ET the alien, Elf, Bounty hunter, The thing, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan…
These are just a few of the genre classics that made their theatrical debut within months of each other in 1982! It’s widely considered the summer that shaped modern geek culture, and if anyone knows what it means to be a defining voice of that generation, it’s the great Mark A. Altman. Former head of the iconic Sci-Fi Universe magazine, writer and producer of free companyThe CW’s showrunner Pandora and the best-selling author of definitive star trek and the oral histories of James Bond, Altman is perhaps the authority on all things related to the genre. In fact, his next documentary 1982: the best geek year in history is shaping up to be his Magnum Opus.
Altman, along with director Roger Lay, Jr, Scott Mantz and Thomas P. Vitale, will premiere the documentary at the Sitges Film Festival later this fall. For us here at JoBlo, this is an especially important project, with our own JOBLO MOVIE PRODUCTIONS (arcade dreams) one of the executive producers. Many of us here on the site came of age watching all these 1982 classics, so it was a dream of mine to sit down with Altman to talk about the documentary and all things 1982. In this amazing talk, he shows some of the great interviewees. he managed to get, including William Shatner (Star Trek II), Ron Howard and Henry Winkler (Night shift) and many more. Plus, he offers some unexpected picks for what he thinks are the truly essential movies of 1982. As a lifelong geek who grew up on the SciFI Universe, I also couldn’t resist racking his brain about the days, before the Internet, when that magazine was the gateway drug for all of us up-and-coming fans. Altman is a great guy to talk to with some incredible anecdotes from the early days of fan journalism, so he checks out the interview (embedded above and edited by the great Kier Gomes). Learn more about 1982: the best geek year in history HERE!
This is the official synopsis:
Made by fans for fans, 1982: The best geek year in history! will take viewers behind the scenes at a time when fandom was in its infancy, featuring rare interviews with genre superstars in front of and behind the camera of the biggest and most influential films ever made. From award-winning producers Roger Lay, Jr. (Star Trek: The Roddenberry Vault, The Twilight Zone 60th: Remembering Rod Serling, Aliens Ate My Homework), Mark A. Altman (CW’s Pandora, the Librariansauthor, St. Martin’s bestselling books “The Fifty-Year Mission”) and Thomas P. Vitale (Nextflix’s slasher pandora), it will be a celebration of the greatest geek movie year of all time, including tidbits about ET the alien, Bounty hunterby John Carpenter The thing, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Elf, a horror show, the dark crystal, tron, Conan the barbarianby Paul Schrader cat people and George Miller the road warrior. In addition to paying homage to the classics, the documentary will also return to cult films such as mega force, Time Rider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann, the sword and the sorcerer, Y liquid skya movie about miniature aliens in New York who thrive on heroin and sex.
Follow the movie on Twitter and Instagram! What is your favorite 1982 movie? Tell us in the comments!
