Best Movies Celebrating Their 40th Anniversary This Year
Francis Ford Coppola's Oscar-winning classic 'The Godfather' celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. That made us think, what other films are celebrating anniversaries this year?

In this 4-part series we will take a look at the best movies celebrating their 40th, 30th, 20th, and 10th anniversaries this year.

First, we will countdown the best movies that released in 1982 and are celebrating their 40th anniversaries.

Let's begin!


10. Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

Directed by Alan Parker, a troubled rock star (Bob Geldof) descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.

Pink Floyd: The Wall

Pink Floyd: The Wall

"The memories. The madness. The music... The movie."
80
R1 hr 35 minSep 17th, 1982
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A troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone. Read the Plot


9. Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)

Richard Pryor's stand-up act includes his frank discussion about his freebasing addiction, as well as the infamous night on June 9th, 1980 that he caught on fire.


8. The Thing (1982)

Directed by John Carpenter, members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don't know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.

The Thing

The Thing

"Man is the warmest place to hide."
81
R1 hr 49 minJun 25th, 1982
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7. First Blood (1982)

When former Green Beret John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, the Vietnam vet snaps, runs for the hills and rat-a-tat-tats his way into the action-movie hall of fame. Hounded by a relentless sheriff (Brian Dennehy), Rambo employs heavy-handed guerilla tactics to shake the cops off his tail.

First Blood

First Blood

"This time he's fighting for his life."
75
R1 hr 33 minOct 22nd, 1982
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6. Tootsie (1982)

Directed by Sydney Pollack, when struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) secretly adopts a female alter ego - Dorothy Michaels - in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.

Tootsie

Tootsie

"What do you get when you cross a hopelessly straight starving actor with a dynamite red sequined dress? You get America's hottest new actress."
72
PG1 hr 56 minDec 17th, 1982
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5. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Directed by Amy Heckerling and based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe, 'Fast Times' follows a group of high school students growing up in Southern California. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), respectively. At the center of the film is Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a perpetually stoned surfer who faces-off with the resolute Mr. Hand (Ray Walston)—a man convinced that everyone is on dope.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

"At Ridgemont High, only the rules get busted!"
68
R1 hr 30 minAug 13th, 1982
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4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

It is the 23rd century. The Federation Starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career.

But Khan (Ricardo Montalbán) is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan - brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth - has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation Starship and sets out in pursuit of the Enterprise, determined to let nothing stand in the way of his mission: kill Admiral Kirk... even if it means universal Armageddon.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

"At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance."
74
PG1 hr 52 minJun 4th, 1982
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3. Blade Runner (1982)

Directed by Ridley Scott, in the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

"Man has made his match...now it's his problem."
79
R1 hr 58 minJun 25th, 1982
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2. 48 Hrs. (1982)

Directed by Walter Hill, a hard-nosed cop (Nick Nolte) reluctantly teams up with a wise-cracking criminal (Eddie Murphy) temporarily paroled to him, in order to track down a killer.

48 Hrs.

48 Hrs.

"One cop. One con. No mercy."
67
R1 hr 36 minDec 7th, 1982
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1. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, after a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother (Robert MacNaughton) and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

"He is afraid. He is alone. He is three million light years from home."
75
PG1 hr 55 minJun 11th, 1982
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