The Top 100 Project

Ryan Ellis & Bev Ellis

Revisiting classic movies, including the AFI's greats, foreign films and documentaries.

  • 36 minutes 56 seconds
    On The Town

    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.

    Get your Sparkplug Coffee and also nab a onetime 20% discount from them by using our "HYES" promo code. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    Saying things to us can be achieved in a multitude of ways. Our email address is "[email protected]" while on Twi-X we're @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Same @ for her on Threads. And we always post our episodes on YouTube (@hyesellis or just type "Have You Ever Seen" into YouTube's search bar). Rate our shows, review the podcast, comment and of course subscribe on the 'Tube, but also on your podcast app.

    13 May 2024, 5:37 am
  • 27 minutes 9 seconds
    Little Caesar

    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.

    We are sponsored by Sparkplug Coffee. Use our "HYES" promo code to get a onetime 20% discount on various coffee products. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    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).

    6 May 2024, 5:33 am
  • 28 minutes 10 seconds
    Dark Victory

    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.

    Sparkplug Coffee sponsors this show. They offer our listeners a onetime 20% discount. Just use our "HYES" promo code. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    We are reachable on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev uses that same @ on Threads. Email us ([email protected]). Also, look for our show on YouTube (@hyesellis). You can comment and like and subscribe to us there. Do those things and also rate & review any or all of our shows on your podcast app.

    3 May 2024, 5:23 am
  • 53 minutes 16 seconds
    Batman

    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.

    Sparkplug Coffee doesn't dance with the devil in any kind of light, but it goes great with long podcasts. Have You Ever Seen listeners can nab a onetime 20% discount if they use our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    Share your thoughts. Our email address is "[email protected]" and our Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis (which is also what Bev goes by on Threads). Also, our chats (or monologues, in this case) get posted at some point on the posting day on YouTube. Add "@hyesellis" into your bookmarks and then subscribe to us, so you can't possibly miss when we throw something new on the web. Rate, review, like, comment. We welcome feedback, even if you think we're wrong about 1 thing or even 21 things.

    29 April 2024, 5:33 am
  • 46 minutes 46 seconds
    Cape Fear

    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).

    Waiting in the weeds for something bad to happen would be made better if you had a container of scrumptious coffee with you. Our sponsor, Sparkplug Coffee, offers our listeners a 20% discount if they'll just our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    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.

    22 April 2024, 6:06 am
  • 52 minutes 19 seconds
    Revenge Of The Nerds

    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.

    Sparkplug Coffee would be great to have in the kitchen of any frat house. Look up "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". You can take advantage of a onetime 20% discount by using our "HYES" discount code.

    Communicate with our dorky selves by sending an email ([email protected]) or a Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev goes by @bevellisellis on Threads too. And we always post our podcasts on YouTube later on the posting day. Our destination in your browser should be @hyesellis...or just go on YouTube and search for "Have You Ever Seen". We ask that you rate and review our talks. Subscribe to us. Comment as much as you like. And do all those things either on your app or on YouTube. Or maybe both.

    19 April 2024, 5:45 am
  • 48 minutes
    Mandy

    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.

    Before you set out on that kill-crazy rampage, gander at the website for Sparkplug Coffee. Use our "HYES" promo code and you'll get a onetime 20% discount. It's "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    Saying something about our podcasts is easy. Send an email ([email protected]) or a thought through Musk's Twi-x fiasco (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev uses that same moniker on Threads. And check us out on YouTube (@hyesellis). Rate, review, comment, like, subscribe on your podcast app and also on the 'Tube.

    15 April 2024, 5:33 am
  • 54 minutes 1 second
    Hustlers

    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.

    We are sponsored by our longtime buddies at Sparkplug Coffee. Use our "HYES" promo code at checkout and nab a onetime 20% discount. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    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.

    8 April 2024, 5:27 am
  • 31 minutes 50 seconds
    Foxy Brown

    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.

    Sparkplug Coffee is our sponsor. They offer our listeners a onetime 20% discount. Use our "HYES" promo code to get that. So it's "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    Find us on Twi-x (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev has the same handle on Threads. Email us at "[email protected]". And check us out on YouTube (@hyesellis). Like, comment, rate, review and subscribe there and also in your podcast app.

    5 April 2024, 6:09 am
  • 1 hour 9 minutes
    Gone Girl

    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.

    Sparkplug Coffee offers Have You Ever Seen listeners a 20% discount if they'll use our "HYES" promo code. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

    Get in touch with us about this or any other podcast. Our email address is [email protected]. Our Twi-X handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. It's the same handle for Bev on Threads. And we always drop every show on YouTube later on the posting day (@hyesellis). Comment, like and share there and on your podcast app. Write a review, rate us, subscribe. We'd appreciate any or all of that.

    1 April 2024, 5:25 am
  • 53 minutes 23 seconds
    Jojo Rabbit

    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.

    Johannes and his best friends aren't old enough to be coffee drinkers, but if you sip the stuff, then take a look at "sparkplug.coffee". You can nab a 20% discount by using our "HYES" promo code (so add "/hyes" to the address in your browser).

    Contact us. We're Twi-X people (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), Bev is on Threads (@bevellisellis) and we have an email address of course ([email protected]). Our shows also go up on YouTube (@hyesellis). Comment, review, rate, like, subscribe, all that.

    25 March 2024, 6:10 am
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