The Best Pick movie podcast

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 97: Anora Released 21 January 2026 For this episode, we watched the 2024 Best Picture winner Anora , for which Sean Baker picked up a record-setting four Oscars, its fifth going to star Mikey Madison, who triumphed over hot favourite Demi Moore. Along the way we also take in some other films featuring erotic dancers. Tom's new podc...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 96: Oppenheimer Released 18 December 2024 For this episode, we watched the 2023 Best Picture winner Oppenheimer written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. The cast includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh and Josh Hartnett, with...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 95: Everything Everywhere All At Once Released 20 December 2023 For this episode, we watched the 2022 Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, written and directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert). It won a very impressive seven awards including the trifecta of Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and B...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 94: CODA (2021) Released 28 December 2022 For this episode, we watched the 2021 Best Picture winner CODA, written and directed by Sian Heder. It's a remake of the French film La Famille Belier and the stars are Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Daniel Durant and Troy Kotsur who won Best Supporting Actor and Heder also won for the screen...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 93: Nomadland (2020) Released 29 December 2021 For this episode, we watched Nomadland, written, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao, from the non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder. Among a cast of non-professional actors, the leads are Frances McDormand and David Strathairn. Musi...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 86: Parasite (2019) Released 5 May 2021 For this episode, we watched Parasite , the first film not in the English language ever to win Best Picture. Director Bong Joon-ho also won Best International Feature, Best Director and shared Best Original Screenplay with Han Jin-won giving it a total of four awards. None of its cast was nom...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky with special guest Kobi Omenaka Episode 58: Green Book (2018) Released 8 April 2020 For this episode, we watched Green Book , written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly and directed by Farrelly. It stars Vigo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali who won Best Supporting Actor. Apart from Best Picture, its only other Academy Award w...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and our special guest Sarah Bennetto Episode 53: The Shape of Water (2017) Released 29 January 2020 For this episode, we watched The Shape of Water , written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor (nominated) and directed by Del Toro (won). It starred Sally Hawkins (nominated), Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins (nominated), Doug Jones, Micha...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 74: Moonlight (2016) Released 18 November 2020 For this episode, we watched Moonlight , written by Barry Jenkins, based on the play by Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Jenkins, with cinematography by James Laxton and music by Nicholas Britell. The cast included Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris and M...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 90: Spotlight (2015) Released 30 June 2021 For this episode, we watched Spotlight , directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer. The stars were Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams (nominated), Mark Ruffalo (nominated), Brian d'Arcy James and Stanley Tucci. It was also nominated for its editing and McCarthy as Best D...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 79: Birdman (2014) Released 27 January 2021 For this episode, we watched Birdman , written by Alejandro G Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr and Armando Bó and directed by Iñárritu. The stars were Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough and Emma Stone. It received nine Academy Award no...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 82: 12 Years a Slave (2013) Released 10 March 2021 For this episode, we watched 12 Years A Slave , written by John Ridley, from the memoir by Solomon Northup. The director was Steve McQueen with music by Hans Zimmer and cinematography by Sean Bobbitt and the stars were Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pau...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky. Episode 55: Argo (2012) Released 26 February 2020 For this episode, we watched Argo , written by Chris Terrio, directed by Ben Affleck and starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Tate Donovan. As well as Best Picture, it won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. It was nominated in four other categories in...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky. Episode 40: The Artist (2011) Released 31 July 2019 For this episode, we watched The Artist , written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius with music by Ludovic Bource and starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. From ten nominations, it managed five awards, for Hazanavicius as director, for Dujardin, for its costumes and its score as wel...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 92: The King's Speech (2010) Released 28 July 2021 For this episode, we watched The Kings Speech , written by David Seider and directed by Tom Hooper. It starred Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and Guy Pearce and from a very impressive twelve Oscar nominations it scored four wins – for Colin Firth, for Tom Hooper a...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 76: The Hurt Locker (2009) Released 16 December 2020 For this episode, we watched The Hurt Locker , written by Mark Boal (won) and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (won). The stars were Jeremy Renner (nominated), Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy Pearce. In total it was nominated in nin...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 91: Slumdog Millionaire (2008) Released 14 July 2021 For this episode, we watched Slumdog Millionaire , written by Simon Beaufoy, from the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup. It was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapur and Irrfan Khan. It won a tremendous eight Oscars including for Danny Boyle as director...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 87: No Country for Old Men (1987) Released 19 May 2021 For this episode, we watched No Country for Old Men . This is the only film directed by the Coen Bros to win Best Picture, but the second of their four nominations in this category. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson and Kelly Macdonald...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 7: The Departed (2006) Released 25 April 2018. For this episode, we watched The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan, based on Infernal Affairs, written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, directed by Mak and Andrew Lau. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ra...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 12: Crash (2005) Released 4 July 2018. For this episode, we watched Crash, written by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco and directed by Haggis. It starred Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Terrance Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe and Larenz Tate. In total, Crash...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 80: Million Dollar Baby (2004) Released 10 February 2021 For this episode we watched Million Dollar Baby , written by Paul Haggis, based on stories by FX Toole. It was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Hilary Swank, Eastwood and Morgan Freeman. As well as Best Picture, Eastwood won Best Director and Swank and Freeman both won...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and special guest Felicity Ward Episode 70: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Released 23 September 2020 For this episode, we watched The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson from the book by JRR Tolkein. It was directed by Jackson and starred Elijah Wood, Ian McK...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky. Episode 38: Chicago (2002) Released 3 July 2019 For this episode, we watched Chicago , written by Bill Condon, from the musical play by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb, and the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. It was directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall and starred Renée Zellweger (nominated), Catherine Zeta-Jones (won), Richard Gere, John C...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan, Tom Salinsky and our special guest Thom Tuck Episode 89: A Beautiful Mind (2001) Released 16 June 2021 For this episode, we watched A Beautiful Mind , which won Oscars for its screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, its director Ron Howard and Jennifer Connelly as Best Supporting Actress. It did not win an Oscar for its star Russell Crowe and the cast also included...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 3: Gladiator (2000) Released 21 February 2018 For this episode, we watched Gladiator, written by David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen and Oliver Reed. As well as Best Picture, Russell Crowe won for Best Actor and it also won for Visual...