Pick your top 3 from my top 20 of 1982

King of Comedy, 48 Hrs, Fitzcarraldo for me. (Out of those you've listed, that is.)

As your list shows, it was a poor year for movies, that list probably as good as any other from that year. It was just a very poor year.

Initially, THE THING is a sort of stunning sort of movie, and does have characters with motivations, and I would say perhaps the best use of sound effects and music score in any movie to date, or at least a tie.

The weakness lies mostly in the total "contrived" script that makes one groan. We can't see it as natural, because it has the overwhelming hands of the script writer and the director all over it, mostly the writer. Of course the original story is just as contrived.

Each death is planned out by the writer to fit the writer's own morality, whatever it is. The "lack of morality" is the biggest Hollywood "morality cliche" of all, so we aren't stunned by the events, just by the sound effects and visuals.

An example of the contrived events. There is no reason why MacReady is revered as a god by the others, but he clearly is. One character decides that this drunkard pilot is the best person to tell confidential information regarding the "thing", in a secret place. Another bit of contrived events is when one character is bold enough to get a gun for defense, but for some unknown reason freezes when he has a chance to torch the attacker later on, even though the attacker is someone who has abused him throughout. It just doesn't come across as the least bit plausible.

Just a few examples of Hollywood contrived formula in this movie that weakens it. 6.2/10. 

Friday the 13th Part III
Blade Runner
First Blood

That was a no brainer for me. 48 hours, first blood, and Fast times at Ridgemont high which was the epitome of awesomeness for that year