Podcast
Have You Ever Seen
Hosted by Ryan Ellis · EN
Ryan and Bev Ellis are partners in film nerdery who share their often humorous musings on the AFI's 1998 & 2007 lists of the greatest 100 American films ever made. But we finished with that in December 2015, so now we just review anything we feel like!
19episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Moulin Rouge
5d ago00:51:42Tap to summarizeThe first episode of a non-theme month here in June (and the 743rd overall) gets loud about Baz Luhrmann's bombastic Moulin Rouge. It's the kind of zany project where the director and star of this Paris-set movie are both Australians (Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman) while the co-lead is Scottish (Ewan McGregor) and a Colombian (John Leguizamo) plays the real-life French writer Toulouse Lautrec. Kidman and McGregor are well-matched as gaga lovers and, while she got most of the raves, he's just as good...if not even better. Baz's main hook is to use anachronistic pop hits on the soundtrack in his frantic, garish musical that's absolutely in love with love. Either you're all in...or you won't be able to put up with more than 10 minutes of it. But put up with me talking baout the sickly courtesan and her idealistic writer who l'amour things up in the spectacular (spectacular) Moulin Rouge. Subscribe to "Have You Ever Seen," but also drop a 5-star rating and maybe even write a complimentary review. Contact options are email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com), Twitter (@moviefiend51), Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and Letterboxd (RyanHYES).
Transcribe →My Darling Clementine & Gunfight & Tombstone
1w ago00:55:44Tap to summarizeI put a jaunty bow on Heroes Month with another multi-movie episode. For #742, I'm mostly talking about John Ford's My Darling Clementine, but there's a bit at the end about John Sturges' Gunfight At The O.K. Corral and George Cosmatos' Tombstone. Clementine stars Henry Fonda as the stoic marshal Wyatt Earp and Victor Mature as the uber-talented but sickly Doc Holliday. Linda Darnell is in the mix too and they're all surrounded by a smorgasbord of character actors. Doc, Wyatt and his brothers team up to take on the Clantons in what's considered to be one of the greatest westerns. Then it's onto a much-shorter analyses of Gunfight and Tombstone, where I got to do what so many have done for 33 years: rave about Val Kilmer. So let's go, boys, to where they keep the horses and draw some guns as I give you my 3 takes on the world of Wyatt and Doc. Well, Actually: Elia Kazan was the one who took over directing Pinky after Ford was fired. Also, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is the name of the actress in Tombstone who plays Wyatt's wife Mattie. Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your app. Rate my show and write up a short review (or a long review). Follow me on Twitter (@moviefiend51) and/or Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and also Letterboxd (RyanHYES). And I certainly read emails: haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com.
Transcribe →Black Hawk Down & Battleground
2w ago00:59:01Tap to summarizeSince it's Memorial Day, I'm tipping a cap to veterans. And I've got another doubleheader in episode #741, with the bulk of the show devoted to Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (where American soldiers battle Somalis in 1993 Mogadishu), then there's a short bit at the end about William Wellman's Battleground (where American grunts take on the Nazis during the Battle Of The Bulge in WWII). Both films won technical Oscars and are intense, apolitical war stories. Appropriate for Heroes Month, you just fight for your fellow soldiers. Black Hawk Down stars the likes of Hartnett and McGregor, but we've also got well-known character actors like Sizemore, Fichtner and Shepard...not to mention up-and-comers like Bloom, Hardy and a super-cool Bana. So look out for your buddy as I talk about movies set in the Moag and Bastogne. Subscribe to this podcast in your application. Rate my show and jot down a little review too. The email option is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com." Twitter is "@moviefiend51" and Bluesky is "ryan-ellis." If you like Letterboxd, look for "RyanHYES."
Transcribe →The Mark Of Zorro & Hopalong Cassidy
3w ago00:57:01Tap to summarizeThe ongoing effort to review long-ago movie stars has me talking about the dashing Tyrone Power and the beautiful Linda Darnell in The Mark Of Zorro. Gail Sondergaard and Basil Rathbone also have key roles in Rouben Mamoulian's 1940 flick. The Mexican man in black shares ties with Robin Hood and Batman, as the Z Man risks his life to rip off the rich to help out the poor. For an action movie, it's pretty muted, but it IS a good time. Then I talked for a bit about Hopalong Cassidy. The conflict is over cattle and territory, which is similar to the storyline in the 1956 Lone Ranger. Hothead Jimmy Ellison wants to fight the whole world while William Boyd kicked off a career playing the title character dozens of more times. "You're alright, kid", so put on a face covering that changes depending on your mood and settle in for this 740th podcast on Have You Ever Seen as I rattle teeth about The Mark Of Zorro and Hopalong Cassidy. Be a subscriber to the podcast in your app. Rate and review the show as well. Check me out on Letterboxd (RyanHYES) or Twitter (@moviefiend51) or Bluesky (ryan-ellis). My email is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com".
Transcribe →Escape From New York
3w ago00:47:00Tap to summarizeCall me Snake. Okay, well, that's too cool for me, so just make it Ryan. Either way, this 739th episode gets into the night life and action frenzy that is John Carpenter's Escape From New York. Kurt Russell was already establishing himself as something more than just a Disney kid, then his signature role here cemented it. The eclectic Van Cleef/Borgnine/Harry Dean supporting cast surrounding Russell is effective, but the production design, cinematography, music and other technicals in this dystopian sci-fi bleakness are the drawing card. Carpenter was cynical, yet so underrated in his time...even compared to a top-of-his-game Spielberg in that same era. Now, is Escape From New York funny? Maybe not (partly since it feels like this could actually happen), but it IS fun. So, even though everybody thinks you're dead, burst into the open-air prison that is Manhattan and save the president and his precious cassette tape. Cuz the name's Ellis. Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your app. Rate the show, write a pithy review. Look for me on Letterboxd (RyanHYES) and fire off an email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). Socials? I'm @moviefiend51 on Twitter and ryan-ellis on Bluesky.
Transcribe →Top Gun
4w ago00:59:57Tap to summarizeIn anticipation of the theatrical re-release of Top Gun later this week, this 738th episode has me yapping about Tony Scott's blockbuster that put him on the map and made Tom Cruise a megastar. The one about cocky naval aviators is big, loud and very sweaty. You've got sleek jets, cool, sexy men (and also SOME women like Kelly McGillis)...and a killer soundtrack. The fly boys (including Val Kilmer & Anthony Edwards) also play topless volleyball and spend a lot of time in towels. Naturally, the megahit sequel Top Gun: Maverick came up a lot in this review, since it played off the themes of rebellion, adrenaline and guilt the way that the original did. So caress your plaque that says you won a contest and put on your aviator glasses with a big smile on your face as I feel a certain need for a certain velocity while speaking about Tommy And The Jets. NOTE: a breakdown of all the Oscar nominations in Tony Scott's entire filmography will be the "So I Got Thinkin'" segment in Friday's episode about Escape From New York. Also, during the Coming Attractions Trivia question for that, it should have been Kurt Russell sometimes did "impressions" of other actors, not "inspirations." Oh, and I didn't choose the "E" rating for this episode. Either A.I. did it or the provider...or something. The only objectionable word is the "S" word they say a lot in Top Gun, so if that doesn't bother you, then shrug off that "E" rating. Help boost this show by spreading propaganda about it like Top Gun did for the navy. You can rate it 5 stars, review it with heaping doses of praise and you can certainly add to my subscription numbers. Email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com), Twitter (@moviefiend51), Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and Letterboxd (RyanHYES).
Transcribe →Tarzan The Ape Man & Peter Pan
May 401:09:02Tap to summarizeEven though it's Star Wars Day, someone else can talk about Luke & Leia. What I have is a super-long episode about much-older movies: the 1932 Tarzan & the 1924 Pan. Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan star in an exciting, sexy, action-adventure story. They worked with lions and hippos and crocs (and actors in animal suits) and it's all convincingly done, especially since none of the principal photography was actually in Africa. Then I talked about the boy who just refuses to age. Betty Bronson's Peter is going to stay in Never(Never)Land forever and ever (and ever)...even if Ernest Torrence's Captain Hook is gunning for his insouciant head. The film is well-made and the acting is not bad either, even if the concept is remarkably mockable. So check out my monlogues about some more good (and sometimes bad) guys here in Heroes Month in this 737th episode: Tarzan The Ape Man and Peter Pan. Be a subscriber to Have You Ever Seen in your app, but also take a little time to rate the show and even write a review saying nice things. Follow me on Twitter (@moviefiend51), Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and send out an email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). I also post stuff on Letterboxd (RyanHYES).
Transcribe →The Lone Ranger & South Of The Border
May 100:51:56Tap to summarizeIt's Heroes Month! For this 736th episode, cue up the William Tell Overture and get ready for the masked vigilante & his native buddy. That's because the topic of the first of 2 movies today is The Lone Ranger (plus, of course Tonto....and also, hi-yo Silver). Stuart Heisler directs Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels and Bonita Granville in an enjoyable western with all the necessary thrills and constant danger. For film #2, I spent 13 minutes talking about Gene Autry in South Of The Border. While The Singing Cowboy didn't impress me that much, this DOES get he, William Farnum and George Montgomery on this channel...along with Champion the horse. So that's something. In any case, gear up for this first show in May, a month devoted to classic heroes just like the Ranger & Tonto. Well, Actually: just to clarify at the 17:45 mark that white men masquerading as natives on horseback wasn't the issue: it was that these fake natives rode with saddles. Also, I can confirm that Monday's show WILL be a doubleheader as I tackle both Tarzan The Ape Man and the 1924 Peter Pan. Subscribe to this channel in your app. Rate the podcast, review it too. Email me as well: (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). Twitter is "@moviefiend51", Bluesky is "ryan-ellis" and Letterboxd is "RyanHYES".
Transcribe →Beat The Devil & The Man Who Cheated Himself
Apr 2700:54:55Tap to summarizeIt's another doubleheader in episode #735, this time with 2 unrelated '50s classics. First up, I talk about the offbeat John Huston comedy Beat The Devil. The screenplay he wrote with Truman Capote is very quotable, even though its characters and daffy plot parody serious caper flicks like Huston's The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart has been a regular on Have You Ever Seen over the years, but this is the first episode ever for Jennifer Jones or Gina Lollobrigida. Jenny is quirky, cute and quite a talented liar while Gina is...well, staggeringly gorgeous. Then I veer from the fun of that one to spend about 17 minutes on Lee J. Cobb and Jane Wyatt in The Man Who Cheated Himself. Felix Feist's noir is about a cop who breaks the law to cover for his murdering mistress. Jane Wyatt is yet another classic actress we'd never covered before. So spend this final Monday of April hearing about a loopy comedy and an intense crime flick. Well, Actually: "coupe" IS pronounced "coo-pay" in French AND in what's known as "British English". Also, the other movie that will be reviewed on Friday will in fact be the Gene Autry western South Of The Border. Subscribe to this effort in your app. Add a rating and write a review to suggest others give it a shot too. Contacting is easy. On social media, it's @moviefiend51 on Twitter, ryan-ellis on Bluesky and RyanHYES on Letterboxd. As for email, that's haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com.
Transcribe →Inside Man
Apr 2000:42:35Tap to summarizeInside Man is a clever heist film with the twist staring you in the face from the beginning. It's also the first Spike Lee or Jodie Foster film to be reviewed on Have You Ever Seen in quite some time. Foster and Denzel Washington's scenes together are fantastic. The 2 of them, plus Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor deliver. Ironically, though, for a film with such intensity for 2 straight hours, the actors are generally calm. Well, Denzel is showboating, but he's Denzel. You can't reign in that charisma machine. So for my 734th episode, settle in to hear about a snappy caper film as I monologue about Spike Lee's biggest hit, Inside Man. Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your app. Rate and review it too. Look for me on Letterboxd (RyanHYES). I'm "@moviefiend51" on Twitter, "ryan-ellis" on Bluesky and "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com" via email.
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