Threads (1984)

Sit back, relax, and don't watch this movie after you've eaten—today on the Nuclear Movie Club, we're talking about Mick Jackson's 1984 television movie, Threads. On this episode, Scott and I discuss if Threads is the most "comprehensive" nuclear film, the movie's jarring and unflinching portrayal of a post-nuclear landscape, and the news that a British production studio plans to develop Threads into a television show. Plus, Scott gives a brief download on the US and Israel's war with Iran and the thought leadership some of Ploughshares' grantees & partners are producing in response (this was recorded on March 11—and much has transpired since).  In the episode, we mention a stellar retrospective write up on Threads published by our friends at the Outrider Foundation. Read it here: Revisiting ‘Threads’ – Director and Star Reflect on the 1984 Nuclear Apocalypse TV Movie and Its Enduring Impact Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. NukeTalk is edited by Ryan Kuhfeld. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and find love at the La Brea Tar Pits for Miracle Mile, a 1988 film written and, after being passed around Hollywood for a decade, also directed by Steve De Jarnatt.  In this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk cohosts Rebecka Green and Scott Strgacich discuss Miracle Mile's tumultuous pre-production history, the film's startling tonal shifts, whether a nuclear movie can—or should—have a happy ending, and how Anthony Edwards' character is an all-time "simp" in cinema. PS: If the start of this episode's audio sounds a bit different to you, one of the microphones jumped around during recording. After the first question, the audio clears up. Thanks for understanding. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. NukeTalk is edited by Ryan Kuhfeld. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and brew a pot of tea for When the Wind Blows, a 1986 animated film directed by Jimmy Murakami based on the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs. In this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green and Ploughshares Roger L. Hale Fellow Scott Strgacich discuss When the Wind Blow's domestic eeriness, the big punch a small-scale story can make, how the film's animation is key to its impact, and why you should probably keep your home's doors where they are...for now. PS: If part of this episode's audio sounds a bit different to you, one of the microphones unknowingly cut out during recording and required some post-production magic by our editor, Ryan Kuhfeld. Thanks for understanding. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and run like Tom Cruise trying to prevent an evil AI entity from causing nuclear war, for the Mission Impossible franchise. Mission Impossible is an 8-movie run of action films starring Tom Cruise and spanning three decades, concluding with 2025's MI: Final Reckoning, which is the main focus of our conversation. In this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green is joined by Ploughshares Senior Manager of Impact, Alex Hall, to discuss the Mission Impossible franchise's steady nuclear weapons escalation, the narrative appeal of a "hero" against nukes, Final Reckoning's positioning of AI threats, and how Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt character is always on planes instead of in them. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]. NukeTalk is edited by Ryan Kuhfeld. See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and pack snacks for the War Room for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Stanley Kubrick's 1964 political satire starring Peter Sellers (x3) and George C. Scott. After a brief New Years break, in this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green and Ploughshares Roger L. Hale Fellow Scott Strgacich discuss Dr. Strangelove's unique satirical approach to depicting nuclear threat, war rooms, and...Chess: The Musical?  Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]—we'll do our best to read it on the air! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and hold your loved ones tight for On the Beach, Stanley Kramer's 1959 apocalyptic drama starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins. In this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green and Ploughshares Roger L. Hale Fellow Scott Strgacich discuss On the Beach's depiction of the end times, the creep of nuclear fallout, and whether or not On the Beach may have too much...beach. Love, loss, auto racing, Australians sans Australian accents, nuclear fallout—On the Beach has it all. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]—we'll do our best to read it on the air! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and choose your second-in-command wisely for Crimson Tide, Tony Scott's 1995 military thriller starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. In this episode of the Nuclear Movie Club, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green and Ploughshares Roger L. Hale Fellow Scott Strgacich discuss Crimson Tide's submarine technicalities, the nuclear attitude of the mid-90s, and if the film's mutiny plotline(s) could happen or if they're merely a Hollywood fabrication. Deep sea drama, problematic horse metaphors, command and control, Quentin Tarantino, tiny dogs—Crimson Tide has it all. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]—we'll do our best to read it on the air! See you at the movies!

Sit back, relax, and join the Nuclear Movie Club for WarGames, John Badham's 1983 technothriller starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy—and perhaps better known as the movie that caused President Ronald Reagan *major anxiety* about U.S. cybersecurity. In this episode, NukeTalk producer Rebecka Green and Ploughshares Roger L Hale Fellow Scott Strgacich discuss WarGames's many (many!) themes, technical intricacies, and 80s parenting styles. AI, video games, NORAD, dinosaurs—this movie has it all. Follow NukeTalk on Instagram and X @nuke_talk and Ploughshares on Instagram and X @plough_shares to be the first in the know about the movie of the week. Questions, comments, or movie trivia? Email [email protected]—we'll do our best to read it on the air! See you at the movies!   ***This season of NukeTalk is produced and hosted by Rebecka Green with support from Scott Strgacich. Editing by Ryan Kuhfeld.

For the first episode of NukeTalk's new season, Nuclear Movie Club, we are joined by Noah Oppenheim, screenwriter of A House of Dynamite—a new Netflix film by Kathryn Bigelow—and former president of NBC News.  The Nuclear Movie Club will cover 10 defining movies in the nuclear film canon that represent a breadth of plot, theme, tone, and cultural impact. What do these films get right, and wrong, about depictions of nuclear threat? And what are the lasting impacts nuclear films can have on culture, policy, and public opinion? We will explore these questions, themes, and lots of fun facts on this season of NukeTalk. Follow NukeTalk on X @nuke_talk and Instagram @nuke_talk. Learn more about how you can contribute to global nuclear threat reduction by visiting Ploughshares at: ploughshares.org and signing up for our newsletter. This season of NukeTalk is produced and hosted by Rebecka Green. Editing done by Ryan Kuhfeld.

As we conclude our Nuclear Ballot season, we are wrapping up with an Inauguration Special Report. Our guest is Jon Wolfsthal, Director of Global Risk at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), as we explore what comes next regarding nuclear policy, domestic policy, and foreign policy at large, now that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States.