Happy Birthday To E.T., Khan, And Spicoli!
By: Greg Hargrave
On Tuesday's Stoney and Bill show, we took a trip down memory lane back to 1982. It was one of the most critically-acclaimed summer movies seasons ever, and just like myself, these movies turn 30 this year. Rocky III, E.T., Night Shift, and Tootsie are among the notable motion pictures that came out then. Here's my look at a three more films from '82.
The Best - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Not only arguably the best film in the Star Trek franchise, but perhaps one of the best science-fiction films ever, Wrath of Khan has it all: action, suspense, tragedy, and a great back-and-forth between hero and villain. It was also made during a time in which special effects did enough to enhance a movie (see: the first Star Wars trilogy), but not have the film drown in them (see: the Star Wars prequels). Still, the movie goes beyond a simple bang-bang, shoot-em-up sci-fi flick. It also possesses a human theme to it, with Kirk finding himself growing older and having to finally face his own mortality. All of these elements make Wrath of Khan an enjoyable watch 30 years after its release.
The One that didn't do much for me - Fast Times at Ridgemont High
I'll admit I'm a little bit late to the party on Fast Times. I didn't see it until two years ago and therefore don't have the "I grew up with this movie" nostalgia to it. Now, before I continue, I do want to say that the Phoebe Cates pool scene is PHENOMONAL ("Doesn't anybody knock anymore?"). However, I judge comedies I'm seeing for the first time on one very simple metric: does it make me openly laugh. For Fast Times, not often enough. With as large an ensemble cast the film had, it was hard to latch on to that one character to follow and really "pull for", and before I knew it, the movie just kind of ended. Now maybe I was just bleary-eyed while watching this at midnight and thinking about other things on my birthday, but Fast Times fell short of expectations for me.
The One I still want to see: Blade Runner
A sci-fi feature starring Harrison Ford with a film-noir detective narrative set in a "used-future" environment like Star Wars, Blade Runner is a classic that I've never been able to see. I did spot it on AMC once, but on a Friday night in which I was running on fumes, I fell asleep before the second commercial break. Alas, Blade Runner still remains on my "Yet to Watch" list.
Click HERE for a list of the top movies of 1982. Which one is your favorite? Which of these do you still want to see for the first time?
