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.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were at the height of their careers when they jumped at the chance to work with the great Stanley Kubrick. He hadn't directed a movie in 12 years, then he died before Eyes Wide Shut was even released...so it turned out to be his final film. And it's a long, complex film, which Kubrick took over a year to shoot. It's a sex movie that isn't very sexy...but was that intentional? And even though the centrepiece scene is a ritualistic orgy that leads to threats and possibly murder, was Kubrick actually making a comedy? Whether others find Eyes Wide Shut to be a hoot or not, there are undeniably serious themes like jealousy, infidelity and death. We analyze Kidman & Cruise and their real-life marriage in this 632nd episode too, also addressing the hype and gossip that came out of the legend of Eyes Wide Shut. So strap on a mask on and do a lot of watching during a not-very-erotic orgy as Have You Ever Seen pieces through the infamous Eyes Wide Shut.

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Billy Crystal was on a big hot streak in the late '80s and early '90s, topped by this comedy-western blockbuster. Ron Underwood directed City Slickers and did a terrific job balancing the laughs with all the mid-life crises of the 3 main characters. It's a comedy with some sting. What this film does best is connect with middle-aged men who are going through the things that Crystal, Bruno Kirby and Daniel Stern are. Jack Palance though plays a man who knows about that "one thing"...and he was the one who won an Oscar. So ride horses, rope cows and connect with your best buddies on a cattle drive as the 631st edition of Have You Ever Seen yahoos it up for City Slickers.

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Say helloooo! Ryan is @moviefiend51 on Twi-X and "ryan-ellis" on Bluesky. Bev is "@bevellisellis" Twi-X and Threads and "bevellisellis" on Bluesky. Our email is "[email protected]". And we post all our shows on YouTube. It's "@hyesellis" in your browser. Comment, like and subscribe.

Bev is off for this 630th edition of Have You Ever Seen, so Ryan is in monologue mode talking about The Polar Express. The turn of the century saw Robert Zemeckis direct 3 consecutive motion-capture animated films (2 of which are Christmas movies), which were expensive and, to many viewers, very off-putting with that "uncanny valley" quality of the character's faces. Tom Hanks wore the tight suit to portray a half-dozen characters and he does just as many voices, although he mostly mostly sounds like Tom Hanks playing the conductor and Santa Claus. This (horror?) film is pretty exciting though, with the kids often put in terrifying danger on that train. Zemeckis' long career is also thoroughly analyzed because it's been a "tale of 2 Bobs", comparing the first 20+ years of his career to the last 20. So, Hero Boys and Hero Girls, believe in the artistry while you wonder, as many did, why The Polar Express couldn't be as fun as it is odd.

Well, Actually: Cast Away was overlooked as one of Zemeckis' Top 10 hits, so 5 of his Top 10 films did in fact get released this century.

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Danny DeVito has done all manner of laughter, seriousness and biopics for going on 50 years. When he directs movies though, they tend to be dark comedies. Pitch black. Case in point, the often-meanspirited War Of The Roses, which is his best and funniest film. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner are just about at their career best as the (title) hateful married couple. They're rich yuppies, who have everything, until they commit to destroying it all because neither will let the other get to keep their big house. He's oblivious and patronizing while she's resentful and, eventually, murderous. But since DeVito's tongue is always in his cheek, it's a lot of fun. So don't let your empty nest get wrecked by spite. Take a breath, cherish those tchotchkes and, for the love of the kids, listen to the 629th edition of Have You Ever Seen as we talk about the Roses going to War.

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Plus, there are many ways to feed us back. Our email address is "[email protected]". We're on Bluesky (ryan-ellis and bevellisellis) and also Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis). Bev also goes by that @ on Threads. And we always post the 'cast on YouTube (@hyesellis in your browser). Comment, like and subscribe to our channel.