Super Critical Podcast - Overthinking Nuclear Weapon Pop Culture

Episode #71: The Core & Sunshine

Listen on

Episode notes

In this episode, we took in a double feature of The Core (2003) and Sunshine (2007), a pair of movies where nuclear weapons are deployed to locations far away from the Earth’s surface to save humanity. How could nukes respin the Earth’s core or reignite the sun? How does the role of “nukes as heroes” jive with the usual “nukes, aren’t those the baddies?” themes? Why does Cillian Murphy keep getting typecast as “tortured inventor of a weapon of mass destruction”: Robert Capa, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Scarecrow? Tim Westmyer (@NuclearPodcast) and new co-host James Sheehan (@jsheehandc) answer these questions and more. Before we leave the safety of Virgil’s atomic drill train, we recommend: -David Kagan, Sunstroke, 1993 book -Aniara (2018 movie) -Theodore Shabad, “Soviet Union Discloses Nuclear Blast that Put Out Fire in Gas Field,” New York Times, December 12, 1971 -Blank Check Podcast - Sunshine -Ad Astra (2019 movie) -Trainspotting (1996 movie) We also recommend checking out: Anthony Kaufman, “Separating the Science from the Fiction in Sunshine,” Sloan Science and Film, November 15, 2007 Jon O’Brien, “ 15 Years Ago, Danny Boyle Made the Most Scientific Space Thriller Ever,” Inverse, July 18, 2022 Marcus Chown, “Review: Sunshine,” New Scientist, April 3, 2007 “Actor Dustin Hoffman Lobbies for More Reality in Science-Fiction Movies,” News.com.au, March 30, 2009 Michelle Ealey, “Did the Movie ‘The Core’ Get Anything Right?,” ScienceFiction.com, February 13, 2012 Elmear Dodd, “Bad Science: The Core at 15,” HeadStuff, March 21, 2018 Check out our website, SuperCriticalPodcast.com, for more resources and related items. We aim to have at least one new episode every month. Let us know what you think about the podcast and any ideas you may have about future episodes and guests by reaching out at on Twitter @NuclearPodcast, GooglePlay, Spotify, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio, [email protected], and YouTube. Enjoy!