The Top 100 Project

It’s St. Patrick's Day, so Have You Ever Seen #652 gets into an IRA frame of mind, puts on some green and talks about John Ford's The Informer. The legendary director and leading man Victor McLaglen won Oscars, but the set-bound film itself lost out to the epic grandeur of Mutiny On The Bounty for Best Picture. McLaglen plays a pathetic liar who betrays and rats out a fellow Irishman to British authorities...and deals with his guilt (badly) by blowing all his blood money as soon as possible. So pour a Guinness, boyos & girlos and prepare for another Ryan monologue here in Oscar Month as the 90-year-old The Informer is on deck. Pour some Irish whiskey into your Sparkplug Coffee. Or don't. Have You Ever Seen listeners can use our "HYES" promo code and get a 20% discount. The website if "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Don't forget to rate this podcast and write a review. And subscribe! Feeding back to us can be achieved in a number of ways. Try email: haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com. Try Bluesky: "ryan-ellis"

Oscar Month continues! Bev's couple of weeks off begins! She's not here to talk about The King's Speech, which is a classy movie that ended up being a huge hit, even though it's about a group of people that Ryan has never liked: the royals? A monarchy? In a democracy? Yet, credit where it's due, Tom Hooper does an admirable job of making a non-fan care about the king of England and his enunciation---and also Nazi-related---troubles. Colin Firth won gold for his work as the stuttering Prince Albert/King George VI who gets a job he never wanted while his supportive wife (Helena Bonham Carter) and unorthodox speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) are just about his only support system. The King's Speech is often quite touching and it's even inspirational, showing a privileged man have to deal with confidence issues, loneliness, his uncaring fellow royals and duty to his country. So don't storm off in anger. Just tune into the 651st episode of Have You Ever Seen and listen to one man's speech...about a speech. Well, Ac

All The King's Men is a political movie, so Ryan decided to get very political in this one-man show. In fact, warning: don't listen to the 650th edition of Have You Ever Seen if you're a Trump supporter...because he gets lambasted. As for the movie in question, it's a good one. A man who saw into the future, Robert Rossen, writes and directs a film that's effective at showing a cruel and corrupt governor does business...and how that's connected to the wanton acts of the cruel and corrupt current president. Broderick Crawford plays Huey Long-esque Willie Stark, who's a performer first and foremost, then proves to be a gigantic phony. Rossen's film is complicated though because the man who takes dirty money uses it to build things the state needs. So strap in tight for an episode all about All The King's Men, but also often about the certain loathsome individual who must have seen this and taken notes. Well, Actually: the Danny DeVito line in Heist is "everybody needs money", not "everybody loves money". Also,

The Ellises have a next-day chat about the 97th Academy Awards in our 2025 Oscars Post-View. The year 2024 was not a banner 12 months for film, but, in the end, the voters pointed at independent film Anora the most often, giving it 5 trophies…including Best Picture. Sean Baker set a record by winning 4 Oscars (at least, in the types of categories in which he won), with 2of those being for his screenplay and for his direction. The awards were spread around fairly well beyond that (8 out of 10 Best Picture nominees won at least 1 piece of gold), although the show didn’t wow or move us too much. It was just an okay---and very long---broadcast. Conan O’Brien was funny, as we expected he would be, while the speeches got serious & political at times…as we expected they would. Some people, though, thought they had all night to ramble on up there. In any case, fire up our 33-ish minutes of post-Oscars analysis here on Have You Ever Seen.  Try Sparkplug Coffee. Our listeners can get a onetime 20% discount by usi

One of the most-legendary filmmakers of all time only directed one movie to a Best Picture Oscar…and Rebecca was it. Alfred Hitchcock slickly portrays the brutal treatment of the victimized newlywed Joan Fontaine. She’s a target for everyone in the film, especially a vicious housekeeper played by Judith Anderson and a neglectful and possibly homicidal husband played by Laurence Olivier. But did Hitch enjoy what Fontaine's character goes through...or does he sympathize with her? And just how much of a compromise is the censored version of the unseen title character's fate in this stylish, gothic thriller? So throw the 648th edition of Have You Ever Seen into those holes in the sides of your head as we head to Manderley and whisper about what's going on in Rebecca. Feel free to write as many memos as you want like the control freak David Selznick used to do, but jotting all those notes down would be aided by sipping Sparkplug Coffee. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes" and get yourself a 20% discount. Review our p

Our 10th Annual Oscars Preview podcast is the 647th chat on Have You Ever Seen...and it's an in-depth look at the controversial 97th Academy Awards. First-time host Conan O'Brien will probably riff on the dirt, but also how this is one of those “who are you people” Oscars. Yeah, it just wasn’t a terrific year for film and the nominations reflect that...particularly in major categories like Best Picture and Best Director. It also seems like people watched 15 or 20 movies all year, then just picked them as nominees in nearly every category. So fire up our show to hear if we think this will be the year of a sex-worker winning all the big prizes. Or will it be the year of a transgender drug lord? Or maybe it’ll be the year of a surly, green witch. Or a brutal artist. Gulp down some Sparkplug Coffee on Sunday night. Our listeners get a onetime 20% discount by using our "HYES" promo code. The website? It's "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Subscribe to our channel, but also rate and review our chats in your podcast app.

As you’ll hear in this 646th dose of Have You Ever Seen, The Postman Always Rings Twice is thought of by many to be the epitome of film noir. Tay Garnett’s sexy thriller based on James M Cain’s book gives us passion, lust, deceit, betrayal and death, so it hits those vital marks to be a key part of this genre. Lana Turner is the lady in white who gets her employee John Garfield to kill for her. She’s the standout between the two of them, but is she really the baddest of all femme fatales? Tune into this one-Ryan show about The Postman Always Rings Twice to find out! Well, Actually: at the 4:35 mark, it should have been "Cora eventually falls hard for drifter Frank", not "drifter Nick".  Go the “sparkplug.coffee/hyes” website and you’ll be on your way to a onetime 20% discount from our friends at Sparkplug.  Subscribe to this podcast. Rate and review it too,  We post our shows on YouTube as well (@hyesellis in the search bar). Comment, like, subscribe, tell your friends. To let us know what you think of

Cinderella is on the shortlist for the most famous fairy tales of 'em all. And, after a rough stretch in the '40s, Walt Disney's genius animators beautifully adapted this legendary story to help bring the struggling studio back into the black. Trouble is, the cutesy mice sidekicks aren't nearly as funny as other Disney sidekicks were (or have been since) and some plot elements border on the stupid. We got into the issues of princess culture, abusive family members and the whirlwind romance Cinderella has with the personality-free prince. So enjoy your impractical footwear and avoid waiting until it's almost midnight as the 645th edition of Have You Ever Seen bats it back and forth about the bibbidi bobbidi cartoon. Well, Actually: the horse (Major) is transformed into the coachman by the Fairy Godmother's magic and the dog (Bruno) is transformed into the footman. Cinderellie, Cinderellie lives (spoiler alert) happily ever after, but she might be able to find a way to be even happier if she could order Sparkpl

No one has to think Love Story is a good movie to acknowledge that it's a beloved romance that made an absolute killing at the box office 55 years ago. The AFI remembers Arthur Hiller's film fondly too. It's just that we Ellises aren't at all sorry to say that we aren't as enamored as millions of other people have been. It feels rushed and story beats aren't allowed to breathe, plus---Oscar nominations or not---the performances certainly weren't award-worthy. The title of the movie is appropriate too because the overly-earnest story is focused on the love between Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw...and absolutely nothing else. In any case, as Valentine's Day approaches, settle in for our 644th episode about the preppy boy and the sassy girl who headline Old Love Month here on Have You Ever Seen. Well, Actually: "after all, tomorrow is another day" from Gone With The Wind is 31st on AFI's Top 100 Quotes. Sparkplug Coffee can ordered by Bostonians, New Yorkers, or anyone from the U.S. and Canada. They'll give our fan

Witness is a tense thriller as much as it is a sweet love story, but Peter Weir's typically sensitive direction balances those elements very well. He also led Harrison Ford to his only Oscar nomination, which seems hard to believe for a guy who's been such a big movie star for such a long time. Lukas Haas plays a young Amish Pennsylvanian who witnesses a vicious murder in the washroom of a train station, then Philly detective Ford has to protect him and his mother (Kelly McGillis) from retribution by the dirty cops who did the deed. And, throughout, Ford & McGillis slowly fall for each other. So stare meaningfully at your crush for 2 hours as we present the 643rd episode on Have You Ever Seen in a way the Amish wouldn't approve of: electronically. Do what the Lapp family and their friends cannot and go on your computer to order Sparkplug Coffee. Our listeners will get a onetime 20% discount. Just use our "HYES" promo code. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your pod

1950 was a year in which legendary classics like All About Eve and Sunset Blvd were released, but one of their competitors for the Best Picture Oscar was Vincente Minnelli's light comedy...which is itself a low-key classic. Father Of The Bride is well-written and it has more laughs than most movies that came out in that era, largely because Spencer Tracy knew how to be funny in a dignified way. He's nearly at his best in this as a successful lawyer...and he's also Elizabeth Taylor's dad. He's self-absorbed and unable to accept that his daughter has grown up & ready to get married, but he's lovable all the same. Kudos to Joan Bennett too as the MOTHER Of The Bride. Father Of The Bride may be fluffy, but it packs a bit of a melancholy punch, especially if you happen to be middle-aged like we are. So we begin the shortest month of the year with our first episode in "Old Love Month" on Have You Ever Seen in this 642nd edition. Sparkplug Coffee would be great at a wedding reception. Order some using our "HYES"

While Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass might be dated now, it was certainly controversial 15 years ago. It's jammed with violence and bad language...and many of those naughty words come out of the mouth of an 11-year-old girl. But it's also a story about a young nobody who becomes a star on social media and goes on to save his city from very bad guy. Take away that he DOES become a superhero and this movie IS our current culture. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the title character and he's about as average as he always is, but Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as the merciless Hit-Girl. And while Kick-Ass' Big Bad, Mark Strong, is just okay and Christopher Mintz-Plasse is nothing special as Kick-Ass' friend/foil, Nicolas Cage has a phenomenal time playing Moretz's vengeful dad. And even though Vaughn's adaption of the comic book is colourful and often fun as it explores the theme of "what if a regular kid tried to be a superhero", it doesn't really deliver on that promise. This is a pretty long 641st edition of Have You Ev

Charlie Chaplin's The Kid represents the 3rd-oldest movie we've ever reviewed, but it continues to be an accessible story 104 years later. Chaplin adopts Jackie Coogan and they live a life of squalor---and also chicanery---but they ARE happy together. There's genuine affection between these two actors. Coogan's performance was a landmark for child actors while Chaplin was, as always, a comic virtuoso. He's responsible for 6 jobs in one movie, which was typical for him. The biggest bugaboo is that Chaplin's film is more touching than it is funny. Just look at that kid plead for his "dad"! In any case, episode #640 of Have You Ever Seen is another Ryan monologue, so devour one man's thoughts about The Kid. Check out our sponsor's website: "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Sparkplug gives our listeners a onetime 20% discount. Just use our "HYES" promo code. Subscribe to our podcast in your app, but also rate and write a review of it. There are a slew of ways to contact us. Email is one option: haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmai

Grizzly Man represents Bev's 2nd movie of choice this month, a documentary about another documentarian as Werner Herzog looks into the troubled life of nature-crusader Timothy Treadwell. He would go into the Alaskan wilderness every summer (often with a girlfriend) and befriend bears, but his hubris and narcissism eventually led where it almost had to: him getting eaten by a hungry bear. His girlfriend died too though, which is the real tragedy because she wasn't asking for it. Did he have a death wish or did he just think the experts had no idea what they were talking about? We dig into the psychology of the subject in Grizzly Man, but also of Herzog himself in this 639th edition of Have You Ever Seen, so pack some bags and get ready to play with foxes and some big, hungry bears. Well, Actually: the expression that the act of observing something can change it is simply called the "observer effect". Sparkplug Coffee offers our listeners a 20% discount if they use our "HYES" promo code (onetime only). The webs

This is the 3rd straight January in which Have You Ever Seen has talked about a Buster Keaton comedy classic. Reviews of most of the man's great silent films are now on this channel, including our podcast about The General that went up nearly 12 years ago. And if this incredible stuntman and stonefaced actor isn't a must-see for serious film buffs, then just who is? Although, while Steamboat Bill Jr. has an effective story and it's exciting and fun, it's just not very funny. And that's a common tale with old movies. In this, Buster's disapproving father wants him---but also DOESN'T want him---to be part of the crew of his riverboat steamer. There's heated competition with a rich guy, who has a daughter that Buster is sweet on. And then came a cyclone, complete with a collapsing house and a gutsy actor standing there underneath it. The last 15 or 20 minutes played during that violent storm make Steamboat Bill Jr entirely worth your time. So cozy up for a Ryan monologue in our 638th edition. Sparkplug Coffee sp

The 637th edition of Have You Ever Seen kicks off the 10th Annual Month O' Bev. Joel & Ethan Coen's True Grit was unusual for them, in that it was a blockbuster. It was also nominated for all kinds of awards, including 10 Oscars...something the brothers WERE used to. The cinematography, the production design and the florid language are standouts in this remake of the 1969 western. Jeff Bridges plays it very broad, but he's still pretty good in the role that won John Wayne an Oscar, while Matt Damon...well, we were split on his work. But their teenaged costar, Hailee Steinfeld, made a huge splash in a remarkable debut. This movie belongs to "Sis", who's more than a little determined to get retribution for her pa's death. So mount up as you ride horsies with contemptible allies and we piece our way through the Coen Brothers' True Grit. Invest some of your Christmas money in Sparkplug Coffee. And then SAVE some money by using our "HYES" promo code to take advantage of our discount code. The website is "spark

To wrap up the year, Have You Ever Seen episode #636 reviews our first Peter Sellers movie in over 10 years. He was flawlessly funny in Dr. Strangelove (which is the other film we reviewed) and he's note-perfect in Being There too. Hal Ashby had a very-underrated run of greatness in the '70s, directing powerful dramas like Coming Home, but also making truly funny-yet-cynical yuck-fests like Shampoo and this. In Being There, Sellers plays an illiterate gardener who supposedly-intelligent people believe is the wisest man they know. Melvyn Douglas won an Oscar playing a dupe who projects so much onto this blank slate, partly because he's a well-dressed, pleasant, older man. The film is also prescient about presidential politics, with Sellers spouting inoffensive platitudes...and then there's that infamous Jesus imagery at the end. It's quite a ride. So we hope you like to listen as much as Chance/Chauncey likes to watch as the Ellises bid you Happy New Year and present a gab about Being There. There might be gro

"Dread" and "frantic" are key words when describing Prisoners, Denis Villeneuve's bleak (but excellent) thriller about how evil people can push others to the darkest of dark sides. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal headline a strong cast. In fact, there are marvelous performances throughout this intense and disturbing drama. Aaron Guzikowski's intricate screenplay is a real highlight here, but Prisoners' complex story comes together because of Villeneuve's excellent direction. So counter-program the lightness of the holiday season by joining Ryan in a solo show as we all become demons during this 635th edition of Have You Ever Seen. Sparkplug Coffee offers outstanding beans and they also offer our listeners a onetime 20% discount. Use our "HYES" promo code. The website is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes". Subscribe to our podcast, but also give us a rating and write a review. We post all our shows on YouTube as well (@hyesellis in your browser). Comment, like and subscribe. Fire off an email to us (haveyoueverseenpodca

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. Get your java ready for the present-opening tomorrow...and if you haven't already, start making your coffee of choice Sparkplug Coffee. They offer our listeners a onetime 20% discount by using our "HYES" discount code. Go to "sparkplug.cof

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. Order some Sparkplug Coffee for your New Year's party...or just because it's good and the holidays don't need to determine your drink