The 2025 Awards Season Fantasy Draft: All-Stars Edition

“The secret lies with Charlotte.” So begins an unforgettable treasure hunt to some of America’s most historic monuments and beyond. This week, Nick and Sophia join Nicolas Cage and his motley crew in their search for gold in National Treasure. This adventure has remained a staple for them after all these years, so listen to find out why it’s one of their favorite Disney live-action films. Even though it wasn’t nominated at the Oscars, they honor the award ceremonies that did celebrate it and its team which accounted for over 75 Oscar nominations and wins! If you would like to hear the rest of the episode as they discuss some of their favorite scenes and quotes along with playing another round of Smash or Pass, check out www.patreon.com/OscarWild and contribute at the ‘Oscar Wild: After Dark’ tier or higher. We appreciate your support!Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Follow Sophia @sophia_cimMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com

Sophia and Nick are excited to celebrate Halloween with their devilish review of The Omen. They share their thoughts on both the recent prequel, The First Omen, and the original classic along with exalting its winning performance at the Academy Awards. (They promise there’s no chanting of “Ave Satani.”) Listen to find out their favorite scenes, performances, and kills before they debate what was snubbed and which one Oscar they’d award the film! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Sophia @sophia_cimFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com

The second half of this year’s New York Film Festival brought other previous festival favorites, like the Sundance hit A Real Pain, featuring Kieran Culkin and writer-director Jesse Eisenberg, and highly-anticipated auteur releases, like Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, and Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door. Nick and Sophia densely pack this week’s episode with reviews of all of these and more, including chatting Oscar buzz and potential in multiple categories, like Costume Design, Actress, and International Feature.Then, enjoy a spoiler-free review of Sean Baker’s latest and 2024 Palme d’Or winner, Anora (37:43). In the best screwball comedy of the year, Mikey Madison stuns as the titular sex worker on her own rollercoaster of a fairy tale. Go experience the spectacle for yourself in theaters this weekend!Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Follow Sophia @sophia_cimMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com

Audiences have been flooding Lincoln Center for this year’s exciting 62nd edition of the New York Film Festival and Sophia and Nick are here to highlight its exceptional first week. They begin with reactions to some hits and award winners from Cannes and Telluride, like The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Emilia Pérez, Maria, and Nickel Boys. Then, they showcase a special architect double feature with Megalopolis and The Brutalist, more distant cousins than siblings (28:03). They wrap up by sharing some memorable #NYFF62 moments, superlatives for favorite shots and quotes from anything they’ve seen, and what one Oscar they would award! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Sophia @sophia_cimFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.comMegalopolis clips: https://youtu.be/tNybhMsO5ew?si=A6rVuGogNC4P34Mh

“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect.” This simple, yet expansive idea frames the timely new release, The Substance, a hyper-stylized modern fairy tale that heavily satirizes Hollywood and the beauty industry. Nick and Sophia thoroughly break down this wildly thrilling body horror award winner from Cannes, including: Demi Moore’s daring performance, the gruesome prosthetic and makeup effects, the meaning behind its many movie references, and its continued awards potential. If you haven’t seen the film yet (we definitely recommend finding a packed screening), there’s a spoiler warning mid-episode (22:54) in case you decide to revisit later. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Follow Sophia @sophia_cimMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com

Now that all of the Big Five film festivals (Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Venice) have ended and handed out their awards, it’s time for Sophia and Nick to recap how their premieres will influence the rest of awards season. Listen as they discuss initial reactions from Venice, Telluride (18:31), and TIFF (37:21), and preview some releases coming at the New York Film Festival (46:21). Afterwards, they answer some fun listener questions related to buzzy performances and their chances at competing on Survivor, older films that would pair well with recent releases, and some category specific possibilities, like in Screenplay or Picture. If you’re curious about what audiences think of Anora, Conclave, Saturday Night, The End, Nightbitch, The Brutalist, Maria, Hard Truths, or The Last Showgirl (with Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis), or want to learn more about these movies, then this is the episode for you! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Sophia @sophia_cimFollow Nick @sauerkraut27More content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.comMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich

Even though the yearly transition from the dog days of summer into sweater weather always feels too abrupt, it also means that there’s an exciting crop of new releases on its way! To talk about over 40 of these movies headed to the big screen and on streaming, Nick and Sophia are joined by Benjamin VanHoose, @People’s Associate Editor, Movies. Listen as they highlight blockbusters and indie films alike being released in September, October (27:34), November (44:42), and December (1:04:50). Are you a fan of horror? Then The Substance, Heretic, or Nosferatu might be for you. Looking for a family night at the theater? Check out showtimes for The Wild Robot, Transformers One, Moana 2, or Mufasa: The Lion King. Let us know what your most anticipated movie of the fall is! Follow Benjamin at https://people.com/author/benjamin-vanhoose/ or on Instagram @benjamin_vanhoose and Twitter @BenVanHooseFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Follow Sophia @sophia_cimMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich

Sophia and Nick are looking back on 1974 once more, this time to a wonderful comedy double feature: both Oscar nominees and both made by the same director! Here’s to Mel Brooks’ odd couple, the unforgettable Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein (22:09). Listen as they uncover behind the scenes facts and share their favorite quotes and scenes alike. Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn aren’t the only ones seeing double! Do you think either of these classics deserved to win at least one Oscar?Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Sophia @sophia_cimFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.com

Fall festivals are about to begin which means it’s time for Oscar Wild’s biggest episode of the year! Nick and Sophia are excited to invite back eight extraordinary guests to compete in their fifth Awards Season Fantasy Draft: All-Stars Edition. Part competition, part movie madness, the draft showcases what they believe to be the biggest players throughout the coming awards season, possibly even taking home some Oscar gold come March. Each of their teams select films, cast and crew, and some fun creative picks that could earn them the most points via critics prizes, multiple guilds, and the biggest award ceremonies. Tune in for a lively, hilarious, enlightening, and all together unforgettable insider look at the year’s biggest movies! Which team do you think will take home the win: Team Berger Kings or Team New Rochelle Bi-Coastal Champions?Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpod including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.comFollow Erik Anderson @awards_watchFollow Cody Dericks @codymonster91Follow Chelsea Eichholz @chels725Follow Joyce Eng @joyceeng61Follow Kevin Jacobsen @Kevin_Jacobsen & @OscarRunnerUpFollow Ryan McQuade @ryanmcquade77Follow Bennett Prosser @BennettProsserFollow Morgan Roberts @msmlroberts & @femalegazethefilmclubFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Follow Sophia @sophia_cimMusic: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan Adamich

The movie at the heart of this week’s episode deeply embodies the passion behind Oscar Wild’s favorite mini-game, Smash or Pass. Men can be unreliable, deceitful, temperamental, or just plain old rude. But at the end of the day, they can also be charming, hot, upstanding, and in endless supply, and I know, my toast is burning.Sophia and Nick rewind to 1937 yet again to further discuss the contentious Oscar race for Best Actress. They previously highlighted Barbara Stanwyck in Stella Dallas on “Stanwyck September” last year along with Janet Gaynor in A Star Is Born on “Always Remember Us This Way”with guests Connor and Dylan MacDowell. Listen to hear them break down Irene Dunne’s Oscar nominated performance in The Awful Truth before critiquing Luise Rainer’s poorly aged win for The Good Earth and providing an extensive conversation on their favorite acting category (25:57). Would they have awarded their one Oscar to Irene Dunne or does Luise get to keep her statuette?Who would you have awarded Best Actress this year?Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @oscarwildpodFollow Sophia @sophia_cimFollow Nick @sauerkraut27Music: “The Greatest Adventure” by Jonathan AdamichMore content including updated nomination predictions @ oscarwild.squarespace.comListen to Sophia’s guest appearance on “And The Runner-Up Is” with friend of the pod Kevin Jacobsen as they discuss the 1937 Best Actress race in even more detail: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/and-the-runner-up-is/id1358031226?i=1000543593068