Half in the Bag Episode 98: Creed and Victor Frankenstein 

All the people confused and pointing out the working VCR should understand that parts of this episode were written by Max Landis.

It's 2022, I'm here to report that mike still has that jacket. Still looks good too

"Somehow the electricity is still on." Mike predicted Rise of Skywalker once again.

A Jaws prequel following the girl in the opening could actually be great if it was never said before release that that's what it is. Imagine following a girl move from the big city to the small town of Amity Island, where she learns to enjoy a quiet life and find love. Then she gets eaten by a fucking huge shark.

Now you've just got to review Spectre and the Hunger Games Part 953 before Episode 100 with the most anticipated Half in the Bag of all time... Alvin and the Chipmunks 4

"A Half in the Bag first, in that I don't think I have any opinion on this movie... I saw it; it wasn't bad, it wasn't good; it wasn't exciting, or scary, or dramatic, or funny... it was like staring at the color gray." I'm pretty sure this is the most negative review you can give a movie. Even bad films manage to elicit emotions, even if they aren't the ones intended.

taxi driver prequel would be the Vietnam sequence in Deer Hunter.

Part of why I always liked Rocky movies (and a lot of Stallone movies from the 70s and 80s, and into the 90s) is that... they're not really what people would think. Like a lot of Pop Culture Knowledge of Stallone suggests most of his movies are The Expendables. Dumb action schlock and being over the top. But you look at the original Rocky and it's not an action movie at all. It is actually a pretty unique movie in that the quest of the main character isn't to win. He KNOWS he can't win. No matter what he does he'll lose. Instead the story is about him learning to respect himself and see who he really is. It's more of a character study to me than an action movie. Even the second movie is like that. It's not about the action and fights. It's still the same thing. Pushing himself. Trying to improve himself. It wasn't until 3 and 4 that it went "Action Schlock" as it were. More fights. More gimmicks. Big name celebrities at the time popping in. Rocky getting the trappings of fame and fortune. Losing his way as he gets suckered into the Rock Star Lifestyle as it were. Even with the schlock... it's interesting to see. The character is still there. And 5... 5 was interesting to me because it was the ultimate crash after 15 minutes of fame. He can't fight anymore because of his health. With it, his fame and fortune is gone as he's burned it all away. It was ultimately for me... the story of Creed here. That Rocky was done and couldn't do it anymore. But he was unhappy with being done. Raising up a new figure. Wanting to find meaning in being the Micky to someone else. I dunno... just me. It's like the Rambo Movies. Most think of them as action schlock... probably due to how many 80s schlock movies tried to rip off the First Blood Part II: Rambo, formula. But what's First Blood really about? It's about traumatized veterans and dealing with the fall out of these soldiers coming back from Vietnam and trying to find a place in the world that hates them and treats them like monsters. The action is basically barely there and a lot of it is about what happens to Rambo and why it happens. Just kind of the cool thing I liked about a lot of Stallone movies. They were part of that tradition of "Dumb Action Movies" that weren't really dumb action movies for me, like Robocop, Total Recall, etc.

I love how you guys interview Max Landis and then immediately fucking blast his movie. Not even being sarcastic, it's cool to see that you guys remain honest.

The thing I love most about these videos is that if I watch enough of them consecutively, they begin to exclusively advertise antidepressants.

It's hilarious how Jay jokes about a Universal monster universe and mocks the idea of the mummy....and lo, that's the movie that kicked it off here in 2017.

Mike's deadpan is legendary.

"More brain damage than Joe Biden" "Everything old is new again" Are you a wizard?

Hold on a dang second. Why would Plinkett call them up to fix the VCR if it works perfectly? They played Rhinestone on it after all.

These hacks didnt even listen to a single Creed album while on that mountain. YOU CHEATS!

The love interest in Creed was there to show Michael B Jordan has a case of the not gays.

I don't get why Mike and Jay are complaining about the 1940s Universal monsters having their own cinematic universe. That already happened. They were called the 1940s Universal monster movies. They had crossovers on multiple occasions. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf-Man, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula. Even Abbot and Costello. Truly, the most terrifying monsters of all!

I love how Jay always breaks up when Mike is joking.

These guys never disappoint

Rockys boxing strategy is essentially the same as Homer Simpsons when he becomes a professional bumfighter. Basically faceblock all the punches until your opponent falls over from fatigue

I swear, you lot in the comments need to stop making references to "It's so dense" and "It's like poetry it rhymes". I think you commenters may have gone too far in a few places.

Did Mike do a brief Max Landis impression at the 33:43 mark? My God! There is no one on the internet greater than these guys.

That "Bride Of Frankenstein" is a masterpiece and is the greatest horror film ever made!

Super late on this but I saw Frankenstein and didn't regret it. But what got me in the theatre was seeing what Radcliffe and macavoy would Do with it. And wasn't disappointed.

Plinkett reviews: The Expendables Trilogy

aw yeah 2 half in the bags thats whole in the bag

Listening to Mike say " he has more brain damage than Joe Biden" 6 years ago is just... amazing

A Max Landis script having a love interest that doesn't do anything is pretty par for the course.

Is Max Landis going to feel the need to come on the show and defend himself again?

>guts gets out of the boat >mike and susan are still in the muntain

17:10 It was very important that Jay brought a copy of Rhinestone up Mt Everest.

Died at the Rhinestone reference 😭😂...going to catch Creed tonight

the look mike gives after he says he'd recommend Nickleback is like "Bring it on internet."

I think the guy with the wooden hand is a reference to one of the old Universal movies. I forget which but they parodied the character in Young Frankenstein. Remember the guy who had to awkwardly pose his arm every time he wanted to make a gesture?

"a conversation with max Landis" "reviewing Victor Frankenstein" *low rating on rotten tomatoes* did gun be goood.

They went very easy on the max landis movie. They didn't do that for his last film, before they met the guy.

The mark on the door looks like an AT-ST. I was staring at it the whole time

As much as I wish there were more plinkett reviews half in the bag is still top notch

Nice to see you recommending Frankenhooker, a movie actually worth seeing.

Are you going to be able to fulfill my obsessive need for round numbers and make the new Star Wars movie the 100th episode of Half in the Bag?

Can't Jay see Mike is Mr Plinkett? it's like when no one knew Palpie was the Emperor.

That Charlie Brown talk had my wheezing from laughing, my favorite episode in a while! NOW GIVE US MORE FREE PLINKETT CONTENT YOU HACK FRAUDS!!!

I started bingeing these 2 weeks ago and just got to when the upload date started changing.

mike making jay laugh at the beginning is nice

Timestamps: 2:24 - Creed 19:50 - Victor Frankenstein

I have never seen Jay break like that. That was amazing.

Rocky works as a Stallone movie and Creed works as a Standalone movie

I would so watch "Moby Dick Vs Sharknado". Thank you Mike Stoklasa for bringing that into my life......

Once again on redlettermedia predicts everything

oh my god...ive never seen "Rhinestone" but now i have to. i HAVE to.

I've never seen Mike this nutty so far. Is this what happens when he has too much to drink? They are really a comedy duo seeing how Jay can play off of him so well.

Aww, these guys made friends with Max Landis and went really easy on this new movie. That's sweet I guess.

Good reviews, good stuff. I always enjoy how the set winds up more and more destroyed every episode.

3:48 before it was cool

Watching this years later and really having enjoyed Creed, I do agree the love story felt tacked on. Maybe if dating was interfering with Creed's training and causing tension between him and Rocky, and then by the end they work it out, we'd have something more interesting.

A story about all the people whose body parts were used to make Frankenstein.

Damn. That Joe Biden joke keeps aging like a fine wine.

I don't understand what's the point of having Max Landis write a screenplay and then proceed to take all the things that make him unique out and try to make it as a general a film as possible. Max Landis written films can be a hit or miss, for sure, but he has his own style and even when the movie isn't that good, it's refreshing to see something a little bit different. But as usual, Hollywood execs do their best to even out all the sharp edges.

I also love the Rocky series even though I’m not a boxing fan. For some reason boxing makes for engaging films and video games.

3:54 based.

3:55 you don’t know how right you are

Must be tough, candidly reviewing a movie when you know your every word is going to be analysed and scrutinized by the film's screenwriter. Ryan Coogler, if you're reading this - hi.

"I'm a big fan of rocky road" was definitely followed by Mike laughing for 30 seconds at his own joke

The Biden joke haha

I can't believe the wonder of the rocky films eluded you, Mike! They're really wonderful. Give the sequels a re-watch.

The 100th Half in the Bag better be Star Wars

I'm glad Avon and Wallace could turn their lives around. I guess Wallace didn't die after all.

Y'all should watch Creed again... Adonis reveals to Rocky his motivation near the end of the movie. There is an emotional exchange between he and Rocky during the final fight. Rocky fears for Adonis' safety and tells him that they should end the fight before he gets seriously injured. Adonis says no, and states that he has to finish the fight. Here's the important part. Rocky asks, "Why? What are you trying to prove?" Adonis replies, "That I'm not a mistake!" It's clear that Adonis is not simply trying to escape the shadow of his father's success and forge his own path. It is deeper than that. Adonis has grown up knowing that he was the product of an affair, that he was an illegitimate child. Consequently, he must see himself as the result of a mistake that Apollo made in the past. It seems to me that Adonis wants to escape the nagging burden of that mistake, and prove to himself that he is, in fact, a Creed.

Things Your Fans Want: 1. More Plinkett Reviews 2. More Half in The Bag/ Best of The Worst 3. Bring Back Jay's "Quick Cuts" series Things Your Fans Don't Want: 1. More DudeBros. 2. Max Landis Interview 3. AIDS and Cancer

eh, i thought the love interest was successful inclusion, and since it's called Creed, and if they choose to go forward, it's going to continue being about Creed, if not more so, so giving him a love interest in his debut makes complete sense. Creed and Bianca also have a nice, easy going chemistry, so it was a nice reprieve from the main thrust of the story.

i know nobody cares but Creed features the first single take boxing match scene and it’s fucking awesome, not to mention every opponent he faces is a legit pro boxer! fucking love those movies as a boxing fan

Since the Frankenstein movie makers gave the policeman a wooden hand, they really should have made it a deeper reference to Mel Brooks 'Young Frankenstein'. I guess that's the difference between good filmmaking and run-of-the-mill filmmaking.

3:55, Mike called it, again.

The first step in the Universal Monster cinematic universe was supposed to be Dracula Untold.

34:05, my "hearing dyslexia" can only scramble the line "Moby Dick vs. Sharknado" in so many different ways.

I don't understand how the opening of this show is literally them just listing movies that we would rather hear about than these boring examples, and yet I'm still watching.

"he has more brain damage than Joe Biden" well that sure aged like a fine wine LMFAO

I really liked Creed a lot, but it is an interesting point in saying that the violence was glorified. They had Adonis' mother trying to warn about the effects of fighting, but her character is more or less written off while Adonis is still being a bad ass fighter and looking cool as hell punching dudes in the face.

Shame that the Victor Frankenstein didn't go more by its script. It would probably at least have turned into something that people would remember.

Jays vest is the key to all of this

so Mel Brooks made a better Frankenstein film? wow

Creed is fucking amazing! Best Rocky film after Rocky & Rocky II. Creed & Straight Outta Compton are my favorite films this year.

Wait, Creed was a boxing movie?! SHIT! I thought it was a documentary about everyone's favorite Christian rock band!

27:51 the only possible pay off I can see for Detective Turpin having a wooden hand is when he shoots at Frankenstein's Monster and he's terribly inaccurate. Also that part about Turpin getting revived in the script is interesting.

3:56 Holy shit ! That aged well !

So wait where does the interview with the Writer* of American ultra fit within the time line of half in the bag or is that a separate continuity Edited*

Sicario is in my top 5 favorite movies. Such a great film.

I think Victor Frankenstein came out in November because in the novel, that’s when the daemon was created. It was probably the company trying to be clever, which would have been, if it would have stuck to the novel.

I love the original Mummy movie from 1932. It's not supposed to be super scary, it has more of an erotic mysticism feel than the typical gothic horror movies Universal was doing at the time. It's actually tied with Bride of Frankenstein as my favorite 1930s monster movie. Unfortunately, Universal is doing an expanded monster universe; and right now they are in talks to have Tom Cruise to star in a Mummy re-boot movie, with that horrible screenwriter, Alex Kurtzman, directing. So, you know it's just going to be muddled action schlock. In fact, Kurtzman, writer of such classics as Star Trek Into Darkness, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Transformers, is in charge of creating the whole shared universe, along with the screenwriter of several of the Fast and Furious movies. :/

It really is astonishing how right Universal got the original Frankenstein film in the 1930's. Puts these modern rehashes to shame.

Creed personifies the Rocky character as something you won't think will work, but works in the end.

I feel like Creed is getting more credit than it deserves because no one expected much from it. I enjoyed the movie, but it felt forced, and ultimately a little lifeless. I totally agree with you about the lack of charisma. I thought to myself at one point. Wow, Michael B Jordan looks amazing, he put his all into the physicality, too bad his personality feels like an after thought.

Watching this from Michigan.

All I'm saying is... Have you seen Mike and Mr Plinkett in the same room?

My favorite Sylvester Stallone movie will always be an underrated comedy-of-errors film called "Oscar" from 1991.

I love the idea that there is the Rocky Cinematic Universe.

Jesus that Biden joke is shockingly relevant these days

So, Plinkett's VCR already works. Got it. FRAUDS

"...James Borne film." Nice.

I have to say the guy who plays Detective Turpin (forgot his name) is usually a good actor but it really seems like he didn't wanna be here. He delivers some lines so stunted. There's a part where he uses his newly gotten prosthetic hand to scratch his face and then rests his face on it and it feels so hilarious and out of place.