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Space the Nation — Arts
Space the Nation

On Space the Nation, we take our love of science fiction (and fantasy and horror) and smash it together with our professional passions: international relations (as brought to the table by Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner) and cultural criticism (as brought to the table by political columnist Ana Marie Cox). It’s a highly informed but hilarious conversation that starts with an examination of a particular text (everything from Ursula K. LeGuin to the MCU, Star Trek to Colson Whitehead) and veers into current events, mental health practices and imagined conversations between Ted Cruz and the Predator. For people who like white papers and graphic novels, Chapo Trap House and what Political Science Twitter used to be.

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

Copyright: © Space the Nation

Latest Episodes:

S3E44: EVENT HORIZON (ENCORE) Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

You break all the laws of physics and you seriously think there wouldn't be a price? The price is an encore episode! This is a personal favorite movie and conversation with Dan; the gift of this not-great week is getting to introduce it you again. I'm going to re-watch the movie right now. Enjoy!

Original episode description: Ana and Dan venture down the terrifying but pointless hall of whirling blades to figure out why this Alien rip-off has all but disappeared. Sometimes a derivative movie surpasses its source material, which is not this movie. But sometimes a copy of a copy is just a hoot to watch. Watch this movie if only for the greatest line reading of Lawrence Fishburne's career. There is IR (barely) in this movie.

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S3E43: THE SHINING Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan can hold entire conversations without ever opening their mouths, but for this one, they talked, because this is a podcast and you probably expect to hear something. King's deft study of abusive relationships disguised as a haunted hotel story has everything: alcoholism, hedge animals with a taste for human flesh, a man bashing his own face in with a mallet. Watch out for wasps. There is IR in this novel.

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S3E42: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan arm themselves with hot water and a curling iron to deal with the universe's quietest, if also least explicable alien invasion. It's a great movie with many logical flaws, like most movies; it's also 90 minutes, unlike most movies -- watch it, already! There's IR and very thorough critique of capitalism in this movie.

Get this episode ad-free -- and exclusive video content -- by supporting us on Patreon!

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S3E40: THE CREATOR Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan feel like maybe AIs aren't getting a fair shake, it's just something they're thinking about now, after seeing this movie. Probably a coincidence. Gorgeous, filled with fine performances, and a fully lived-in near future -- it's still somehow unsatisfying overall. We talk about why! There is IR in this movie.

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S3E40: THE CREATOR (PATRONS) Oct 08, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan feel like maybe AIs aren't getting a fair shake. It's just something they're thinking about now, after seeing this movie. Probably a coincidence. Gorgeous, filled with fine performances, and a fully lived-in near future -- it's still somehow unsatisfying overall. We talk about why! There is IR in this movie.

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

S3E39:ONCE MORE WITH FEELING / SUBSPACE RHAPSODY Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan decide to put on a show! Musicals are already fantastical -- what happens when they become otherworldly? How well does Buffy's meta-commentary hold up in our post-irony age? What would Cole Porter make of Anson Mount? (He'd love that name, for sure.) There is a waltz of IR in this episode.

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S3E38: BLACK SUN Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan sit down for some corncakes and watch the skies for signs. Pre-Columbian meso-America makes a sophisticated setting for a tale of tangled allegiances, religious prejudices, and giant animals you can ride. There's a lot of IR in this book.

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S3E37: THE FACULTY Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan try to relax in the teachers' lounge, but strange things are afoot at Harrington High School, and it's not just that the star football player decided he'd rather work for those gentlemen's Cs! A time capsule of 90s fashion, music, movie trends, and heartthrobs, this Robert Rodrigez/Kevin Williamson joint stands up to the test of time and then some. (Aside from some unfortunate sexual harassment vibes.) Have you wanted to re-watch "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" lately? There is IR in this movie.

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S3E37: THE FACULTY (PATRONS) Sep 17, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan try to relax in the teachers' lounge, but strange things are afoot at Harrington High School, and it's not just that the star football player decided he'd rather work for those gentlemen's Cs! A time capsule of 90s fashion, music, movie trends, and heartthrobs, this Robert Rodrigez/Kevin Williamson joint stands up to the test of time and then some. (Aside from some unfortunate sexual harassment vibes.) Have you wanted to re-watch "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" lately? There is IR in this movie.

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

S3E36: THE MIST Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Ana and Dan suspect drinking and monster-fighting may not mix as easily as Stephen King seems to think. However, we both fell under the spell of this remarkably efficient and surprisingly moving creature feature novella. The movie is slightly less than a laundry-folder, but the story is good. Really good. There is IR in this grocery store.

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