1982: The Best Geek Year Ever! is a four-part miniseries, available on DVD and Blu-Ray, directed by Roger Ray, Jr. and written by Mark A. Altman, now presented in a seamless, movie format. It chronicles the biggest year in imagi-movie fandom, which was also buffered by a number of additional, popular/cult submissions (drama, action and comedy) that comprise its copious, Reagan-era queue.
Comprising the documentary's staggering rundown, we get E.T., The Extra-terrestrial (the year's biggest blockbuster); Poltergeist; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Conan the Barbarian; The Beastmaster; The Sword and the Sorcerer; Mazes and Monsters; Blade Runner; Tron; Cat People; Swamp Thing; The Thing; Megaforce; The Road Warrior; Creepshow; The Slumber Party Massacre; Friday the 13th Part III in 3D; Parasite; Forbidden World; Halloween III: Season of the Witch; The Dark Crystal; Firefox; First Blood; Rocky III; 48 Hrs.; The Year of Living Dangerously; My Favorite Year; Night Shift; Airplane II: The Sequel; Grease 2; Diner; Gandhi; The Verdict; Missing; The Last American Virgin; Zapped; Tootsie; The Toy; Porky's; and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Yeah, quite a powerhouse line-up if ever there was or ever will be.
Though The Amityville II: The Possession (a significant hit during Fall 1982) receives only a flyby image and Author! Author! (that summer's prime, "adult" alternative) receives no mention at all (let alone Filmation's Masters of the Universe, which was on the pop-cultural ascent), the documentary still does a commendable job covering its vast and varied content. In this respect and in contrast to Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve story, which places fleeting, political pundits over those more directly involved with the actor, 1982's cinematic string receives a non-rambling, journalistic analysis.
Within its eyewitness faction are Leonard Maltin, William Shatner, Barry Bostwick, Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, Dee Wallace, Keith David, David Clennon, Andrienne Barbeau, JoBeth Williams, Mick Garris, Paul Schrader, Don Coscarelli, Marc Singer, Cameron Crowe, Amy Heckerling, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Dean Devlin, John Sayles, Roger Corman, Lisa Henson, Ron Howard and Henry Winkler, among others who offer detailed insights. (The way in which the unmade Night Skies morphed into E.T. and how Wrath of Khan, Rocky III and Friday the 13th 3D empowered their franchises is also essayed. There's even admirable acknowledgment given to how Blade Runner, Tron, Beastmaster, The Thing and Swamp Thing have endured to reach classic status, despite initial, lackluster turnout; in addition to how Sword and the Sorcerer was a much bigger deal than some may recall and how Halloween III is a far better chapter than many might admit.)
1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! is a labor-of-love made for those who experienced the period, and for those who didn't, a worthy, history lesson. Be wise and check this one out through Amazon Prime, or pick up the DVD or Blu-ray. For certain, 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! is one to revisit time and again.
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