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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:

S2E28: HIGHLANDER Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan both entered the podcast, but did they both leave? THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE! A heady mix of exuberant scene-eating and saturnine scowls, it is impossible not to respect a movie with a metallurgist heroine. Once you make Sean Connery an Egyptian, you can do anything. Come for the swords, stay for the wind-blown drapes. There is IR in this movie.

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S2S27: THEY LIVE Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

John Carpenter has some things to say about Reagan's American, and he's going to say them loudly and repeatedly in a film that somehow transcends its didacticism. It's a fun, loopy ride grounded by the great Keith David and not ruined by Roddy Piper. There is a critique capitalism in this movie! (And a fair amount of IR!)

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S2S26: THE TERMINATOR Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

Cyborgs don't feel pain, but Ana and Dan do. A surprisingly great movie born of an Italian Fever Dream (not to be confused with a Mexican Writing Binge). Relive the best and worst of the 80s, from permed hair to intrusive diegetic synth music! PHONE BOOKS! Should Kyle Reese work on his pick-up lines? Making pipe bombs: ultimate date night? WHAT HAPPENED TO PUGSLEY??? There is IR in this movie.

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S2E25: THOR: LOVE & THUNDER Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan pull over a basket of grapes and get started with Taika Waititi's second entry into the MCU, the 80s romcom to Ragnorok's 70's space opera. It's an aggressively silly movie with some real dark parts: Christian Bale and Chris Hemsworth should not be able to exist in the same space-time continuum! Yet, somehow it works. There is IR in this movie.

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S2E24: TOP GUN: MAVERICK Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan don't need helmets, are you kidding???? We decided that this movie counts as science fiction because LOOK AT TOM CRUISE. JUST LOOK AT HIM. What technology is keeping him from aging? Also, this movie has FIFTH GENERATION FIGHTERS and, given how much the plot owes to Star Wars, we should probably tell you that they ARE NOT X-wings. There is IR (some pretty terrible IR) in this movie.

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S2E23: FIREFLY Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan don their fancy hats and get ready to take on the lament of the lonesome space cowboy in the two Firefly episodes featuring Dan-favorite Christina Hendricks. Is the series randy or Randian? Could the dialog get any quippier? How did Fox fuck this series up so badly? And, lastly, does it make sense to export horses for terraformed moons? There is IR in this show.

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S2E22: The Prestige Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan breed a bunch of identical canaries and prepare to get their hands dirty. This is a fun film about some terrible people and it's best not to think too hard about the role of women in the narrative. There is IR in this movie and a surprisingly robust critique of capitalism.

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S2E21: JURASSIC PARK Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan sign all the appropriate waivers and copter into the most violent tourist destination this side of Hostel. They literally don't make them like this anymore. (OR DO THEY?) Why is Alan Grant so easily bribed? How can Ian Malcolm be a genius but can't tell Ellie and Alan are a couple? Maybe it would be okay if the kids died, right? There is IR in this movie. (Also in this episode: A special guest appearance by my tiny furry baby raptor.)

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S2E21: JURASSIC PARK (PATRONS) Jun 18, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan sign all the appropriate waivers and copter into the most violent tourist destination this side of Hostel. They literally don't make them like this anymore. (OR DO THEY?) Why is Alan Grant so easily bribed? How can Ian Malcolm be a genius but can't tell Ellie and Alan are a couple? Maybe it would be okay if the kids died, right? There is IR in this movie. (Also in this episode: A special guest appearance by my tiny furry baby raptor.)

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S2E20: STATION ELEVEN Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Ana and Dan hitch their horses up to the station wagon and ride out to explore the rosiest post-pandemic landscape in a generation. There is self-reflection by your hosts! Find out what airports they would choose to live out the rest of their years! What skills they might barter if this whole podcasting thing doesn't survive the apocalypse! There is an argument about capitalism! (Though it turns out they don't really disagree that much.) There is, frankly, not a lot of IR in this book.

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