The podcast where film-fans Calvin Dyson, Allen Turing and Sol Harris take a weekly journey to Development Hell to discuss a film, then pitch their ideas for the sequel.
Downton Abbey
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 57%
We mix things up with a rare television episode, turning our heads to Downton Abbey ahead of the upcoming theatrical film spin-off of the series.
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It (2017)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%
Much like how Pennywise returns every 27 years to cause havoc, we're seemingly returning to Stephen King's It every 2 years to talk about the most recent screen-version of the story.
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We're on our Summer hols and Allen actually has some acting work lined up for a change, so here's a very special outtakes episode in which esteemed film-maker Werner Herzog takes a look (listen?) at some previously unheard Diminishing Returns material from the archive.
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Hot Fuzz
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 87%
Our Patreon-selected trilogy of episodes covering The Blood and Ice Cream (Cornetto) Trilogy continues with a look at Hot Fuzz - where we're joined by James Bond (and, therefore, Timothy Dalton) enthusiast: Calvin Dyson. Does it live up to the record-setting score set by Shaun of the Dead?
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The Lion King
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 90%
The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%
The Lion King 1½
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
Nants a podcast bagithi baba! Sithi uhm podcast! We're doing The Lion King Trilogy. You know the drill.
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Octopussy
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Bond is back in the silliest named entry of his entire franchise! It's Octopussy with Calvin Dyson and The Dim Boys.
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Toy Story
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 87%
Toy Story 2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
Toy Story 3
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 87%
A series that did a fairly wonderful job of avoiding diminishing returns: The Toy Story Trilogy:: Pixar's jewel in the crown... at least, that was the case before Toy Story 4. Will it be once the new film comes out? Based on early reviews, probably, yes... but they weren't out when we recorded this so we sound a lot more negative.
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Films covered in this episode:
X-Men: First Class
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 74%
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%
X-Men: Apocalypse
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%
Guest: Calvin Dyson
From X-Men to Y-Men, as Diminishing Returns cap off the franchise with a look at the three remaining films yet to be covered on the show. For those keeping score, those films are X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. Why? Because X-Men: Dark Phoenix is coming out and it's basically poised to be the end of the series (except for that pesky New Mutants film that everyone seems to have forgotten about).
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Films covered in this episode:
X-Men
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%
X2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 74%
X-Men: The Last Stand
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
As the X-Men franchise lumbers towards a close, so do we with our coverage of it. We've done the Wolverine movies, we've done Deadpool and now we're doing the original X-Men trilogy, with the prequel trilogy to follow next week.
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Films covered in this episode:
Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 37%
Pokemon: The Movie 2000
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 35%
Pokemon 3: The Movie
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%
Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon Heroes: Latios and Latias
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Pokemon: Jirachi - Wish Maker
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Pokemon: Zoroark - Master of Illusions
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon: White - Victini and Zekrom
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Pokemon: Black - Victini and Reshiram
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ½
Overall score: 10%
Pokemon: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%
Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Pokemon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Pokemon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%
Pokemon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 20%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
Diminishing Returns go back to the video game well for a discussion of the Pokemon franchise in the run-up to Detective Pikachu. For those not in the know, Calvin is almost as into Pokemon as he's into James Bond.
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Films covered in this episode:
Left Behind: The Movie (2000)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ½
Overall score: 10%
Left Behind (2014)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 34%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
Diminishing Returns go back to the meaty well of Christianity to celebrate Easter 2019. Last time, it was God's Not Dead. This time, it's Left Behind.
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Films covered in this episode
Dumbo
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
This week has everything from deep explorations of race politics, dubious accusations of animal cruelty against Thomas Edison, a quiz game and, of course, discussion of Dumbo... Disney's beloved classic film and the upcoming Tim Burton remake.
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Films covered in this episode:
For Your Eyes Only
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%
For your ears only (not really, it's for anyone who wants to listen, sorry)... but that shouldn't matter because it's Diminishing Returns returning to James Bond once more.
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Guest host: Calvin Dyson
Here, for you, are a selection of never-heard-before (and very old) clips from Allen's cutting-room floor. Hear cut discussion from episodes like Psycho, Alien and others, as well as the story about when Sol and Allen were going to get a pet chimp when they lived together and yet more cut material from that huge quiz episode we did to celebrate our episode-count turning 100.
Films covered in this episode:
Black Panther
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%
BlacKkKlansman
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%
Bohemian Rhapsody
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%
The Favourite
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
Green Book
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
Roma
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%
A Star is Born
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Vice
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
and also…
Mary Queen of Scots
Allen: ✰ ✰
Cakvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 40%
The Big Short
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
It's the third annual Oscars blowout at Diminishing Returns, taking aim at all of this year's Best Picture nominees:
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star is Born
Vice
...and a few other films that sneak into the discussion along the way.
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Films covered in this episode:
Fifty Shades Freed
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
The Diminishing Returns' annual Valentine's Day special sees out the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy with a look at Fifty Shades Freed. As ever, it's more of an excuse to talk about sex than a real celebration of (very bad) cinema.
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Films covered in this episode:
Split
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 74%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
The twist is that M. Night Shyamalan Season wasn't over - that's right, we return to the infamous writer/director's work with a look at Split in anticipation of the upcoming film Glass. For obvious reasons, we take another big look at Unbreakable, too.
Also, spoiler alert for Split and some other past M. Night movies.
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Films covered in this episode:
One Good Turn
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Thicker than Water
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%
Way Out West
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%
Stan and Ollie
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 75%
Guest host: Calvin Dyson
In anticipation of upcoming John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan awards grab, Stan and Ollie, Diminishing Returns indulge Calvin's love of Laurel & Hardy by looking at their careers, a couple of their shorts and their best known feature: Way Out West. Did I say in anticipation of Stan and Ollie? That's not quite accurate because Sol's already seen it. So that film gets reviewed as well.
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Films covered in this episode:
Deadpool 2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 64%
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%
Incredibles 2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Allen: ✰ ✰
Judey: ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 37%
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
The Nun
Allen: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%
The Predator
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%
Johnny English Strikes Again
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 57%
Halloween (2018)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%
Suspiria (2018)
Allen: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%
The Grinch
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Chris: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 54%
Creed II
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Judey: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%
Aquaman
Allen: ✰ ½
Judey: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 44%
Guest hosts: Calvin Dyson, Judey Bignell and Chris Hunter
It's that time, again! Diminishing Returns present their biggest episode ever: a solid three-hours looking back at the releases of 2018 covered on the show and more...
Sol and Allen are joined by Calvin Dyson, Judey Bignell and Chris Hunter to ring in the new year (or, to put it more accurately, ring out the old one). Also, there's a music quiz. All in all, it's bloody good listening.
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Guest host: Calvin Dyson
We've teased you about it for three years, but we've finally done Die Hard. Merry Christmas!
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Films covered in this episode:
Die Hard
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 87%