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.
Guest: Gareth Allen
Films covered in this episode:
The Terminator
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Gareth: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 87%
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Gareth: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 87%
In 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).
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Films covered in this episode:
Zombieland
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%
We 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).
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Films (and TV) covered in this episode:
The Addams Family (1964 series)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%
The Addams Family (1973 series)
Allen: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
Halloween with the New Addams Family
Allen: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%
The Addams Family (1991)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 75%
Addams Family Values
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%
Addams Family Reunion
Allen: ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 20%
The New Addams Family
Allen: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
Another 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.
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Guest: Gareth Allen
Films covered in this episode:
Rambo III
Allen: ✰ ½
Gareth: ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 27%
Rambo
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Gareth: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 47%
Diminishing 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.
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Guest: Gareth Allen
Films covered in this episode:
First Blood
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Gareth: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 80%
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Gareth: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 44%
We 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.
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
TV shows covered in this episode:
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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Guest: Calvin Dyson
Films covered in this episode:
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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Guests: Calvin Dyson, Dan Straw and Conor Murray
Films covered in this episode:
Fifty Shades of Black
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%
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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Films covered in this episode:
The World’s End
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
The 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
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
Films covered in this episode:
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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Films covered in this episode:
Shaun of the Dead
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 100%
Note: rating was later revised when Calvin added his score in our first live episode
We 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!)
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Films covered in this episode:
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Allen: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%
Bet 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.
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
Films covered in this episode:
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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Films covered in this episode:
The Mask
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 75%
Son of the Mask
Allen: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%
This is The Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaask!
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
Films covered in this episode:
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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Guest: Judey Bignell
Films covered in this episode:
The Iron Giant
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Judey: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%
In 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 Giant.
Head to patreon.com/dimreturns to take part in our future episode polls!
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
Films covered in this episode:
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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Guest: Judey Bignell
Films covered in this episode:
Men in Black
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%
Men in Black II
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%
Men in Black 3
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%
We 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.
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Guest: Calvin Dyson
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%
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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Guest: Calvin Dyson
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%
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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