Top Film for Each Year of My Life – 1982

It occurs to me that my postings tend to be airing of grievances. Since Festivus is a long way off, I felt it best to shake things up and embark upon a frivolous but fun endeavor. What is to follow over the next 26 days (or so… I may post multiple times or skip a day… who knows? Not me) is a list of my favorite film from each year of my life with accompanying explanation and honorable mentions. The bonus of doing this is that I don’t have to think of a new idea to write about nearly an entire month! Obviously, 2009 doesn’t count because it just started, but maybe I’ll have a post for most anticipated.

And I’m not going to do plot recaps, because that’s stupid.

Full disclosure first… I hate the 80s. Of all the decades from 1900 until now, the 80s holds the least amount of interest to me culturally and politically. I made top ten lists for each year of my life (which makes this enterprise that much easier) and I had a hell of a time coming up with ten films in most of the 80s. Because I needed to make it to ten, I have films that I view as marginal as best represented. That said, there are also a bunch of films I haven’t seen that hold some interest to me, but I’m not convinced will crack the top ten. The same holds true for the early to mid-90s, but fortunately, nostalgia really kicks in hard.

Anyway, let’s start at the beginning:

1982

John Carpenter’s The Thing

"I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH! "

Unfortunately for me, the year of my birth is wholly uninteresting in regards to film. In my opinion, only two great movies were released this year: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and The Thing. And before people start jumping on my case, Blade Runner and Tootsie are in my top ten; I just don’t regard them as highly as most. And, while I find Spielberg to be an excellent director in regards to visuals and action, I find him to be a simplistic and overly sentimental storyteller. E.T. is not on my list.

The Thing bombed at the box office. However, that’s not entirely fair because it was released just two weeks after the aforementioned cuddly alien juggernaut. How could the nation be expected to go see this intense study of paranoia when E.T. is running around drinking beer and eating Reese’s Pieces?

Everything about The Thing is cold. It takes place in Antarctica, Morricone’s score is minute and dreary, and the characters are beyond unsympathetic. Hell, the film doesn’t even have any women in it! But this outpost is no place for women. Wilford Brimley is on the scene, after all. The fact is, the coldness works for the film. The audience is disengaged from the characters and totally open to the experience.

As I said earlier, it’s all about paranoia and what isolation can do to people. We don’t want to sympathize with anyone because we can’t trust anyone. It’s only natural that we side with Kurt Russell because he’s completely badass in The Thing. When the shit starts hitting the fan, it’s best not to have allegiances. Trust me.

And the special effects hold up better than pretty much any other I’ve ever seen. Practical effects are infinitely superior to CGI when done correctly. Undoubtedly, the prequel being tossed around in Hollywood will go CGI and will pale in comparison to Carpenter’s version.

The influence of The Thing has been pervasive. The X-Files did an entire episode based on it (“Ice”) and The Faculty (1998) mimicked the petri dish scene. It’s truly one of the great horror films of all time. A master of the craft’s best work (in my opinion, of course).