Sophia Ciminello & Nick Ruhrkraut
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.
9h ago
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 nominees be? Will Neon be able to successfully nominate all five of the international films in their slate? What were the biggest surprises announced? And most importantly, will Diane Warren earn her 17th (!!!) nomination? Tune in for this and much more as Sophia and Nick debate and analyze all 12 feature film shortlists with frequent guest and Original Song extraordinaire, Bennett Prosser. Follow Bennett on Letterboxd and Bluesky @bennettprosser Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Find bonus content on our Patreon @ patreon.com/OscarWild More content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich
Dec 12
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 consensus and complete rallying behind One Battle After Another . To talk about all of these important awards season updates, Nick and Sophia are excited to welcome back returning guest Bennett Prosser. They discuss all the trends and possibilities with Best Picture contenders, who’s on the bubble, and which films have lost the most steam. With Rose Byrne winning the trifecta and Supporting Actress a tossup, it’s still anyone’s ball game. Will Diane Warren receive another nomination for Original Song? Listen for plenty of hot goss and tune back in next week when they discuss the Oscar Shortlists! Follow Bennett on Letterboxd and Bluesky @bennettprosser Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Find bonus content on our Patreon @ patreon.com/OscarWild More content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich
Nov 28
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 it hideoteous, but the box office numbers show a very different story. Elphaba and Glinda’s troubled friendship is further examined in Wicked: For Good , especially under the tyrannical rule of the Wizard and Madame Morrible. Listen as they all share their opinions of the follow-up along with an in-depth discussion of the songs, including the two new ones, scenes, performances, and more. What did and didn’t work? What from the stage adaptation was altered? Does it have Oscar potential? Tune in to find out all of this and more during their hilarious chat! Follow DRAMA. at @thedramapodcast Follow Connor MacDowell @ConnorMacDowell Follow Dylan MacDowell @dylanmacdowell Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Follow Sophia @sophia_cim More content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich
Nov 21
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 Awards nominations and tribute winners and if these are a barometer for what’s to come. Then, they share their spoiler-free opinions on Bugonia , Frankenstein , Die My Love , and Jay Kelly (streaming on Netflix December 5th) and see what Oscar potential they might have. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich More content including updated predictions and merch @ oscarwild.squarespace.com
Nov 14
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, To Have and Have Not , and continued until Bogart’s passing 13 years later. Listen to this juicy episode to hear all about their secret affair, how Bacall almost lost her contract way before she became a household name, and a discussion of the other three films on which they worked together, including: The Big Sleep , Dark Passage , and Key Largo . Comment if you think they deserved to earn Oscar nominations for any of these films! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich More content including updated predictions and merch @ oscarwild.squarespace.com
Nov 7
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 week). Since Sophia and Nick haven’t shared their Oscar predictions on the show since June and collectively they’ve seen most of the remaining 2025 releases, they figured it’s time to share their updated picks on air. Remember, you can always find them including more categories here ! Listen to find out how they think Picture, Director, and all Acting categories will shake out. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich
Oct 24
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 nominations and wins, Edith Head. Their eleven films together spanned three decades, multiple studios, and the transition from B/W to color. Listen to find out how Head uses different materials and colors to create looks that accentuate an actor’s figure, develop a character’s identity, and provide narrative function, all the while dazzling audience with unforgettable designs. Should she have been nominated for more than just To Catch a Thief? From Notorious (1946) to Topaz (1976), which is your favorite collaboration between them? *Note: If you’ve never seen Vertigo and do NOT want it spoiled, skip ahead from (36:46) to (38:55) for a more general appreciation of the film’s costumes. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich More content including updated predictions and merch @ oscarwild.squarespace.com
Oct 17
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 Mark Obenhaus, to international dramas, like Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winning It Was Just an Accident or Oliver Laxe’s divisive and hellish rave, Sirāt , there’s always a vast array of filmmaking styles on display. Listen for more titles, what they think will show up during this year’s Oscar race, and what secret screening turned out to be Chalam-azing! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok @oscarwildpod Follow Nick @sauerkraut27 Follow Sophia @sophia_cim Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich More content including updated predictions and merch @ oscarwild.squarespace.com