Best Pick

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 232: Toy Story 3 Released 2 November 2022 For this episode we watched the 2010 Pixar sequel Toy Story 3, one of a handful of animated movies to be nominated for Best Picture. The screenplay is by Michael Arndt, from a story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, who also directed. Returning to their familiar characters are voice actors Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack and John Morris and the guest cast includes Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton and Timothy Dalton. The film cost $200 million to make and took over five times that at the box office. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%. Thom Tuck Goes Straight to DVD https://www.gofasterstripe.com/cgi-bin/w.cgi?showfull=36670 https://www.thedisneyclassics.com/blog/toy-story-real-toys BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 231: Mulholland Drive Released 19 October 2022 For this episode, we watched the 2001 David Lynch film Mulholland Drive, starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Robert Forster and Ann Miller. This film began life as a TV pilot and was eventually repurposed by Lynch as a one-off feature film. It was suggested by Patreon supporter Joel Aarons, made it on to our shortlist and came top of our Patreon poll, by a narrow margin. https://crooked.com/podcast/bros-dont-prefer-blonde-w-isabella-rossellini/ Brand New Cherry Flavor https://youtu.be/wOzM3c33TVg Mel Gibson interview https://youtu.be/PdYjnIDfi9Q David Lynch’s sitcom https://youtu.be/YdfTQ29sca8 Mulholland Drive explained https://youtu.be/VvgRLTP3U5Y BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 230: Cactus Flower Released 5 October 2022 For this episode, we watched the 1969 comedy Cactus Flower, written by IAL Diamond from the Broadway play by Abe Burrows, itself based on a French play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy. The director was Gene Saks and the cast was led by Walther Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in what was essentially her first film role. It took $25m at the box office, over eight times its budget and it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%. Goldie Hawn on Laugh In https://youtu.be/TfmmcEVt8Vg Barry Nelson in The Shining https://youtu.be/-sLVxrT8tdw Springtime for Hitler redux https://youtu.be/1zY1orxW8Aw Good Morning World https://youtu.be/xliXkuZWWAg Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell https://youtu.be/aKqOMSDNviA BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.t

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 229: RoboCop Released 21 September 2022 For this episode, we watched class eighties action flick RoboCop, but despite the trashy title this is film which hides a great deal of cleverness and even heart under its brutality, bloodletting and general excess. The script was by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, and it was the first American film for Dutch director Paul Verhoeven. It cost about $14 million to make, it took over $50 million at the box office and it picked up two competitive Oscar nominations and a special award for its sound. https://lithub.com/on-hilary-mantels-birthday-please-enjoy-her-1988-review-of-robocop/ Buckaroo Banzai https://youtu.be/RdanCNK4ayo Turkish Delight https://youtu.be/tK1wZt6MzI8 Robocop cartoon https://youtu.be/Yp4Sqn0eX_Q “John Murphy” https://youtu.be/lZd2YyuRaug?t=132 Smooth animation https://youtu.be/8ln11zEWW4U Militarised police https://youtu.be/WYdi1bL6s10?t=392 BEST PICK – the book is out now from all

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 228: A League of Their Own Released 7 September 2022 For this episode, we watched A League of Their Own, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel from a story by Kelly Candaele and Kim Wilson. Penny Marshall directed and the cast includes Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Hanks and Madonna. It was made for a budget of $40 million and it took $132 million at the box office. It received no Oscar nominations and it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 81%. A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime https://youtu.be/H8qMhtkB18k Bosom Buddies https://youtu.be/K2gCfwILUVc Mazes and Monsters https://youtu.be/fVR_gyUpB0I Tom Hanks as Woody https://youtu.be/73fbb4O5dpU Hanks vs Ross https://youtu.be/z_9BcMI_xbg?t=525 https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/957108/tom-hanks-rita-wilson-and-a-qanon-conspiracy-theory David S Pumpkins https://youtu.be/rS00xWnqwvI Rap Song https://youtu.be/ATFy2YLT504 Black Jeopardy https://youtu.be/O7VaXlMvAvk That T

Best Pick with Deborah Frances-White, Jessica Regan and special guest Emma Holly Jones Episode 227.5: Mr Malcolm’s List Released 26 August 2022 Mr Malcolm’s List is based on the novel by Suzanne Allain and directed by Emma Holly Jones. The film stars Freida Pinto, Sope Dirisu, Zawe Ashton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen Ashley Park and Theo James. It’s a period drama with a very modern feel and after a special screening, The Guilty Feminist’s Deborah and our own Jessica Regan sat down with its director Emma Holly Jones. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-pick-john-dorney/1139956434 Audio book https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Best-Pick-Audiobook/B09SBMX1V4 To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook group

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and special guest Joy Wilkinson Episode 227: Apocalypto Released 24 August 2022 For this episode, we were joined by filmmaker Joy Wilkinson who brought us, of all things, a Mel Gibson film. Apocalypto was written by Farhad Safinia and Gibson directed by Gibson. It is a Mayan-language adventure film with a cast of unknowns. It cost $40m to make and brought in $120m at the box office, with decent reviews and Oscar nominations for its Makeup, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. It has a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. https://twitter.com/joyofSE19 The Professor and the Madman. https://youtu.be/8UG0-caYLfc The Surgeon of Crowthorne https://amzn.to/3AcqLto Cher knows her Hamlet https://youtu.be/ss6K1A0oC4g BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/978153

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and special guest Nat Luurtsema Episode 225: The Shawshank Redemption Released 10 August 2022 For this episode, we were joined by writer, actor and comedian Nat Luurtsema who has brought us the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, written and directed by Frank Darabont who adapted it from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. The stars are Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and despite seven Oscar nominations it was somewhat of a box office disappointment, but it developed a second lease of life on VHS and subsequently on DVD, and it has a permanent position at the top of the IMDb top 250. https://twitter.com/natluurtsema https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Nat-Luurtsema/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ANat+Luurtsema https://www.avclub.com/read-this-a-darkly-comedic-seinfeld-spec-script-set-da-1798250195 BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and special guest Gabriella Geisinger Episode 225: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Released 27 July 2022 For this episode, we were joined by the Deputy Movies Editor of Digital Spy Gabriella Geisinger who brought us the 2019 film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood which tells the story of a lightly-fictionalised journalist played by Matthew Rhys meeting real life living legend of children’s television Fred Rogers, played by Tom Hanks. The script was by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, based on the Esquire article by Tom Junod and it was directed by Marielle Heller. It was nominated for a single Academy Award, Best Actor for Hanks, but he was defeated by Joaquin Phoenix. https://twitter.com/gmgeisinger https://www.digitalspy.com Tex Richman extended https://youtu.be/I8lyQhTU--0 Kukla, Fran and Ollie https://youtu.be/LwjYb5xhGuU Duolingo for Talking to Children https://youtu.be/qsEsgp3H7CU Fred Rogers testifies to Congress https://youtu.be/fKy

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Peter Bradshaw Episode 224: Peter Bradshaw in conversation Released 12 July 2022 For this episode, Tom sat down with legendary film journalist Peter Bradshaw whose opinions about various Best Picture winners have been heard in previous episodes. Peter was a delight and it was very gracious of him to give up his time to talk to us about his favourite films, his attitude towards film criticism and why he owes his career to Tory MP Alan Clark. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Films-That-Made-Me/dp/1448217555 https://web.archive.org/web/20151222142541/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012/voter/206 Meg Ryan vs Michael Parkinson https://youtu.be/blpq-Iwu25s Our original Best of the Best episode https://pod.fo/e/cb1b5 Shakespeare meets Marlowe https://youtu.be/FTuQYgVHyg4 BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.c

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and guests Anthony Asbury, Sue Dacre, Nigel Plaskitt and Robert Tygner Episode 223: Mean Green Mother From Outer Space Released 29 June 2022 For this episode, we took a deep dive into the creation of one scene in the movie Little Shop of Horrors. The movie was directed by Frank Oz, adapted by Howard Ashman from his off-Broadway play, with music by Alan Menken. In the climactic scene, the malevolent flesh-eating plant Audrey II has grown to 12 feet high and poor benighted Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) is engaged in a battle to the death. Thus begins the song “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space” which was nominated for an Oscar. Every aspect of Audrey II was brought to life on set with a vast team of puppeteers working behind (and very often underneath) the scenes. You can hear how this all worked from plant performers Anthony Asbury, Sue Dacre, Nigel Plaskitt and Robert Tygner. Mean Green Mother https://youtu.be/mQJagD96X8U?t=16 https://montyandco.co.uk https://www.puppetbarge.co

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 222: Goodfellas Released 15 June 2022 For this episode, we watched and talked over Martin Scorsese’s crime classic Goodfellas, based on the book Wise Guys by Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. Thelma Schoonmaker handled the editing, the cinematography was by Michael Ballhaus and the cast includes Ray Liotta, Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino. It cost $25m and made about $47m at the box office. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director and Joe Pesci won Best Supporting Actor. It has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-pick-john-dorney/1139956434

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 221: Jurassic Park Released 1 June 2022 For this episode, we watched and talked over Jurassic Park, from the book by Michael Crichton, with a screenplay by Crichton and David Koepp. The director was Steven Spielberg, leading a team of effects technicians headed by Michael Lantieri, Phil Tippet, Dennis Muren and Stan Winston. Human actors include Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough. It made over $900m on its first release from a budget of $63m and it picked up three Academy Awards for Sound, Sound Effects Editing and (natch) Visual Effects. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% “I’m the baby, gotta love me.” https://youtu.be/6y4qnQ0tEUE BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore htt

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 220: Top Gun Released 18 May 2022 For this episode, we watched and talked over Top Gun, the film which invented Tom Cruise. It also stars Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt and Val Kilmer. It was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr, directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. At the Oscars, it picked up Best Original Song from its four nominations and it currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 57%. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-pick-john-dorney/1139956434 Audio book https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Best-Pick-Audiobook/B09SBMX1V4 To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook grou

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 219: Triangle Released 4 May 2022 For this episode, we watched Triangle, a 2009 psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Smith and with Melissa George leading the cast. From its budget of $12m it made back less than $2m and it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80%. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-pick-john-dorney/1139956434 Audio book https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Best-Pick-Audiobook/B09SBMX1V4 To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook group, Tweet us on @bestpickpod or email us on bestpickpod@gmail.com. You can also Tweet us individually, @MrJohnDorney, @ItsJessRegan or @TomSalinsky. You should also visit

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 218: I’m Your Man Released 20 April 2022 For this episode, we watched I’m Your Man, the 2021 romantic drama with a sci-fi twist, written by Maria Schrader and Jan Schomburg, directed by Schrader and starring Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens and Sandra Hüller. At the Berlin International Film Festival, Maren Eggert won the prize for Best Leading Performance and the film was nominated for the Golden Bear. It has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A Clever Dummy (1917) https://youtu.be/4EGrrVl7nuk Four to Doomsday (Doctor Who) https://youtu.be/A1jFRMiil9U Ex Machina VFX https://youtu.be/BSlW7atT8CY The Chinese Room https://youtu.be/D0MD4sRHj1M Dan Stevens viral clip #1 https://youtu.be/ovIly_QFRiw Dan Stevens viral clip #2 https://youtu.be/EfRKTrST_rw The Mind’s I https://amzn.to/3xzS5kt Boston Dynamics https://youtu.be/aFuA50H9uek BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-boo

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 217: Flirting with Disaster Released 6 April 2022 For this episode, we watched Flirting with Disaster, the 1996 comedy written and directed by David O Russell and starring Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette and Tea Leoni. It cost $7m to make and produced a modest box office return of around $14m. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87%. David O Russell and Lily Tomlin https://youtu.be/7SG43wa7Alo https://twitter.com/PattyArquette The Hustler of Money https://youtu.be/aVk5Se6gVTE Elvis Stories https://youtu.be/pdgDsnValao Heat Vision and Jack https://youtu.be/6lWgXDOAJ5s Lookwell https://youtu.be/IraqNhvvpUU Mission Improbable https://youtu.be/QAHEsDoRFlk The Visitor https://youtu.be/3ODmxTlA6Sw BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/978

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 216.5: Oscars 2022 Released 28 March 2022 For this episode, we reviewed events at the 94th Academy Awards, which John and Tom watched live and which Jess caught up on when she awakened. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-pick-john-dorney/1139956434 Audio book https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Best-Pick-Audiobook/B09SBMX1V4 To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook group, Tweet us on @bestpickpod or email us on bestpickpod@gmail.com. You can also Tweet us individually, @MrJohnDorney, @ItsJessRegan or @TomSalinsky. You should also visit our website at https://bestpickpod.com and sign up to our mailing list to get notified as soon

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 216: Bicycle Thieves Released 23 March 2022 For this episode, we watched Bicycle Thieves, based on the novel by novel by Luigi Bartolini, with a screenplay by Cesare Zavattini and various others including the director Vittorio De Sica. The cast includes Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola and Lianella Carell and it won an honorary Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1949. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. The Icicle Thief https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yBtWtyMkdo Y voit rien https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyu2ELjeYMM https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/07/missing-movies-streaming-initiative https://play.acast.com/s/blindboy BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.barn

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 215: My Life as a Dog Released 9 March 2022 For this episode, we watched My Life as a Dog, based on the novel by Reidar Jönsson, who wrote the screenplay along with Brasse Brännström, Per Berglund and director Lasse Hallström. The cast includes Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Brömssen, Melinda Kinnaman, Anki Lidén. It was nominated for two Academy Awards – Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay – and it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Michael Caine wins his Oscar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuhXv2wBeiQ https://englishverse.com/poems/the_retreat https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/mylifeasadognrhinson_a0c973.htm BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US Amazon https://www.amzn.com/1538163101 UK bookstore https://www.waterstones.com/book/9781538163108 US bookstore https://www.