Author: Colin MacCormack

Colin MacCormack received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. He now teaches Latin and Greco-Roman mythology at the University of Alabama. He is also the host, along with Elijah Flemming, of the film review podcast, Movies We Dig. The only thing he loves more than movies is talking about them. That and petting animals.

Announcing New Season of Movies We Dig: A Podcast about Film, Antiquity and Everything In-Between

~ Colin MacCormack ~ Leave a comment

About a year ago, I asked my friend and colleague, Elijah Fleming, what she thought about hosting a movie review podcast. I had just defended my dissertation, the pandemic was in full swing and the year ahead promised mostly solitary work punctuated by the occasional zoom meeting. I needed something new, something engaging, something fun. So, I asked Eli, a fellow grad student at UT Austin, if she’d be interested in talking about movies, a frequent hobby of ours, but into a microphone and (hopefully) for an audience. Thus, Movies We Dig was born. You can listen to our first season on our website or on multiple streaming platforms.

Now, as the school year enters full swing, we’re excited to announce we’re returning for another season. We recently released a short episode laying out some teasers and plans, but I wanted to reflect a little more about our past and future plans, for both current and potential listeners.

From its first conception, we wanted MWD to go beyond nitpicking what movies get right or wrong, though shedding our pedantic tendencies remains a struggle (2004’s Troy has llamas!). Instead, we wanted to review movies as both works of art and of reception; how perceptions of the past intersect with contemporary media and culture. Moreover, we wanted to approach our material without the formal trappings of academic presentations or lectures, to get earnest and humorous reactions from experts but also movie-lovers. If it wasn’t fun, then what’s the point?

Looking ahead, our initial goal of a lighthearted but (somewhat) informed show remains largely unchanged. If anything, we’re expanding. In addition to tackling some big titles we’ve kept in reserve (looking at you, Gladiator), we’re also branching out into other media. The ancient world has been a popular setting for many television programs, from the foundational I, Claudius to several current historical dramas like Barbarians and Britannia. Additionally, the last few years have seen a small blossoming of Classical myth and history in video games just begging for attention from our field, including two Assassin’s Creed titles and the indie smash hit Hades. It’s all on our radar.

Concerning expansion, our other goal for S2 is to bring in more voices to our hot-take-centric approach to ancient film criticism. Our first season was graced by a wonderful array of guests from public-facing classicists and archaeologists, including SA’s own Joel Christensen, and we’ve already got several exciting guests booked already. Still, we’re constantly seeking new guests, especially non-professors. Last year, we were joined by a fantastic group of first-year students from Adam Rabinowtiz’s class on the Trojan War to discuss Troy: Fall of a City.

This brings us to our final vocatio. Classicists near and far, if you, your colleagues or your students know a film, show or game that needs discussion, reach us at movieswedig@gmail.com or on Twitter at @dig_movies. Please listen, like, review, subscribe and get ready to dig some more movies, not-movies and all the hot takes.

You can learn more about us the hosts on our website, where you can also find links on where to listen.