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...

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....

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 229: RoboCop Released 21 September 2022 For this episode, we watched classic eighties action flick RoboCop, but despite the trashy title this is a 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 214: Les Diaboliques Released 23 February 2022 For this episode, we watched Les Diaboliques, from the novel by Boileau and Narcejac. The screenplay is by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jérôme Géronimi and the director was Cluzot. The cast includes Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel. It won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for the Best Foreign Film of 1955, but it was completely overlooked at the...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 213: The Piano Released 9 February 2022 For this episode, we watched The Piano, written and directed by Jane Campion and produced by Jan Chapman. The cast includes Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin and Sam Neill and the music was by Michael Nyman. It was nominated for eight Oscars (including for Best Picture and Campion as Best Director) and won three. It also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes among a slew of other...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 212.5: Oscar nominations 2022 Released 9 February 2022 For this episode, we gave our initial thoughts on the nominees for the 94th Academy Awards which were announced yesterday. Love of Cinema podcast https://podfollow.com/picturehouse-podcast BEST PICK – the book is out in February 2022 and is available now for pre-order. From the publisher https://tinyurl.com/best-pick-book-rowman UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3zFNATI US...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 212: American Psycho Released 26 January 2022 For this episode, we watched American Psycho, adapted from the novel by Bret Easton Ellis with a screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner, and directed by Harron. The cast includes Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas and Samantha Mathis and it made $34m from its $7m budget. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 69%. Hatchet for the Honeymoon...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 211: Titus Released 12 January 2022 For this episode, we watched Titus, Julie Taymor’s 1999 adaptation of Shakesepeare’s play Titus Andronicus. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming and Colm Feore and it was not a box office success, earning less than $3m from its $18m budget. Nor was it a big success at the Academy Awards where it was nominated only for its costumes, where it lost to Mike Leigh’s...

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. Music is by Ludovico Einaudi. From six nominations, it won three awards: Best Director for Zhao,...