Diminishing Returns
312 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsThe podcast where film-fans, Sol Harris and Allen Turing, take a guest on a journey to Development Hell to discuss a film, then pitch their ideas for the sequel.
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Episodes
201 - Easter Special: Life of Brian (with Calvin Dyson)
April 06, 2020 11:57 - 1 hour - 47.3 MBIt's time, once more, for the annual Diminishing Returns Easter Special, in which things get a little bit religious... well, I mean, as much as you'd expect when covering Monty Python's Life of Brian.
200 - The Bigger Diminishing Returns Quiz (with Calvin Dyson, Gareth Allen and more)
March 30, 2020 12:27 - 1 hour - 190 MBTo mark the show's 200th episode, we're putting on another big Diminishing Returns quiz! This time, Gareth steps in as Quiz Master, to emcee the proceedings and the gang are quizzed by past guests from Judey Bignell to Chris Hunter to Emily Slade. Even music-meister Tomo Fallows gets in on the action. Here's to the next 200!
199 - GoldenEye (with Calvin Dyson)
March 22, 2020 20:47 - 1 hour - 63.6 MBIn an unprecedented Diminishing Returns move, we're bringing you a second James Bond episode, the week after the first, all in anticipation of No Time to Die which, as far as we're aware, is released on the 3rd of April 2020! Calvin Dyson joins us, as always, as we enter the Pierce Brosnan era.
198 - Licence to Kill (with Calvin Dyson)
March 16, 2020 02:06 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBBond is back, just in time for the upcoming release of No Time to Die! (No one tell Calvin). This time, we tackle the second half of Timothy Dalton's tenure with the character. Licence to Kill was, at one time, Calvin Dyson's least favourite film in the entire franchise - has he come round to it, now? Did he and Allen comically underestimate the impact Coronavirus was just about to have? Possibly. Listen and find out!
197 - Mulan (with Emily Slade)
March 08, 2020 22:32 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBWhat? Another live-action Disney remake already? Yeah, they're just pumping these out. It's Mulan, this time. Starring Eddie Murphy! (You know what that means...)
196 - A Quiet Place (with Conor Murray)
March 01, 2020 23:55 - 51 minutes - 38.2 MBIf you listen really carefully, you might hear our A Quiet Place episode, taking on John Krasinski's breakout project as director which became a surprise hit, earning so much money, A Quiet Place: Part II was put almost immediately into production so that it could come out later this week.
195 - The Big Lebowski
February 23, 2020 22:45 - 44 minutes - 32.9 MBIt may seem completely out of left field that, this week, we're covering The Big Lebowksi, but there's actually a spin-off being released (in the US, at least) where The Jesus remakes an old French movie - written and directed by John Turturro, himself. Don't feel bad that you didn't know it was coming out. Pretty much no one did. We didn't realise until the last minute, hence this ramshackle production.
194 - The Living Daylights (with Calvin Dyson)
February 16, 2020 23:55 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBWe're back on Bond - but, this time, Roger Moore is nowhere to be seen! We're finally onto a new actor in the role as we kick off with the first of Timothy Dalton's two times playing the character. As always, James Bond expert, Calvin Dyson, is on hand to offer his thoughts alongside Sol and Allen.
193 - Valentine's Day Special: Boogie Nights (with Calvin Dyson)
February 09, 2020 23:20 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBDiminishing Returns forges somewhat new ground, this week. Over the past three years, we've brought you a trilogy of dare-we-say hilarious and insightful "sex episodes", supposedly covering The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. This is year four and we're out of Fifty Shades crap to talk about, so instead, he's fictional pornstar biopic Boogie Nights, as voted for by our Patreon subscribers! (Head to patreon.com/dimreturns for more info). Does covering a good film ruin the fun? No... Surprising...
192 - Oscars 2020
February 02, 2020 23:55 - 2 hours - 312 MBIt's Oscar season, for the fourth time at Diminishing Returns! We take a time-travelling romp through this year's Best Picture nominees, in chronological order, starting with Little Women and ending with Marriage Story, but making stops at 1917, Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Parasite and even some movies not nominated for Best Picture (or anything in Uncut Gems' case). Also featuring the return of fan-favourite characters Joker and Randy Newman!
191 - Sonic the Hedgehog (with Conor Murray)
January 26, 2020 23:55 - 48 minutes - 34.7 MBIn a rare turn for Diminishing Returns, we're not only discussing a video game franchise this week, but one that hasn't (really) been adapted into a movie before. Ahead of the coming Jim Carrey vehicle, Sonic the Hedgehog, we're looking back at the franchise's roots (as well as Carrey's career).
190 - Dimini On the Edge of Forever (with Calvin Dyson)
January 19, 2020 23:55 - 1 hour - 46.2 MBIt's that time again: it's the 6th Diminishing Returns outtakes episode, featuring previously unheard clips and material from as far back as 2018 when we were talking about the likes of Jumanji, Captain America, Labyrinth and drinking enough water.
189 - Doctor Dolittle (with Calvin Dyson)
January 12, 2020 23:55 - 1 hour - 66 MBShitting all over the 1967, 1998 and 2020 versions of Doctor Dolittle (not to mention the four sequels to that middle version) makes for a surprisingly good episode of Diminishing Returns - you've never seen anything like it!
188 - Bad Boys (with Emily Slade)
January 05, 2020 21:29 - 1 hour - 46 MBBad boys, bad boys, whatyagonnado? 2020 kicks off in style (over substance) with a look at Will Smith/Martin Lawrence vehicles Bad Boys and Bad Boys II ahead of the upcoming Bad Boys for Life.
187 - Review of the Year 2019: Part II (with Calvin Dyson and Gareth Allen)
December 29, 2019 23:55 - 2 hours - 94.1 MBContinuing what we started last week: our mammoth undertaking of reflecting upon 2019 in cinema, good and bad... arguably, mostly bad. There's part two of the music quiz, Calvin's back and, this time, Gareth pops up to throw his opinion around a bit, as well. Head to patreon.com/dimreturns to hear the full, uncut version of each Diminisode featured, plus loads more!
186 - Review of the Year 2019 (with Calvin Dyson)
December 22, 2019 23:55 - 3 hours - 147 MBHo ho ho! Merry 2019! Christmas was last week's focus. This week is us getting a wriggle on and beginning the arduous task of evaluating 2019. Here, Calvin, Sol and Allen take you through a tour of heavily truncated Diminisodes covering each tie-in release for the year! To hear the original, extended Diminisodes, plus loads of other ones not featured, head over to patreon.com/dimreturns
185 - Christmas Special: Home Alone (with Calvin Dyson)
December 16, 2019 00:44 - 2 hours - 98.9 MBIn a Christmas miracle, the Diminishing Returns gang take a surprisingly positive approach to the five Home Alone films (Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Alone 3, Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist), as selected for this year's Christmas special by the Diminishing Returns Patreon subscribers over at patreon.com/dimreturns
184 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (with Calvin Dyson)
December 08, 2019 23:31 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBDiminishing Returns returns to the Star Wars mill once again, but this time to discuss, perhaps, the most controversial entry in the franchise canon: 2017's The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson. This film was touched on in a “Review of the Year 2017” episode, but now Calvin, Sol and Allen have had 2 years to digest and think the film through. Spoiler alert: one of them likes it more and one of them likes it less. There's inevitably also talk of the likes of The Force Awakens ...
183 - Cats (with Emily Slade)
December 02, 2019 00:29 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBIn a Diminishing Returns first (sort of), we take a look at a theatrical production that'll be soon turned into a movie. (We use the filmed "movie" version of the stage show released in 1998 as our basis for the theatrical production but that's basically the same thing). Also, we're joined by Emily Slade again, so enjoy!
182 - A View to a Kill (with Calvin Dyson)
November 25, 2019 12:40 - 1 hour - 59.1 MBDiminishing Returns continues to march forward through the Bond franchise - this time forging new ground as, for the first time, we tackle an entry that Sol hasn't seen before. Could this be the one to win him over to Bond? And how does Calvin feel? (Allen hates it, obviously).
181 - 3 Men and a Baby (with Judey Bignell)
November 17, 2019 21:23 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBJudey Bignell's back for a look at 3 Men and a Baby and it's 1990 sequel. Why? Ask Allen.
180 - Charlie's Angels (with Emily Slade)
November 11, 2019 02:55 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBThis week we are joined by Emily Slade of the Why This Film? podcast to take a look at the turn of the century super spy action comedy Charlie's Angels along with its sequel and television series forebear. It's an episode full of nostalgia and sheer disbelief. It's a film that will take you straight back to the turn of the century and leave you wondering how we ever thought that was normal.
180 - Charlie's Angels
November 11, 2019 02:55 - 1 hour - 75.1 MBThis week we take a look at the turn of the century super spy action comedy Charlie's Angels along with its sequel and television series forebear. It's an episode full of nostalgia and sheer disbelief. It's a film that will take you straight back to the turn of the century and leave you wondering how we ever thought that was normal.
179 - Joker
November 03, 2019 23:55 - 1 hour - 67.9 MBIn what might be a Diminishing Returns first, we take on a film while it's still playing in the cinemas! Is it a good idea or are we betraying everything the show stands for? It's Joker, anyway - the weird, DC, Batman side-piece starring Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Todd Phillips.
178 - Podcast of Horror IV: The Thing (with Calvin Dyson)
October 27, 2019 23:55 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBIt's our fourth annual Halloween special! What does that mean? It basically just means that we cover a horror movie that doesn't have to tie into an upcoming sequel release. We threw this one open to our Patreon subscribers and they selected John Carpenter's 1982 classic The Thing. In true Diminishing Returns fashion, we take pitstops at 1951's The Thing from Another World and the 2011 prequel of the same name, too. It's Dimini-Thing Returns!
177 - Dimishining Returns: The Shining (with Calvin Dyson)
October 20, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 92.9 MBWe've cultivated something of a reputation for our willingness to dismiss the classics and take them down a notch or two and that's on full display in this episode, taking aim at The Shining. Thankfully, Calvin is on hand to defend Kubrick's vision against Sol, who's on hand to defend Stephen King's.
176 - Part Twominator (with Gareth Allen)
October 13, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBThis week, we continue our look at the Terminator franchise, but we covered the good ones last week (The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Why would you want to listen for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys? Well, other than looking forward to Terminator: Dark Fate, we're also joined by special guest: Angry Christian Bale!
175 - The Terminator (with Gareth Allen)
October 06, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 53.7 MBIn anticipation of Terminator: Dark Fate, we begin a retrospective look at the franchise, starting with the good ones (The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day).
174 - Zombieland
September 29, 2019 22:55 - 59 minutes - 45.1 MBWe spend 4 years getting round to Shaun of the Dead and now, a couple of months later, we're doing Zombieland? What's that about? (I'll tell you what that's about; it's about Zombieland: Double Tap coming out soon)
173 - The Addams Family
September 22, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBAnother TV episode (kind of) as we turn our collective heads towards The Addams Family - all of it! The 1964 sitcom, the 1991 film and its sequels, the weird attempts at relaunching the show and even the original Charles Addams comic strip - all because there's a brand spanking, new 2019 Addams Family movie on the way.
172 - Rambo: Diminishing Returns Part II - More Blood:: Rambo III and Rambo (IV)(with Gareth Allen)
September 16, 2019 11:46 - 54 minutes - 40 MBDiminishing Returns continues an exhaustive look at the First Blood film-franchise, better known as the Rambo series because they star Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo. Last week covered the first two films (First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part II), leaving Rambo III and Rambo (the fourth one) for this week, as well as a speculative look at the upcoming Rambo: Last Blood.
171 - First Blood (with Gareth Allen)
September 08, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 59 MBWe begin a two-week look at the Rambo franchise, starting with First Blood (aka Rambo), then moving swiftly onto Rambo: First Blood Part II. Because Rambo: Last Blood is on the horizon; that's why.
170 - Downton Abbey (with Calvin Dyson)
September 01, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBWe 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.
169 - It (2017) (with Calvin Dyson)
August 25, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBMuch 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.
168 - Diminishingump Roasturns (with Calvin Dyson, Dan Straw and Conor Murray)
August 18, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 48.8 MBWe'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.
167 - The World's End
August 11, 2019 18:55 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBThe final instalment in our look at Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's Cornetto Trilogy is The World's End. Reputedly the worst of the three, but will we be won over by the Pegg-Wright magic once again? Thank you to our Patreons who voted for this series at patreon.com/dimreturns
166 - Hot Fuzz (with Calvin Dyson)
August 04, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBOur 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?
165 - Shaun of the Dead
July 29, 2019 13:20 - 58 minutes - 43.8 MBWe kick off our first Patreon-selected season of episodes with a series looking at The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (aka The Three Colours Cornetto Trilogy, aka Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End). Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, zombies and ice cream! How's that for a slice of fried gold? (Yeeeeeeeeeahh booooooooiiiiiii!)
164 - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
July 21, 2019 22:55 - 58 minutes - 42.6 MBBet you didn't see this one coming; this week, we're doing John C. Reilly spoof-biopic Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and it features maybe the highest number of audio clips out of any episode we've done.
163 - The Lion King (with Calvin Dyson)
July 15, 2019 21:39 - 1 hour - 64.7 MBNants a podcast bagithi baba! Sithi uhm podcast! We're doing The Lion King Trilogy. You know the drill.
162 - The Mask
July 07, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBThis is The Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaask! Want to hear more? Head to patreon.com/dimreturns for bonus episodes!
161 - Octopussy (with Calvin Dyson)
June 30, 2019 23:50 - 1 hour - 48.6 MBBond is back in the silliest named entry of his entire franchise! It's Octopussy with Calvin Dyson and The Dim Boys.
160 - The Iron Giant (with Judey Bignell)
June 23, 2019 22:54 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBIn case you didn't know, we have a Patreon profile you can subscribe to and receive bonus content including full and mini episodes of the show for as little as $1 a month! One of the other things you can do is take part in our listener votes to decide the topic of future episodes of the show. We recently held a little tournament to select the topic of this episode and, to everyone's surprise, Brad Bird's 1999 classic, The Iron Giant, ran away with it. So here we are, talking about The Iron Gi...
159 - Toy Story (with Calvin Dyson)
June 16, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 51.2 MBA 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.
158 - Men in Black (with Judey Bignell)
June 09, 2019 22:06 - 2 hours - 91.3 MBWe were going to go with parody lyrics to "Men in Black" by Will Smith for this description, but nobody wants that. Here's an episode covering the Men in Black trilogy, as well as taking a look towards Men in Black: International.
157 - X-Men, Continued (with Calvin Dyson)
June 03, 2019 09:44 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBFrom 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). For bonus and exclusive Diminishing Returns content, head to...
157 - Y-Men (with Calvin Dyson)
June 03, 2019 09:44 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBFrom 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). For bonus and exclusive Diminishing Returns content, head to...
156 - X-Men (with Calvin Dyson)
May 26, 2019 14:29 - 1 hour - 86.5 MBAs 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.
155 - Godzill-B (Godzilla: Part II - with Gareth Allen)
May 19, 2019 23:01 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBOur Godzilla mini-season continues with a look at the 1998 and 2014 American remakes of Gojira and the 2016 Toho film Shin Godzilla - all in the run-up to Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
154 - Godzilla (with Gareth Allen)
May 12, 2019 22:55 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBA hulking behemoth of an episode, tackling the first 50 years of Godzilla movies. That's 28 films, plus two American re-edits. We'll be getting to the 1998 and 2014 remakes next week, too.