Have You Ever Seen

An uplifting and inspirational dramedy seems like a pretty good way to start 2026 on Have You Ever Seen...although emphasize the drama in that portmanteau because this one isn't big on comedy. Frank Capra made a lot of films about social justice, although this has an unfortunately still-relevant message. Gary Cooper plays the title character, a hair-trigger small-towner who goes to New York and is deemed insane for wanting to give the massive fortune he inherited to those who need it more. Cooper isn't stiff here, for once, and it's actually one of the best things he did, playing a volatile lug-nut who falls hard for liar-liar-pants-on-fire Jean Arthur. So don't go silent when the world turns on you. Just check out my 707th podcast which is, one hopes, anything but silent. Well, Actually: Mayo Methot wasn't married to Humphrey Bogart until 2 years after this movie came out. Also, Hart To Hart DID air in 1979, but the show ran most of its episodes in the early '80s. Subscribe to this show about classic movies and also rate & review it. Also, find my page on Letterboxd (RyanHYES). Contact options: Twi-X (@moviefiend51), Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and email ([email protected]).

To wrap up 2025 with the 70th episode of the year (and the 706th show in the history of Have You Ever Seen), it was high time to yap about Tony Scott. Crimson Tide is one of the underrated director's best flicks. His mutiny-on-a-submarine movie stars Gene Hackman as a crass, demanding captain battling his thoughtful, by-the-book executive officer played by Denzel Washington. The often-glaring Denzel and the often-speechifying Hackman are both fantastic...and they're helped by a strong supporting cast that includes a pre-Aragorn Viggo & a pre-Soprano Gandolfini. The tension in this one is as high as it gets, since nuclear war with Russia is at stake. It's just a terrific boat movie. I wish you a hunky dory NYE and I hope you'll spend close to an hour in the last few hours of '25 or in the early days of '26 hearing me rave about Crimson Tide. Subscribe to this show in your podcast app. Review it too. Post a 5-star rating. Also, hunt me down on Letterboxd: RyanHYES. Although act like the characters in the first 20 minutes of this movie and don't rush. We'll get there. Share your own thoughts about my monologues on social media. I'm "@moviefiend51" on Twi-X and "ryan-ellis" on Bluesky.

Killer's Kiss was the maestro Stanley Kubrick's second film and it IS amateurish, especially by his incredibly high standards. The technical genius' cast is just okay in this...and they aren't as big and memorable as most of his casts would be in later works. Where's the lowered-brow glare?! Still, Jamie Smith, Irene Kane and Frank Silvera are rock-solid in this thriller about a boxer, a dancer and a gangster. There's ballet and thuggery and mannequins and a few killings in this one too. So with just a few days left in 2025, tune in to check out a fairly brief episode #705 of Have You Ever Seen. If you'd like to drop a line to complain about my continuing audio adventures (although they WILL get better soon!), email me at "[email protected]". On social media, I'm "ryan-ellis" on Bluesky and "@moviefiend51" on Twi-X. Oh, and my page on Letterboxd is "RyanHYES". Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your podcasting application, especially now that I'm posting extra content on days OTHER THAN just Mondays. Rate and review the show too.

I can pick 'em because what better way to celebrate Christmas Eve than to talk about an island-bound whodunnit based on an Agatha Christie book?! Director Rene Clair gathered an ensemble cast of acclaimed character actors (including Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston and Judith Anderson) as a stealthy killer exacts sick justice on people accused of murder, using a nursery rhyme as the theme o' death. The book is outstanding and this adaptation is about as good as any of them have been, but there's some misplaced humour and the ending bails on a great premise. Plus, Christie's great story always had some gaps in logic. The film is so good though that it still works. So as you pour some nog and wrap some gifts, tune into my 704th podcast here on Have You Ever Seen to hear about And Then There Were None. Feedback: email is "[email protected]", Twi-X is "@moviefiend51" and Bluesky is "ryan-ellis". Rate and review this show, but also subscribe. Then extra episodes on non-Mondays like this one will just appear in your feed. Look up Letterboxd for some written reviews. I'm under "RyanHYES".

With just a few days to go until Christmas, it's time for another movie set on the big day. Not-so-jolly ol' (not a saint) Nic Cage plays an ordinary and restrained regular guy in The Family Man while Tea Leoni is at her most likable and charming as his wife. After splitting up in college, Mister Successful gets a glimpse of what their life COULD have been. The controversial frat-boy Brett Ratner directed a dramedy that's going for a vibe similar to It's A Wonderful Life, including the main character's distaste for his lot in life (in the "Glimpse-verse", at least)…but also giving us a touching ending. So choose us by choosing to listen to the 703rd episode of Have You Ever Seen. And Merry Holidays-mas, one and all! Extra episodes will show up on this channel a few more times this month, so subscribe and you won't miss a thing. Rate the show and review it too. Contact me with an email: [email protected]. If you're a socialite, I'm ryan-ellis on Bluesky and @moviefiend51 on Twi-X. Letterboxd features my written reviews. I'm RyanHYES on there.