Did the Predator aliens invent toxic masculinity? Are billionaire's secretly chill dudes? Would this be Freud's all-time favorite movie? Yes.

We take a (slight) detour from our usual survey grounds to talk about our first personal pick (thank you, Elijah): Alien vs. Predator (2004), aka The Predator Industrial Complex. Join us for a review of this classic tale of human explorers finding themselves caught in a centuries-long struggle betwixt newly born larvae and a teen coming-of-age party. It's got archaeology, some form feminism(?), and whole heaps of blood. 2004 called and said, "this movie's EXXXTREME!"

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This episode could totally rewrite our chronology of pyramid movies! Join us as we uncover the tomb of unspeakable (unwatchable?) horrors that is the 2014 found-footage horror film, The Pyramid. Joined by super special guest and Egyptologist extraordinaire Briana Jackson, we attempt to make sense of this confusing three-sided pyramid. We talk cannibal cats, abused camera men and why is Anubis is actually a good boy who did nothing wrong.

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

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Social media may be a dumpster fire these days, but every once in a while it takes us by surprise. In this case, it’s a new take on Homer’s Odyssey as a concept album titled Epic with music and lyrics by Jorge “Jay” Rivera-Herrans. Bopping along to all the highs and lows of this musical experience is the lovely Wren Fleming, a writer and long time friend of the podcast. Maybe we’re all musical theater kids at heart, because this is one of our favorite examples of reception since, well, Hadestown. Now if we can just get it on stage, glasses-wearing Polites and all!

To learn more about Wren and her work with Hillfire Press check out the website and their Instagram page under the handle @hillfire_press.

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Man's reach should forever exceed his podcast. Join us as we talk with super special guest, Flint Dibble, about James Gray's 2016 biopic on early 20th century British explorer Percy Fawcett, The Lost City of Z. We talk archaeology, colonialism and why this is a stealth prequel to the Twilight Saga. Is this a hagiography of an archaeological pioneer or a troubling attempt to smooth other a complicated legacy? Also, it's pronounced 'Zed.'

You can see more from Flint at his Youtube Channel, Archaeology with Flint Dibble.

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Happy Valentine's Day listeners! To celebrate, grab your favorite smutty romance book and your map of questionable origins as we explore the chaotically-fun film, Romancing the Stone. Joining the conversation is the wonderful Raven Todd DaSilva, who helps us to uncover the film's questionable romance and even more questionable archaeology. We uncover the tragic history of the film's screenwriter, it's intriguing relationship with the Indiana Jones franchise, and how archaeology and travel may lead to self-actualization(?). If nothing else, just know that Kathleen Turner walked in ruined pumps so that Sandra Bullock could run in a sparkly-pink jumpsuit.

If you want to learn more about Raven and her work, be sure to visit her website www.digitwithraven.com and follow her on social media under the handle @digitwithraven. If you want to get your hands on her excellent book The Other Ancient Civilisations: Decoding Archaeology’s Less Celebrated Cultures, you can do so here or at most major online booksellers.

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How can men find their way to war but not find their way to a good podcast? Like suitors around Penelope's megaron, we assemble our biggest survey panel ever to court Uberto Pasolini's latest re-imagining of Homer's Odyssey (or the back half at least): The Return (2024). Joining us are guesting hall-of-famers Joel Christensen and Amy Pistone, as well as super-special new suitor, Joe Goodkin. We talk about reception and storytelling, whether it's better sometimes to forget than to remember, and Ralph Fiennes' naked bod. Put on your best beggar disguise, string you bow and get ready to grapple with the horror of war in this stealth sequel to The English Patient (2 English 2 Patient).

You can can find more from Amy on her website and on social media, Joel via Sententiae Antiquae (@sentantiq), and listen to Joe's folk opera, The Blues of Achilles.

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Grab your witches hats and your godly boons as we delve into the Underworld once again with Hades II. Keep in mind that while the game is still in early access, spoilers abound (including a big one for Final Fantasy VII)! Helping us out with this gaming katabasis is the wonderful Meg Sullivan of History N' Games. We talk about some of our favorite characters and themes from the game thus far, as well as our predictions for where the story may go in the future.

To learn more about Meg, check out her YouTube channel and website https://historyngames.com/. You can also follow Meg on Bluesky under the handle @celticqueenmeg.bsky.social.

If you want to see some of our own gameplay and exploration of Hades II, check out our recorded livestreams on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@MoviesWeDig/streams.

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

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