Back when the greatest generation was in its early 20's the providers of popular culture decided to release a torrent of films and television programs that depicted nuclear war. I think it had something to do with the rise to power of two great leaders: Reagan in the States and Thatcher in England. The chattering creative classes had decided that Ronald and Maggie were going to bring an end to the planet once and for all in the name of Western Capitalism and we would all, dancing as we were to New Romance music with Flock of Seagulls hair, be convinced that this was the end.

1983 and 1984 were the years when our televisions were filled with images of nuclear holocaust. Who started it? Didn't matter. Buildings burned like tinder and every bit of stock footage from 1950's U.S. military nuclear testing was pressed into the propaganda battle. Today's ADHD generation wets its pants at a film trailer for Roland Emmerich's latest bit of disaster porn: "2012". The following films did more to disturb with a fraction of the budget than one second of John Cusack staring at a collapsing L.A. highway.

"Edge Of Darkness". BBC2. I just ordered this on DVD from Amazon. It was a six part series about chicanery and stuff between government, the nuclear power industry, police and a very personal story about a man's loss of his daughter. I saw it years ago and forgot about it until I learned that Mel Gibson and the original director have a film version coming out in a few months. I really don't know how they're going to put this six hour masterpiece into a 110 minute movie, never mind the amazing performances from the late Bob Peck and Joe Don Baker. Screenwriter Troy Kennedy Martin, the man who gave us the only "Italian Job" that matters wanted to make film to quiet his social conscience. It's a little twee at times with the politics, but that last scene with the brilliant Peck on a hillside screaming his daughters name haunts me still. This film still holds the record for "upgrade" from BBC 2 to BBC 1...and a much larger audience. It took one week.

"WarGames". I hate this movie. I hated it in the Brampton theatre where I watched it at the age of 23 and everybody applauded when Joshua said "How about a nice game of chess?". How about a nice punch in the neck? I still hate this movie. It must bring tears to the eyes of former Direct Action members in Etobicoke who killed a security guard when they bombed a section of the building where they WEREN'T building the evil cruise missle that made the Russians shit their pants. Nice job hippies.

"The Day After". This is the Big Kahuna of nuclear terror movies of the time. ABC spent a fortune making the film and promoting it and organizing stupid after-movie discussion groups where parents discussed how scared they were to discuss the movie with kids who were probably bored by the entire nonsense. This movie was as stupid as "WarGames" but it was treated as "event television". It doesn't hold up and even though the effects budget reached Hollywood epic levels it never plays true. Must have something to do with Steve Guttenberg's participation. Director Nicholas Meyer had problems with the producers....who wanted more and more special effects over story. The attack on Kansas City is amazing for its time but it all falls apart, like skin on a radiation victim, over the last segment.

Finally, "Threads" on BBC. If you really, really need to feel horrible, depressed, if you want to give up and assume that the future of mankind is doomed. If you have children and you are determined that you need to imagine their future as one akin to the mud and horror that was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, watch this BBC movie. It's available on YouTube. Nuclear attack on Sheffield (Yeah, I know..what's the loss?). Threads of society fall apart. Woman bites the umbilical cord on her baby. British population levels fall to 1200 AD levels. Still, without a budget or Harold Pinter at the typewriter, this has to be one of the most powerful one hundred minutes or so you will EVER watch from public television. Beware: you'll need a day or two of sunshine and whatever floats your boat to recover. I mean it. It's tough. Way too tough for today's ADHD "gimme gimme" generation.

"Dad, dad....DAD...just buy the freaking mole rat.  I'm hungry!!!"