What made Dante Alighieri one of the world's greatest poets and a foundational figure for Italian culture? We're not sure because we left this film more confused than when we started. Yes, we descend into the Inferno that is In the Hand of Dante (2025), the very-hard-to-follow noir about an author recovering a manuscript of La Divina Commedia from the criminal underworld, set alongside the story of the poem's creator (sort of). Fortunately, we have our own personal Vergil to guide us through heaven and hell, professor of Italian Studies and a very special guest, Dr. Gianna Albaum. Listen to us debate a whole host of riveting issues, including morality, religion, Pope-politics and one Mr. Marty Scorsese. Justice for Gemma!

You can read more from Gianna on her profile here and look out for the upcoming Queer Mediterranean conference Spring '26 at Smith College.

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Needing a break from Odysseus, we thought it was time to look at another important mythohistorical figure from the ancient Mediterranean world: Mary. You know, the Blessed Mother, Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady, Holy Virgin, Madonna (no, not the musician). Lucky for us, we got our hands a brand new historical fiction novel titled Marble, which is set to hit the shelves later this month. Even luckier, the author Taylor Catalana joins us to discuss her feminist retelling of Mary's life story (before all the aforementioned titles). We talk about the the media and history that inspired the novel, the significant themes of motherhood and choice, and just how difficult it is to depict an angel.

Marble is set to release on September 29, 2026. To preorder your copy, visit the Modern Artist Press website. If you would like to learn more about Taylor and upcoming events relating to her book, visit her website or Instagram page.

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel through space (and time) as we wrap up our coverage of early-2000s animated films with Treasure Planet. The crew sits down to discuss children's literature, pirates in pop culture, and why pre-teen boys are to blame for letting this one flop. Come for the cool animation, stay for the Goo Goo Dolls!

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! Cramming ourselves once more into the water-logged, toilet-water horse that is podcasting, we return once again to finish our conversation on Christopher's The Odyssey (2026). The whole gang's here: Amy, Joe, Joel, Kermit, Piggy, Spider-man (listen through, it'll make sense). We talk the women of Homer, the nature of adaptation and why Plato keeps showing up in our group chat.

You can find more thoughts from Amy and Joel on Homer and other subjects at amypistone.com and Sententiae Antiquae, and Joe's music and merch at Joe's Odyssey.

For those looking for links specific to Homer and the Odyssey, here's everything our trio have done thus far:

Joe Goodkin Links:

• Re-recording of The Odyssey: Songs of Odysseus
• Interview in the Chicago Sun Times- Backlash against Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' misses the point

Amy Pistone Link:

• Some Preliminary Thoughts on Nolan’s Odyssey

Joel Christensen Links:

• Why Odysseus? Survivor, Scoundrel, (Anti)hero
• Interview in Variety- ‘The Odyssey’: What Academics Are Saying About Christopher Nolan’s Epic:
• Review in Hyperallergic- A Homerist Reacts to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”
• Review in Today- I’m a Classics Professor. This Is What I Really Think of ‘The Odyssey’
• Review in Sententiae Antiquae- On viewing Nolan’s Odyssey
• The Big Ol' Odyssey Review with Flint Dibble

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's more Homeric than ending up right back where you started? Or wandering an endless sea of textual criticism? Or your co-hosts and guests fighting you every step of the way as you struggle to bring the ship to port? (sorry Christie!)

We reconvene our Homeric council (see our episode on The Return) for the first part of our great debate of this summer/year/decade/Age of Bronze: Do We Dig Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (2026)?

You can find more thoughts from Amy and Joel on Homer and other subjects at amypistone.com and Sententiae Antiquae, and Joe's music and merch at Joe's Odyssey.

For those looking for links specific to Homer and the Odyssey, here's everything our trio have done thus far:

Joe Goodkin Links:

• Re-recording of The Odyssey: Songs of Odysseus
• Interview in the Chicago Sun Times- Backlash against Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' misses the point

Amy Pistone Link:

• Some Preliminary Thoughts on Nolan’s Odyssey

Joel Christensen Links:

• Why Odysseus? Survivor, Scoundrel, (Anti)hero
• Interview in Variety- ‘The Odyssey’: What Academics Are Saying About Christopher Nolan’s Epic:
• Review in Hyperallergic- A Homerist Reacts to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”
• Review in Today- I’m a Classics Professor. This Is What I Really Think of ‘The Odyssey’
• Review in Sententiae Antiquae- On viewing Nolan’s Odyssey
• The Big Ol' Odyssey Review with Flint Dibble

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can be said about Nolan's Odyssey that hasn't already been said? Well hopefully a few things! The MWD crew gives their initial impressions on the biggest thing to hit the world of film and Classical studies since probably Gladiator. The main question on our mind: What version of Odysseus ended up coming home? Just beware of any sirens (spoilers) you may run into along the way if you have not had a chance to see the film yet!

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's more podcast for your buck! That's right, in anticipation of a certain small-budget indie film coming out this month, we're not talking about one movie, but five! We quest out in search of Matt Damon as he appears in Good Will Hunting (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Bourne Identity (2002), Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015), all in service of the great question: "Do We Dig Odysseus?"

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hop on board listeners as we take a look at another early 2000s animated film that maybe should have just fallen off the edge of the world. Helping us to discuss yet another problematic man lost at sea is none other than Liv Albert, the host of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! and founding member of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective. If, like us, you missed this swashbuckling-adventure in favor of another pirate film, than hold on to your harem pants! This film's got it all: blatant misogyny, erasure of Arabic culture, and a lovable crew! But hey, you can't get much more epic than Eris, Goddess of Discord.

If you want to learn more about Liv and her work, be sure to visit her website at mythsbaby.com. And if you would like to get your hands on her brand new book,The Odyssey: A Modern Retelling, you can order it here or find it wherever books are sold!

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two brothers united by friendship, divided by podcasting. Yes, we're rounding off our Month of Mummy's (and movies about princes) with the 1998 animated musical The Prince of Egypt. We talk about such far-ranging and fascinating topics as biblical archaeology, killing babies and why Shrek was a mistake. We may not get 2D animation like this ever again, but the soundtrack will live on in our hearts because... there can be miracles when you believe!

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From ambitious ancient architects to sexy evil priestesses, we've seen the "Mummy" take many forms, but none quite as horrifying as a modern teenage girl. Join us in unwrapping the latest reincarnation of this monster franchise with Lee Cronin's The Mummy. Helping us to investigate yet another creepy pyramid and it's resident demonic entity is special return guest and Egyptologist, Dr. Briana Jackson. While some might question if this film even has a real Mummy, there is no doubt Cronin drew inspiration from from all the previous films to explore fears that are timeless. Plus, we'll never look at a pedicure in the same way.

Disclaimer: We’ll be discussing a lot of heavy topics in this film including child abduction, grooming, and sexual assault. If those topics are difficult for you to engage with, it might be better to skip out on this episode.

You can read, hear and see more from Briana at her website brianacjackson.com as well as on her YouTube channel @DrBrianaJackson.

As always, if you like what you hear, please be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to the show! Stay up-to-date on all the Movies We Dig news by visiting movieswedig.com or checking out our socials.

Movies We Dig is also part of Mnemosyne: The Memory Collective, a podcast network and creator collective for historians, archaeologists, artists, and other creators and educators dedicated to sharing content about and featuring the ancient world that is accurate, accessible, and inclusive. To learn more about the collective and its contributors, check out collectivemem.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.