The podcast where film-fans Allen Turing and Sol Harris take a weekly journey to Development Hell to discuss a film, then pitch their ideas for the sequel.
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
It's a holiday special about a holiday special! What is this? A podcast directed by Christopher Nolan?
Films covered in this episode:
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Allen: ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 15%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
This episode was recorded over a year ago and has been sat on an exclusive Patreon shelf ever since thanks to The King's Man being delayed. Just like with the eventual release of our The Purge episode earlier this year, it's now a super-sexy time capsule from a more complicated time. Also: Calvin's back!
Films covered in this episode:
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%
Guests: Nightmares from the Discotheque (Canz Rickman & Rick Schaple)
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
Keanuvember concludes with a look at Speed, perhaps the greatest Keanu Reeves movie of all time. Joining us are Rick Schaple and Canz Rickman (collectively: Nightmares from the Discotheque) who have written songs about things like Die Hard. Who better to talk about Die Hard on a bus?
Films covered in this episode:
Speed
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Canz: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Rick: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 88%
Films covered in this episode:
The Matrix
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Jeremy: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 87%
The Matrix Reloaded
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Jeremy: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%
The Matrix Revolutions
Allen: ✰ ½
Jeremy: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%
Films covered in this episode:
John Wick
Alice: rating parlayed
Allen: rating parlayed
Sol: rating parlayed
Overall score: rating parlayed
John Wick: Chapter 2
Alice: rating parlayed
Allen: rating parlayed
Sol: rating parlayed
Overall score: rating parlayed
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
Alice: rating parlayed
Allen: rating parlayed
Sol: rating parlayed
Overall score: rating parlayed
Guests: Calvin Dyson and Gareth Allen
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
It's an (extremely visual) live Halloween spectacular! This episode was broadcast exclusively to Patreon subscribers on the 6th of October and now you're getting a (severely truncated) audio edit. The video version will be posted to our YouTube channel closer to Halloween, so keep your eyes peeled.
Or enjoy a rare opportunity to watch the show instead:
Guest: Tim Batt
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
It's the second-worst idea of all time as Tim Batt joins us to dredge up past trauma by revisiting Grown Ups 2, a film he watched and reviewed once a week as part of The Worst Idea of All Time podcast, back in 2014. Is Chris Rock better than this? Did South Park end Rob Schneider's career? Did Grown Ups 2 inspire Quentin Tarantino to make Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? All this and more in Diminishing Returns!
Films covered in this episode:
Grown Ups 2
Allen: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Tim: ½
Overall score: 24%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
No Time to Die is (allegedly) finally being released! To mark the occasion, we're marching on from the ending of Casino Royale and straight into the beginning of Quantum of Solace, the Bond movie that was infamously written on the fly thanks to the 2007 writers' strike. Will Sol stay true to his contrarian nature and actually like this one? Someone's got to because Calvin certainly doesn't.
Films covered in this episode:
Quantum of Solace
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 37%
Guest: The British Sitcom History Podcast (Allen Turing & Gareth Allen)
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
The British Sitcom History Podcast is back for its second series, so it's crossover episode #2: this time looking at the film that singlehandedly relaunched the Britcom movie genre.
Films covered in this episode:
The Inbetweeners Movie
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Gareth: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... well, we definitely say it five times over the course of this episode, so that's what happened to us if this ends up being the last episode of Diminishing Returns.
Yes, Calvin is here to help us tackle the Candyman trilogy (the 1992 original, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead) as well as to discuss the upcoming 2021 Candyman sequel / reboot from Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele.
Films covered in this episode:
Candyman (1992)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 37%
Candyman: Day of the Dead
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Guest: Mignon Fogarty (aka Grammar Girl)
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
We're joined by Grammar Girl herself, Mignon Fogarty, for a look at Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated, language-based sci-fi movie in which Amy Adams attempts to communicate with space aliens against a ticking clock.
Will the show ever get the phrase "cinema unawarité" added to the dictionary? Is the video game Fortnite a pun? Do Allen and Sol like the film more than back when they covered it as part of 2017's Oscar season? All this a more in this edition of Diminishing Returns!
This year is the 15th anniversary of the Grammar Girl podcast, so it's an extremely proven entity at this point. Head here to give it a listen.
Films covered in this episode:
Arrival
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Mignon: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%
Guests: Calvin Dyson and Judey Bignell
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
It's outtakes time, leds! Featuring everything from James Bond to zombies to Fifty Shades of filth.
Guest: Chris Antista
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
Space Jam, I always wanted you to go into space, jam (intergalactic Chris). Yes, our latest offering is a deep dive into the peak-'90s cinematic monstrosity that is Space Jam. Joining us is special guest, animation expert and host of numerous Laser Time podcast network shows, Chris Antista!
Films covered in this episode:
Space Jam
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Chris: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
Calvin's back, everyone! Well, sort of. This episode was recorded over a year ago to coincide with the original release of The Forever Purge. When COVID delayed the movie, this episode got put on a shelf... until now! We walk through every last entry in the The Purge franchise, even the TV series!
Films covered in this episode:
The Purge (2013)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%
The Purge: Anarchy
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
The Purge: Election Year
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%
The First Purge
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%
The Purge (2018 TV series)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 35%
Guest: Imran Yusuf
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
We're joined by Chan-fan, Imran Yusuf, for a Jackie Chan deep-dive focused on 1986 martial arts classic Armour of God.
Films covered in this episode:
Armour of God
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Imran: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%
Guest: Allie Goertz
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
We're joined by musician, former editor of MAD Magazine and all round quality-comedy-person, Allie Goertz, for a look at one of her favourite non-Simpsons things: 1998 Wes Anderson movie, Rushmore.
Films covered in this episode:
Rushmore
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Allie: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%
Guest: Dr. Wendy Walsh
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
The ever informative Dr. Wendy Walsh (Mating Matters, Time Magazine Person of the Year 2017) joins us to discuss classic rom-com Pretty Woman (and to psychoanalyse Allen's sex-life).
Is the classic Julia Roberts / Richard Gere pairing a fluffy fairytale dream or an insidious, problematic nightmare? Listen to find out.
Films covered in this episode:
Pretty Woman
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
In a heartfelt apology for the hilarious April Fools' prank we pulled last month, here's a sincere, legitimate bit of film analysis focused in on the 2006 version of Casino Royale - the real one, starring Daniel Craig - that you wanted to hear us discuss in the first place.
Films covered in this episode:
Casino Royale (2006)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
It's the fifth annual Diminishing Returns Oscars special, in which Sol and Allen review each of 2021's Best Picture nominees in the order of least to most diverse.
Films covered in this episode:
The Father
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 85%
Judas and the Black Messiah
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%
Mank
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%
Minari
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%
Nomadland
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%
Promising Young Woman
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%
Sound of Metal
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
Guest: Ashley Esqueda
Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM
With the new Mortal Kombat movie in our sights, Diminishing Returns take a trip back to 1995's cinematic abomination, directed by Sol's arch-enemy, Paul W.S. Anderson.
Joining us for this, as well as a look at 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, is writer, host of Stream Economy and Senior Editor of CNET, Ashley Esqueda!
Films covered in this episode:
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Allen: ½
Ashley: ✰
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 17%
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Allen: ½
Ashley: ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 14%
