55 - Transformers

In case the current heatwave didn't tip you off, you know you're deep into Summer when a new Transformers movie comes along. Transformers: The Last Knight is out this week, so we took a look at 1986's Transformers: The Movie, as well as Michael Bay's 2007 effort, Transformers, and its sequels. We also discuss things like Hollywood commercialism, Shia LaBeouf's career before he stopped being famous and, of course, pitch our own ideas for Transformers sequels.

Films covered in this episode:

Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 40%

Transformers (2007)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 34%

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

Transformers: Age of Extinction
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 47%

We review Transformers: The Last Knight in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 2"

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!

Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud

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"

53 - The Mummy

Diminishing Returns heads back to the Universal Monsters franchise (now known as Dark Universe apparently) to explore the The Mummy movies.
We're not exactly sure how we feel about the new Tom Cruise movie coming out, but we talk through how we'd reboot the franchise all the same.

Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud

Films covered in this episode:

The Mummy (1932)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

The Mummy's Hand
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Check out Sol's review of the scene where Ananka rises from the dead in The Mummy's Curse, as discussed in this episode:

The Mummy's Tomb
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

The Mummy's Ghost
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

The Mummy's Curse
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

The Mummy (1959)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

The Mummy (1999)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 64%

The Mummy Returns
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 54%

The Scorpion King
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 60%

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 55%

Episodes in the Universal Monsters series:
"Frankenstein"
"The Mummy"

We continue our discussion of Dark Universe in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"
and
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 2"

52 - Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad
Allen: ✰ ✰ (revised from original score of ✰ ✰ ✰ ½)
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 37%

Released 29/05/2017

In a Diminishing Returns first, here's an episode about a film that we did an episode tying into (yes, we've been going so long that things are going to start getting meta).

If you haven't already heard it, got and listen to our Review of the Year 2016 episode, in which Calvin and Allen butt heads over whether Suicide Squad is a solid action movie or complete and utter dross. Afterwards, come back and listen to this one in order to hear Sol cast the deciding vote

All before some of the usual sequel-pitches and general pratting about.

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Episodes in the DC Extended Universe series:
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"
"Suicide Squad"
"Wonder Woman"

We review Wonder Woman in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"
and
"Wonder Woman"

51 - Pirates of the Caribbean

Released 22/05/2017

In which we take a look at all four films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, At World's End and On Stranger Tides) in the run up to Dead Men Tell No Tales / Salazar's Revenge (depending on where you live).
Lots of talk of pirates, Johnny Depp, zombies, monkeys... pretty much anything and everything you could want...
...and, as always, we pitch our own ideas for what the sequel should be. This week, Sol and Allen actually pitch real sequels instead of joking around like they normally do which makes for a nice change of pace.

Listen on:
iTunes
Android
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 74%

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 54%

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 44%

We review Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

50 - Alien season: The Prometheus Unology

Alien season:
Part 1: "The Alien Quadrilogy"
Part 2: "The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
Part 3: "The Prometheus Unology"

Released 15/05/2017

Alien season concludes with our Prometheus episode. If you missed the last two week's, we highly recommend listening to the entire trilogy as we cover the real Alien movies (the quadrilogy), the shit Alien movies (vs. Predator) and, this week, the sort of in-the-middle Alien movie (Prometheus).
Opinions on this one vary between the group (spoiler alert: Calvin loves it, Sol and Allen hate it), so there's some great back and forth and discussion, not to mention a chance to hear Calvin's impression of Meryl Streep near the end!

Listen on:
iTunes
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Prometheus
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 57%

Episodes in the Alien series:
"Alien season: The Alien Quadrilogy"
"Alien season: The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
"Alien season: The Prometheus Unology"

We review Alien: Covenant in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

49 - Alien season: The Alien vs. Predator Duology

Alien season:
Part 1: "The Alien Quadrilogy"
Part 2: "The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
Part 3: "The Prometheus Unology"

Released 08/05/2017

We're continuing our Alien season, in anticipation of Alien: Covenant, by taking a look at the somewhat less acclaimed Alien vs. Predator spin-off series made up of AVP: Alien vs. Predator and AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem - two of the most stupidly titled films ever made.
Chat includes the likes of the original quadrilogy, Prometheus and Batman for some reason - and, as always, we pitch our own ideas for Alien vs. Predator 3.

If you're enjoying Alien season, be sure to come back next week for the thrilling conclusion!

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

AvP: Alien vs. Predator
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 44%

AvPR: Alien vs. Predator - Requiem
Allen: ½
Calvin: ½
Sol: ½
Overall score: 10%

Episodes in the Alien series:
"Alien season: The Alien Quadrilogy"
"Alien season: The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
"Alien season: The Prometheus Unology"

Episodes in the Predator series:
”Alien season: The Alien vs. Predator Duology”
”Predator”

We review Alien: Covenant in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

48 - Alien season: The Alien Quadrilogy

Alien season:
Part 1: "The Alien Quadrilogy"
Part 2: "The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
Part 3: "The Prometheus Unology"

Released 01/05/2017

Alien season is here! In the run up to the release of Alien: Covenant, we're taking a huge look at the Alien series starting with the core franchise (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection).

Listen on:
iTunes
Android
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Alien
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 97%

Aliens
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 77%

Alien 3
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 74%

Alien: Resurrection
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%

Episodes in the Alien series:
"Alien season: The Alien Quadrilogy"
"Alien season: The Alien vs. Predator Duology"
"Alien season: The Prometheus Unology"

We review Alien: Covenant in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

47 - Guardians of the Galaxy

Released 24/04/2017

Guardians of the Galaxy, the bad boy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is discussed in the latest edition of Diminishing Returns, which looks at its place within the superhero genre as a whole, the meteoric rise of Chris Pratt (as well as the work of other cast members Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, John C. Reilly, Benecio Del Toro and Howard the Duck), and, as always what Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might have been, with three pitches for alternative sequels.

Listen on:
iTunes
Android
SoundCloud
Stitcher
PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Episodes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series:
"Iron Man"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Spider-Man"
"Thor"
"Captain America: The First Avenger"
"The Avengers"
"Ant-Man"

We review Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

46 - Psycho

Released 17/04/2017

This week, we take a stab at Calvin's favourite film of all time (Psycho) and its surprisingly many sequels and off-shoots (Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel - the TV movie, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Psycho - the Gus Van Sant / Vince Vaughn remake and Bates Motel - the TV series).

The sequel pitches are also particularly on form here, as Calvin dusts off an old Psycho sequel idea he had as a youth, Allen pitches a very different TV series based on the films and Sol takes the podcast into its most self-indulgent territory yet with an entire sequel pitch dedicated to mocking Calvin.

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Psycho (1960)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 84%

Psycho II
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 64%

Psycho III
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

Bates Motel (1987)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 25%

Psycho IV: The Beginning
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

Psycho (1998)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 30%

Bates Motel (seasons 1-3)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%

We review season 4 of Bates Motel in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

45 - The Fast and the Furious

Released 10/04/2017

The Fast and the Furious franchise (The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast and Furious, Fast Five, Furious 6 and Furious Seven) shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, and with the impending release of The Fate of the Furious (aka Fast and Furious 8), we decided to take a retroactive look at the franchise and do the usual thing of pitching our own sequels to the films.
Topics include the differences between Vin Diesel and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, driving in general and some really self-indulgent stuff about plums.

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

The Fast and the Furious
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 37%

2 Fast 2 Furious
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ½
Overall score: 34%

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ½
Sol: ½
Overall score: 20%

Fast & Furious
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ½
Overall score: 30%

Fast Five
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

Furious 6
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 54%

Furious Seven
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

It was cut from the final edit of the episode, but during the record, Sol spoke about how he plotted his ratings for each film in Excel and the trend predicted that Fast and the Furious 23 will be a 10/10 movie. Here's the accompanying graph.

We review The Fate of the Furious in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

44 - Tremors

Released 03/04/2017

This week, we take a break from the huge blockbuster fare that's been dominating our output lately and focus in on this classic B-movie franchise starting with 1990's Kevin Bacon vehicle: Tremors and followed by a number of sequels (Tremors II: Aftershocks, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins and Tremors 5: Bloodlines, not to mention a SyFy TV series, an upcoming Tremors 6 and an upcoming Amazon original series).

Listen through headphones in order to minimise risk of Graboid attack.

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Tremors
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%

Tremors II: Aftershocks
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 64%

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

Tremors 5: Bloodlines
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 44%

43 - Ghost in the Shell

Released 27/03/2017

Our love of discussing films where an actor portrays a character of another race culminates here, in an episode focused on Ghost in the Shell, the seminal 1995 anime adaptation of the manga of the same name and, also, the upcoming live-action remake starring Scarlett Johansson.
Is the old film any good? Does the new film look any good? How many puns based on the title can we think of? All of these questions are addressed and more in yet another thrilling installment of Diminishing Returns.

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

We review Ghost in the Shell (2017) in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

42 - Power Rangers

Released 20/03/2017

Go, go Diminishing Returns! Power Rangers will soon find new life in the movie of the same name, so we felt it apt to look back to our nostalgia (or lack of, depending on which host you're talking about) for the series, compiled from a re-edited Japanese series, Super Sentai, combined with new footage featuring American 'teens'.
As always, we round things off by pitching our own takes on what the new Power Rangers movie should have looked like.

Listen on:
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%

We review Power Rangers (2017) in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

41 - Live-Action Disney Remakes

Released 13/03/2017

Disney's new take on Beauty and the Beast follows hot on the heels of films like The Jungle Book, Pete's Dragon, Cinderella, Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland. Is the new trend of Disney remaking all of its animated classics harmless, nostalgia-driven fun or a tragic symptom of the end of cinematic creativity? We explore that as well as aforementioned films, Disney's upcoming slate of (at least) 17 further remakes and our pitches for the remakes that Disney should greenlight next. Oh and, also, does the new Beauty and the Beast look any good?

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Films covered in this episode:

Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 74%

Maleficent
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 37%

Cinderella (2015)
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

The Jungle Book (2016)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%

Alice Through the Looking Glass
Allen: n/s
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%

We review Beauty and the Beast (2017) in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

40 - King Kong

Released 06/03/2017

With Kong: Skull Island upon us, we take a look at the long history of King Kong films, starting with the 1933 original, but also the 1976 and 2005 remakes, Son of Kong, King Kong vs Godzilla, King Kong Lives and, even, some lost Japanese Kong movies.
As always, things are rounded off with pitches for what the next entry in the King Kong franchise should have been.

Listen on:
iTunes
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PlayerFM

Films covered in this episode:

King Kong (1933)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 74%

Son of Kong
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%

King Kong vs. Godzilla
Allen: n/s
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

King Kong (1976)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

King Kong (2005)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

We review Kong: Skull Island in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

39 - The Wolverine

Released 27/02/2017

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!

Logan is upon us and, so, we take the opportunity for a Wolverine retrospective, looking at X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine and Hugh Jackman's role in the X-Men films to date, including X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. Also discussed are the future of the franchise - will there be a Deadpool crossover? (Probably not).
And, as always, we round things off with pitches for what the next Wolverine movie should be.

Films covered in this episode:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

The Wolverine
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Episodes in the X-Men series:
"The Wolverine"
"Deadpool"

We review Logan in:
"Review of the Year 2017: 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"

37 - Thunderball

Released 13/02/2017

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!

Finally, Diminishing Returns makes its long-awaited return to the James Bond franchise! In this episode, the hosts (Allen Turing, Sol Harris and YouTube's premiere James Bond reviewer: Calvin Dyson) look at the 4th entry in the 007 series, Thunderball, before pitching their own ideas for direct sequels that could have been. Somehow, Frasier manages to sneak back into the mix, too, just like it did in last week's Fifty Shades of Grey episode.

Films covered in this episode:

Thunderball
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%

Episodes in the James Bond series:
"Dr. No"
"From Russia with Love"
"Goldfinger"
"Thunderball"
"You Only Live Twice"
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
"Diamonds Are Forever"
"Live and Let Die"
“The Man with the Golden Gun”
“The Spy Who Loved Me”

36 - Fifty Shades of Grey

Released 06/02/2017

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!

In which we learn far more than anybody wanted about the show's three hosts and what they choose to do with their bodies. With the impending release of Fifty Shades Darker, the Diminishing Returns gang take a look at Fifty Shades of Grey - the book and the film - and, as usual, pitch their own ideas for the sequel.

As if 50 Shades and the hosts' sex-lives weren't enough, the discussion also repeatedly turns towards Kelsey Grammer for some reason, culminating in a bonus pitch at the end; this time, for an episode of Frasier.

Films covered in this episode:

Fifty Shades of Grey
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰
Sol: ½
Overall score: 24%

Episodes in the Fifty Shades of Grey series:
"Fifty Shades of Grey"
"Fifty Shades Darker"

We review Fifty Shades Darker in:
"Review of the Year 2017: Part 1"

Cut material from this episode's recording session can be heard in:
"So It's Come to This: A Diminishing Returns Outtakes Show"