Space the Nation
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 25, 2023 • 1h 13min
S3E38: BLACK SUN
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 18, 2023 • 1h 16min
S3E37: THE FACULTY
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.
Sep 17, 2023 • 1h 16min
S3E37: THE FACULTY (PATRONS)
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.
Sep 11, 2023 • 1h 14min
S3E36: THE MIST
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 4, 2023 • 1h 9min
S3E35: WHAT WE DID ON OUR SUMMER VACATION
Ana and Dan keep it real casual. What we liked, what we didn't like, and a problematic fave. You will need to find your IR/capitalism analysis elsewhere, we're OOO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 1, 2023 • 1h 15min
S3E34: THE MEG 2
Ana and Dan try to train the megalodon, because that's never a bad idea, right? This second Jason Statham adventure has a bit more sense of self-aware fun than the first outing, but is basically just exactly what it set out to be: a kind of dumb but pleasant way to escape 100-degree heat. In that way, what's it's really about is climate change, and that's a critique of capitalism. Also there's some IR. (On a personal note: This episode was delayed by some mental health stuff and also not having my laptop. These things are not actually related but everything is mostly back to normal in both regards. Take your meds, everyone! Take them!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 21, 2023 • 1h 5min
S3E32: THE MEG
Ana and Dan close the hatch on their crewmate; they were doomed, anyway! Surprisingly understated for a movie about a gigantic shark; the actors should have been munching a lot more scenery. As it is, they make the most of what you can do with a plot that consists of "Look, giant shark!" Some good-to-pleasant performances lightly elevate this fish-in-water story. There is more IR in the making of this movie than in the movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 13, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E31: THEY CLONED TYRONE
Ana and Dan spelunk into the conspiracy cavern of this wild genre mix-up: Blaxploitation! Mystery! Mad Scientists! Even, dare we say it, some zombie sh*t. The most fun you'll have trying to grapple with the legacy of chattel slavery all year! There is IR in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 7, 2023 • 1h 7min
S3E30: RIDDICK
Ana and Dan went and did the worst crime of them all... they got civilized, which means they gave this movie the chance it didn't quite deserve after Chronicles of Riddick's decant goofiness. It's a surprisingly okay return to Pitch Black's creature feature bona fides, if marred rapey bull*** extraneous to the plot. We continue to wonder about the functionality of a merc-based economy. There is IR -- and a dog -- in this movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 31, 2023 • 1h 6min
S3E29: CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Ana and Dan calculate the screen time-to-fun ratio for all the characters in this movie, and you'll never guess who comes out ahead! (It is not Karl Urban. Poor Karl Urban.) Ultimately, it's kind of a dud, but you can't help but be impressed by Vin Deisel taking all the studio capital (and money) he earned with Pitch Black and Fast & Furious and making a D&D-inflected space fantasy that has about as much in common with Pitch Black as it does with Fast & Furious. There is IR in this movie. And Judi Dench! Dame Judi Dench is in this movie! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
