Have You Ever Seen – Details, episodes & analysis

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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Also, say hi to us. We have accounts on Twi-X. Ryan is @moviefiend51 and Bev is @bevellisellis, plus she uses that I.D. on Threads. Our email address is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com". We also fire up our shows on YouTube. The address in your browser should be "@hyesellis"...or type "Have You Ever Seen" into YouTube's search bar. Comment about, subscribe to and like the show, then rate and review us on your podcast app.

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.

Just because it's Labour Day doesn't mean you can't get on a device and look up "sparkplug.coffee". Use our "HYES" promo code and you can enjoy a onetime 20% discount. For that, it's "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Give us a buzz on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or find Bev on Threads with that same moniker. Email us (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). 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.

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.

Sparkplug Coffee sponsors our show every week, even when we post special episodes. Use our "HYES" promo code and save 20% off your next order. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Contact us the way some of our listeners did during this episode. Our email is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com". Our Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. It's the same handle for Bev on Threads. Rate and review our talks, but also follow us on YouTube, where you can comment, like, subscribe, etc.

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.

Sparkplug Coffee is ready and waiting to give you a 20% discount. If you plop "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" into your browser, then you're on your way to getting great beans and saving a little moolah in the process.

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 haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com

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 (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com) 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.

Sparkplug Coffee! They're our sponsor and they continue to offer a 20% discount to those who use our "hyes" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

To get in touch with us, you've got Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com).

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 (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com) 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 (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com).

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 (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com).

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.

Sparkplug Coffee is our sponsor. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and use that "hyes" promo code to save 20% on your next order.

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 (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com) and Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis).

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