Chris Nashawaty is a writer, editor, and former Entertainment Weekly film critic. He is the author of Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story and his work has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family. His latest book is The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982 and he recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for writing The Future Was Now?
I wrote about the anniversary of the day that The Thing and Blade Runner were both released in the summer of 1982 for Esquire. As I dug deeper into reporting that story, I realized that there was this batch of eight sci-fi films that all came out in the same eight-week window that summer and they all were in a way a reaction to the success of Star Wars, which I found interesting. Also, I was 13 in the summer of 1982, and I remember seeing all of these films in the theater—even the R-rated ones (I had very liberal parents when it came to the MPAA ratings). It just sparked a lot of nostalgia in me and felt like a critical period at the studios at a time when Hollywood was undergoing a massive change.
How familiar were you with the summer of 1982 and the films that were released that year prior to writing The Future Was Now? How did you approach the research you needed to do?
Like I said, I was 13 in the summer of 1982, so I was VERY familiar with all of these movies—some of which I had already seen many, many times. I think I’ve seen The Thing and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at least 50 times each. As far as the research went, I spent a year reading about the movies of that year and interviewing the people in the book, many of which I had already spoken to over the years in my capacity as a writer and editor at Entertainment Weekly for 25 years. So I already had a head start in terms of the reporting.
What are some of the more interesting or surprising things that you learned during your research?
There are so many! I think I was shocked by how dangerous the stunts on The Road Warrior were, how deeply the failure of The Thing stung John Carpenter, how seriously the controversy surrounding who actually directed Poltergeist shook Steven Spielberg (who’s reputation had been spotless up til then), how much of a gamble Star Trek II was for Paramount (if it hadn’t succeeded, we wouldn’t still have the Star Trek franchise today), how much Disney embraced risk to play in the same summer blockbuster sandbox as the other studios with Tron, how much Arnold Schwarzenegger was determined to be a movie star leading up to Conan the Barbarian, how nasty the infighting was behind the scenes on Blade Runner, and how much of E.T.’s success deserves to be shared with Melissa Mathison.
How did the book evolve and change as you researched, wrote, and revised it? Was there anything you discovered in your research that you ultimately weren't able to include?
Not really. I tried to find a home for everything I discovered that I found interesting. I set out to write the book that I wanted to read, and I feel like I did that. There may be some people who wish there was more of this or less of that, but I ended up writing the book I wanted to write and read.
Do you have a favorite of the eight films (Blade Runner, Conan the Barbarian, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Mad Max: The Road Warrior, Poltergeist, Tron, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Thing) you write about that were released in the summer of 1982? Why is it your favorite?
When I was 13 in the summer of 1982, I probably would have said that E.T. was my favorite. But now I would definitely say The Thing. I love the sub-zero sense of paranoia and claustrophobia; I love all of the actors' performances; I love how it's directed for maximum tension and scares; I love the South Pole setting; I adore Kurt Russell as a leading man from this period, and of course I am still slack-jawed when I watch Rob Bottin's gooey, gory practical make-up f/x.
A favorite film outside of the summer of 1982? Why is it your favorite?
As a movie critic, I know that I should cite something high-brow like Citizen Kane or Vertigo, or 8 ½ as my favorite film. But the truth is that my favorite movie is, was, and will always be Jaws. It's a perfect movie.
Do you have a favorite book or documentary about a specific film or Hollywood in general?
I think the best book about Hollywood is Mark Harris' Pictures at a Revolution. It chronicles the five Best Picture nominees from the pivotal year of 1967 and the way he writes it turns those films into a prism that allows you to see an industry in the midst of a revolution. It's a masterclass in movie writing. Mark was my editor at Entertainment Weekly for 15 years and I learned a ton from him and always hear him in my head when I'm struggling with how to write something.
You write a bit about how the releases and successes of Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977) paved the way not only for the films that were released in 1982 but how our summers are now regularly filled with big budget genre films (of varying degrees of quality). If you had a magic wand and could make some changes to how Hollywood functions now, compared to 40 years ago, what would you change?
Less superheroes and sequels. More original ideas and risk-taking and movies for filmgoers who are not 13-year-old boys.
What's currently on your nightstand?
I am addicted to this paperback series of old-school hardboiled pulp crime novels from the small publisher Hard Case Crime. I've read about 70 of them and only have a few more left. The next one up is Max Allan Collins’ Too Many Bullets. I'll read anything featuring tough guys in fedoras with guns and deadly dames who lead them to do dumb things. Apart from crime paperbacks, I have a movie-themed mystery novel called Flicker on my nightstand by Theodore Roszak, Nicholas Shakespeare's Ian Fleming biography.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
This is so hard! I would say Joan Didion, Hunter S. Thompson, Max Allan Collins, Raymond Chandler, Stephen King, Don DeLillo, and Herman Melville.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Depends on what age. But my first favorite was Make Way for Ducklings since I am from Boston.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
No. They were just happy I was reading anything.
Is there a book you've faked reading?
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
Oh, sure. Basically every Vintage Contemporary paperback in the 80s from Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights Big City to Raymond Carver’s Cathedral to Mona Simpson’s Anywhere But Here.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I don't know about "changed my life," but John Fowles' The Magus probably comes the closest.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
John Fowles' The Magus, Melville’s Moby-Dick, and Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. I used to work with Gillian at Entertainment Weekly and she wrote the most addictive page-turner I've ever read.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
Music: Tame Impala, the Duke Spirit, Dr. Octagon.
Movies: Dune 2.
TV: Tim Robinson’s I Think You Should Leave on Netflix.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
Going to see a Red Sox game with my 10-year-old twin sons, Charlie and Rooney.
What is the question that you're always hoping you'll be asked but never have been?
Can you take this giant stack of unmarked twenty-dollar bills and spend it any way you see fit?
What is your answer?
Yes, I can absolutely do that!
What are you working on now?
I am just starting another movie book, but I can't say the topic since the deal hasn't been finalized yet. Sorry.
