. So whether you think you’ll agree with our take or not, put a little podcast in your e-e-ears as the 421st Ellises’ Analysis tears Scrooged a new one.

Well, Actually: Joel Murray was indeed in a couple of movies that Bobcat Goldthwait directed (Shakes The Clown and God Bless America).

If you’re going to watch a TV special about A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve (or if you’re going to do a reading of Dickens’ play like we & our friends did last week…so much fun, highly recommend it!), you’d be wise to have a cup of Sparkplug Coffee handy. Our longtime sponsor will knock off 20% if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out.

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Ryan’s other podcast is called Scoring At The Movies, where the topic is sports flicks

There’s no greater way to celebrate episode #420 of The Ellises’ Analysis than to talk about one of the side-splittingest stoner movies ever made. Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle is crass, politically incorrect, gross and often pretty dumb, but it’s also funny to the EXTREEEEEEME! From the hysterical Neil Patrick Harris cameo to the surreal fantasy sequences to the eternal “Hold On” sing-along, Danny Leiner’s pot-n-burgers flick just keeps delivering joy. It’s also got more depth than you might think, partly because of the unusual-at-the-time diverse cast (particularly John Cho & Kal Penn as the leads). So let the universe unfold as it should as you go through a night of hellish fun with your best buddy just so you can stuff sliders down your gullet.

Well, Actually: Since recording this episode, we’ve seen both sequels. The Gitmo one is dreadful, but the Christmas one is actually pretty sweet and often measures up to the original. Also, Ryan Reynolds’ 3rd movie released in 2021 was The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. Also also, Canada doesn’t have “free” pot…it’s just not illegal to smoke it here anymore.

To offset your high, maybe throw some caffeine into the mix. And there’s no better way to do that than to load up on Sparkplug Coffee. They offer those who enter “top100project” into the promo code box a 20% discount.

Tweet us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

For more of Ryan’s film thoughts (sports films, to be exact), go to Scoring At The Movies

The holiday season is here and who wouldn’t enjoy a getaway to an apparently gigantic northeastern inn during the Christmas break? Well, one Ellis wouldn’t enjoy that vacation as much as the other. Actually, we agreed that White Christmas is overlong, that there’s too much going on in the erratic screenplay and that the film has one of the worst Idiot Plots of all time. Still, because of all that joyful singing & dancing by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, the film is more than watchable. Those actors (not to mention Dean Jagger) are the heroes in Michael Curtiz’s musical hit. Logic is not. So let the asbestos snow down as you spend Christmas Eve with your Army buddies and a bunch of strangers. While you’re doing that, we’ll warble our way through the 419th Ellises’ Analysis.

I’m dreaming of a cup of coffee, just like the ones I used to drink. Good! Get you some Sparkplug Coffee! If you’re a fan of 20% discounts, using our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to pay up will score you that exact amount of savings.

Twitter is a chatty website. Find us @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other chat effort. We talk about sports flick o’er there

Light up a cigarette (or many cigarettes) and kickstart your existential crisis as you gulp down the 418th Ellises’ Analysis. Joel & Ethan Coen followed up their run of hysterical ’90s comedies with this black & white sorta-comedy. This might seem like an odd film, but it’s actually got more depth and enjoyably offbeat ideas than most of their previous work. Oh and fear not. The Man Who Wasn’t There is quite certainly funny. You also can’t argue with the casting of Billy Bob Thornton (who’s perfecto in the lead role), although Bev was just as enamoured with the work of Frances McDormand. So don’t look at the facts. Instead, look at the meaning of the facts (which have no meaning) as they cut the hair and we chat about The Man Who Wasn’t There.

Well, Actually: Frances McDormand has 4 Oscars (3 for acting, 1 for producing). Also, Surviving Christmas came out even before Halloween (not in mid-November), which is in fact awfully early for a movie about the holly jolly season.

Know what goes great with cigarettes? Well, coffee, of course. Get some of that from our excellent sponsor known as Sparkplug Coffee. They’ll give you a 20% discount on your next order if you drop our promo code (“top100project”) into the right box at checkout.

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To get a dose of Ryan’s thoughts about sports movies, go to Scoring At The Movies

Minari didn’t rake in bucks at the box office earlier in this weird year and having to read pesky subtitles still turns a lot of people off, but this movie is very worth your time. It’s simply a charm offensive. Lee Isaac Chung’s beautiful and relatable family film is even more relatable if you’ve ever struggled to make ends meet while also trying to live your (maybe impossible) dream. Chung’s entire cast is remarkable, but the outstanding work done by Yuh-Jung Youn and Alan Kim as grandma & grandson is the key to the entire project. We just love that kid! So pop the 417th Ellises’ Analysis into your device while you spend at least a little time keeping flammable objects away from your livelihood as we talk about a Korean-turned-American slice of life in the heartland.

When you’re desperate for water for your crops, coffee probably isn’t a priority. However, YOU aren’t likely in a desperate bid to grow food, so load up on the beans! You can also do yourself a favour by going to our sponsor’s website (Sparkplug Coffee). You’ll get a 20% discount if you enter our promo code (“top100project”) into the right box at check-out.

We do the tweetin’ thing sometimes: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also talks about sports pictures on Scoring At The Movies

Niki Caro was making only her 2nd movie when she wrote and directed Whale Rider, so she showed the world her skills really early on. This sweet story aimed directly at kids (despite its absurd PG rating) is all about an ordinary (yet also magical) girl from New Zealand who loves her grandfather to pieces, but the maddening gramps is a slave to the patriarchy and blames his granddaughter for every problem in the village. It takes him so very long to realize that…she’s The One. Keisha Castle-Hughes made her debut here and she is tremendous, as are all the key players in the cast. This remains a delightful and emotional motion picture all these years later, even if Rawiri Paratene’s cruel grandpa is hard to like for almost the entire running time. The word “hate” was thrown around. Anyway, don’t sulk in bed because life threw a few rocks your way. Just curl up with the 416th Ellises’ Analysis and accept (and for the love of Paikea return) the love offered to you by the awesomest people in your life, whether they can ride a whale or not.

Well, Actually: We changed our schedule between the recording of this episode and the recording of the next one (which will be Minari), so that’s why there’s no Coming Attractions Trivia question. Also, Jackie Cooper was an even-younger Best Actor nominee in 1931 than Keisha Castle-Hughes was a Best Actress nominee in 2003. Also also, Koro has a whale’s tooth necklace, not a a shark’s tooth necklace.

When you’re up all night trying to un-beach a bunch of whales, you should buy heaps of Sparkplug Coffee. Those good Sparkpluggers will even provide you a 20% discount on your next order. Use our promo code (“top100project”) and a-saving you will do.

Twitter time: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website remains top100project.com

If you like sports flicks, Ryan talks about them on Scoring At The Movies

Terry Gilliam’s tragicomic The Fisher King packs in a lot of themes, but a big one is kindness. This is a movie all about empathy and acceptance. Also, how often do Hollywood movies show much of the plight of homeless people? Or deal with depression and suicide? Or show our indifference to the suffering of others AND to blend all that serious material with absurdity and humour? Gilliam likes his weirdos and underdogs too. Oh, and he loves to dirty up his movie stars, all of whom are pretty awesome in this. Mercedes Ruehl won an Oscar while Robin Williams was nominated for one, but Jeff Bridges and Amanda Plummer do strong work of their own. Actually, you could argue that the women have more interesting characters to play than the men do. So acknowledge that you ARE responsible for what you say and how you treat others while you waltz through a train station with the 415th Ellises’ Analysis trilling in your ears.

Sparkplug Coffee has been our sponsor for a very long time and we love to promote their groovy grounds. They offer you awesome listeners a 20% discount and all you have to do is plug our promo code (“top100project”) into the right spot.

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Ryan also comments on sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

He was a big star before it, but Eddie Murphy became galactic after Beverly Hills Cop came out in 1984. His blockbuster hit remains funny all these years later even though it deals with some deadly serious subject matter like death and so much destruction. Martin Brest directed a tremendous action comedy, but his picture is even more impressive when you consider they were apparently winging it a lot of the time. Eddie has always been a brilliant improviser and he & his co-stars did a lot of that here. Eddie’s Axel Foley is also pretty much a genius detective, expertly stirring up the rule-followers John Ashton & Judge Reinhold. So don’t be stupid. Just spend a bit of your day with the fish-in-water 414th Ellises’ Analysis as we do the neutron dance and dig into The Eddie Murphy Show.

Well, Actually: The movie on the shortlist of highest-grossing R-rated films of all time is Deadpool (and Deadpool 2, for that matter), not Daredevil. Also, a grinning Axel driving his car on a street surrounded by palm trees is of course in Beverly Hills, not in Detroit.

You’ll find it easier to be a supercop if you pump some great caffeine into your system, so load up on Sparkplug Coffee. When you’re ready to pay the tab, apply our promo code (“top100project”) into the right place and save yourself 20%.

If you like to spend time on Twitter, contact us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also back-and-forths about sports pictures on Scoring At The Movies

We put the finishing touches on this year’s “Scary Movie Month” with a gab about a dynamite zombie flick from South Korea. Train To Busan is just as much an action movie as it is a horror movie. Director Yeon Sang-ho keeps up the intense pace by having his frenzied film play out almost in real time. He also hits most of the usual zombie beats by layering in class issues and the fear of your fellow fellows. In fact, the “they might be infected, so stay away from them” plotline hits awfully close to home the past year and a half. So wrap your wrists in tape and punch your way through a zombie horde with the 413th Ellises’ Analysis ringing through your ears. Or through your braaaaaains…braaaaaains…

Well, Actually: One Cut Of The Dead is Japanese and we highly recommended seeking it out.

Staying away from the running dead would be a lot easier if you caffeined up, so we strongly suggest that you buy loads of Sparkplug Coffee. They’ll even give you a 20% discount if you drop our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate link.

Twitter, huh? Yes. Find us @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also reviews sporty pics over on Scoring At The Movies

The 412th Ellises’ Analysis has us gabbing about ghosts as we continue with Scary Movie Month. The Others isn’t truly frightening (especially once you’ve seen it a few times), but writer/director Alejandro Amenabar certainly knows how to make a moody chiller with a killer climax. This is a throwback to classic tension-builders from long ago that focuses on what you don’t see. Amenabar lets terrific performances be his special effects. Nicole Kidman is the worrisome mom of the mansion, but the young actors playing her kids (particularly Alakina Mann) give arguably even better performances than the in-her-prime movie star does. So obey God’s will (or something) and don’t let a wartime tragedy throw you into a twist. Just get comfortable and we will begin talking about The Others.

Our spooky sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee and they would love to provide you a 20% discount on your next order of java juice. You merely have to use our promo code (“top100project”) and you’ll save those bucks.

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Our website is top100project.com

To hear Ryan talk about sports films, go to Scoring At The Movies

Scary Movie Month is officially here! We start it with one of the landmark slasher flicks of the ’90s, perhaps one of the greats of all time. Shockmaster director Wes Craven knew better than almost anyone how to make something like Scream work. His movie has a high body count and gallons of gore, sure, but it’s also meta up the nose and it remains pretty funny. Craven also gives us one of the great opening scenes ever. Ironically, we discussed how with all those red herrings, it’s almost as much a mystery film as it is a horror picture. Who killed Casey and who’s now menacing Sidney? So, yeah, Scream’s still got the goods. Don’t bow to peer pressure or make your parents so mad at you. Just pop some corn, crack open a few cold ones and listen to the 411th Ellises’ Analysis warble on about high-school snarksters and their Ghostface Killah.

Before you grab your voice manipulator and don your cloak to taunt and/or torture your classmates, you should load up on caffeine by going to the Sparkplug Coffee website. Using our promo code (“top100project”) will net you a 20% discount.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also prattles on about flicks with sporting ventures in them. It’s Scoring At The Movies

The 1931 version of Dracula was the first Universal Monster movie and it stars perhaps the most famous vampire actor of all time. Bela Lugosi was certainly committed to the part and this is obviously his trademark role. You’ll just have to work hard to overlook his almost funny schtick. Is Lugosi any good as the Count though? Well, is anyone in this cast any good? Maybe one guy (Dwight Frye) nails it by going deliriously over the top. Yeah, it’s fair to say we didn’t have much lust for Tod Browning’s picture. His direction is creaky and stilted and if his film was scary to audiences 90 years ago, it certainly isn’t anymore. However, the sexual subtext and the theme of a Transylvanian visitor representing a foreign plague are effective, just as they were in Bram Stoker’s classic book. So go to bed in your trusty coffin just as home invaders have come to kill you, but before you lay down, cue up the 410th Ellises’ Analysis to hear us yack about Drac.

You can’t get a discount on superb coffee if you like to add blood, but you CAN get one if you go to Sparkplug Coffee’s website and stay away from the red stuff. You can save a delicious 20% by using our promo code (“top100project”).

Hey, Twitter is a place to post thoughts. We are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website remains top100project.com

Ryan also jabbers about sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

Making a sequel to a beloved classic was always going to be tough sledding, but the talented writer/director Mike Flanagan simply couldn’t make a great movie out of Stephen King’s follow-up to The Shining. Maybe the failure with Doctor Sleep mostly lies with King’s overly detailed book and all of its subplots. Maybe it’s that we get far too much of the top-hatted Rebecca Ferguson and her fellow steam-sniffing pseudo-vampires. Or maybe it’s that there just aren’t very many real scares in this horror show. We couldn't sneer at Ewan McGregor’s work though because he does a terrific job playing grown-up alcoholic Danny Torrance. We also liked the finale at the Overlook more than most people did. Some ups, many downs. In any case, don’t let our overall disappointment ruin your enjoyment of the 409th Ellises’ Analysis. Just crank up an omnipresent heartbeat sound effect and stuff your demons in a mind-box as we dabble in the redrum of Doctor Sleep.

Well, Actually: On second thought, Abra’s mother Lucy might be the one who’s Jack Torrance’s daughter from an affair. And if THAT’S correct, then Dan really would be Abra’s uncle.

Sparkplug Coffee is ideal for all who ingest substances, even steam-inhaling vampires. Those creatures—but more importantly humans like you—can enjoy a 20% discount from our friends at Sparkplug. Just toss in our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to go to the checkout.

Whether you’re deep in the bowels of a haunted hotel or taking a break from life’s troubles down in Florida, you can tweet us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also has a sports movie podcast. It’s called Scoring At The Movies

2001 was the year of Puzzle Films and covering Vanilla Sky today means we’ve now tackled the 4 big ones. Memento, Mulholland Drive and Donnie Darko are all definitely better than Cameron Crowe’s attempt to stretch himself and they’re certainly not filled with as many maddening flaws. One big problem is that the casting is all wrong here. Both of Tom Cruise’s love interests are duds and Cruise, although giving his typical 205% effort, is a little all over the place. Bev speculates that Vanilla Sky is basically just about Cruise’s character’s vanity. Cruise and Crowe obviously wouldn’t agree because they’re straining with all their might to be deep. Whether you agree or whether you don't, we've got a full hour of theories in the 408th Ellises' Analysis. So don’t delay your pleasure. You need to hear us talk about the man who had it all and even met his dream woman, then lost everything because of his nightmare woman. Or was it ALL just a dream?!

Visit the website of our sponsor (Sparkplug Coffee) and get ready to order a bunch of grounds and accoutrements. They continue to offer a 20% discount. All you have to do is put our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate section at the appropriate time.

Twitter sees us on its site once in a while: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also gabs about sports flicks on Scoring At The Movies

This is the rare time we’ve ever posted an episode on Labour Day, but this movie DOES star the man who has to do “every dirty job”. Harry Callahan is the quintessential good guy with a gun who has to combat a bad guy with a gun, but Harry is also a reckless vigilante in the Batman mode. This movie is also pretty much just a sadist chasing a sadist around San Francisco. Dirty Harry might be fascist and it might even be dangerous, but that doesn’t take away the flick’s visceral entertainment value. It’s a complicated movie about a complicated issue. Don Siegel directs Clint Eastwood in perhaps his signature role, but are they just pedaling right-wing propaganda in this crime classic? How does the movie play after last year’s #BLM and “Defund The Police” movements took America by storm? We had plenty to say about all that. So enjoy your hour with the 407th Ellises’ Analysis because the world isn’t getting any better and all us punks could use a little escape into fantasy right about now.

Well, Actually: Popeye Doyle is indeed one of AFI’s Top 50 Heroes (he ranked 44th). Also, Eastwood only directed Sudden Impact in the Dirty Harry series.

Make Sparkplug Coffee‘s day and order some of their great product. Are discounts your thing? Well, you’ll get 20% off if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out.

We tweet sometimes: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast, where sports pictures are the topic

“Persona” is Latin for “mask”, which makes this Age Of The Mask we’ve been experiencing for the past year & a half an ideal time to talk about Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece. Well, it’s one of his MANY masterpieces. Dude could direct. This is a trippy art film that gives us plenty to debate and tear apart. It’s also been imitated half to death in the 55 years since it was made, which is perhaps why it feels just a touch dated. Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann are terrific playing characters who deal with issues of identity, grief, guilt and deep emotional pain. But are the 2 women really just 1 woman who’s experiencing a serious mental crisis? Imaginary friend?! See, very influential. So head to your summer beach house (for the last few days of this summer) and let the 406th Ellises’ Analysis pry its way into your earholes during the trip.

Well, Actually: John Ford was 8th on the Sight & Sound’s 2002 Critics poll of Top 10 Greatest Directors Of All Time, but surprisingly he wasn’t ranked on the Top 10 as chosen by directors. Also, the Bergman movie where he used a spider to represent God is Through A Glass Darkly. Also also, Georges Melies definitely was a film pioneer, but the brothers we were thinking of are the Lumiere Brothers.

Whether you talk too much or whether you don’t talk at all, your day will be much improved by drinking Sparkplug Coffee. You can even keep some money in your pocket because they will give you a 20% discount on your next order. You just have to enter our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to shell out the cash.

To get in touch with us easily, hit the Twits. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also has a sports movie podcast, which is Scoring At The Movies

You know we’re talking about a master filmmaker when this channel has already covered more than half of the man's titles and we’re only now getting to this gritty crime classic. The Killing was early in Stanley Kubrick's career, so he wasn’t yet at the top of his game as he would be for the next 40+ years. Still, there’s plenty of examples of the technical prowess that would come to be trademark Kubrick. Fittingly, the complex plot even resembles a chess game. We weren’t seeing eye to eye about the work of tough-but-sometimes-sweet Sterling Hayden or the ultra-fatal femme fatale Marie Windsor. We DID see eye to eye that the best part of the movie is the last half-hour. So get your listening device ready and make a clean break out to the race track as the 405th Ellises’ Analysis talks about The Killing.

Well, Actually: Elisha Cook Jr. is named Mr. Micklas (not “Nicklas”) and is the landlord at the Dakota Building in Rosemary’s Baby.

Planning the perfect robbery would go smoother with Sparkplug Coffee in a cup beside you. If you like getting 20% discounts, well, they’ll give you one if you just enter our promo code of “top100project” when you’re ready to pay the bill. And pay the bill please. No theft.

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Our website is top100project.com

Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast, where sports films are discussed

It’s not every comedy that features 2 of the brilliant stars of the Monty Python troupe, but it’s actually the Americans who stand out. Kevin Kline was known as a serious actor before A Fish Called Wanda and Jamie Lee Curtis was still mostly thought of as the Scream Queen. So when legendary cut-ups like John Cleese and Michael Palin are overshadowed, you know you’re in from something hilarious. Director Charles Crichton’s swan song runs the risk of alienating audiences (33 years ago…and especially now) by daring to make fun of animal death and stutterers. Funny is funny though. So eat your fish & chips (wait, put Wanda back in the bowl, Otto!) and don’t be DISAPPOINTED as you steamroll through the 404th Ellises’ Analysis.

A pretty great addition to your fish meal is coffee. Sparkplug Coffee remains our groovy sponsor. They’ll help you out with a 20% discount when you apply our promo code (“top100project”) to your next order.

Are we Twitterers? Sure. We are: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast. We talk about sports o’er there

Even though it's all about dark fantasies, depression and death, Harold And Maude is a cult classic that remains solidly funny half a century later. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon are a fun/odd romantic couple in this unique love story. Gordon is the manic pixie dream lady who has even bleaker plans than the faux-suicidal Cort. We had a serious discussion about the grim subtext, but we didn't forget that Hal Ashby's movie was and still is wacky and entertaining. There's meat on these bones. So don't be shy. Just live in the now and spend a bit of your day earing up the 403rd Ellises' Analysis.

Grab life by the collar and learn to love having a big mug of Sparkplug Coffee on your countertop. They will kindly save you 20% on your next order and all you have to do is use our promo code: top100project.

We lay out a tweet from time to time We're @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also chit chats about sports on Scoring At The Movies

It’s probably safe to listen to the 402nd Ellises’ Analysis…although feel free to ask if it is again. And again. And again. Marathon Man is absolutely filled from start to finish with paranoia, torture and pain. Some of those themes—like the arrogant rich versus the desperate poor—have barely aged. The film’s subtext remains oh so timely even 45 years later. The acting styles of Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier famously clashed hard, but that also brings sizzle to the squirm-inducing scenes they have together. And, yes, the poster isn’t lying. It’s a thriller. So go get that stash of diamonds and don’t fall on your own sleeve-knife in the process, but also just try acting as we feverishly chat about Dusty on the run.

Well, Actually: We’ve covered Hoffman in 8 films now, including Kramer vs. Kramer. Also, Hoffman turns 84 later this week (on August 8th). Also also, Hoffman definitely has socks on his feet when the “is it safe” scene first begins.

Sparkplug Coffee has been our sponsor for many years and they continue to peddle excellent java. They’ll dole out a 20% discount if you use our promo code (“top100project”).

If you tweet, find us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan has another podcast and it’s all about sports films: Scoring At The Movies

The wannabe Ellises are here with our 401st analysis as we jaw-jack about the queen bees of Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan was at her peak in this era and if you ever doubted her talent (admittedly, it’s easy to forget how good she was because of the messy turns her life took), just take another look at this movie. Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried (in her debut) are also pretty great as the Plastics. In fact, as tremendous as Lohan & McAdams are, the sidekicks Chabert & Seyfried basically steal the movie from them. As for a personal angle, Bev was once the sidekick of a mean girl, so this picture still has some sting for us middle-aged types. So keep an eye out for rampaging school buses as you jot down some vicious insults in your burn book (or, hey, just be nice) while we analyze the glamour, the laughs and even the mathleting in Mean Girls.

If you want to make a lot of friends, buy them a few bags of Sparkplug Coffee. A 20% discount will be yours to enjoy on your 1st purchase when you apply our promo code (“top100project”).

Tweetapalooza: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

To hear Ryan dish about sports movies, go to Scoring At The Movies

Our 400th episode talks about one of the influential films of the French New Wave, which was also Francois Truffaut’s directorial debut. The 400 Blows is famous for all kinds of reasons (especially that freeze frame at the end), but at heart it’s a quiet character study of a young boy who makes bad decisions and has really bad parents. Jean-Pierre Leaud gives one of the great child performances in the history of cinema, whether he’s crammed into a tiny apartment, repeatedly getting in trouble in school, running the streets or getting thrown into juvie. Truffaut shot this hell-raising picture in the streets, often letting his actors improvise and making it feel gritty & real. So party with your young chum, run away from your terrible folks or maybe just go for a stroll along the beach, but make sure to have a podcast in your ears. In fact, make that podcast the 400th Ellises’ Analysis, mes amis.

Sparkplug Coffee might not be ideal for kids, but it’s definitely ideal for you. And if you dig a 20% discount, you’ll get one by entering our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate space at check-out.

We like to Tweet. Well…here and there. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan’s other podcast (Scoring At The Movies) talks about sports films. Check it out.

Who didn’t think George Clooney practicing real estate law in the unglamorous parts of Hawaii and being cuckolded by the lanky guy from Scream would make for a killer comedy? Well, it might not be killer, but it IS a pretty good comedy. Of course, this particular movie star playing a loser is a stretch (even in Alexander Payne’s unique “let’s dump life on the leading character” style) but the Cloon man is quite terrific in The Descendants. Nevertheless, he’s miscast (as is arguably another actor) and that shows how good a job he did to come as close to sinking into the role as he did here. Payne is curiously kind to just about all the characters in this Oscar-winning effort, which we don’t think measures up to his best work. Still Clooney’s crackling chemistry with the outstanding Shailene Woodley carries the film. As for the inheritance/trusteeship subplot, hmmm, not so hot. Anyway, the 399th Ellises’ Analysis won’t lay there comatose in a hospital bed forever, so fire up our back and forth and let’s hope it tides you over until we return in 2 weeks.

Well, Actually: Jeff Peterson doesn’t compose music for awards and TV specials, but he works in the sound department and does other technical jobs. Also, we meant to dole out some more kudos about the touching scenes where Alex comforts Scottie in the hospital.

Tracking down your wife’s weasel lover while your kids and a dopey comic-relief kid tag along would be a little easier if you had a giant dose of Sparkplug Coffee in your travel cup. A one-time 20% discount will be yours to enjoy if you just use our promo code (“top100project”).

Our handles on Twitter are @moviefiend51 & @bevellisellis

Our website is still top100project.com

Sports flicks, right? Ryan talks about them on Scoring At The Movies

We conclude Sci-Fi Month by going into the Mother Ship and praising/bashing one of the biggest movies of all time. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have made plenty of action and disaster flicks in their day, but ID4 is their best…yet also one of their dumbest. It’s also terribly fun, despite all the death and destruction. Will Smith became an alien-punching superstar, Jeff Goldblum quirked it up in his one-of-a-kind way and Bill Pullman got to give one of the greatest speeches by any movie president. Oh, and Randy Quaid got to be a loose cannon. There’s just so much to love and so much to mock. Enough pre-amble though. You need to pack a missile in your carry-on, give your special lady a tacky engagement ring and hack into the 398th Ellises’ Analysis.

Well Actually: Steven Hiller is a Marine pilot, not a Navy pilot. Also, the disaster movie 2012 was released in 2009.

A remarkable way to prepare for an assault on an alien invader is to load up on Sparkplug Coffee. Go to Sparkplug’s site. They’ll give you a 20% discount when you use our promo code (“top100project”).

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Ryan has another podcast and it’s about sports movies: Scoring At The Movies

Wait, hang on, another movie about a giant rabbit? Only this time the rabbit doesn’t drink booze and pal around with Jimmy Stewart, but leads a teenager with mental problems down the path of scientific discovery and time travel? Well, yeah! Donnie Darko has been analyzed half to death and that’s impressive considering how indifferently the picture was received 20 years ago. Richard Kelly was only 26 back then and he was making his first (and certainly best) feature film. It’s far from perfect, although it has a slew of incredible moments and a dynamite soundtrack. Jake Gyllenhaal sports a solid Kubrick glower and he showed us many glimpses of how good an actor he was going to become. The whole eclectic cast is up to the task, really, and what a trippy movie they’re in.  Okay, but, what about that plot? We give that question a shot! So stay in your comfy bed, but don’t doubt our commitment to Sparkle Motion as the 397th Ellises’ Analysis rips into the story of Donnie D.

You’d like to be awake when a jet engine is about to crush you, so order many bags of Sparkplug Coffee to give you the boost. Your beans will be 20% cheaper if you use our promo code (“top100project”).

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Ryan also jaws about sports motion pictures on Scoring At The Movies

We began our talk about A.I. at the ending of the movie because the last 15 or 20 minutes have always been controversial. Didn’t it already have the most poetic ending possible before wishes started coming true? We debate that hot topic. Merging the visions of Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick was always going to be an odd mix, but you might be surprised to learn which of them brought the negative and which of them brought the positive to this story. What shouldn’t be surprising is that Haley Joel Osment is terrific in one of the best performances by any child in any movie. He managed to top his great work in The Sixth Sense with this beautifully crafted evolution of a robot who becomes a real boy…or as close to it as a robot can. Spielberg’s fairy tale about a mecha Pinocchio is gorgeous to look at and to listen to, even if it’s episodic and a mite too long. Maybe more than a mite. So let a teddy bear and a gigolo tag along on a quest for your mother’s love as the 396th Ellises’ Analysis continues with Sci-Fi Month and prattles on about Stan & Steve's Artificial Intelligence.

Well, Actually: Spielberg had 6 movies on the AFI’s 1998 and 2007 Top 100 Lists (we overlooked Raiders Of The Lost Ark).

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Ryan also has a sports movie podcast on Scoring At The Movies

Be Sci-Fi Month, be very Sci-Fi Month. The 395th Ellises’ Analysis is the first of 4 flicks we’ll discuss in June that identify with that creative genre. When you talk about David Cronenberg’s 3 or 4 best pictures, The Fly has got to be a part of that shortlist. Sure, there’s his trademark body horror and some jump scares and plenty of creepiness throughout, but it’s also got more heart than almost any other horror movie. It’s really a tragic love story sold as a fright flick. Jeff Goldblum is at his best here (putting up with extensive, Oscar-winning make-up that eventually swallows him right up), but Geena Davis’ performance is wonderful too. She’s the reason the last scene could make a person require eye-drying tissues. Lauded at the time, The Fly is maturing like a fine Canadian wine and it’s even better now. So don’t liquify your food in disgusting ways. Just curl up with our podcast and a few (solid) donuts to hear us dig into the nooks and crannies of the legend of Brundlefly.

Well, Actually: Ronnie’s character is briefly in The Fly II, but Saffron Henderson plays her, not Geena Davis. Also, Jeff Goldblum HAS been in other movies we’ve covered beyond the ones that were mentioned, including his non-speaking role in Nashville and his one-line cameo in Annie Hall.

Scientists who keep strange hours and transform into strange things would be well served to head over to Sparkplug Coffee. They’ve got the good stuff and they’ll also provide you a one-time 20% discount. All you have to do is apply our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to fly.

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Ryan also talks sports on another channel called Scoring At The Movies

It’s only been about a month since this year’s weird Oscars, but this was a good time for the 394th Ellises’ Analysis to spend a solid hour unraveling the beauty of the heartfelt winner of Best Picture. As she so often is, Frances McDormand is quiet, stern and so real. She lets her fellow performers and Chloe Zhao’s story come to her. Fern/Fran accomplishes more with a simple gesture than most people do in a 10-minute monologue. And she’s working with mostly unprofessional actors! They’re real nomads basically just playing themselves, but they all shine (especially Bob and Swankie). Nomadland gets better with multiple viewings and we’ll explain why some elements were more personal to us this time than they were when we saw it for the first time back in early April. So don’t be a loner who can’t be tied down. Or do, if that’s what you want and need. But whichever path you take, toss our chat into your ears and feel every feeling in this movie right along with us.

This episode is dedicated to Jason Ellis. If you’re struggling and you need emotional support, please go to this link.

Well, Actually: The director of Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is indeed Bharat Nalluri. Also, the movie WAS shot digitally. Also also, in yet again watching the scene between Fern and Bob towards the end, there is practically no doubt that Fern was always a wanderer at heart and—love for her husband aside—she never wanted to be stuck in one place.

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Ryan yibbers about sports flicks on Scoring At The Movies

Bonus episode! Taking a page from our COVID-19 specials last year, we each made 2 movie recommendations in this episode, using the caveat that we had to sell the flicks to you using only 19 words. Each of us also tossed around some trivia questions. And we opened up the emailbag! Gender identification at the Oscars came up. Unlikeable directors came up. Desert island movies came up. The Golden Globes controversy came up. And classic flicks that we’ve previously reviewed like The Shining, E.T., Back To The Future, Pulp Fiction, Jaws and Django Unchained came up too. So bonus it up!

Note: Ryan has seen Wonderstruck since this recording. The verdict? It’s handsomely made and the actors are pretty good, but the story isn’t very compelling and, while the ending is heartfelt, it’s not very believable.

If you do some Tweetin’, Tweet us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

You’ll get 2 reviews for the price of one in the 393rd Ellises’ Analysis because the sequel came up a lot in this chat about Dreamworks’ groundbreaking Shrek. The snarky and often meta sense of humour that was so fresh at the time is still pretty gut-busting 2 decades later. Getting comedy superstars like Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy to provide the voices for the two iconic main roles was not as common as it's become ever since, but, wow, did the Myers/Murphy stunt casting (not to mention Cameron Diaz and especially John Lithgow) work perfectly. And while Pixar was and is the benchmark for digital animation, the look of Shrek is comparatively awesome in its own right. Well, mostly. So as you digest our gab about the ogre, please don’t bully the bad guy about his pintsizedness when there are so many other reason to dislike him, but DO love yourself no matter what you look like.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also has a sports movie podcast on Scoring At The Movies

Asghar Farhadi’s fair and balanced examination of a crumbling marriage (two crumbling marriages, really) is a tremendous accomplishment. Farhadi deals in ethics, morality, sexism, secrets and a lot of lies. He’s certainly got the cast to pull all of that off. His Oscar-winner shows empathy for all his middle-class and working-class Iranian characters and finds fascinating peel-back-the-layers ways to show the humanity in all of them. A Separation is also an unusual courtroom movie that doesn’t rely on big acting moments in a mahogany-filled room. So don’t shove people out of your apartment or accuse them of petty theft. Just settle in for the 392nd Ellises’ Analysis, but forgive us off the bat for how we butchered Iranian names as badly as we did.

Well, Actually: According to the IMDb, they’re speaking Persian in this film, not Farsi or Urdu.

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Ryan debates the merits of sports films over on Scoring At The Movies

Charlize Theron might very well have outdone her remarkable performance in Monster with her take on a narcissistic ghost writer of Young Adult books in this pitch-black comedy. Director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody reteamed 4 years after the Oscar-winning Juno to give us one of the great navel-gazers in modern film history. Their flick didn’t find much of an audience 10 years ago, perhaps because of the surprising ending that we both loved. Or maybe Joe Average Moviegoer found Patrick Wilson’s character to be as confusing as we did and maybe they also thought his typically bland performance wasn’t enough to offset great work by the polar-opposite Patton Oswalt. Anyway, don’t be a dismissive bully. Just flop face-first on the bed after you’ve had a KFC binge (and feed your dog!) as we tell personal stories and rave about Young Adult in the 391st Ellises’ Analysis.

Also, fire off questions, comments & criticism at us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 & @bevellisellis) or via email ([email protected]) because we’ll be doing a “Victoria Day Grab Bag” on May 24th. It’ll be a hybrid episode as we make movie recommendations, burn through some trivia questions and answer your questions and/or accept your gentle abuse.

Well, Actually: Diablo Cody’s birth name is Brook Busey.

Unless you prefer to guzzle Diet Coke straight out of the bottle every morning, we want to entice you to try out Sparkplug Coffee. They’ll provide you with excellent coffee beans and a one-time 20% discount if you drop in our promo code (“top100project”).

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Do you dig sports movies? Ryan has a podcast about that topic on Scoring At The Movies

Bonus episode! We had many, many thoughts about the uber-weird 2020 (and somewhat 2021) Academy Awards. Then again, who didn't...if you even watched the show. Not many people did. Most of the movies up for the gold naked guys ranged from good to great, so if you didn't see the strangest awards program this group has ever put on, then you missed out on excellent work being rewarded. Still, though, an In Memoriam on fast forward? No time limits on the speeches? Best Picture isn't the main event? And that anticlimactic ending? We get into all of that. The good news is that the Academy's choice for the best movie of the year, Nomadland, will be discussed by us later this year, so check it out on Disney+ soon and then stay tuned for our full review.

Well, Actually: In case it isn't clear, Ryan said the Academy and the producers will probably deny they put the Best Actor on last because they thought Chadwick Boseman was going to win. Also, Bev said "Missouri" when she should have said "Minnesota" regarding the Derek Chauvin verdict.

Us on Twitter, okay? It's @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

LINKS:

All the Oscar winners

2020 U.S. Box Office

Our Oscars Preview podcast from last week

We haven’t yapped about a Wes Anderson movie in over 4 years, so the 390th Ellises’ Analysis was crying out to end that twee drought. Actually, forget that “twee” stuff. Why be so reductive of such a talented filmmaker? Anderson is quirky and precise, plus he loves his eye-popping colours (especially pink), he loves his ensemble casts and he loves making tragicomedies. This film is a bit more cold and distant than some of his other ones, but it’s also a surprisingly violent movie about grief and trying to remain civil in uncivil times. However, like all of Wes’ works, The Grand Budapest Hotel is awfully funny. Ralph Fiennes is uncharacteristically hilarious in the leading role and what a sensational supporting cast working with and against him. So settle in for our last movie in Oscar Month as we unravel the delightful threads on this grand turducken.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also tosses it back and forth about sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

For the 6th year in a row, we present our Oscars Preview. This strange year featured a slew of wonderful movies, almost none of which we were able to see on the big screen. Stupid airborne germs! Nevertheless, the candidates for Best Picture are a strong crop. Most of them are diverse, socially aware and about timely topics. Even though Mank is The Irishman of this year’s bunch (so many nominations, yet so unworthy of them), the rest of the flicks up for the top gold naked guy range from good to fantastic. From Nomadland to Minari to Sound Of Metal to The Father, it was another good year at the movies. So stroke that play button as our 389th Ellises’ Analysis digs into the details of the world’s most famous awards show.

Well, Actually: Ryan called the young boy in Minari “David” S. Kim when of course David is his character’s name and Alan is his real name. Also, we didn’t highlight our faves of the past year in this show like we did in previous Oscars Previews, but it IS nearly the end of April. Maybe we’ll talk about our personal Top 10 lists some other time.

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Here's a link to our 2021 Oscars Post-View podcast

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also dabbles in sports films over on Scoring At The Movies

In the 388th Ellises’ Analysis, we’re back on the Martin Scorsese mob-movie train. The Depahted is a high-energy remake that finally won Marty an Oscar, even though it’s something of a greatest hits flick, especially for this living legend and his frequent collaborators. While it’s entertaining and the cast is an impressive collection of talent, the film doesn’t have the depth or staying power that Scorsese’s best pictures do. Is this even in his Top 5? Anyway, make no mistake, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon doing fine work in the compare-and-contrast lead moles…uh, make that roles…you know you’re in good hands. So don’t be a rat in Jack Nicholson’s gangster crew and please don’t make an appointment with the worst therapist in Bahston…or perhaps in the entire world. Just settle in for a solid hour of us celebrating AND grousing about ol’ Bullet To The Head.

Well, Actually: Stanley Kubrick won an Oscar for 2001: A Space Odyssey’s Visual Effects (not an Honorary Award). Also, Orson Welles won a trophy for co-writing Citizen Kane and then many years later DID win an Honorary Oscar too. Also also, Alfred Hitchcock won the Thalberg award, not the Honorary Award. And finally, Chloe Zhao DID win the DGA award for Best Director on April 10th, as expected.

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Ryan also has a sports movie podcast called Scoring At The Movies

Should you listen to the pragmatic 387th Ellises’ Analysis? Well, if you’re the ego-driven Sir Thomas More, then the response to that question would be to fold your arms, stick out your bottom lip and say “NO!” This is a frustrating movie. It’s well-made and most of the actors are authentic, but far too many of them are also quite dull or they’re seriously overdoing it. Plus, any film that’s about the British royals and the Catholic Church is facing a serious uphill climb around these atheistic parts. In any case, More’s unwavering certainty and his stubborn martyrdom offer no real drama. Fred Zinnemann was a great director, but he just didn’t find a way to make us care about this stalwart lead character. In any case, it’s appropriate for us to come out of Easter weekend talking about a Jesus stand-in during the Henry VIII era of not-so-jolly old England.

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Ryan also discusses sports films over on Scoring At The Movies

The 386th Ellises’ Analysis has us gabbing about a popular 2001 rom-com, although whether or not this is even a rom-com was up for debate. There’s no argument that Reese Witherspoon charms and glows in Legally Blonde. This isn’t the best performance of Reese’s career, but it’s probably her signature role and the movie would likely stink if she wasn’t playing such a likable Elle. We had some disagreements about the quality of the script though, specifically the entire premise of “I’m going to win back my mediocre ex-boyfriend”, partly because the yutz never deserved her in the first place. Anyway, this pithy pink flick is a fun way to ring in the spring, so bend & snap your way into our prestigious Harvard-ish podcast, but first study hard and win everybody over like a certain Miss Woods always, always does.

Well, Actually: The immortal Chuck is played by Jason Christopher. Also, the recent TV shows Reese has produced that we couldn’t think of are Little Fires Everywhere and The Morning Show.

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Ryan also talks about athletics over on Scoring At The Movies

It’s way past time we talked about a Robert Altman classic and his pokey-paced anti-western is a tremendous choice for our 385th episode. McCabe & Mrs. Miller has the beautiful duo of Warren Beatty and Julie Christie doing an excellent job of heading up an eclectic cast. Beatty is the drunk, muttering, vulnerable beta (who’s got poetry in him) while Christie is the stern, Cockney-spewing alpha (and the real power in this power couple). This film goes against the typical grain of a western, partly because of the audio mix and the unusual look, but also because John McCabe is far from an old-fashioned hero of the old west. So skulk around town and shoot people in the back (which was probably closer to the truth than most shoot-outs) as we gab about Altman’s odd film that truly holds up.

Well, Actually: Julie Christie of course also has a cameo as herself in Nashville and we both liked her in Away From Her enough that we might even cover that picture one day.

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Ryan also does some gabbing about sports flicker shows over on Scoring At The Movies

Jimmy Cagney etched his place in cinema history in one of his first films as he plays vicious beer baron Tom Powers in this hugely influential gangster flick. Apart from Jean Harlow, most of his co-stars and even his director (William Wellman) have been forgotten, even though the performances are quite naturalistic for a flick that was made 90 years ago. And, yes, The Public Enemy is the picture where Cagney squishes a grapefruit in Mae Clarke’s face. That iconic moment hasn’t aged well, but most of the movie has. So get ready to root for the (very) bad guy who ain’t so tough as the 384th Ellises’ Analysis zips through a brief episode like the 2 mugs we are.

Well, Actually: What killed Jean Harlow amounts to kidney failure.

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Ryan also dishes about sports motion pictures on Scoring At The Movies

Are we really covering consecutive, black-and-white flicks about murder that also have an abundance of homosexual subtext? Sure, why not! The Lighthouse was last week. Now we’ve got Strangers On A Train as a companion piece (of sorts). Alfred Hitchcock was always fascinated by murder, but here he is—just like Robert Walker’s excellent villain—obsessed with the perfect murder. Walker also represents the stereotype of a gay killer, so…yeah. Fear not, we dug pretty deep into the history of that. This is a good Hitch flick with flashes of greatness, although the 2nd half simply does not live up to that “let’s swap murders” set-up. So plant that evidence, but stay off amusement park rides that go warp speed as our 383rd episode hashes out what’s going on with Bruno and Guy.

Well, Actually: The Picture Of Dorian Gray was released in 1945. Also, it can be confirmed that Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers On A Train novel doesn’t have the crazy carousel ride at the end that the movie does. Also also, the most-recent Hitchcock flick we covered was The Birds.

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Ryan also rattles his teeth about sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

The last few months of Ellises’ Analysis podcasts have been about straightforward movies, so we were overdue to get into surreal territory in our 382nd episode. To borrow a scream from Timon in The Lion King, “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON HERE?!” Well, we have theories, Timon. Robert Eggers is 2 for 2 on the weirdness scale and (just like in The Witch) he loves to play with us about what’s real and what isn’t. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson chew it up as they tease us with their sometimes indecipherable speech patterns and they REALLY tease us as they play up the homosexual subtext. It’s a meaty movie, matey. So leave that seagull alone and gulp down some tasty turpentine as we spill our beans about The Lighthouse.

When you can’t drink the water and you don’t want to drink the booze, you’d be a dadburn fool not to guzzle Sparkplug Coffee. They are eager to give all you scurvy dogs a 20% discount. All y’ar need to do is type in our promo code (“top100project”) at checkout.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also debates the goods and the bads of sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

Olivia Wilde’s acclaimed directorial debut provides a juicy topic for the 381st Ellises’ Analysis. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever are a fresh and funny team, but Billie Lourd steals the show with her delightful take on a free-spirited party animal. For a low-budget comedy, this movie is ambitious and it’s very technically accomplished, but the characters are inconsistent and the picture has more than a few WTF moments. Unhappy with that statement? Well, just wait because we’ll certainly angry up the blood of those who don’t like hearing Booksmart compared to Superbad. We stuck our faces deep into that hornet’s nest too. So support your BFF, Malala, but get a lot of quarters ready for the swear jar as 2 middle-aged people talk about a laughfest meant for teenagers.

Well, Actually: The talented editor (Jamie Gross) is a woman, not a man.

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All of our podcasts are also on top100project.com

Ryan also spews thoughts about sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

Whether it’s because of Stockholm Syndrome or just because the movie earned it by being good, people love Beauty And The Beast. It’s not our favourite cartoon of all time, but we certainly found plenty to appreciate in it, especially the (mostly) old-fashioned hand-drawn animation. We answered the question about whether or not the story has aged badly and we dug pretty deeply into the unfair ramifications of the vindictive hag’s curse. So ignore your children in the cupboard, mon cherie, but feel free to hunker down in your giant castle as the 380th Ellises’ Analysis hits you with a little of the Disney sing-song.

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Ryan also grooves on sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

A racism movie that’s masquerading as a math movie isn’t a well-worn genre, but Hidden Figures would be an excellent template if such a genre ever took off. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae are a terrific team playing 3 brilliant black women at NASA in this true story. Theodore Melfi’s finest film handles race relations in far less clumsy ways than other recent cracks at the complex subject (cough cough Green Book). We addressed the suggestion that Kevin Costner is playing a white saviour and we obviously dug into all the racism…ie. the stupidly self-defeating practice of shunning people just because they’re different from you. So saunter off to the washroom with your notebooks several times a day, but make sure our 379th episode is cooing in your ears on the way.

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Ryan also has a sports movie podcast over on Scoring At The Movies

The 378th Ellises' Analysis asks if you're an Enid or a Rebecca. Not that we actually care which of them you are. We're too cool to be particularly interested in you. Okay, WE'RE not too cool, but Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson sure are in Ghost World. Bev's final choice in the Month O' Bev has her discussing her own evolution from a mean girl to the delightfully nerdy adult she has become. We also talked about the offensive artwork in Terry Zwigoff's flick and what kind of reaction the controversial painting at the art show would get today. So grow up a little and loosen your grip on both your BFF and your childhood as you board a bus to nowhere and stuff a podcast about a funky comedy in your earholes.

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Ryan also jams about sports motion pictures over on Scoring At The Movies

If you dig beauty pageants, the 377th Ellises’ Analysis probably won’t be your jam. We weren’t kind to such ridiculous nonsense in this episode. We did love the performances of these actors though and the Dayton/Faris/Arndt directing & writing team set this chemistry-filled cast up with some good material. And the laughs! Funny movie. There are problems though. The surprise ending that bonds the family is delightful and the movie mocks beauty pageants, but the film is still asking us to root for a little girl to enter one in the first place. Anyway, it’s time to dance with your superfreaky family and gulp down some ice cream for breakfast as you judge our thoughts about Little Miss Sunshine.

Well, Actually: It should be noted that pageant assistant Pam (Mary Lynn Rajskub) also takes quiet delight in Olive’s controversial dance, just as the DJ and that weird biker guy do.

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Ryan also digs into movies with sports in them over on Scoring At The Movies

Hedwig And The An-guh-ry Inch is a unique movie. It’s a rip-rockin’ musical with some great songs, but the story is remarkably tragic and also, somehow, upbeat. And what an ending! The last act is surreal and complicated, but it’s also beautiful. John Cameron Mitchell is the auteur of this project (along with Stephen Trask) and Mitchell is also excellent as the headlining title character. Hedwig is a never-say-die character who always picks herself up and carries on, no matter the trauma. This is actually a pretty inspirational story…and who couldn’t use some inspiration these days. So try to find your other half, but before you go out on that quest, plug the 376th Ellises’ Analysis into your brain and enjoy our chat.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also deals in sports flicks on Scoring At The Movies

We kick off 2021 and we also begin the 6th Annual Month O’ Bev with an extensive discussion about the funny-lady flick Bridesmaids. Hold on. Women can be funny?! Well, we crapped all over that tired old chestnut, but we also, conversely, admired the serious angles this movie often takes. The ending might seem upbeat, but the future might not be so rosy for these “friends”. We debated if this is a film for women way more than it is for men, we disagreed about the necessity of the gross-out scene and we got pretty deep into the fierce but childish competition between Kristen Wiig & Rose Byrne. So stop clinging to the past and no more wallowing in your failures. Just hold on to both “one more day-ay” and to the 375th Ellises’ Analysis as we spend over an hour hashing out Paul Feig’s comedy smash.

Well, Actually: Another movie Judd Apatow produced that received an Oscar nomination was Begin Again (“Lost Stars” for Best Song). Also, at the 27:30 mark, Ryan says “the Helen we’ve seen through most of the movie” should have been “the Lillian we’ve seen” instead. Also also, Wiig HAS written a 2nd screenplay with Annie Mumolo, but it isn’t scheduled to be released until sometime in 2021. Finally, Apatow surprisingly didn’t have a hand in making I Love You, Man.

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Our website is top100project.com

Ryan hashes out the goods and bads of sports films over on Scoring At The Movies

To close out this epic year of #BlackLivesMatter protests, we’re tackling a heartbreaking movie about the real-life murder of a young black man by a white cop. Fruitvale Station was made independently and most the cast & crew were not well known back then, although we all know how big a star Michael B. Jordan has become since. He ‘s been terrific in all 3 of director Ryan Coogler’s films, although not even Jordan can match the transcendent work of Octavia Spencer. We spent some time reminiscing about some of our own New Year’s experiences in this 374th Ellises’ Analysis and we also talked a little about our year in podcasting. So pull out your phone and record an injustice, but keep those earbuds in while you do it so you can listen to us for the last time in The Year Of Suck known as 2020.

To store up some energy for a long night of NYE partying, you should guzzle some Sparkplug Coffee. They’re still offering a 20% discount to those who use our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to pay up.

Twitter is a thing people do. We are people and we are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan also jaws about sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

We’ll give you 8 reasons to listen to the 373rd Ellises’ Analysis. 1) We talked about whether or not this film needed to be shot in 70mm. 2) We got into how auteurs like the one who made this movie are using their clout to push back against a changing industry. 3) We spent a bunch of time discussing Quentin Tarantino’s filmmaking tactics and how he makes you enjoy savage violence. 4) We also talked about the goods, the bads and the uglies involved in working with QT. 5) We debated if he really is going to retire from directing soon. 6) We eventually answered the question of whether Daisy is bluffing about having back-up gang members. 7) We praised the bleak ending that somehow manages to end on a measure of hope too. 8) Finally, we praised the performances and the production design while not loving the indulgences of the verrrry long Hateful Eight. Okay, that was 8 reasons. Share the contents of your Lincoln Letter with an enemy-turned-friend as we speak about The Hateful Eight for a good long while.

Well, Actually: Sally Menke DID edit Reservoir Dogs. Also, an interesting note about Ennio Morricone’s Oscar history is that all 6 of his nominations were for movies directed by different people…and, surprisingly, not one of them is for a Sergio Leone film.

Nobody better spike that there Sparkplug Coffee with dat poison. Our sponsor don’t deserve that type o’ treatment. Anyway, they’ll throw a 20% discount at you if you use the promo code “top100project”.

For some tweeting, find us @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan looks back at aged sports films over on Scoring At The Movies

A Christmas movie with a bloodthirsty spirit (that definitely should have been rated R) is probably the ideal choice for the end of this awful year. Violent pranksters that easily multiply, then infest small towns and cause havoc? Yup, seems appropriate for 2020. Joe Dante’s mega-hit features some remarkable puppetry & effects by Chris Walas and his team, but the performances by the human actors don’t measure up to those of the Gremlins. It’s their movie and they know it! However, any movie with adorable delights like Gizmo and Phoebe Cates is always worth watching. So work harder at following the rules than Zach Galligan does and don’t get the 372nd Ellises’ Analysis wet, don’t subject it to bright light and never feed this nuclear weapon of a podcast after midnight.

Well, Actually: Indiana Jones And Temple Of Doom was released in May 1984, not in June. Also, the suggestion of setting Mogwai loose in a sunny desert like Iraq is obviously flawed because they would quickly die during the daytime sunlight. Also also, Chris Walas' name is apparently pronounced "Way-lis".

If you’re going to stay awake all night hunting vicious little jerks, you might want to get some Sparkplug Coffee in ya. And if you want a 20% discount (because who doesn’t want a discount), then fire that promo code (“top100project”) into the promo code section at check-out.

Gizmo’s furry fingers would have made him a sloppy tweeter. We’re slightly better than he is and we are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan discusses sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

Tom Hanks the movie star and Robert Zemeckis the master storyteller authored an unusual megahit 20 years ago because it’s about loneliness, sadness and the slow march of time. Wait, hold on. Cast Away just might be the signature movie for THIS depressing year…if a feature of 2020 was to have volleyballs becoming the bosom buddies of sad people on tropical islands. Anyway, our chat didn’t just focus on Zemeckis' procedural about patience. Disney+ came up. The goods and bads of product placement came up. What we want to do the most after the pandemic came up. This being a Christmas movie (it is!) even came up. And, of course, we channeled Brad Pitt from Se7en and asked what’s in the (FedEx) box. So buy a brand new volleyball and don’t give up hope. In fact, go back and ask that welder lady out for drinks and we suggest you both listen to the epic 371st Ellises’ Analysis together.

Tom Hanks badly needed Sparkplug Coffee on that island. He would have loved the 20% discount he can get by entering “top100project” into the promo code section.

Wilson would have been a mediocre tweeter. We’re probably not much better at it than a volleyball, but you can track us down  @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan discusses sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

The Christmas season is here! Well, Christmas lasts about 5 months in this part of the world, so it’s actually been here since we still needed air conditioning. Anyway, Home Alone! It’s the G-rated Straw Dogs. It’s also the movie where we root for a housebound child to practically murder 2 men for trying to steal the VCR. Kevin will probably grow up to be a big fan of the 2nd Amendment…or perhaps a cancer-stricken serial killer who really digs booby traps. Anyway, this John Hughes/Chris Columbus blockbuster is packed with cartoonish violence & cartoonish performances and a resourceful kid gets to be the hero by any horrific means necessary. Arrest that burgeoning sociopath! Anyway, the movie ISN'T packed with much meaningful character development (especially amongst the jerky members of this strange family), but it remains entertaining and fun. Macaulay Culkin wasn’t even 10 years old when Home Alone came out 30 years ago, but it made him a movie star. So don’t give up. Be thirsty for more…of the 370th Ellises’ Analysis!

Well, Actually: We assumed the mannequins belong to Peter McCallister, but maybe they’re Kate’s and perhaps she helps pay for that enormous mansion by working as a fashion designer. Also, Shiv on Succession is played by the great Sarah Snook. Also also, John Heard is called “The Dad From Home Alone” by the folks at Honest Trailers, not by the good folks at Cinemasins.

Guzzle as much Sparkplug Coffee as you can handle. They’ll slide a filthy 20% discount your way if you’d be sly enough to enter “top100project” into the promo code when you’re ready to pay for your product(s).

If you like to do a spot of tweeting, we are: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Go to our website: top100project.com

Ryan also jaws about sports motion pictures over on Scoring At The Movies

What’s funnier than chain gangs and the KKK in the Deep South during the Depression? Perhaps nothing could be. Okay, it sounds like an unfunny subject, but the remarkable Joel & Ethan Coen defy the odds by casting great actors, featuring a lot of dynamite songs and unleashing plenty of goofiness. O Brother helped make George Clooney a movie star, even though he, John Turturro and the hilarious Tim Blake Nelson are pretty much playing the Three Stooges. If only the Stooges were this likable or blessed with such a gift of gab! We talked a lot about the Coens’ entire career (the comedies, the dramas, the hits, the misses) and we certainly dug into the inspiration for this zany flick (The Odyssey). It's time for some fun, so we suggest you DO seek the tray-sure of the 369th Ellises’ Analysis.

Well, Actually: The first film in which both Coens were credited as a director was The Ladykillers. Also, Tim Blake Nelson’s character in The Incredible Hulk was Samuel Sterns aka The Leader.

Coffee, eh? Yes! Sparkplug Coffee has been our sponsor for more years than we can count and we highly recommend the deliciousness. They offer a 20% discount to anyone with the capacity for abstract thought, but more importantly if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out.

Talking to us is easy via Twitter. We are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Our website is top100project.com

Ryan talks on other podcasts too. Scoring At The Movies yammers about sports flicks every other Thursday

So it's Monty Python then. Holy Grails and all that. You know these guys. They're comedy legends. They're The Beatles of satire. Do we need to say more? Okay, we're not the biggest Python nerds of all time and we criticized over-the-top fandom quite a bit here. Also, the movie peters out in the second half and we (prepare to be appalled) just don't get the Knights Who Say Ni. But, faults aside, this inspired bit of lunacy is still jammed to the coconuts with incredibly big laughs. So GET ON WITH IT because episode #368 is ready for a listenin'.

Well, Actually: We covered Rashomon nearly 3 months ago, not 1 month ago. Also, Swedish for "with" is "med". Also also, Graham Chapman is indeed in The Meaning Of Life.

Our sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee. They won't bring you a shrubbery, but you WILL nab a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project") when it's bill-paying time.

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We are tweetable: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Ryan also talks about sports movies over on Scoring At The Movies

Despite the great political news in the past few days, we all still need laughs in our lives, so Funny Movie Month continues. Our 367th Ellises’ Analysis digs into a 70-year-old mental-illness comedy with the giant, invisible rabbit. It’s also a movie that just roots for nice people. Too bad Harvey doesn’t cause more guffaws, especially considering it’s one of the AFI’s highest-ranked comedies. Also, sorry to say, but even though this might be one his most-beloved roles, we’re not as over the moon as many fans are about Jimmy Stewart in this goofy flick. There’s still fun to be had with this one though, so pour a couple of martinis (make that many, MANY martinis) and have a friendly hang with us as we talk about Mr. Dowd and his pooka.

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Tweet as if your best buddy is either a magical being or even perhaps the Lord himself: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

Ryan has another podcast: Scoring At The Movies