Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Jessica Regan Episode 312. Star Trek The Next Generation: Chain of Command Released 1 May 2024 Today we watched the two-part story “Chain of Command”, the tenth and eleventh episodes of The Next Generation’s sixth season, and the last two episodes transmitted before the start of the spin-off show Deep S…

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Garrett Millerick Episode 311. Star Trek (TOS): This Side of Paradise Released 24 April 2024 “This Side of Paradise” is the 24th episode of the first season of Star Trek, first shown on 2 March 1967. It was written by Jerry Sohl and DC Fontana and directed by Ralph Senensky. Star Trek theme with lyrics …

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Joy Wilkinson Episode 310. Star Trek: The City on the Edge of Forever Released 17 April 2024 Today we watched “The City on the Edge of Forever”, the 28th episode of the original Star Trek’s first season. The script is credited to science fiction author Harlan Ellison, and the director was Joseph Pevney.…

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Dan Starkey Episode 309. Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark Released 10 April 2024 “The Devil in the Dark” is the 25th episode of the original Star Trek, from its first season. It was written by producer Gene L Coon and directed by Joseph Pevney, and it was first shown on NBC on 9 March 1967. Thanks to sp…

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Andy Stanton Episode 308. Star Trek The Next Generation: Tapestry Released 3 April 2024 “Tapestry” is the 15th episode in TNG’s excellent sixth season, featuring recurring character Q, first introduced in the pilot episode. It was written by Ronald Moore, directed by Les Landau and first shown on 15 Feb…

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guest Natalie Bochenski Episode 307. Star Trek (TOS): The Enemy Within Released 27 March 2024 “The Enemy Within” is the fifth episode of the first season of Star Trek, first shown on 6 October 1966. It was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Leo Penn. This begins a short season of episodes looking at …

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky The Oscars 2024 Released 12 March 2024 Following an unsuccessful attempt to record an episode immediately following the transmission of the 96th Academy Awards on ITV, we reconvened a couple of days later with hopefully more coherent thoughts. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the us…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 95.1: Oscar Nominations 2024 Released 23 January 2024 For this episode, we briefly discuss the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards, which were announced today by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, …

Best Pick with John Dorney, Tom Salinsky and special guest Natalie Bochenski Doctor Who Specials #4: The Church on Ruby Road Released 30 December 2023 For this episode, we open our Christmas presents only to discover that a goblin has sabotaged our stocking by wiring it up to the mains. Luckily, Natalie Bochenski from the Raven On Podcast is coming…

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 trifec…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Tom Salinsky and special guest Natalie Bochenski Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials #3: The Giggle Released 12 December 2023 For this episode, we fracture into two different incarnations, one right here on Best Pick, and the other over on Natalie Bochenski’s Raven On podcast. Which of us would you like to imagine is dr…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Tom Salinsky and special guest Natalie Bochenski Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials #2: Wild Blue Yonder Released 4 December 2023 For this episode, we once again were joined by Natalie Bochenski’s who provides all sorts of jokes, insights and perspectives, even while we continue to be cruelly denied the same from Stuar…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Tom Salinsky and special guest Natalie Bochenski Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials #1: The Star Beast Released 28 November 2023 For this episode, Best Pick joined forces with Natalie Bochenski’s Raven On podcast, not least in part because the irreplaceable Stuart Layt can no longer recap Doctor Who with her. https://p…

Best Pick with Tom Salinsky and special guests Pamela Ribon and Sara Gunnarsdóttir My Year of Dicks: Road to the Oscars Released 5 April 2023 For this episode, Tom spoke to screenwriter Pamela Ribon and director Sara Gunnarsdóttir whose short animated film My Year of Dicks made it all the way to the Dolby Theatre. Mind Game trailer https://youtu.be…

Best Pick with John Dorney and Tom Salinsky Oscars 2023 Released 14 March 2023 For this episode, we quickly reviewed the 95th Oscars which took place at the Dolby Theatre on 13 March 2023. 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/3zFN…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 235.5: Oscar nominations 2023 Released 25 January 2023 For this episode, we quickly reviewed the Oscar nominations which were announced on 24 January 2023 by Allison Williams and Riz Ahmed. BEST PICK – the book is out now from all the usual places, including… From the publisher http…

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 …

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 235: Gas Food Lodging Released 14 December 2022 For this episode, we watched 1991 American indie Gas Food Lodging, written and directed by Allison Anders (based on the book by Richard Peck). She assembled an amazing cast, led by Brooke Adams, Ione Skye, Fairuza Balk and James Brolin…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 234: The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists! Released 30 November 2022 For this episode, we watched the 2012 stop-motion animated film The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists! adapted from his book by Gideon Defoe, directed by Peter Lord and starring the voices of Hugh Gr…

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 233: The Iron Giant Released 16 November 2022 For this episode, we watched 1999’s The Iron Giant based on Ted Hughes’s book The Iron Man. The screenplay was by Tim McCanlies and Brad Bird, who also directed. The voice cast includes Eli Marienthal, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr,…

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 …

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 …

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 le…

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 Edwar…

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, T…