SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It was the summer of 1984 when “Ghostbusters” was unleashed in theaters on June 7, just two days before my eighth birthday. “Gremlins,” another one of my favorites, was released on the same day. In fact, when you look back at 1984, it isn’t as easy to assign a singular film to represent the year in the same way the previous summer had belonged to “Return of the Jedi” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” the summer before that. Would I pick “Ghostbusters” over “Gremlins,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” “The Karate Kid,” “The Last Starfighter,” or “The Muppets Take Manhattan?” I might.

I really wanted to be a Ghostbuster. My cousin and I were going to start our own chapter. The logistics of the enterprise were never discussed but that never dulled the daydream of growing up and owning my own proton pack. It could still happen.

When “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was released, I was drifting around the neon-lit streets of Soho in London chasing down a little bit of sanity to get me through to the new year. It was the second film I watched when I returned to the drollness of reality, but I never really talked about it.

So, when Sony reached out and asked if I’d want to talk to co-writer/director Jason Reitman in December about the film ahead of its home video release, I leapt at the chance.

Jason and I are essentially the same age and we both grew up watching a lot of the same movies. He, being the son of “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman, was figuratively on the front row while I was at the back of the theater. But we were both in the theater. There are cultural touchstones that don’t discriminate by class and “Ghostbusters” was one of them.

I liked “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” I wanted to love it. Still, I enjoyed aspects of the story and like the ideas and direction the film takes the Ghostbusters narrative. I want the franchise to continue and wouldn’t be upset if Jason continued to be involved. I’m also a big fan of Mckenna Grace (and that’s abundantly clear in the interview). If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be as smart and unique as Mckenna.

So, rather than focus on any aspect of the film that I didn’t think worked, I pushed the conversation towards things I did love. I was also 24 hours removed from getting a booster shot and was feeling a bit disconnected from reality. Well, I suppose I’m always a bit disconnected from reality. In this case, I was more so.

Kick back and enjoy or despise my five minutes with Reitman as we talk “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and a whole lot of Mckenna Grace.

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is available now to own digitally and will be released on DVD/Blu-ray on February 1, 2022.