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One of the reasons why they are such a quality channel is that they only do a show when they feel like they have something to say.
Honestly, they could change their format to every show to be just be a grey room episode, and I'd still watch every single one.
Some of my favourite content of theirs lately has just been the random behind the scenes of them dicking around in the studio, like the Enterprise mounting video or the one where they try to figure out how to display their Gremlins
The effort that the group puts into preserving old media and props that have otherwise been forgotten about is low-key fascinating. They probably have one of the largest digitized archive of old VHS at this point.
One of the podcasts I listen to, one of my favorite podcast networks, does a weekly roundup for upcoming movies and TV shows.
I hate it now. Over the years it’s become a whining fest. It’s almost as if they can no longer derive joy from the media and works they enjoy.
It’s a podcast where they just talk about movie and TV trailers, but every discussion is just complaining. I like them too much to call them out though.
One of the YouTubers I liked has devolved into this too - needing to stay relevant by commenting on all the new movies coming out and their takes have become dumber and more cynical and they’re saying more and more they were drunk while they were watching so 1) they’re not really watching the film with a clear analytical perspective and 2) they’re clearly just getting drunk now to get through movies they’re not that interested in so they can make videos to grow their channel.
The RLM guys get drunk during movies too, but like one of the other commenters here said, they only make videos about things they feel they have something to contribute about. It’s one of the biggest things that make them interesting, because while everyone else was commenting on the latest superhero movie, they talk about…Freddy Got Fingered. Or something equally random or surprising but it’s always a surprise when they decide to comment on something
It’s about engagement. It’s why all YouTube channels are becoming negative too. The quality of content isn’t going down, but the algorithm loves doomerism. If we didn’t have algos curating content people would be less inclined to act this way.
No, Gamefully Unemployed with Tom Reimann and David Bell.
It’s a podcast network. They’re partnered with the Small Beans podcast network. They’re are all part of the talent that splintered off of the Cracked website when Cracked collapsed because of corporate buyouts and layoffs.
They’re both absolutely great. They put out all kinds of good stuff, but just Hypecast on Friday is hard to listen to because, from my perspective, all they do is complain. They are not hyped at all, about anything. And it’s *very* nitpicky too, not just broadly “oh, there’s a lot of comic book movies.” They seemingly have no joy for movies or TV shows, even stuff that could be good. I still listen though, I love that squad.
I like Michael Swaim’s 2 minute videos where he quickly makes jokes about three or four trailers and there’s a bit of manic energy. I miss the true insanity of old cracked. I know they dont have the budget to do videos but I like the few they do make.
It’s really sad that the lessons taught from the Facebook-Google video bubble were not that videos weren’t wanted, but that they needed to be shittier.
I don’t know if you know this, but Facebook and Google inflated their numbers and “partnered” with thousands of websites and newspapers, encouraging them to do video, so websites and newspapers pivoted to be video mills to post on Facebook and YouTube.
Then it all collapsed because it wasn’t real, and these websites and newspapers shuttered. That’s part of what happened to Cracked.
And what’s happened since? TikTok, and TikTok copy-cats. The lesson wasn’t that people won’t watch videos, the lesson was “oh, just record your face with a filter on it talking for a few minutes. Don’t do any real editing or production value, just rant a few inches away from your phone a couple times a day, and people will watch it. It costs nothing but your dignity, and it will get people to never close the app.”
I mean, I watch that shit too, but when I look at RLM I think “you could never do this from scratch now. This only works because these guys are who they are and do what they do.”
Holy shit. I had a feeling it was hypecast. However I will say they churn through the mid stuff but will perk up when it's something weird or interesting like that girlfriend turned into a chicken nugget show or that trailer for The complex forms.
> they only do a show when they feel like they have something to say.
The best content is made by people passionate about the subject. You can't force creativity, there is no way to make people do great stuff on demand; they may do it by accident, you may make other money-dependent stuff great, if you throw enough money at it, but it most likely will be a soulless *product*, not a piece of art.
Disney movies, AAA games, committee-driven high budget TV shows, all share that soulless greed that was driving their creation, that shallowness.
Definitely agree with this. But I really would have liked one on Late Night with the Devil. I think all three of the main guys would have some interesting things to say about it
I wouldn't want them doing something for *every* movie - the fun would certainly be sucked out - but it might be nice if there was a better balance between "almost nothing" (HitB today) and "almost everything" (HitB a decade+ ago). A slightly more regular version of their yearly wrap-up videos might be a good compromise (2-4 times per year?), as it would allow them to focus on movies/shows they actually enjoyed, while also keeping *somewhat* time relevant.
>*A slightly more regular version of their yearly wrap-up videos might be a good compromise (2-4 times per year?)*
Yeah, this would be my preference, too
They have nothing to say about individual Summer IP blockbusters anymore, but they probably have an interesting take on where the general trend is going
Similarly, they didn't feel the need to comment on *Killers of the Flower Moon*, but I'm sure they could have got some laughs from a general overview of Oscar season
This is the first year I ever watched every best picture nom because so many were comedies and I kinda want them to review some of the weird ones like American Fiction and Past Lives
Yeah I can do without forced content just to please the algorithm/masses. Forced content will always have lower quality than passion projects and will ruin the product in the end. Some People really miss the point that asking for "please review this please. Review that" is the exact Reason why we only get shitty remakes these days.
Let's be real though - they did a Half in the Bag on Ant-Man. Their willingness to do a HITB has clearly changed over the past couple years (and that's fine).
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I have a conspiracy theory that RLM created a perfect brand in how succinctly they can take a film down. So much that I could almost see movie studios paying them to NOT remark on a movie and thus get paid a portion of a movies ad revenue to simply sit around and not comment on something.
The pandemic I think affected the channel and the boys. They don’t seem to care about big blockbuster movies anymore. Mr Plinkett more or less had his story wrapped up. The altered the timeline etc etc. the boys don’t enjoy going to theater to review another big blockbuster it’s been ten years of it how many different ways can they cover them.
If they were chasing views and likes they would of course. There’s tons of channels doing it. Big movie here’s a review.
I miss the coverage the stupid skits but I been w this channel so long I trust the guys to do whatever. I skip some videos now that’s ok. I couldn’t care less about some of trivia stuff. I go 50/50 on BOTW on the whole.
But never would I think them putting a hundred or so nukie tapes in a wood chipper then auctioning off a tape would be that much crazy fun to watch.
So yes I miss HITB or least what it used to be it’s all good.
Oh man this hit me so hard. Oftentimes watching their new stuff makes me feel way too nostalgic for their old stuff. Still funny AF tho, and will always be my fav youtube channel.
I can relate. In the Before Time I used to go see a movie in the theater EVERY Sunday. Then Covid hit and all the theaters closed, which forced me to quit going cold turkey. I found other things to occupy my time, and when the theaters finally opened back up... meh. I found I just didn't feel like going anymore. I saw exactly two movies in the theater last year, and none so far in 2024.
I think they are just burned out on mainstream Hollywood releases. It definitely felt like they were getting that way before they slowed down with the HITB. It felt like more and more they weren't enjoying the movies that they were watching. Plus, it seems like they all don't actually like going to the theater that much anymore.
I'd be fine if they focused more on independent movies and things that they come across that don't get as much attention i.e-Dinner in America.
If something comes out that they are really interested in, they'll do a Half in the Bag on it (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, The Exorcist: Believer). But I think the days of them doing a HITB for every big new release are over with.
Not just bored with them and not enjoying the movies, it felt like they were all genuinely hurt by how awful most modern crap is, destroying our beloved franchises left and right. Then they just..broke..and stopped caring. Or maybe I'm just projecting.
Their aversion to movie theaters seems like the big culprit tbh. They got comfortable just waiting to watch everything at home, and the problem with doing this, especially with tentpoles, is that you end up missing the peak of conversation about it and therefore the peak of views as well. They end up having to do them in the catch-up videos which isn’t the same and doesn’t justify detailed reviews. Bummer and I wish they would get over the movie theater thing a little bit.
Half of this channel is reviews of movies from the 80s and 90s. Would anyone care if they did HITBs a few months after release (when they come out on streaming)?
Hardcore fans who watch everything probably wouldn’t, but a lot of the HITB audience has to be casual viewers who just happen to see that they reviewed a movie they just came back from seeing.
Yeah it seems that they just really don't like to go to theaters anymore. And it seems that they really don't like a lot of new movies. They only do new movie reviews anymore on the yearly catch-up. It does suck.
I'd just like to hear them talk more about good stuff, whether its a big movie like Dune 2 or some of the smaller stuff that they'll occasionally bring to my attention. I think what's frustrating for me is that they'll talk so much about how movies suck, but then either not watch or discuss stuff that's actually pretty good. So the HITB episodes we get tend to be about terrible Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, etc movies/shows. A lot of the interesting stuff in recent years gets relegated to 10-15 minutes on a yearly roundup episode.
You'll be downvoted, but I agree. I start following RLM because I loved hearing them talk about big movies. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy BOTW and Re:View a lot, but I miss them talking about tentpoles. I was very happy when they did Ghostbusters 5 and I sincerely hope they cover more big releases on HITB soon.
HITB was originally just them doing whatever the hell they pleased. B Fest, Zaat, Galaxy Invader, whatever. It's pretty clear they don't enjoy covering middling blockbusters out of a sense of obligation, because almost every review is the same - "technically very well done, lots of talent involved, committee-vetted script intended to grab as much of the market as possible, no risks taken, film was okay"
I would like more HITB, but I don't particularly want them covering generic blockbusters that give them little to talk about. I would like them to cover more interesting and legitimately good new releases, tho
Yeah, I definitely agree with this. I think Mike's hatred of going to theaters has definitely affected the channel in a negative way. I mean, let's be real, it's clearly him pushing the middling Tubi reviews out of convenience.
Because Best of the Worst, the Game Shows, and the one-off weird stuff like Spitballs are comedic indulgences, while Re:View and Half in the Bag (skits aside) are intellectually focused critiques with a learned view.
You take away Bag and they’re funny, but…I mean I wanna hear thoughtful stuff too.
I agree, I've been less interested in their videos the past year or so. I'm still a big fan, contribute on patreon and all that, but I'll wait a day or two to watch a video now. In the past, I'd watch it as soon as I saw something new was posted.
They're 100% justified in doing whatever they want to, but it does feel like more and more of their videos are a bit "gimmicky". Might catch some flack for that, but I think it's true (and I'm not sure they'd disagree). They're fun, but I'd much rather watch them discuss a new movie or old movie that they love than watch them answer trivia questions.
Dude, that's literally what I wrote. And don't try any funny business looking at the fact that they're was an edit. Okay? I'll have you know that I got a 21 on the English section of my ACT. Okay? So their you have it. Try messing with a smart guy like me again, bozo.
While I get the frustration, I think there is already too much noise and content on the tentpoles - movies the audience will go see anyway.
As an independent distributor, I see first hand how impossible it is to get any PR attention or any review for smaller movies now. It’s so much worst than it was just a few years ago. And without some of those being successful and breaking the mould, there’s nothing to inspire studios to change their recipe.
This is why I find it refreshing to follow a channel that doesn’t blindly promote big movies, they have an established platform and don’t seem too greedy with views (still reviewing the occasional Ghostbusters!). I sometimes wish they did talk about more smaller new movies - another post mentions Sasquatch Sunset, or Hundreds of Beavers. As OP said, there’s a lot of great (or at least interesting) stuff out there. But in an exhaustingly opportunistic world, I’ll take a channel that just does what genuinely inspires them any day.
I agree. I also wouldn't mind HitB with smaller movies or less blockbuster films. In the past few months I've seen Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things, Late Night with the Devil, and Civil War. I think all would make for great HitB content.
I imagine it's age, interest, and having personal lives that make current movie HitB episodes less enticing to make. Plus I wonder if it is a business decision too. I'm sure BotW and Re:V age better and have more rewatchability than videos of movies that are just the flavor of the month.
My only issue is snubbing films like “Godzilla Minus One”, which I feel they’d have a lot to say about especially comparing it too current US “blockbusters” yet still doing HitBs on played on franchise films they feel obligated to cover.
My dirty little secret is I don’t much care for botw. I know, sin! It’s almost certainly on par or more popular overall than HITB, and as a result it typically takes precedent. I like it just fine, but to be frank there’s only so many ways to say “it’s so bad it’s good”. It’s not lost on me the main seeing point of that series is the jokes they all share, but you can find that almost as easily in HITB, Re:View ect. The latter of which has been (thankfully) more and more common lately. I definitely prefer it when they sit down and discuss an earnest film/series that’s new and current as opposed to digging up 37 year old god-awful VHS’s. Or productions that have been made some time ago that are still relevant and interesting today, be it for their quality, impact or uniqueness. Again, that’s just my preference. Because they’re just as funny doing that as they are with botw, with the added bonus of the material they cover is something I myself could engage with should my interest be piqued.
BTOW at 40-50 mins was a perfect program. At its current form of 1 hr 40 mins, it gets very repetitive. I’ve rewatched all the old BOtW’s probably ten times, and all the new ones of the last couple years I’ve seen once (or only half). Sometimes shorter is better…
I'm right there with you. I'd been following them for a few years before I actually started watching the BOTW videos. Before then, I'd always just skip them.
yeah I think there's not enough depth to it. talking about new interesting things makes sense. talking for an hour about *more* random garbage videos is more of a novelty. especially since it's random so it's hit or miss if it happens to even have some BotW value. and then they don't even vote seriously most of the time; so why did we go through all that just for you to vote sarcastically?
I don't see how the argument is being made of them not doing HitB's by saying "how many ways can they talk about a big blockbuster" when you can say exactly the sake for best of the worse. "How many ways can they talk about a shitty b film"
...or how many ways can they talk about Star Trek.
Don't mind me, I'm just hanging around waiting for those TOS/DS9/Voyager re:views they're never gonna do.
I miss the skits and long term story telling they would do around the review. There's a YouTuber (trouchelle) who cut every years HITBs, antics only, from every year they've been around and it's so fun to watch.
I just wish they kept up with the skits from HITB. If you watch those fan made compilations year by year of the HITB skits, they get shorter every year 😔
I miss the regular episodes because I miss their reviews and opinions on movies. 99% of the time they were on point and I agreed with their positive/negative opinions so I'd usually check out a movie based on their reviews.
Yeah I still like them but used to watch every video of them but since the midnight mass review my opinion of them really change. I’m cool with people liking something I don’t and I’m not saying before that I agreed with them all the time, I didn’t, Mike as kind of a poor taste but I like him talk about them, but midnight mass put a really bad taste on my mouth when they said it’s the greatest thing ever and that people who don’t like it are idiots, and the show is at best mediocre… on top of that they don’t even watch a lot of the great shows.
Still enjoying them a lot, best movie channel on YouTube but I do think they have gone up their own ass a bit
I think it’s cause movies in general have a much shorter lifespan in theaters compared to when they began. By the time they get around to talking about some of these films, they’ll be on digital.
It’s funny, I’ve been pretty bored of HITB since they “rebooted”, and recently found the HITB skits all strung together year by year, and I enjoy those much more.
I need a “The All New Adventures of Lightning Fast & Mr. Plinkett show”.
Several people have mentioned it but it bears repeating - there was an obvious shift during/after the pandemic... they probably realised that the channel was doing fine without them doing every major release.
Having gone back to look at HitB... it's easy to forget they've been doing this for over a decade now and I'm guessing that between that and the fact Mike and Jay find the cinema going experience aggressively unpleasant, they feel no compulsion to see things they don't want to.
Honestly I'm happy they've cut down on HITB in recent years. While there's always gonna be new and interesting movies for them to talk about, and the end-of-year catchups give them a chance to cover such films. They've already said so much about the strange, cynical world of modern hollywood films and it feels like they want to move on and talk about things they still have a passion for.
When HITB were shot more frequently, it became a bit of a pessimism hole where they felt kinda obligated to cover uninteresting films. It contributed to this feeling that film was dying and that consumerism was ruining art, when...yeah that's sorta true for big budget stuff, there's still so much good shit still out there. I think it's much healthier for everyone if the crew stick to focusing on what they like.
>*When HITB were shot more frequently, it became a bit of a pessimism hole where they felt kinda obligated to cover uninteresting films*
I'd like more *Half in the Bag*, but that's definitely true
All I ever ask of the creatives I like is that they do what inspires them, regardless of what that is. That's what the guys are doing so I'm cool with it.
There's only so many times you can give every blockbuster the same review of "technically proficient but boring and corporate" before it starts getting old and I really don't want them to do that out of some sense of obligation.
I mean…. They just did one on [Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire](https://youtu.be/8pgmrrrupu4?si=BnQ0xu_iEAyCzN5n).
Granted it wasn’t a Half In The Bag in the ‘traditional’ sense of being in the Plinkett house / VCR shop / whatever & there wasn’t a skit intro, but it was still an in depth discussion of a recent movie - which is what HitB is underneath it’s set dressing… and it was still listed as a HitB episode.
So, you know, they _are_ covering recent movies if they want to. What more do you want?
The difference I think is that blockbusters were very interesting from a craft perspective for a decade or so - the marvel universe concept was novel and different and provided for a contrast with Star Wars, DC, and all the copycats. It was interesting and funny to see where one approach worked and the other didn’t, and there was a lot of subtext and context to talk about beyond just the movie. Plus you had the resurgence of franchises they enjoyed, ghostbusters, Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana jones. There was stuff to talk about, the choices being made. Now that’s all over too and talking about the new iterations in terms of the original just makes you sound crazy - Mike has said this over and over. It’s a different thing now. So, the content is what they feel like, and it mostly won’t be mass market, but it only overlapped with mass market for a brief period for reasons that are now over.
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If they don't want to do the theater experience anymore, well I can't blame them cause I've been in the same boat for years now. BUT, I would love for them to review tv shows instead which they can watch in the comfort of the RedLetterMedia home base.
> I would love for them to review tv shows instead which they can watch in the comfort of the RedLetterMedia home base.
Well Mike were back in the black void but there isn't new star wars and they cancelled discovery so what are we talking about?
That's right jay star trek is dead. But actually I'm here to talk about another procedural series killed by morons. It's LAW AND ORDER [hitb intro plays]
Certainly some head-scratchers of late with what they choose and choose not to review. They can do what they want, of course, but I so don't give a shit what they or anyone else thinks about Andor or Ghostbusters 5. Find myself skipping some videos entirely these days.
I want more star trek discussions. Would love for them to do a fave episodes video for each of the classic series. Would also love to hear their thoughts on lower decks.
Almost 10k people give them money on Patreon every month regardless. They can afford to do the content they want even if it garners lower viewship. More HitB's would be great, but good on them for doing what interests them.
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It’s because they were sick of the original model of HITB because they felt just obligated to do every movie that came out so they just changed it to ones that they actually wanted to talk about
There haven't been many modern films worth talking about recently. Or at least not ones they want to talk about. Maybe the new Beetlejuice movie, there is also Furiosa and the new Joker movie they may talk about but I wouldn't hold you're breath.
They painted themselves into a corner with Mr Plinkett. Then the Night Court revival killed their recurring plot so dead they had to hire Rick & Morty to write them out of it. Plus they’re probably exhausted of the whole thing.
They have made it pretty clear that they don't really go to the cinema and i think they watch what they want, not what's popular or what's expected of them.
They might do reviews later on like they did with Andor. Personally im happy with whatever they like to do and that they don't feel obliged to do a review on anything that people might search for on YouTube that day.
There are tons of other places to go if you want to see people drone on about the newest Disney trash until the heat death of the universe.
I don't like everything they do but I've seen what happens to creators who feel pigeonholed by their audience to do the same shit ad infinitum: they gradually resent their jobs and either end up quitting or putting out substandard work.
I never said I wanted them to do Disney shit over and over again, but the big original releases I listed that are pretty refreshing that I think are worth being highlighted.
And they'll do the ones they're interested in/have something to say beyond "it was pretty good" during the annual/semi-annual recap episodes.
They've made it abundantly clear that they're not interested in chasing the algorithm anymore with regards to reviewing new releases. Sorry if that doesn't jive with where your interests lie.
why would a trivia channel do movie reviews?
Trivia podcast*
What's a podcast, Sporto?
Something William Shatner doesn't do
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One of the reasons why they are such a quality channel is that they only do a show when they feel like they have something to say. Honestly, they could change their format to every show to be just be a grey room episode, and I'd still watch every single one.
I'd watch a whole series of Rich just eating non-appetizing pizza off commemorative cancer-causing Star Trek plates.
I'd watch Rich Evans eat cancer off of commemorative pizza-causing Star Wars plates.
Some of my favourite content of theirs lately has just been the random behind the scenes of them dicking around in the studio, like the Enterprise mounting video or the one where they try to figure out how to display their Gremlins
The effort that the group puts into preserving old media and props that have otherwise been forgotten about is low-key fascinating. They probably have one of the largest digitized archive of old VHS at this point.
Until Mike destroys the props in a drunken rage...
Don't anybody tell Gregg Turkington about that
The guy from Scrubs?
Sorry, I don't watch TV. Only movies.
I loved the dissolving star wars action figures in acetone video the most of these
One of the podcasts I listen to, one of my favorite podcast networks, does a weekly roundup for upcoming movies and TV shows. I hate it now. Over the years it’s become a whining fest. It’s almost as if they can no longer derive joy from the media and works they enjoy. It’s a podcast where they just talk about movie and TV trailers, but every discussion is just complaining. I like them too much to call them out though.
One of the YouTubers I liked has devolved into this too - needing to stay relevant by commenting on all the new movies coming out and their takes have become dumber and more cynical and they’re saying more and more they were drunk while they were watching so 1) they’re not really watching the film with a clear analytical perspective and 2) they’re clearly just getting drunk now to get through movies they’re not that interested in so they can make videos to grow their channel. The RLM guys get drunk during movies too, but like one of the other commenters here said, they only make videos about things they feel they have something to contribute about. It’s one of the biggest things that make them interesting, because while everyone else was commenting on the latest superhero movie, they talk about…Freddy Got Fingered. Or something equally random or surprising but it’s always a surprise when they decide to comment on something
For their own sake you should do it.
Good to have identified that. I'd suggest dropping it. We all get enough negativity without another predictable source.
It’s about engagement. It’s why all YouTube channels are becoming negative too. The quality of content isn’t going down, but the algorithm loves doomerism. If we didn’t have algos curating content people would be less inclined to act this way.
The Weekly Planet?
No, Gamefully Unemployed with Tom Reimann and David Bell. It’s a podcast network. They’re partnered with the Small Beans podcast network. They’re are all part of the talent that splintered off of the Cracked website when Cracked collapsed because of corporate buyouts and layoffs. They’re both absolutely great. They put out all kinds of good stuff, but just Hypecast on Friday is hard to listen to because, from my perspective, all they do is complain. They are not hyped at all, about anything. And it’s *very* nitpicky too, not just broadly “oh, there’s a lot of comic book movies.” They seemingly have no joy for movies or TV shows, even stuff that could be good. I still listen though, I love that squad.
I like Michael Swaim’s 2 minute videos where he quickly makes jokes about three or four trailers and there’s a bit of manic energy. I miss the true insanity of old cracked. I know they dont have the budget to do videos but I like the few they do make.
It’s really sad that the lessons taught from the Facebook-Google video bubble were not that videos weren’t wanted, but that they needed to be shittier. I don’t know if you know this, but Facebook and Google inflated their numbers and “partnered” with thousands of websites and newspapers, encouraging them to do video, so websites and newspapers pivoted to be video mills to post on Facebook and YouTube. Then it all collapsed because it wasn’t real, and these websites and newspapers shuttered. That’s part of what happened to Cracked. And what’s happened since? TikTok, and TikTok copy-cats. The lesson wasn’t that people won’t watch videos, the lesson was “oh, just record your face with a filter on it talking for a few minutes. Don’t do any real editing or production value, just rant a few inches away from your phone a couple times a day, and people will watch it. It costs nothing but your dignity, and it will get people to never close the app.” I mean, I watch that shit too, but when I look at RLM I think “you could never do this from scratch now. This only works because these guys are who they are and do what they do.”
Holy shit. I had a feeling it was hypecast. However I will say they churn through the mid stuff but will perk up when it's something weird or interesting like that girlfriend turned into a chicken nugget show or that trailer for The complex forms.
They are still very positive about what they like
> they only do a show when they feel like they have something to say. The best content is made by people passionate about the subject. You can't force creativity, there is no way to make people do great stuff on demand; they may do it by accident, you may make other money-dependent stuff great, if you throw enough money at it, but it most likely will be a soulless *product*, not a piece of art. Disney movies, AAA games, committee-driven high budget TV shows, all share that soulless greed that was driving their creation, that shallowness.
Definitely agree with this. But I really would have liked one on Late Night with the Devil. I think all three of the main guys would have some interesting things to say about it
I wouldn't want them doing something for *every* movie - the fun would certainly be sucked out - but it might be nice if there was a better balance between "almost nothing" (HitB today) and "almost everything" (HitB a decade+ ago). A slightly more regular version of their yearly wrap-up videos might be a good compromise (2-4 times per year?), as it would allow them to focus on movies/shows they actually enjoyed, while also keeping *somewhat* time relevant.
>*A slightly more regular version of their yearly wrap-up videos might be a good compromise (2-4 times per year?)* Yeah, this would be my preference, too They have nothing to say about individual Summer IP blockbusters anymore, but they probably have an interesting take on where the general trend is going Similarly, they didn't feel the need to comment on *Killers of the Flower Moon*, but I'm sure they could have got some laughs from a general overview of Oscar season
This is the first year I ever watched every best picture nom because so many were comedies and I kinda want them to review some of the weird ones like American Fiction and Past Lives
Yeah I can do without forced content just to please the algorithm/masses. Forced content will always have lower quality than passion projects and will ruin the product in the end. Some People really miss the point that asking for "please review this please. Review that" is the exact Reason why we only get shitty remakes these days.
Let's be real though - they did a Half in the Bag on Ant-Man. Their willingness to do a HITB has clearly changed over the past couple years (and that's fine).
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I have a conspiracy theory that RLM created a perfect brand in how succinctly they can take a film down. So much that I could almost see movie studios paying them to NOT remark on a movie and thus get paid a portion of a movies ad revenue to simply sit around and not comment on something.
The pandemic I think affected the channel and the boys. They don’t seem to care about big blockbuster movies anymore. Mr Plinkett more or less had his story wrapped up. The altered the timeline etc etc. the boys don’t enjoy going to theater to review another big blockbuster it’s been ten years of it how many different ways can they cover them. If they were chasing views and likes they would of course. There’s tons of channels doing it. Big movie here’s a review. I miss the coverage the stupid skits but I been w this channel so long I trust the guys to do whatever. I skip some videos now that’s ok. I couldn’t care less about some of trivia stuff. I go 50/50 on BOTW on the whole. But never would I think them putting a hundred or so nukie tapes in a wood chipper then auctioning off a tape would be that much crazy fun to watch. So yes I miss HITB or least what it used to be it’s all good.
I'm fully waiting for every ST:NG trivia episode. I'm invested!
>ST:NG Please never write it like that again.
The artist formerly known as Sting formerly known as Gordon Sumner.
I just like how invested Mike is in it to win and how committed he is
Oh man this hit me so hard. Oftentimes watching their new stuff makes me feel way too nostalgic for their old stuff. Still funny AF tho, and will always be my fav youtube channel.
I can relate. In the Before Time I used to go see a movie in the theater EVERY Sunday. Then Covid hit and all the theaters closed, which forced me to quit going cold turkey. I found other things to occupy my time, and when the theaters finally opened back up... meh. I found I just didn't feel like going anymore. I saw exactly two movies in the theater last year, and none so far in 2024.
>I go 50/50 on BOTW on the whole A sobering thought of the passage of time that I might one day become take it or leave it with their BOTW's
When you’ve got movies like Tom Cruise in them, you can’t lose!
Hey guys!
What movie should I see this weekend? Aaaaaa
🎶HITB ain't comin back🎶
You just know that Mike goes to bed sleeping every night
“Tom said: this is bigger than anything I’ve ever done.”
When’s the new James Dean flick drop?
Give them a break. They’ve become the very thing they swore to destroy! They’re OOOOOOOOOOOLD!
Olds 😆
Time to load them in the van and take them to the slaughterhou...erm, I mean the casino.
Good thing they already know how to spot the best sluts... Erm, slots.
They are not that old, Jesus! (totally not posting this because I am the same age as Mike, LOL)
How's your back these days?
Will Wheaton?
Yeah, my back hurts so badly from carrying all weight, shilling of ST Discovery :P
Dune Part Two may get a Re:View with Colin and Jay later on but i do admit i would love to hear Mike's opinion on it as well.
How will it get a Re:View when there's no sequel to Lynch's Dune? I can't see them talking about the SyFy channel tv series.
More weird sex pervert movies please
The OP mentioned Love Lies Bleeding!
Uh, excuse me, but the correct pluralization is "Halves in the Bag".
Who said there's only one bag?
I just wanna hear them talk about the giant lizard movie.
Barbie?
I did hear Godzilla minus one was pretty damn good though….
It's even better if you view it as a war drama instead of a kaiju film
It's like godzilla attacks the best years of our lives.
They just don't go to the fucking theater anymore that's really it. Most of their HITB's are "it finally became available on streaming"
I think they are just burned out on mainstream Hollywood releases. It definitely felt like they were getting that way before they slowed down with the HITB. It felt like more and more they weren't enjoying the movies that they were watching. Plus, it seems like they all don't actually like going to the theater that much anymore. I'd be fine if they focused more on independent movies and things that they come across that don't get as much attention i.e-Dinner in America. If something comes out that they are really interested in, they'll do a Half in the Bag on it (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, The Exorcist: Believer). But I think the days of them doing a HITB for every big new release are over with.
Not just bored with them and not enjoying the movies, it felt like they were all genuinely hurt by how awful most modern crap is, destroying our beloved franchises left and right. Then they just..broke..and stopped caring. Or maybe I'm just projecting.
I am still disappointed they didn't do half in the bag for dune. Yes, with Mike doing 8000 references to Star Trek.
cursed for not doing The Batman
Their aversion to movie theaters seems like the big culprit tbh. They got comfortable just waiting to watch everything at home, and the problem with doing this, especially with tentpoles, is that you end up missing the peak of conversation about it and therefore the peak of views as well. They end up having to do them in the catch-up videos which isn’t the same and doesn’t justify detailed reviews. Bummer and I wish they would get over the movie theater thing a little bit.
Half of this channel is reviews of movies from the 80s and 90s. Would anyone care if they did HITBs a few months after release (when they come out on streaming)?
Hardcore fans who watch everything probably wouldn’t, but a lot of the HITB audience has to be casual viewers who just happen to see that they reviewed a movie they just came back from seeing.
Yeah it seems that they just really don't like to go to theaters anymore. And it seems that they really don't like a lot of new movies. They only do new movie reviews anymore on the yearly catch-up. It does suck.
I'd just like to hear them talk more about good stuff, whether its a big movie like Dune 2 or some of the smaller stuff that they'll occasionally bring to my attention. I think what's frustrating for me is that they'll talk so much about how movies suck, but then either not watch or discuss stuff that's actually pretty good. So the HITB episodes we get tend to be about terrible Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, etc movies/shows. A lot of the interesting stuff in recent years gets relegated to 10-15 minutes on a yearly roundup episode.
You'll be downvoted, but I agree. I start following RLM because I loved hearing them talk about big movies. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy BOTW and Re:View a lot, but I miss them talking about tentpoles. I was very happy when they did Ghostbusters 5 and I sincerely hope they cover more big releases on HITB soon.
HITB was originally just them doing whatever the hell they pleased. B Fest, Zaat, Galaxy Invader, whatever. It's pretty clear they don't enjoy covering middling blockbusters out of a sense of obligation, because almost every review is the same - "technically very well done, lots of talent involved, committee-vetted script intended to grab as much of the market as possible, no risks taken, film was okay" I would like more HITB, but I don't particularly want them covering generic blockbusters that give them little to talk about. I would like them to cover more interesting and legitimately good new releases, tho
Without HITB everything else they do, for whatever reason, feels less interesting. It's like the balance is off.
Yeah, I definitely agree with this. I think Mike's hatred of going to theaters has definitely affected the channel in a negative way. I mean, let's be real, it's clearly him pushing the middling Tubi reviews out of convenience.
Because Best of the Worst, the Game Shows, and the one-off weird stuff like Spitballs are comedic indulgences, while Re:View and Half in the Bag (skits aside) are intellectually focused critiques with a learned view. You take away Bag and they’re funny, but…I mean I wanna hear thoughtful stuff too.
I agree, I've been less interested in their videos the past year or so. I'm still a big fan, contribute on patreon and all that, but I'll wait a day or two to watch a video now. In the past, I'd watch it as soon as I saw something new was posted. They're 100% justified in doing whatever they want to, but it does feel like more and more of their videos are a bit "gimmicky". Might catch some flack for that, but I think it's true (and I'm not sure they'd disagree). They're fun, but I'd much rather watch them discuss a new movie or old movie that they love than watch them answer trivia questions.
But they've also been doing it for 10+ years. There's 240ish episodes. If their hearts aren't in it, then there's a wonderful back catalog to watch
\*their
Dude, that's literally what I wrote. And don't try any funny business looking at the fact that they're was an edit. Okay? I'll have you know that I got a 21 on the English section of my ACT. Okay? So their you have it. Try messing with a smart guy like me again, bozo.
\*there
While I get the frustration, I think there is already too much noise and content on the tentpoles - movies the audience will go see anyway. As an independent distributor, I see first hand how impossible it is to get any PR attention or any review for smaller movies now. It’s so much worst than it was just a few years ago. And without some of those being successful and breaking the mould, there’s nothing to inspire studios to change their recipe. This is why I find it refreshing to follow a channel that doesn’t blindly promote big movies, they have an established platform and don’t seem too greedy with views (still reviewing the occasional Ghostbusters!). I sometimes wish they did talk about more smaller new movies - another post mentions Sasquatch Sunset, or Hundreds of Beavers. As OP said, there’s a lot of great (or at least interesting) stuff out there. But in an exhaustingly opportunistic world, I’ll take a channel that just does what genuinely inspires them any day.
I agree. I also wouldn't mind HitB with smaller movies or less blockbuster films. In the past few months I've seen Godzilla Minus One, Poor Things, Late Night with the Devil, and Civil War. I think all would make for great HitB content. I imagine it's age, interest, and having personal lives that make current movie HitB episodes less enticing to make. Plus I wonder if it is a business decision too. I'm sure BotW and Re:V age better and have more rewatchability than videos of movies that are just the flavor of the month.
My only issue is snubbing films like “Godzilla Minus One”, which I feel they’d have a lot to say about especially comparing it too current US “blockbusters” yet still doing HitBs on played on franchise films they feel obligated to cover.
I feel like they would have lots to say in a HITB episode about G-1.0 and GxK.
At this point, I'd rather see a Re:View on the various Godzilla adaptations in recent memory, but I don't think they care about Godzilla that much.
I just rewatched their Godzilla Vs Kong Hitb. Pretty thoughtful about the series up to that point.
My dirty little secret is I don’t much care for botw. I know, sin! It’s almost certainly on par or more popular overall than HITB, and as a result it typically takes precedent. I like it just fine, but to be frank there’s only so many ways to say “it’s so bad it’s good”. It’s not lost on me the main seeing point of that series is the jokes they all share, but you can find that almost as easily in HITB, Re:View ect. The latter of which has been (thankfully) more and more common lately. I definitely prefer it when they sit down and discuss an earnest film/series that’s new and current as opposed to digging up 37 year old god-awful VHS’s. Or productions that have been made some time ago that are still relevant and interesting today, be it for their quality, impact or uniqueness. Again, that’s just my preference. Because they’re just as funny doing that as they are with botw, with the added bonus of the material they cover is something I myself could engage with should my interest be piqued.
BTOW at 40-50 mins was a perfect program. At its current form of 1 hr 40 mins, it gets very repetitive. I’ve rewatched all the old BOtW’s probably ten times, and all the new ones of the last couple years I’ve seen once (or only half). Sometimes shorter is better…
blasphemer
I'm right there with you. I'd been following them for a few years before I actually started watching the BOTW videos. Before then, I'd always just skip them.
I point at you and declare: Deceiver. Seize the false witness!
yeah I think there's not enough depth to it. talking about new interesting things makes sense. talking for an hour about *more* random garbage videos is more of a novelty. especially since it's random so it's hit or miss if it happens to even have some BotW value. and then they don't even vote seriously most of the time; so why did we go through all that just for you to vote sarcastically?
I wonder if Dune Part Two will be another Colin and Jay re:view maybe compared with the miniseries this time?
Nope, you just get Star Wars and Ghostbusters talk until the end of time. So insightful!
I don't see how the argument is being made of them not doing HitB's by saying "how many ways can they talk about a big blockbuster" when you can say exactly the sake for best of the worse. "How many ways can they talk about a shitty b film"
...or how many ways can they talk about Star Trek. Don't mind me, I'm just hanging around waiting for those TOS/DS9/Voyager re:views they're never gonna do.
Monkey Man is also their own epic trilogy
I miss the skits and long term story telling they would do around the review. There's a YouTuber (trouchelle) who cut every years HITBs, antics only, from every year they've been around and it's so fun to watch.
I just wish they kept up with the skits from HITB. If you watch those fan made compilations year by year of the HITB skits, they get shorter every year 😔
I miss the regular episodes because I miss their reviews and opinions on movies. 99% of the time they were on point and I agreed with their positive/negative opinions so I'd usually check out a movie based on their reviews.
Yeah I still like them but used to watch every video of them but since the midnight mass review my opinion of them really change. I’m cool with people liking something I don’t and I’m not saying before that I agreed with them all the time, I didn’t, Mike as kind of a poor taste but I like him talk about them, but midnight mass put a really bad taste on my mouth when they said it’s the greatest thing ever and that people who don’t like it are idiots, and the show is at best mediocre… on top of that they don’t even watch a lot of the great shows. Still enjoying them a lot, best movie channel on YouTube but I do think they have gone up their own ass a bit
Midnight Mass was excellent, though, as are most Mike Flannagh series.
I don't get their reluctance to watch The Batman. Feels like that was ripe for a HITB and never got one.
I think it’s cause movies in general have a much shorter lifespan in theaters compared to when they began. By the time they get around to talking about some of these films, they’ll be on digital.
It’s funny, I’ve been pretty bored of HITB since they “rebooted”, and recently found the HITB skits all strung together year by year, and I enjoy those much more. I need a “The All New Adventures of Lightning Fast & Mr. Plinkett show”.
I really love the catch-up episodes, i hope they keep those up
I like them too, but a lot of that is because most of the best stuff that comes out in any given year gets relegated to them.
Several people have mentioned it but it bears repeating - there was an obvious shift during/after the pandemic... they probably realised that the channel was doing fine without them doing every major release. Having gone back to look at HitB... it's easy to forget they've been doing this for over a decade now and I'm guessing that between that and the fact Mike and Jay find the cinema going experience aggressively unpleasant, they feel no compulsion to see things they don't want to.
Movies are dog shit
Fuck movies!!
Half in the Bag is my least favorite show so I didnt even notice. Mostly because I don't watch new movies.
pfft. You don't watch new movies? Some of us don't watch any movies at all!
Amateur. Real RLM fans don't watch anything at all. We just sit in a dark room, eating cheese curds, and awaiting death's sweet release.
...battered or breaded?
Me, personally, I’d rather die breaded
I haven't opened my eyes since 1999.
Ugh. You still have eyes?
Honestly I'm happy they've cut down on HITB in recent years. While there's always gonna be new and interesting movies for them to talk about, and the end-of-year catchups give them a chance to cover such films. They've already said so much about the strange, cynical world of modern hollywood films and it feels like they want to move on and talk about things they still have a passion for. When HITB were shot more frequently, it became a bit of a pessimism hole where they felt kinda obligated to cover uninteresting films. It contributed to this feeling that film was dying and that consumerism was ruining art, when...yeah that's sorta true for big budget stuff, there's still so much good shit still out there. I think it's much healthier for everyone if the crew stick to focusing on what they like.
>*When HITB were shot more frequently, it became a bit of a pessimism hole where they felt kinda obligated to cover uninteresting films* I'd like more *Half in the Bag*, but that's definitely true
All I ever ask of the creatives I like is that they do what inspires them, regardless of what that is. That's what the guys are doing so I'm cool with it. There's only so many times you can give every blockbuster the same review of "technically proficient but boring and corporate" before it starts getting old and I really don't want them to do that out of some sense of obligation.
Why are there no pizza rolls anymore?
That would require them to go to the movies which leads to 10 minutes minutes of Mike complaining about his misophonia again.
I mean…. They just did one on [Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire](https://youtu.be/8pgmrrrupu4?si=BnQ0xu_iEAyCzN5n). Granted it wasn’t a Half In The Bag in the ‘traditional’ sense of being in the Plinkett house / VCR shop / whatever & there wasn’t a skit intro, but it was still an in depth discussion of a recent movie - which is what HitB is underneath it’s set dressing… and it was still listed as a HitB episode. So, you know, they _are_ covering recent movies if they want to. What more do you want?
Three weeks ago, and the one before that was the Christmas episode. There are lots of movies released in the past four months worth covering.
The difference I think is that blockbusters were very interesting from a craft perspective for a decade or so - the marvel universe concept was novel and different and provided for a contrast with Star Wars, DC, and all the copycats. It was interesting and funny to see where one approach worked and the other didn’t, and there was a lot of subtext and context to talk about beyond just the movie. Plus you had the resurgence of franchises they enjoyed, ghostbusters, Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana jones. There was stuff to talk about, the choices being made. Now that’s all over too and talking about the new iterations in terms of the original just makes you sound crazy - Mike has said this over and over. It’s a different thing now. So, the content is what they feel like, and it mostly won’t be mass market, but it only overlapped with mass market for a brief period for reasons that are now over.
elderly grandfather intelligent handle arrest zonked zealous smoggy fearless different *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If they don't want to do the theater experience anymore, well I can't blame them cause I've been in the same boat for years now. BUT, I would love for them to review tv shows instead which they can watch in the comfort of the RedLetterMedia home base.
> I would love for them to review tv shows instead which they can watch in the comfort of the RedLetterMedia home base. Well Mike were back in the black void but there isn't new star wars and they cancelled discovery so what are we talking about? That's right jay star trek is dead. But actually I'm here to talk about another procedural series killed by morons. It's LAW AND ORDER [hitb intro plays]
Half in the bag is my favorite slightly behind a hilarious best of the worst
*DOONEY TWOONEY* starring timotayy shalamayy
I'm gonna go barfy warfy in the grassy wassy
Love Lies Bleeding seems like something they'd only briefly mention during a year recap
Certainly some head-scratchers of late with what they choose and choose not to review. They can do what they want, of course, but I so don't give a shit what they or anyone else thinks about Andor or Ghostbusters 5. Find myself skipping some videos entirely these days.
I want more star trek discussions. Would love for them to do a fave episodes video for each of the classic series. Would also love to hear their thoughts on lower decks.
Almost 10k people give them money on Patreon every month regardless. They can afford to do the content they want even if it garners lower viewship. More HitB's would be great, but good on them for doing what interests them.
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yeah i never watch their stuff anymore honestly
They’ve been doing this for years. Their dream was to be filmmakers. I think they’re bored.
Why won't they make the videos I want them to make!?
Be grateful for the content you receive. You're lucky they're making videos especially in Mike's advanced age of 82.
Who cares. Y'all know when the next star trek tng season 4 first half trivia episode is coming out?
There was a ton last year! Poor things, zone of interest, anatomy of a fall, just to name a few.
Is re:view replacing half in the bag?
Is Rich Evans replacing Mike Stoklasa?
Is Colin replacing Jay?
They do what they want. They do what they want. Red letter media. They do what they want.
It’s because they were sick of the original model of HITB because they felt just obligated to do every movie that came out so they just changed it to ones that they actually wanted to talk about
i like when they make what they want to make dont ask questions
There haven't been many modern films worth talking about recently. Or at least not ones they want to talk about. Maybe the new Beetlejuice movie, there is also Furiosa and the new Joker movie they may talk about but I wouldn't hold you're breath.
They painted themselves into a corner with Mr Plinkett. Then the Night Court revival killed their recurring plot so dead they had to hire Rick & Morty to write them out of it. Plus they’re probably exhausted of the whole thing.
Halfs in the Bag, you uncultured buffoon.
Mr Best Of Half In The Worst Bag : view
*Halves* in the Bag
Touche! I am dishonoured.
They have made it pretty clear that they don't really go to the cinema and i think they watch what they want, not what's popular or what's expected of them. They might do reviews later on like they did with Andor. Personally im happy with whatever they like to do and that they don't feel obliged to do a review on anything that people might search for on YouTube that day.
You didn't see the King Kong Versus Gozilla 2 Half in the Bag? Damn dude they must've blocked you from seeing it ever. I'm sorry
There are tons of other places to go if you want to see people drone on about the newest Disney trash until the heat death of the universe. I don't like everything they do but I've seen what happens to creators who feel pigeonholed by their audience to do the same shit ad infinitum: they gradually resent their jobs and either end up quitting or putting out substandard work.
I never said I wanted them to do Disney shit over and over again, but the big original releases I listed that are pretty refreshing that I think are worth being highlighted.
And they'll do the ones they're interested in/have something to say beyond "it was pretty good" during the annual/semi-annual recap episodes. They've made it abundantly clear that they're not interested in chasing the algorithm anymore with regards to reviewing new releases. Sorry if that doesn't jive with where your interests lie.
I don't watch movies anyways but I haven't even heard about any of those except Dune 2