Cabaret

It was an Oppenheimer kind of night. Some called the 2024 Academy Awards broadcast a snooze, but the Ellises had a good time watching the show, especially the comedy bits. The Mulaneys, the Cenas, the Spielbergs (yeah!) and especially the Goslings were funny and very entertaining. We also mostly agreed with---or at least respected---the people and the films that were given trophies. So settle in for the 576th episode of Have You Ever Seen as we break down what we thought about the best in 2023's motion pictures in our 2024 Oscars Post-View Show.

Sparkplug Coffee sponsors this podcast. You can save 20% off your next order by using our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Comment on our possibly controversial thoughts you'll hear in this or any other podcast we've done. Our email is haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com. On Twi-X, Ryan is @moviefiend51 and Bev is @bevellisellis. She uses that handle on Threads too. Also, hunt for our show on YouTube. Rate, review, comment, subscribe, etc.

Our first Best Picture winner in this year's Oscar Month, The Last Emperor, went 9 for 9 at the awards that year. John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O'Toole are all solid in the starring roles, but there's something fairly soulless and even a little opaque about this spectacular production...especially for a Bernardo Bertolucci film. Bertolucci and his team were the rare Western filmmakers to be allowed to shoot in The Forbidden City in China, as they told a story about a sheltered child surrounded by devious sycophants. Puyi might be a royal, but his comfortable life is spent in effectively a prison. The biggest problem we couldn't get past with this film, though, is that this was what the Oscars told us was the pinnacle of 1987 filmmaking, even though Broadcast News, Moonstruck, Robocop, Predator and Lethal Weapon were all out that year. So don't you dare try to leave the 575th edition of Have You Ever Seen---not until you get kicked out---as we marvel and moan in equal measure about The Last Emperor.

Well, Actually: Maggie Han was born in Rhode Island, but her parents were South Korean. Also, Licence To Kill was released in 1989, not 1987.

They can't get Sparkplug Coffee in China, but people in America and Canada can. And if you use our "HYES" promo code, you'll save 20%. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Drop us a line via email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com) and/or follow us on Twi-X (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and also look for Bev on Threads (@bevellisellis).

Rate, review, subscribe, do all those things on your app, but also hunt us down on the web via YouTube. We post all our shows there. The destination in your browser is @hyesellis.

Surprise! Back in January, Ryan posted a solo show talking about Horse Feathers. Well, here's another unexpected, unpromoted show about a movie star from the early days of cinema. Mary Pickford is a legend for business reasons though as much as she is for her films. She was a producer when not many women were AND she created the United Artists studio with Chaplin, Griffith and Fairbanks. Coquette is not her best-known title, but it DID win her an Oscar. And this early talkie is better than expected, especially considering the dreadful numbers on Rotten Tomatoes. Sound was still wonky in 1929, but this flick didn't suffer badly in that area. It's fairly well-made. Pickford might never come up on Have You Ever Seen again, so the focus in this 574th episode is split between the film itself and Mary P as one of the premiere power players in the first few decades of Hollywood filmmaking.

Make your day yummy by buying some Sparkplug Coffee. They give our listeners a onetime 20% discount, if those listeners use our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

If you feel inclined to let us know what you think of our talkie efforts, try email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). There's also Twi-x. Ryan is @moviefiend51 on there, while Bev is @bevellisellis (and has the same handle on Threads). We also post our shows on YouTube with a simple graphic accompaniment. That's @hyesellis in your browser. Like us there and/or on your podcast app. Rate, review, subscribe, you know the score.

This is our 9th Oscars Preview Show and this is one of the few times where we don't have too many bad things to say about the nominees. Bev went easier on Oppenheimer than she did last summer after seeing it. We each have nothing but praise for some of the great (downer) films like Anatomy Of A Fall and The Zone Of Interest. At least the Academy didn't overlook funny flicks because 2 gut-busters (Barbie and American Fiction) are up for major awards too. In short though, 2023 was the year of Barbenheimer. Both megahits are likely to win trophies...and one of them is the front-runner for a lot of the big ones. Big hint: a large kaboom. Oppenheimer has been cleaning up at other awards shows, as have actors like Murphy, Stone, Downey and Randolph. They look to be in great shape to take home Oscar gold. We addressed the controversy about Barbie's "snubs" and we talked about a lot of technical categories, but the focus was on the 4 acting categories, the 2 writing categories and of course Best Director and Best Picture. So settle in as we spend a touch over an hour during this 573rd episode of Have You Ever Seen making predictions---and often making jokes---about the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Well, Actually: With the nod this year, Martin Scorsese has 10 nominations for directing while Steven Spielberg has 9. Also, the Killers Of The Flower Moon song that's nominated is called "Wahzhazhe". Also also, the proper pronunciation of Da'Vine Joy Randolph is "Day-vine", not "Duh-vine". Also also also, both the song and the name of the Bond movie that won Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell an Oscar just a few years ago was "No Time To Die".

Sparkplug Coffee is our friendly sponsor. They give Have You Ever Seeners who use our "HYES" promo code a 20% discount. Your destination is "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Follow us on Twi-x and you can see what we might have to say on Oscar Night. Bev is @bevellisellis there and also on Threads, while Ryan is @moviefiend51 on Elon's chat site. Email us with comments about the show: haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com. And look for our podcasts on YouTube (@hyesellis). Please rate us, review us, like, subscribe, tell people we exist. 

Jean-Luc Godard was prolific after he went from reviewing films to making them in the early '60s. He directed a few classics of the French New Wave, many of which are beloved by Sight & Sound voters. In Contempt, bombshell Brigitte Bardot is impossibly beautiful, but she's also quite good at playing passive-aggressive anger. She and the dreamy Italian locations are a treat for the eyes, as her nightmarish scenario finds her being pimped out by her writer husband (Michel Piccoli) to a sleazy American producer (Jack Palance). Contempt is compelling, even if it's far from perfect and the characters aren't very likable. So join us in this 572nd edition of Have You Ever Seen as we wrap up "Love In A Word Month" by digging into the story of a not-so-great husband, a greatly-disappointed wife and The Odyssey in this movie about movies.

Sparkplug Coffee sponsors our podcast. Use our "HYES" promo code and score a 20% discount. So it's "sparkplug.coffee.hyes" in your browser.

Feedback? We like it. Fire off a message on Twi-x (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or join Bev on Threads (@bevellisellis). Email is good too (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). We also put all of our podcasts from top to tail on YouTube (@hyesellis). Rate us, review us, hit the like and subscribe buttons. We'd appreciate it.

While not a classic, Mogambo has a lot going for it. They took the production to several countries in Africa to get authentic scenery for this passionate love story. Big stars like Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly do the love triangle thing and John Ford (who had just won his 4th Oscar) is their director. And what these legends of cinema made 70+ years ago is fine. It's just far from marvelous. Gable alternates his romantic interest between Gardner & Kelly, which isn't logical. Anyway, Ryan is on his own again in this 571st episode of Have You Ever Seen, so journey to various parts of Africa---when you're not shooting in front of projection screens in the comfort of a studio, that is---as Mogambo gets a reviewin'.

Programming note: All The King's Men will not be the episode on March 22nd. What WILL be discussed is still being considered.

Sparkplug Coffee can't be acquired in the wilds of Africa, but Canadians and Americans can be all over it. They continue to offer our listeners 20% off if they use our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee" and add "/ hyes" to nab that discount.

Getting in touch with us is always welcomed...during the last few days of "Love In A Word" Month or anytime. Ryan's Twi-x handle is @moviefiend51. Bev's is @bevellisellis, which is also how you can contact her on Threads. Our email address is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com". And we post all of our shows on YouTube. The browser destination for that is "@hyesellis". Rate and review us there or on your podcast app. Subscribe, like, share...spread the word.

It's President's Day in America, it's Family Day here in Ontario and it's also Black History Month, but it's also "Love In A Word" Month on Have You Ever Seen...and we continue to talk about romantic movies with one-word titles. Sabrina has a tremendous pedigree. Billy Wilder directing Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden must have been an easy sell to the moneymen 70 years ago. Their romcom is pretty good and it is indeed funny & romantic (at times), but we had trouble buying the love story. Holden is not at his best, while Bogie seems miscast...and also somewhat disinterested. Audrey is about as charming and likable as she always was though, plus Wilder certainly knew what he was doing while making a comedy. Ups, downs. So put on a fancy dress and try to close that big deal to rake in mucho bucks as you hear us gab about Sabrina in our 570th episode.

Sparkplug Coffee offers excellent beans to Canadians & Americans. They'll give our listeners who use our "HYES" promo code a one-time 20% discount. Go to "sparkplug.coffee".

Want to make comments about our chat...or any of our chats? Do that and also rate, review, subscribe and like any or all of our shows on your podcast app. We also post our episodes on YouTube (@hyesellis), where you can follow, like and give us your thoughts what we've said as well. Our email address is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com" and our Twi-x handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Bev is also on Threads under @bevellisellis.

Ernst Lubitsch is one of the directors of the classic era who hasn't stayed in people's minds as much as others have. He's not as revered as, say, Billy Wilder...who happens to be a co-writer of Ninotchka. But Ernst had the famous "Lubitsch Touch", where he was able to effortlessly blend jokes and romance with a good story as well as anybody ever has. The hook here is that the always-serious Greta Garbo gets to be funny ("Garbo Laughs"). And she's great in this. She's lovable when she softens, but playing it straight as a stern Russian was her route to comic gold. She and Melvyn Douglas are a wonderful rom-com couple. As for Ninotchka's story, it's all about how capitalism is fun while communism is a dreary, almost-cultlike oppression. Politics has rarely resulted in such mirth. So loosen up and put on your ugly hat as the 569th edition of Have You Ever Seen digs into a classic comedy that's---get this---actually funny.

And Just To Be Clear: Sig Ruman is German and Alexander Granach was born in what is now Ukraine, while Felix Bressart was born in what was then East Prussia in Germany...but is now Russia. So you could argue that at least he really was Russian.

We're sponsored by the capitalists at Sparkplug Coffee. They give our listeners a onetime 20% discount if they just use our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee" and add "/ hyes" to enjoy a little savings.

You are not bound to secrecy if you want to let us know what you think of our work. Our email address is "haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com". Our Twi-x handles are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis. Bev is also on Threads with that same @. Your messages won't be blacked out by the government. And find our shows on YouTube too. Type "@hyesellis" into your browser and you'll be taken to our home page. Rate, review, like, subscribe and all that in your podcast app and/or on YouTube.

So Woody Allen, huh? One of the most controversial men in show business wasn't always that way...at least not publicly. He made many funny classics back in his salad days. Manhattan is certainly one of them. Woody and Marshall Brickman wrote plenty of great lines and hilarious scenes, plus Gordon Willis' cinematography is fantastic. The story and themes in this complicated love rhombus, however, are at least partially ruined by the director's real-life issues. Ryan's solo show addresses the controversies about Woody's dating life, his marriage to his step-daughter and what he may have done to another step-daughter when she was a child. Yeah, Manhattan wasn't an easy one to review. In any case, this 568th episode in the Have You Ever Seen series has one man trying to figure out how to feel about another man's oddball love life.

There's nothing complicated about Sparkplug Coffee. Buy some. You can take advantage of a 20% discount by using our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee", then add "/ hyes" to the address.

This review might inspire you to agree or to strongly disagree. Fire off a Twi-x to Ryan (@moviefiend51) or even throw out an email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com). Bev is contactable too, via a Twi-x (@bevellisellis) and her handle is the same on Threads. Rate our podcast, review it, like it, subscribe to it either in your app or find us on YouTube (@hyesellis) and do those same things there.

All of our February podcasts will be about romantic/passionate films with one-word titles...and we begin "Love In A Word Month" with a chat about Arthur. Steve Gordon's blockbuster comedy was the rare laughy performance that won an Oscar. John Gielgud took it home for what is the funniest role in the movie. Dudley Moore, on the other hand, cackles at every joke he makes when he's drunk, although at least he's actually sweet when he's not playing it blitzed. Liza Minnelli brings a lot of sass to this male-dominated yuckfest as Moore's love interest. She has chemistry with the other 2 guys. It's just that we wish we'd laughed a lot more often and---while the violent climax at the wedding is amusing---the last 5 minutes of the movie are dreadfully unearned. It was a bad ending to what was already a flawed story. So alert the media that our 567th tall glass of Have You Ever Seen is rather critical of Arthur.

Chase away your blistering hangover with some Sparkplug Coffee. You'll get a 20% discount by using our "HYES" promo code. Go to "sparkplug.coffee/hyes".

Interact with us on social media (@moviefiend51 for Ryan and @bevellisellis for Bev on Twi-x, plus Bev is @bevellisellis on Threads), email ("haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com") or by commenting on our YouTube page (@hyesellis). You can rate, like, subscribe to us on the 'Tube and/or on your podcast app.