Have You Ever Seen

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.

Animated dogs share a plate of spaghetti, furry love is in the air and a classic romance was born 70 years ago in Disney's Lady And The Tramp. The Cocker Spaniel with the great floppy ears charmed her rascally Tramp so much that he even settled down with his "pidge". And while this isn't at the level of Snow White or Pinocchio, it's a lighthearted, enjoyable dog romp that became a blockbuster. On a personal note, all the pooch talk in this 702nd episode had me often reminiscing about my own 3 dear departed four-leggers. So kiss over your pasta as some Italians sing Bella Notte and I spend a half-hour talking about the somewhat-Christmas movie, Lady And The Tramp. Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your glorious podcasting application. Rate the show as well and spend a few minutes writing a review. Contact points are: email ([email protected]), Twi-X (@moviefiend51) and Bluesky (ryan-ellis). Oh, and check out Letterboxd (RyanHYES).

We're halfway through the month and only 10 days away from Christmas, so it was time to start featuring red, white and green movies on Have You Ever Seen. And for the 701st episode, I'm prattling on about Jim Carrey playing  The Grinch. And does he! The rubber-faced Canadian was about as perfect as anybody could have been playing Dr. Seuss' iconic mean one...and he also brought dozens of over-the-top ad libs and wisecracks to the dance. His schtick doesn't always land though and more than a few things in this film just don't make sense in a kids' picture. Also, Chuck Jones' 1966 animated TV special is classic partly for how sweet it is, including the Whos...who are such jerks here. Ron Howard's impersonal (and inferior) take on the big, green grump & his neighbours is just garish, loud and only occasionally funny. Yet this is one of the great change-of-heart stories ever, so there ARE things to like. So load up with a heaping helping of Who Hash and some roast beast as I talk about How The Grinch Stole Christmas. To let me know that you didn't love the audio distortion in this episode, write me an email to complain: [email protected]. I'm working on improving that. Stay tuned. You can also tweet me (@moviefiend51 on Twi-X) or Sky me (ryan-ellis on Bluesky). Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen, especially since extra content is soon coming your way on days other than just Mondays. The show will just pop up in your feed. Rate the show, write a review, tell your friends. I also jot down thoughts about movies old AND new on Letterboxd. I'm "RyanHYES" on that venture.

Episode #700! Such an occasion calls for a special episode as I give you reviews of not 1, not 2 but 3 old comedies all in 1 show. We're talking about Sons Of The Desert, Monkey Business and, the headliner, Topper. This is the first time on Have You Ever Seen for Laurel & Hardy, although the Marx Brothers and Cary Grant have been gabbed about a lot in the past. Grins can be had...even though many of these talented people went back to the same comedy well over and over again. I also addressed some emails from you listeners. Thanks for helping this podcast get to 700, so settle in. There just might be 700 more to come! Be a subscriber of Have You Ever Seen in your app. Review the show and let others know what you think. Leave a rating (5 stars!) and also feed back at me via email: [email protected]. Social media options are "ryan-ellis" on Bluesky and "@moviefiend51" on the Twit. Also, if you're a Letterboxd person, I am too. I go by "RyanHYES". The library of reviews has been growing lately.

Five Easy Pieces turned out to be an incredibly relatable movie for me to discuss these days. In fact, this 699th episode might get a little TOO personal as I shared plenty of things about my own life. Jack Nicholson gives one of his deepest performances as he continued to build his legend following Easy Rider the year before. Here we have universal themes of alienation, rebellion, family strife, running away from life's problems. Director Bob Rafelson's cast is good across the board, especially Jack, of course, and his all-wrong-for-him girlfriend Karen Black. His film though is mostly famous for the "piano on the truck" scene and especially the diner scene. Oh, and the ending. So hold the chicken (somewhere) and just get the man some toast as I fill you in on the happenings in Five Easy Pieces. Subscribe to Have You Ever Seen in your app. Rate and review the podcast too. Also, go ahead and pick a fight with me on social media that I, like Nicholson in this movie, am bound to lose. I'm @moviefiend51 on Twi-X and ryan-ellis on Bluesky. The trusty email is [email protected].  The reviews on Letterboxd have finally picked up. Check out "RyanHYES" there to find my sometimes-offbeat thoughts about movies old and new.