Oscar Wild

With Halloween upon us, what better way to celebrate the best of the horror genre than to host our very own Horror Oscars! It's no secret that scary movies and performances aren't usually recognized at The Oscars, so Nick and Sophia decided to right some wrongs and share their own picks. The only rule is that you can only choose a movie three times among the six major categories. First are all fou...

The 60th New York Film Festival has just finished another thought-provoking run of award-worthy films and Sophia and Nick can’t wait to share their reviews on all the movies they saw. They cover everything from some of A24’s slate (Aftersun, The Eternal Daughter, Showing Up, and Stars at Noon) to films already or soon-to-be released in theaters (Armageddon Time, Decision to Leave, Till, and Triang...

It’s time to honor one of Hollywood’s most talked about feuds with the 60th anniversary of the Oscar-winning ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ Joan Crawford and Bette Davis lead this macabre duet late in their careers, but nonetheless sparked an entirely new genre of psychological thrillers. From production background to the legacy of the film (especially an iconic Drag Race sketch ), Nick and So...

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Travel back to 1930s Berlin with Sophia and Nick to revisit and discuss Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning ‘Cabaret.’ First, they share their experiences seeing the current West End revival in the high security, burlesque Kit Kat Club. Then, a deep analysis of Fosse’s film adaptation, including an extended conversation on Liza Minnelli’s desperate and refined portrayal of Sa...

Some of the big fall festival premieres look to dazzle audiences as they hit a wide release this month. Reactions on the first movie that Nick and Sophia discuss, ‘The Woman King,’ are overwhelmingly positive and consistent with its A+ CinemaScore. Gina Prince-Bythewood delivers an epic warrior drama with Viola Davis at the helm and one that has already garnered great awards potential (3:37). Next...

With the first big fall festivals wrapped up and more heading our way soon, Nick and Sophia are back to recap all of the good, bad, and the ugly out of Venice, Telluride, and TIFF. Joining them is returning guest, Bennett Prosser, to share his experiences (and hold Nick accountable for all of his post-screening hot takes) from the second week of the 79th Venice Film Festival. Listen for spoiler-fr...

A kid in a red hoodie, a flying bike, and an alien pointing, repeating, “Phone home.” Forty years later, even just these three images conjure up shots from the instantly recognizable, ‘E.T.’ This week, Sophia and Nick celebrate this successful film’s anniversary and consider why, as one of Steven Spielberg’s most successful films, it deserves to be called an enduring classic. After discussing the...

We are knee-deep in fall festival season which means it’s time for the annual Awards Season Fantasy Draft! Sophia and Nick welcome all new teams to draft their own selection of films, directors, actors, production or distribution companies, and other film creatives that they think will take home the most awards throughout the upcoming awards season. Which team do you think will take home the win t...

On this mini retrospective of George Miller, Sophia and Nick talk about his background as a doctor-turned-filmmaker before discussing his grand, new release, Three Thousand Years of Longing, with Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. Then they consider his multiple nominations at the Oscars, starting with ‘Lorenzo’s Oil,’ a docudrama about parents who will stop at nothing to help their son with an acutely...

Who’s ready to dance until you can’t dance anymore? This movie trade finds Sophia and Nick examining a perfect double feature of obsessive determination, love, and dance. They start with ‘The Red Shoes,’ a classic tale adapted with cinematic splendor. Spoilers come at (18:24) with an explanation and alternate interpretations of the ending. Then, onto ‘All That Jazz,’ a stellar dancing extravaganza...

On a new installment of their ‘They Won For That?’ series, Nick and Sophia dive into a new category to talk about one of the best working cinematographers today, Roger Deakins. Before discussing his two Oscar wins, they talk about his style, thirteen other nominations, and notable works they think he should’ve been up for. Then, they wonder why it took him so long to grab that Oscar gold for ‘Blad...

Sophia and Nick are back with another Oscar Rewind; this time discussing the 2012 Best Picture winner, ‘Argo.’ First, they review the movie and chat about awards season and how precursor nominations and ceremonies separately affected The Oscars. Then, they talk about the incredibly popular lineup for Best Picture, sharing some of their own honorable mentions and how they would’ve ranked these nomi...

Chances are if you saw a movie released this summer, Nick and Sophia discuss it on this week’s episode with returning guest, Ryan Lamb. Box office returns may still not be at pre-pandemic numbers, but quite a few summer releases have been reeling in big audiences. First off, the super sonic blockbuster, ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ which is inching its way up the top 10 highest-grossing domestic releases...

Sophia and Nick are back to rave about one of Hollywood’s most exciting directors who loves scaring- and educating- audiences, Jordan Peele. First up, they discuss his breakout horror hit that earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, 'Get Out' (3:43). Next, they chat about his sophomore, Hitchcockian feature and Lupita Nyong’o’s brilliant performance in Us (13:23). Finally, they share a q...

Nick and Sophia are back to celebrate the dramatic conclusion of Cancer season and the 20th anniversary of Stephen Daldry’s ‘The Hours.’ Firstly, they discuss the adapted film’s rich background and the A-list cast that brings these interconnected characters to life. Then, by navigating the tricky waters of awards season (Do I hear category fraud?), they debate if they agree with Nicole’s sole win...

In another themed episode, Nick and Sophia revisit Alfonso Cuarón’s filmography and his two Best Director wins (among others) at The Oscars. After discussing what they love about the director, his style, and some of his earlier works, they break down his groundbreaking wins for ‘Gravity’ (16:46) and ‘Roma’ (27:49). Would they swap out one of those wins for another of his films? Find out and see if...

In their latest “Eat Your Vegetables” Movie Trade, Nick and Sophia each chose a movie from one of their favorite directors for the other person to watch. Nick chose Prisoners, Denis Villeneuve’s beautiful 2013 cat and mouse thriller with an all-star cast (2:26). Sophia picked 3 Women, Robert Altman’s dreamy surrealist film about the ambiguity of identity and the horrors of being a woman (18:29). L...

This week, Sophia and Nick cover Joseph L. Mankiewicz (brother to Herman aka “Mank” who wrote ‘Citizen Kane’) and his unique record at The Oscars: winning Best Director and Best Screenplay in back-to-back years. They start off with a history of the man himself and how he made a name for himself in Hollywood (3:20) before covering A Letter To Three Wives (11:14) and another record-holding all-time...

Ok, so we haven't even reached the halfway point of 2022 yet, but it's never too early to think about next year's Oscars, right? From Martin Scorsese and Apple's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' to other returning Oscar champs like Viola Davis in 'The Woman King' and Olivia Colman in 'Empire of Light,' and other star-studded casts in Steven Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans' and Sarah Polley's 'Women Talking...

t’s all about Kate Winslet in this next installment of ‘They Won For That?’. Sophia and Nick break down her illustrious career, from her rich domestic dramas such as ‘Revolutionary Road’ or ‘Little Children’ and blissfully romantic fare in an Oscar Wild favorite, ‘The Holiday,’ to pinpoint exactly why they love Kate as an actress. Then, they talk about her Oscar win for ‘The Reader’ (14:54) before...

On this episode, Nick and Sophia dive into two adaptations of the Jane Austen classic, “Pride and Prejudice”: Joe Wright’s debut film, ‘Pride & Prejudice,’ with Keira Knightley, and its newest adaptation, Andrew Ahn’s ‘Fire Island.’ After discussing why Wright’s classical version may be the best, including capturing the tension and romance between the various relationships with ease (1:42), th...

After discussing some final buzz from the Cannes Film Festival including the recently announced winners and their most anticipated releases (2:02), Sophia and Nick welcome summer with a fun new episode: The Hot Man Draft. Like previous drafts on the podcast, they’ll make picks from a list of categories to draft the best team possible. This time, of men from Oscar-nominated films or performances, i...

Nick and Sophia are back to celebrate the Cannes Film Festival! First, they share some current buzz from La Croisette and the 75th Festival (4:25). Next, they take a look at three Best Actress winners at Cannes with varying levels of success with The Academy. First up, they chat about Kirsten Dunst’s vulnerable performance in Melancholia and why she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for her performanc...

This week, Sophia and Nick talk about the three most winning international films at the Oscars, where each took home four awards: Parasite (2:14), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (14:03), and Fanny and Alexander (28:15). Why (only) these three movies? They also answer listener questions to dole out additional deserved awards and play Nom or Bomb with the International Feature category throughout th...

Join Nick and Sophia as they travel back 80 years, once again debating whether The Academy got it right at the 14th Academy Awards. This time, they discuss seven of the ten Best Picture nominees, including: Suspicion (5:33), The Maltese Falcon (16:20), Here Comes Mr. Jordan (29:18), The Little Foxes (36:20), Citizen Kane (46:27), Sergeant York (1:01:18), and the winner, How Green Was My Valley (1:...