288 - Oscars 2023: Part II

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Boobedy-boo, the Diminishing Returns boys are back with the other half of this year's Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards. Will the Oscar go to The Banshees of Inisherin, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Women Talking, Everything Everywhere All at Once (or one of the films from last episode)?

Check out our Patreon here!

Films covered in this episode:
The Banshees of Inisherin
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Elvis
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 54%

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 84%

Top Gun: Maverick
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

Women Talking
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 55%

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 90%

The Sea Beast
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%

Turning Red
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

287 - Oscars 2023

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It's the annual Diminishing Returns Oscars extravaganza -- and Calvin has seen a record number of this year's Best Picture nominees! Listen for the gang's thoughts on All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Fabelmans, Tar, Triangle of Sadness and more!

Check out our Patreon here!

Films covered in this episode:
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%

Avatar: The Way of Water
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

The Fabelmans
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 57%

Tar
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Triangle of Sadness
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

277 - Oscars 2022

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Be vewy quiet. We're hunting Oscars.

Check out our Patreon here!

Films covered in this episode:
Belfast
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

CODA
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

Don’t Look Up
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

Drive My Car
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

Dune
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

King Richard
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Licorice Pizza
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Nightmare Alley (2021)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

Nightmare Alley (1947)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%

The Power of the Dog
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 45%

West Side Story
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

276 - Diminishing Returns Are Dead (with Thomas Turgoose, Andrew Ellis and more)

Guests: Thomas Turgoose, Andrew Ellis, Calvin Dyson, Judey Bignell, Conor Murray, Grace Miller, Emily Slade, How Didn’t This Get Made? and Nicky Diss

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A seance brings a number of never-heard-before clips back from the dead, featuring Thomas Turgoose, Andrew Ellis, Calvin Dyson, Judey Bignell, Conor Murray, Grace Miller, Emily Slade, Nicky Diss and Cubby R. Broccoli.

Check out our Patreon here!

254 - Oscars 2021

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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.

Check out our Patreon here!

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%

192 - Oscars 2020

Films covered in this episode:
Little Women (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

1917
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Jojo Rabbit
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%

The Irishman
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

Ford v Ferrari (aka Le Mans ‘66)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
Allen: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 55%

Joker
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%

Parasite
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Marriage Story
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 75%

I Lost My Body
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

It'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!

Check out our Patreon here!

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190 - Dimini On the Edge of Forever (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

It'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.

Check out our Patreon here!

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142 - Oscars 2019 (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

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%

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.

Check out our Patreon here!

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104 - Review of the Year 2018: Part 1

Films covered in this episode:

The Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: n/a
Sol: n/a
Overall score: 30%

Annihilation
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

Black Panther
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

Tomb Raider
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: n/a
Sol: n/a
Overall score: 30%

Pacific Rim: Uprising
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/a
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 75%

Deep Blue Sea 2
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰
Sol: n/a
Overall score: 30%

Avengers: Infinity War
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%

It's time to have our big Avengers: Infinity War discussion! (Oh, and all those other films... uh The Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Fifty Shades Freed, Black Panther, Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim: Uprising... but we all know you're here for The Avengers, right?)

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This episode is a continuation of the following episodes:
"The Maze Runner"
"Sunshine"
"Captain America: The First Avenger"
"Oscars 2018"
"Tomb Raider"
"Pacific Rim"
"Deep Blue Sea"
"The Avengers"

Review of the Year episodes:
"Review of the Year 2016"
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 2"
"Review of the Year 2018: Part 1"

91 - Oscars 2018

Films covered in this episode:

Call Me By Your Name
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

Darkest Hour
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%

Dunkirk
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Get Out
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 64%

Ladybird
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Phantom Thread
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%

The Post
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

The Shape of Water
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 84%

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%

We're coming up to the 90th Academy Awards, so here's the 91st episode of Diminishing Returns, covering all of this year's Best Picture nominees, as well as some other bits and pieces including a retrospective look at a few of last year's award winners.

Listen on:
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Oscars episodes:
"Oscars 2017"
"Oscars 2018"

84 - Another Diminishing Returns Outtakes Show

Our previous outtakes episode went down pretty well, so here's another one. Don't worry; we're all fine. We just wanted to burn this episode off before it got even more outdated than it already is - plus it meant that we could chill out after not taking a week off the show over Christmas.

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This episode contains previously unheard cut material from:
"Oscars 2017"
"Live-Action Disney Remakes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Suicide Squad"
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"
and
"Thunderball"

Outtakes Episodes:
"So It's Come to This: A Diminishing Returns Outtakes Show"
"Another Diminishing Returns Outtakes Show"
"The Diminishing Returns 107th Episode Spectacular"
 

54 - Review of the Year 2017: Part 1

Review of the Year 2017:
Part 1
Part 2

Happy birthday, Diminishing Returns! 1 year old today (well, last week, actually, but we wanted to cover The Mummy).

In order to prevent our end of year review episode being 5 hours long, we decided to celebrate our 1-year anniversary with a look back at the last 6 months of cinema (and some films we wanted to revisit from last time).
This episode contains reviews of:
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
- Rogue One
- Split
- Fifty Shades Darker
- Logan
- Kong: Skull Island
- Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast
- Power Rangers
- the live-action Ghost in the Shell remake
- The Fate of the Furious
- season 4 of Bates Motel
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Alien: Covenant
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (aka Salazar's Revenge)
- Wonder Woman
...and more!

There's also some games, special guests and all the usual fun and japes (and arguments) that come with the show. Be sure to listen to the end!

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Films covered in this episode:

Rogue One
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%

Split
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 65%

Enjoy our film soundtrack comparison in the episode? Hans Zimmer: god of film-composers or rip-off merchant? Here's a clean listening post without us talking over the music so that you can decide for yourself.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Allen: ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 10%

Rings
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%

Fifty Shades Darker
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 40%

Logan
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Kong: Skull Island
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Power Rangers
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 60%

Ghost in the Shell (2017)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%

The Fate of the Furious
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%

Bates Motel (season 4)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

The Belko Experiment
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Alien: Covenant
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%

Wonder Woman
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ (rated post-episode)
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 75%

This episode is a continuation of the following episodes:
"Tim Burton"
"Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi"
"Review of the Year 2016"
"M. Night Shyamalan season: Unbreakable"
"M. Night Shyamalan season: The Happening"
"Resident Evil: Retribution"
"The Ring"
"Fifty Shades of Grey"
"Oscars 2017"
"The Wolverine"
"King Kong"
"Live-Action Disney Remakes"
"Power Rangers"
"Ghost in the Shell"
"The Fast and the Furious"
"Psycho"
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
"Alien season: The Alien Quadrilogy"
"Alien season: The Prometheus Unology"
"Pirates of the Caribbean"
"Suicide Squad"
"The Mummy"

Review of the Year episodes:
"Review of the Year 2016"
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 2"
"Review of the Year 2018: Part 1"

38 - Oscars 2017

Released 20/02/2017

This classic episode is in the Diminishing Returns vault. Sign up to our Patreon for as little as £1 to access our back-catalogue episodes!

The 89th Academy Awards take place in a week, so it seemed like a good time to explore all nine of this year's Oscar Best Picture nominees (Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight).

Also included in this episode:
- discussion and exploration of Oscars (and other film awards like the BAFTAs) in general, including years past
- the hosts predict this year's Oscar winners in various categories
- The 1st Annual Dimmy Awards
- instead of the usual sequel pitches, Oscar-bait pitches
- James Bond and Frasier for some reason

Films covered in this episode:

Arrival
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Fences
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 75%

Hacksaw Ridge
Allen: ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%

Hell or High Water
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Hidden Figures
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

La La Land
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%

Lion
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%

Manchester By the Sea
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Moonlight
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

 

The First Annual Dimmy Awards

The Allen Turing Award for Best Vince Vaughn Performance

Awarded to Ellen Degeneres for her performance in Finding Dory

The Calvin Dyson Award for Best James Bond Movie

Awarded to Pierce Brosnan's Instagram account

The Señor Sevens Award for Best 7/10

Awarded to Prevenge

We discuss the outcome of the awards in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"