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 nominated. Audrey Hepburn flogs Dove Chocolate. https://youtu.be/sB44n4ADg2Y Marilyn Monroe and...

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, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, and Lupita Nyong’o. As is fairly typical for this period, as well as...

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 – Bardem winning Best Supporting Actor. As well as the film winning Best Picture, the Coens...

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 was for the screenplay, but it was also nominated for its editing and Mortensen for Best Actor. ...

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, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer (nominated) with music by Alexandre Desplat (won) and...

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 Mahershala Ali. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three – Best Adapted...

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 acting awards. Eastwood was nominated as Best Actor but lost to Jamie Foxx. It was also...

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 nominations and won four awards including for its screenplay and its cinematography by Emmanuel...

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 including Best Supporting Actor for Arkin. David Kelly in Fawlty Towers...

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 well as Best Picture. Paperman https://youtu.be/Z4dIgUgYCxQ Harold Lloyd remakes Safety Last...

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 Paul Bettany, Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer. Music was by James Horner and the...

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 nine categories and it also won for its editing, sound mixing and sound editing. Next time we...

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, Ray Winstone and Vera Farmiga. As well as Best Picture, The Departed won three further Oscars,...

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 was nominated for six Academy Awards and it won three – Best Film Editing, Best Original...

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 McKellan, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis and many others. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and...