The Go-Go Years

Jesse Walker continues his relentless march back in time, now going over the top ten films and then some of 1982. 

1. Fanny and Alexander
2. Danton
3. Blade Runner
4. Fitzcarraldo
5. Dimensions of Dialogue
6. Say Amen, Somebody
7. Veronika Voss
8. Forbidden Zone
9. The Draughtsman's Contract
10. Burden of Dreams

A very foreign list.  What's wrong, Jesse, you don't like Hollywood?  Fanny And Alexander, while not exactly the grand farewell it might have been, is still pretty good.  A couple of these I've wanted to see--Danton, Forbidden Zone--but never gotten around to.  As Jesse may know, I think the audience got Blade Runner right--for all the amazing design, it's a crappy movie.  Dimensions Of Dialogue may be the greatest thing Svankmajer ever did, but once again, a short.  I like Veronika Voss and the Draughtsman's Contract, and it's hard not to enjoy Say Amen, Somebody.  And I'm hardly alone in preferring Burden Of Dreams to Fitzcarraldo.

Jesse's honorable mentions:

11. Moonlighting
12. The Verdict
13. Liquid Sky
14. Honkytonk Man
15. Down to the Cellar
16. The Atomic Café
17. The Return of Martin Guerre
18. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
19. The Year of Living Dangerously
20. Salamanders

A lot of these I haven't seen since they came out, but they left an impression.  I like Moonlighting.  The Verdict strikes me as ludicrous melodrama, and Honkytonk Man is bad even by Clint Eastwood standards. (Guess I'm the one who doesn't like Hollywood.) Liquid Sky was pretty cool.  Down To The Cellar is another Svankmajer surrealist masterpiece (short).  The Atomic Cafe was fun.  Return Of Martin Guerre was okay.  Fast Times I didn't like so much at the time (except for Spicoli) though it hasn't aged badly. (Though I still wonder why in development they dropped the idea of an adult going into high school undercover?  It's a natural.) The Year Of Living Dangerously is a bit pretentious.  Never saw Salamanders.

Here are some films of the year that would have made my top ten:

Diner

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Shaolin Temple

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Tootsie

Herer are some other films that I liked:

 

48 Hrs., Eating Raoul, Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl, The Night Of Shooting Stars, Night Shift, Privates On Parade, Rocky III (introducing Mr T), The Secret Policeman's Other Ball, Swamp Thing, Smithereens, The Sword And The Sorcerer, Tempest, That Night In Varennes, Tron

 

Other 1982 films of note:

 

Airplane II: The Sequel, Android, Annie, The Beastmaster, Le Beau Marriage, Best Friends, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, The Best Of Friends, Brimstone And Treacle, Cafe Flesh, Cat People, Chan Is Missing, Class Of 1984, Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Conan The Barbarian, Creepshow, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Death Wish II, Deathtrap, The Escape Artist, Evil Under The Sun, Firefox, First Blood, Flight Of The Eagle, Frances, Friday The 13th Part III (in 3-D!), Gandhi, Grease 2, The Grey Fox, Hanky Panky, Human Highway, I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can, It Came From Hollywood, It's Your Move, Jinxed!, Kiss Me Goodbye, Koyaanisqatsi, The Last American Virgin ("see it or be it"), A Little Sex, Lookin' To Get Out, Making Love, The Man From Snowy River, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Missing, The Missionary, My Favorite Year, Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures, Not A Love Story, An Officer And A Gentleman, Partners, Personal Best, Pink Floyd--The Wall, The Pirate Movie, Poltergeist, Porky's, Richard Pryor: Live On The Sunset Strip, Savannah Smiles, The Secret Of NIMH, The Shaolin Drunken Monk, Shoot The Moon, Some Kind Of Hero, Sophie's Choice, Still Of The Night, Tex, That Championship Season, They Call Me Bruce?, The Thing, The Toy, Tragedy Of A Ridiculous Man, Trail Of The Pink Panther, The Weavers: Wasn't That A Time!, White Dog, The World According To Garp, Yes, Giorgio, Young Doctors In Love, Zapped!