It was the year audiences met two of the most benevolent figures of all time- Spielberg's cuddly alien and Gandhi. Harrison Ford may or may not have been an android, Hoffman wore a dress, and Streep became the new gold standard. Stallone ran through the jungle and some real estate company built houses on an Indian burial ground(never do that). Here are the ten best films in order for 1982.
1. "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial"(1982)
The most financially successful film of the 1980s BY FAR and easily one of the best was Steven Spielberg's heartwarming and semi-autobiographical tale of a fatherless boy and a stranded alien. The legendary director's instincts and Midas touch when it came to producing all-ages entertainment during this period was nothing short of extraordinary. Ten year old Henry Thomas is sensitive and moving as our young protagonist Elliot, Drew Barrymore's adorable Gertie is why moviegoers stuck with her for so long, and E.T. himself is one of the most memorable creations ever committed to celluloid. This wrinkled puppet gave Yoda a serious run for his money(watch out for that Halloween cameo!) and John Williams' magnificent score lifts this timeless story of friendship and love to heights few movies ever come close to.
2. "Gandhi"(1982)
Director Richard Attenborough's fascinating and ambitious biopic is over three hours long, but this is one subject worthy of the investment. The sweeping story covers Gandhi's life from his rise to prominence as an equal rights activist in 1893 to the 1948 assassination and funeral of the saintly leader who led India to freedom from British opposition and occupation through nonviolence. The film is loaded with intelligent insight into colonial and post-colonial life in India and at the center of this epic production is an amazing and utterly convincing performance by Ben Kingsley. One scene contains over 300,000 extras- a record sure to remain unsurpassed in today's CGI-heavy climate. The rewards for such all-around excellence were the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor, and Director.
Director Richard Attenborough's fascinating and ambitious biopic is over three hours long, but this is one subject worthy of the investment. The sweeping story covers Gandhi's life from his rise to prominence as an equal rights activist in 1893 to the 1948 assassination and funeral of the saintly leader who led India to freedom from British opposition and occupation through nonviolence. The film is loaded with intelligent insight into colonial and post-colonial life in India and at the center of this epic production is an amazing and utterly convincing performance by Ben Kingsley. One scene contains over 300,000 extras- a record sure to remain unsurpassed in today's CGI-heavy climate. The rewards for such all-around excellence were the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor, and Director.
3. "Blade Runner"(1982)
Ridley Scott's visually stunning sci-fi classic has probably grown in stature more than any movie in the last thirty years. The fact that it bombed at the box office doesn't seem to matter one bit, as an ever-increasing legion of fans extol the film's virtues, leading to a seemingly endless array of DVD re-releases, and it's current position at the top of most lists ranking the best films in the genre. Harrison Ford, one year removed from "Raiders", continued his rise as Hollywood's premier leading man in the role of Deckard, the hard-boiled detective assigned to track down sinister 'replicants' in the bleak Los Angeles of 2019. Rutger Hauer achieved lifelong cult status as violent ringleader Roy Batty, but this has clearly become MUCH more than a cult movie, as Scott himself recently revealed that a sequel is in the works.
4. "Sophie's Choice"(1982)
The incomparable Meryl Streep took a quantum leap ahead of just about every female who ever acted for a living with her haunting and unforgettable portrayal of a guilt-stricken survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. With her subtle mannerisms and flawless Polish accent, Streep's tragic heroine is what got all that 'greatest actress in the world' talk started, making her second Oscar win a foregone conclusion(the first came for "Kramer vs. Kramer"). Writer-director Alan J. Pakula may spend a little too much time on Sophie's 1947-set triangle with temperamental lover Nathan(a debuting Kevin Kline) and timid neighbor/confidant Stingo(Peter MacNicol), but his Holocaust flashbacks have undeniable power.
5. "Tootsie"(1982)
Dustin Hoffman is delightfully self-aware and humane as an unemployable NYC actor who takes drastic action to save his career in director Sydney Pollack's hugely successful comedy. Michael Dorsey dresses in drag to land a job on a soap opera, and eventually becomes a better man through his experiences as an assertive middle-aged Southern woman. Dorothy Michaels is definitely one of Hoffman's acting triumphs, and that's really saying something. Best Supporting Actress Jessica Lange and Teri Garr are both terrific as the confused real women in his life. A great script by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and Dave Grusin's music helped make "Tootsie" the early '80s equivalent of "Some Like It Hot".
6. "First Blood"(1982)
Nineteen-eighty-two was an incredible year for Sylvester Stallone, as he launched his OTHER iconic franchise character(more on that a little later). The larger-than-life iconography of the "Rambo" sequels have caused some to forget that this low-budget intro is legitimately a fantastic movie. Stallone set the tone for the rest of his career with the quiet intensity he brought to a brooding ex-Green Beret that wages a retaliatory one-man guerrilla war against Brian Dennehy and his dastardly redneck cops in the Washington mountains and woods. Richard Crenna is rock-solid support as his former commanding officer, and Ted Kotcheff's direction is taut and energetic. Jerry Goldsmith's moody, underrated score is icing on the cake.
7. "The Verdict"(1982)
The late, great Paul Newman gave us many roles to cherish throughout his storied onscreen life and his alcoholic ambulance-chaser Frank Galvin deserves to get mentioned in the same breath as Luke, Butch Cassidy and "Fast" Eddie Felson. Director Sidney Lumet(we miss him, too) had a real knack for depicting lone idealists and this is his spiritual sequel to "12 Angry Men". Galvin gets a shot at redemption via a medical malpractice suit that sparks a crusade to expose a Catholic hospital's negligence in the case of a comatose woman. A nuanced Newman thoroughly engages during the tense proceedings, rewarding patient viewers at the conclusion of this classy, intelligent gem.
8. "An Officer and a Gentleman"(1982)
This unabashedly sentimental yet effective romantic drama established Richard Gere as a perennial favorite among the fairer sex, but it's also one of the few films on his resume that the male gender won't object to. That's because Gere's hard-luck Navy recruit endures hellish boot camp and Louis Gossett Jr.'s Oscar-winning, brass-balls drill instructor. He soon falls for the ever-underrated Debra Winger's local factory girl, and I dare you not to cheer as she gets swept off her feet to that swelling theme song in the famous ending(pictured above) that just shouldn't work, but somehow, it just does.
9. "48 Hrs."(1982)
Has there ever been a more assured, impressive film debut than that of a 22 year old Eddie Murphy in this hilariously profane sleeper hit? The whip-smart SNL sensation struts around like movie stardom is his birthright, and the irresistibly cocky persona he created during his formative years was enough to(mostly) forgive all those family-friendly misfires that came later. Nick Nolte is the perfect contrast as the tired, gruff San Francisco police detective who springs Murphy's quick-witted convict from jail to help him catch two vicious cop killers. Director Walter Hill matched the verbal fireworks with bursts of action to unofficially kickoff the modern buddy film. They all reunited for the 1990 sequel "Another 48 Hrs.", which had more violence but fewer laughs.
10(tie). "Poltergeist"(1982)
I wasn't kidding when I said everything Spielberg touched turned to gold for much of the Reagan era. But legend has it that he did a little more than just touch this franchise-starting haunted house hit. There have been persistent rumors that he directed it on top of his producing/screenwriting duties, and that Tobe Hooper("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre") was only credited to avoid conflict with Universal while he was supposed to be hard at work on "E.T."! The quality scares and impressive visuals on display here certainly back up those claims. Regardless, this suburban shocker delivered the goods and (briefly) offset a crummy genre quickly degenerating into cash-grab sequels.
10(tie). "Rocky III"(1982)
I might as well just come right out and say it. I'm a huge "Rocky" fan. The Oscar-winning 1976 original is indisputably the best, but the entertainment value of this second sequel is off the charts in everything from the opening 'Eye of the Tiger' montage to Carl Weathers' beach attire. After a charity tussle with wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, the Italian Stallion must contend with the malicious taunts and sledgehammer fists of the ferocious Mr. T. "RIII" represents the exact point in time that Sylvester Stallone became the ridiculously ripped symbol of '80s machismo and a cable mainstay. It's 99 minutes of sports movie nirvana.
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