Chris Nashawati describes a significant stage in the history of Hollywood and global cinema: the summer of 1982, when eight science-fiction films hit the screens and became classics of the genre: “E.T.,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Blade Runner,” “The Thing,” “Mad Max 2,” “Tron,” “Star Trek 2,” and “Poltergeist.” Although some of these films instantly became box-office hits and others didn’t meet expectations at the box office, all of them later became important in film history and significantly influenced the careers of such figures as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Harrison Ford. “The Future Was Now” is an approximate audiobook about the art of cinema, presenting eight fascinating stories about the creators of these films—people who changed the look of the film industry. This is a chronicle of a triumph that formed somewhere in a faraway galaxy and left an indelible mark on Hollywood.