Oscar Wild
Film, TV & Pop Culture
About
Oscar Wild is an entertainment podcast where Sophia Ciminello and Nick Ruhrkraut discuss the latest in film from new releases to old favorites, always counting down to next year's Oscars.
Episodes
- 2026 Cannes Film Festival Preview
Nick and Sophia preview the 79th Cannes Film Festival, discussing the jury and anticipated films from sections like In Competition and Un Certain Regard. They also plan to review films during the festival and discuss potential Oscar conten…
- Oscar Rewind: 2016 Oscars ('La La Land' and 'Moonlight')
Oscar Wild hosts Sophia and Nick revisit the 89th Academy Awards, discussing the films Moonlight and La La Land on their 10th anniversary and the Envelopegate incident. They also answer listener questions about the ceremony and the films'…
- “One Oscar After Another”: Our Recap of the 98th Academy Awards (feat. Bennett Prosser)
This episode recaps the 98th Academy Awards, noting Ryan Coogler and Paul Thomas Anderson
- 2026 Final Oscar Predictions
Nick and Sophia from Oscar Wild share their final predictions for the 2026 Oscars, covering all 24 categories. They break down their predictions into "In The Bag," "Toss Up," and "Anybody's Guess" segments and discuss their Best Picture pr…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders VII: Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Director, and Picture
In the final Contenders episode, Sophia and Nick analyze the nominees for Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Casting, Director, and Best Picture, covering the last five categories of the season.
- 2026 Oscar Contenders VI: Actor and Actress
Sophia and Nick follow up their chat about the wonderful Oscar-nominated supporting performances with their leading counterparts, which leave an equally indelible mark on this year’s awards season. The ten nominees in Actor and Actress (22…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders V: Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress
You know the Oscars are near when it’s time for the above the line categories! Nick and Sophia continue their Contenders series with Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress (34:39), getting to highlight some of their favorite performances…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders IV: International Feature, Documentary Feature, Animated Feature, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Documentary Short Film
A mega episode covering 15 feature films and 15 short films calls for plenty of homework and a whole lot of fun. The big nominee getters are just as exciting of watches as this group of films Sophia and Nick discuss today, two-thirds of wh…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders III: Film Editing, Cinematography, and Visual Effects
Dive deeper into this year’s Oscar nominees as Nick and Sophia break down three more technical categories: Film Editing, Cinematography (23:03), and Visual Effects (41:14). Whether you gush over aspect ratios or have no idea how digital ef…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders II: Original Song, Original Score, and Sound (feat. Bennett Prosser)
The second part of the Contenders Series dives into the audio component of the cinematic experience and features frequent guest and Original Song aficionado, Bennett Prosser. Sophia and Nick are excited to hear about all of his insights in…
- 2026 Oscar Contenders I: Makeup and Hairstyling, Costume Design, and Production Design
Now that this year’s crop of Oscar nominees has been announced, follow along as Nick and Sophia embark on their extensive Contenders series leading up to the 98th Academy Awards in March. They discuss every person nominated for every film…
- 2026 Oscar Nominations Predictions
We’re just days away from one of the most exciting announcements that will surely change many lives forever. Sophia and Nick lock in as they announce and defend their final Oscar nomination predictions, so listen to find out who could be o…
- 2026 Golden Globes Recap & Guild Updates
Only one more week until Oscar nominations! And to prepare with some last minute prediction changes, Nick and Sophia are back to recap the Golden Globes and share the many guild updates that happened since the Critics Choice Awards. So sit…
- 2026 Movie Preview Special
Flipping the first few pages on that crisp calendar symbolizes the start of something new (no toxic mom group drama here!), including a fresh start, a much needed detox, and another exciting Criterion Challenge underway. It also means an e…
- Our Favorite Movies of 2025
As the countdown changes to this year’s Oscars, Nick and Sophia look back on another wonderful year of film with plenty of ups and downs. Check out all of their episodes out for a deeper dive into some of their noted watches and mentions o…
- 2026 Oscar Shortlists Recap (ft. Bennett Prosser)
Between critics groups and different awards bodies, we can finally glean some much needed information about the Academy’s true love love from this year’s diverse slate of films. How predictable will the list of inaugural Best Casting nomin…
- Awards Season Check-In: Critics Prizes, The Gotham Awards & Golden Globe Nominations
The first set of big critics prizes, including NYFCC, LAFCA, NBR, and AFI, have arrived along with the Gotham Awards winners and nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and Golden Globes (a mouthful!), all showing a clear consens…
- ‘Wicked: For Good’ Review (feat. Connor and Dylan MacDowell)
It’s been a clock tick since DRAMA.’s Connor and Dylan MacDowell have joined Sophia and Nick on the pod, so what better way to rejoicify than by discussing the movie adaptation of Act II of the thrillifying musical, Wicked . Some may call…
- Fall Release Round-Up: ‘Bugonia,’ ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘Die My Love,’ and ‘Jay Kelly’
Sophia and Nick are excited to chat about some buzzy films that have delighted festival audiences throughout the year and now have had wider releases for more to enjoy. But first, they mention some industry updates, including the Gotham Aw…
- Frequent Cinematic Collaborators (& Lovers): Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart
Old Hollywood is full of hot gossip and today, Nick and Sophia are here to spill all of the piping hot tea between Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Their romance began as a Warner Bros. production on the set of their first collaboration,…
- Updated 2026 Oscar Nomination Predictions
Welcome to the first purgatory of awards season: the period after fall festivals have ended and before the first set of major nominations and awards have been announced (except for the Gotham Film Awards nominations which came out last wee…
- Frequent Cinematic Collaborators: Alfred Hitchcock & Edith Head
As another Halloween approaches, Sophia and Nick are excited to celebrate Hitchcock-tober once again! This time, they marvel at the outstanding collaboration between the famed director and the costume designer with the most Oscar nominatio…
- The 63rd New York Film Festival Week Two Recap
This year’s NYFF may have concluded but Nick and Sophia are back to chat about many of the other films that made up this year’s incredible slate! From documentaries such as Cover-Up , another riveting portrait made by Laura Poitras and Mar…
- The 63rd New York Film Festival Week One Recap
The return of pumpkin spice lattes on every corner might be the biggest sign that fall has returned, but for Sophia and Nick, the crisp air and earlier sunsets can only mean one thing: the New York Film Festival is back! They are excited t…
- ‘One Battle After Another’ Review
The most anticipated release of the year for many has finally arrived! Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest work, One Battle After Another , kept mostly under wraps until recently, is a feat of a true artist and lives up to its many expectations.…
- Fall Festival Recap 2025: Venice, Telluride, and Toronto
Happy TIFFty! With festival season in full swing, Sophia and Nick are back to share updates about big award winners and plenty of first-hand insights from multiple festivals. Bennett Prosser joins them to discuss Venice, Telluride, and TIF…
- 2025 Fall Festival Movie Preview
The best time of year is quickly approaching and you know what Sophia and Nick are counting down to… Fall festival slates have been (mostly) revealed and with trailers and release dates also being shared, it’s time to figure out which film…
- Oscar Rewind: The 1965 Oscars (‘The Sound of Music’)
Sixty years later and the hills are still very much alive with the sound of music! In fact, Maria helped the Trapp Family (yes, based on a real singing family) live on through her memoir which was adapted into the Rodgers and Hammerstein m…
- Summer 2025 Release Round-Up
From Pedro Pascal stretching his limbs to blue cartoon creatures wreaking havoc in their worlds, movies this summer have provided audiences some much needed relief from the intense heat and some hope for the future of theater releases than…
- 'Mad Max: Fury Road' at 10 (feat. Kyle Buchanan)
If you’re an action, adventure, or adrenaline junkie, then surely you’ve heard of or seen the insanity that is Mad Max: Fury Road . George Miller ratchets the dial well past its maximum setting in his fourth installment of a saga he hadn’t…
- Oscars of the Decade So Far
Sophia and Nick celebrate five years of the podcast and being halfway through the 2020s by awarding the Oscar Wild Oscars of the Decade So Far! Play along in traditional categories like Supporting and Lead Acting, Director, and Picture, wh…
- The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)
Even though the midway point of this decade passed when the ball dropped on New Year’s Day (yeah, a chill went down my spine, too), Nick and Sophia spend today’s new episode honoring some of the best films of the 21st Century (so far) afte…
- Oscar Rewind: ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at 20
After 20 years, the shock of Brokeback Mountain losing Best Picture still stings just as much. Ang Lee’s beautiful and affecting western about finding love in a hopeless place is grounded by expert craftsmanship and nuanced performances. L…
- ‘Materialists’ Review + Very Early 2026 Oscar Predictions
Is it true that “Love don’t cost a thing” or could J.Lo just have been jaded by a materialistic lover? Nick and Sophia ponder this question as they review and react to Celine Song’s latest feature, Materialists , before diving into spoiler…
- Steven Spielberg and John Williams: ‘Jaws’ at 50
This cinematic collaboration may be one of the most beloved, well-known pairings in all of Hollywood history. From the instantly recognizable two- actually three!- notes Sophia and Nick discuss in depth later on to the far off lands you’ll…
- After Dark Preview: ’Suspiria’
“I love limes. They’re so great, I love them so much.” [insert your favorite Dakota Johnson quote here] This week’s new episode began as a celebration of Dakota Johnson’s career in preparation for Materialists opening next week, but shifte…
- 78th Cannes Film Festival Recap
Another awards season has begun in the most elegant of fashions with some of cinema’s finest (no small thanks to Jury President Juliette Binoche). Sophia and Nick are excited to recap this 78th rendition of the Cannes Film Festival includi…
- Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune: ‘Rashomon’ & ‘High and Low’
With another great season comes great responsibility…to craft an entertaining theme that showcases a new crop of Oscar nominees and winners. For season six, Nick and Sophia are excited to announce a series on frequent cinematic collaborato…
- Remembering James Dean 70 Years Later: ‘East of Eden’ and ‘Rebel Without a Cause’
A life lost way too soon at 24 years old, James Dean will always be remembered as one of Hollywood’s greatest actors. Add to that feat the fact that he only had leading roles in three films and his potential becomes infinitely more devasta…
- ’Sinners’ Review + Other Early 2025 Releases
With summer right around the corner, Nick and Sophia recap 2025 releases thus far to highlight some of their recommendations and analyze the dynamic state of Hollywood. First, they announce some recent Oscar changes and category updates. T…
- ‘Almost Famous’ at 25
Welcome back to Oscar Wild’s sixth season! Sophia and Nick are excited to premiere with a film they both love, one about responsibility and passion and art and rock music: Almost Famous . What do they love about it? In the famous words of…
- Our Recap of the 97th Academy Awards
And that's a wrap on the 97th Academy Awards and Season 5 of Oscar Wild! Listen as Nick and Sophia recap the exciting ceremony and relive all of the performances, surprises, and WTF moments. They share all of their opinions and fun new sta…
- Final 2025 Oscar Predictions
After an unexpectedly wild awards season, Sophia and Nick are excited to share their final Oscar predictions. Like in previous years, they break up all 23 categories into three groups: In the Bag, Toss Up (11:38), and Anybody’s Guess (38:5…
- Oscar Contenders VI: Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay, Director, Picture
Here’s to the final installment in this year’s Oscar Contenders series, when Nick and Sophia discuss each nominee in the final four above-the-line categories. They share their write-in votes along with some fun facts for: Adapted Screenpla…
- Oscar Contenders V: International Feature, Documentary Feature, Animated Feature, Live Action Short, Animated Short, and Documentary Short
If you’re following along in the Contenders series, you’ve heard about some films three, four, or even eight times! Today though, Sophia and Nick discuss a whole new slate of movies save for three. For feature films, they share the signifi…
- Oscar Contenders IV: Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Actor, Actress
In nearing the halfway point of the Contenders series, it’s time to focus on the wonderful performances nominated this year! Listen as Nick and Sophia break down the following categories while also sharing their favorite scenes they hope w…
- Oscar Contenders III: Makeup and Hairstyling, Costume Design, Production Design, and Visual Effects
For the final crafts related Contenders episode, Sophia and Nick share all of the fun looks and designs, including practical and digital effects, in building out all of these imaginative, Oscar-nominated worlds. Listen to find out more abo…
- Oscar Contenders II: Cinematography and Film Editing
For their continued discussion of the craft categories, Nick and Sophia look at two of their favorite technical aspects in moviemaking: Cinematography and Film Editing (38:05). Listen as they talk through each nominee and share captivating…
- Oscar Contenders I: Original Song, Original Score, Sound (feat. Bennett Prosser)
With the final countdown to the Oscars underway, it’s time once again for the most thorough series on this year’s nominees! Sophia and Nick begin with the sonic categories to not only hear from their expert song guest, Bennett Prosser, but…
- 2025 Oscar Nominations Reactions
The race to the 97th Academy Awards has officially begun! Nick and Sophia are excited to discuss all of their reactions, ecstatic and mournful, to the Oscar nominees being announced a few days ago. Listen to hear about all of the Best Pict…