THE MOVIEGOER encapsulates all of the joy of going to the movies as a kid.  It highlights the hero worship of old Hollywood and shows the impact that movies had on people like myself and director Ross Munro back in the 70s and, for me, 80s.

This short film is a slick combination of fun animation, still photography that would make Ken Burns smile, voiceover, and some cheaply, but effectively, put together grindhouse-style trailers/footage that you could absolutely see used in a Tarantino flick.

This semi-autobiographical Canadian production, with the director looking backwards at his main character’s childhood with the hindsight of an adult, shows a simpler time when movies cost a dollar or less, parents let their kids take the bus downtown alone, and the idea of policing the content their kids consumed wasn’t given a second thought. This movie reminded me a lot of my own childhood, and those of a certain age will absolutely feel a twinge of nostalgia watching this wistful look at a different time.

For a short film, there’s a lot to dissect from a technical perspective. The way the animation and live action sequences go together are fairly seamless. The old school movie trailer music and visuals, with nods to how generally unhealthy food was back then, and how lower budget 70s films focused primarily on sex and violence to draw audiences. This movie captures that era flawlessly.

There are a couple areas where the audio could be considered poor, but it’s difficult to understand if it’s intentional, given the nature of the content, or something beyond the control or ability of the filmmaker.  I choose to give them the benefit of the doubt considering the tongue-in-cheek nature of the movie as a whole.

In the final minutes of the film, it shows how watching movies at the theater influenced the director to start creating their own movies.  This sentiment is shared by so many prominent directors (and indie film critics) and is endearing as hell.

THE MOVIEGOER is a short film that celebrates movies and the positive effect they can have on people everywhere. It shows how movies can help mold our worldviews, shape our futures, and influence our burgeoning creativity at a young age. This love letter to a bygone time is one of my favorite shorts this year.