Diminishing Returns

It'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.

To 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!

In 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.

Bond 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....

What? 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...)

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.

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 prod...

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.

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! (Head to...

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 fea...

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).

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.

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!

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.

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!

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. 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

In 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

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...

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!

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).

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

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.

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.

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...

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.