Fletch's Favored Five: 1982 in Film

Now, the tenth in a continuing series in which I count down my favorites from a particular year in film. Previous entries:

1984 * 1985 * 1988 * 1990 * 1991 * 1993 * 1997 * 2002 * 2003

I'm going to use Wikipedia to kickstart my brain, year by year, and I'll throw out a Favored Five here and there. If you want to refresh your memory in a similar fashion, just go to Wiki and type "[four-character year] in film." Here's the one for 1982. I won't pretend that Wiki is the end-all, be-all of filmic knowledge or that these yearly lists are 100% accurate, but they're an excellent place to start and a great resource.

1982
This year might as well not even exist for me. There are certainly some 'classics' in the mix, but many of them are in genres that I don't particularly care about (read: horror) or are films that I've not yet seen (I know, shocking). I guess it's due to bad timing, mostly - I was but five/six years old for this year, so I certainly wasn't catching the adult fare of the day, and I never got around to catching up on so many of them. The era doesn't help - films from this time seem hopelessly dated for the most part, so the thought of going back to watch An Officer and a Gentleman just doesn't appeal to me. Hell, I rarely watch even any of my top five from this year, save for a certain one that's on TV almost constantly. Perhaps in time this will change.

Notable movies not yet seen:
An Officer and a Gentleman
First Blood
Gandhi
Poltergeist
Porky's
The Thing
The Verdict
The Year of Living Dangerously

*Note: I've seen bits and pieces - and maybe even half or more - of at least Poltergeist and Porky's, but it's been so long that I can barely recall them, so they're making this list.

Honorable mentions:
Basket Case - If I read a trivia question that asked what year this came out, I would have guessed 1987. I watched this a number of times in high school and fell in love with it, but ain't seen it since. Fond memories (and a shout-out to Jason Soto, who holds this as one of his favorite movies of all time. It's weird as hell, but check it out.).

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan - I'm not Trekker, but this is just too much fun to pass up.

TRON - Got a copy sitting next to the TV right now, just waiting to be watched. Had hoped to do so before seeing Legacy, but no dice. Still looking forward to a re-watch.

The Five
5. The Wall - Watch it tripped out, watch it sober - it doesn't matter. Either way, it's got great music and is a hell of a ride. Just don't make me watch the nipple shaving scene.


4. Blade Runner - By all accounts, this should be number one on my list (and probably will be eventually). Harrison Ford was only my movie hero of the 80s (I know, so original). Add on to that the sci-fi factor, and add on to that the Phil Dick factor, and this should actually be in my Top 10. Fact is, I just haven't seen it enough, or often enough, to love it that much. I'd watch it more, but frankly, movies that have 12 versions and bickering about what the final cut really, really is kind of bug me.


3. E.T. - My mom always used to tell me that when I saw this in the theater, I cried like a baby and was scared to death when E.T. was near death's door. Anyway, what 80s kid didn't want to ride their bike into the night sky? Or live in the sweet neighborhood that Elliott and family lived in? Or discover an alien in the woods. I also grew up with a crush on Drew Barrymore that lasted until about 1995.


2. The Man From Snowy River - You've probably never even heard of this, much less seen it. Maybe you have, but it seems like this was a classic film only in my family. The funny thing is, this is probably more of a little girls' movie than a boys movie, what with all of the horses and such, but it's got Kirk Douglas playing two roles and a ton of great action scenes. Show it to your kids if you have any; otherwise, leave this one to me and my nostalgia.


1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - A quintessential 80s flick and a great flick all at once, Amy Heckerling's paean to high school has become iconic for so many reasons, from Mr. Hand to all of Spicoli's lines to the deep reservoir of talent the film lined up - including, of course, Mr. Nic Coppola. It's crazy outdated, but the themes presented are timeless.