196 - A Quiet Place (with Conor Murray)

Guest: Conor Murray

Films covered in this episode:
A Quiet Place
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Conor: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

If 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.

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195 - The Big Lebowski

Films covered in this episode:
The Big Lebowski
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

It 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.

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194 - The Living Daylights (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:
The Living Daylights
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

We'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.

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193 - Valentine's Day Special: Boogie Nights (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:
Boogie Nights
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

Diminishing 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!.

Does covering a good film ruin the fun? No... Surprisingly, this episode is sexy as hell.

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!

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191 - Sonic the Hedgehog (with Conor Murray)

Guest: Conor Murray

Films covered in this episode:
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996)
Allen: n/s
Conor: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

In 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).

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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.

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189 - Doctor Dolittle (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%

Doctor Dolittle (1998)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

Dr. Dolittle 2
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

Dr. Dolittle 3
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 50%

Doctor Dolittle: Tail to the Chief
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 40%

Doctor Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 30%

Shitting 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!

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188 - Bad Boys (with Emily Slade)

Guest: Emily Slade

Films covered in this episode:
Bad Boys
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Emily: ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 67%

Bad Boys II
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Emily: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 64%

Bad 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.

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187 - Review of the Year 2019: Part II (with Calvin Dyson and Gareth Allen)

Guests: Calvin Dyson and Gareth Allen

Films covered in this episode:
The Lion King (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 40%

It: Chapter Two
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 45%

Downton Abbey (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

Rambo: Last Blood
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%

The Addams Family (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

Zombieland: Double Tap
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 80%

Terminator: Dark Fate
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Gareth: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%

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

Charlie’s Angels (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 55%

Star Wars: Episode IX -The Rise of Skywalker
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 55%

Continuing 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!

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186 - Review of the Year 2019 (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:
Mary Poppins Returns
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

Stan & Ollie
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 77%

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

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

Dumbo (2019)
Allen: ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 35%

Pet Sematary (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Hellboy (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

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

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 54%

Aladdin (2019)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Allen: ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 40%

Men in Black: International
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Toy Story 4
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/r
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 70%

Ho 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 ahead of actual Christmas. 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

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185 - Christmas Special: Home Alone (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:
Home Alone
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 50%

Home Alone 3
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 60%

Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House
Allen: ✰ ½
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 30%

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: n/s
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 65%

In a Christmas miracle, the Diminishing Returns gang take a surprisingly positive approach to the five Home Alone films, as selected for this year's Christmas special by the Diminishing Returns Patreon subscribers.

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184 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Diminishing 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 and The Rise of Skywalker.

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183 - Cats (with Emily Slade)

Guest: Emily Slade

Filmed stage-performances covered in this episode:

Cats (1998)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Emily: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰
Overall score: 57%

In 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!

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182 - A View to a Kill (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:

A View to a Kill
Allen: ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 60%

Diminishing 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).

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181 - 3 Men and a Baby (with Judey Bignell)

Guest: Judey Bignell

Films covered in this episode:

3 hommes et un couffin
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Judey: n/s
Sol: n/s
Overall score: 70%

3 Men and a Baby
Allen: ✰ ½
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 50%

3 Men and a Little Lady
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Judey: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰
Overall score: 54%

Judey Bignell's back for a look at 3 Men and a Baby and it's 1990 sequel. Why? Ask Allen.

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180 - Charlie's Angels (with Emily Slade)

Guest: Emily Slade

Films covered in this episode:

Charlie’s Angels
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Emily: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
Allen: ✰ ✰
Emily: ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ½
Overall score: 34%

This 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.

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179 - Joker

Films covered in this episode:

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

In 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.

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178 - Podcast of Horror IV: The Thing

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:

The Thing from Another World
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

The Thing (1982)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Overall score: 87%

The Thing (2011)
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 67%

It'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!

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177 - Dimishining Returns: The Shining (with Calvin Dyson)

Guest: Calvin Dyson

Films covered in this episode:

The Shining
Allen: ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Calvin: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ½
Sol: ✰ ✰ ½
Overall score: 70%

We'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.

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