Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
Invaderbank
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
This is a 22-minute black-and-white silent short film from over 90 years ago and it proves that bad word plays already existed in the 1920s as well. The star here is once again Stoneface Buster Keaton, who also reunited with Edward F. Cline in writing and directing this movie. For a change, it looks like Cline did not act in here this time. But Buster is on screen basically every second. Joseph M. Schneck produced this and he is a long time collaborator with Keaton too. In contrast to that, the actresses in here really were not, which is a bit of a change as Buster usually worked with people that appeared in several films of him in the past. Another change is that Buster has no real human antagonists in here, but basically runs into animals (some dangerous, some not) all the time. Bears, rabbits, bulls etc. And there is a clumsy love story as usual with Keaton. This was made in 1923 and was already at the end of Keaton's short film career. He was in his late 20s here and moved on to full feature films quickly afterward. I did not really think "The Balloonatic" was an interesting watch. Oh and the title is not great either. Balloon action is really only for maybe the first 6 minutes and the very last scene. The rest of the movie is spent in a Gold Rush like area in the woods near the river. Not recommended.
Polaris_DiB
Buster Keaton was a man who liked to tinker with things and survive maelstroms. Both of these things come together in this short to tell the tale of a man who first gets trapped on a balloon, and then has to survive in nature in the middle of nowhere while trying to win the affection of the belle nearby.The beginning starts out in a carnival and isn't really that interesting. Surreal, to be sure, but after the audience figures out what's going on, most of the comedy of the situation doesn't work out as much. However, once Keaton gets on the balloon, it becomes a whole different story altogether, and definitely shows the inventiveness of such a comedic genius. When he's in the wild, as well, the situations he finds himself in is worth more than just a laugh.Overall it's definitely worth a good watch or two. Buster Keaton is the type of artist where everything he does is good enough to take a look-see, and definitely to rave about. Plus, being that this is a short, it's a quick thing you can watch with friends during a party or something. Highly recommended.--PolarisDiB
Ron Oliver
A BUSTER KEATON Silent Short.Intrepid Buster faces danger on land, on water & in the air - generally because of his disastrous attempts to impress lovely young women.THE BALLOONATIC - which actually gives very little screen time to the hot air balloon - is rather a jumble of disjointed (but funny) scenes which bare scant relation to each other. With any other star it would be easy to dismiss, but Keaton holds it all together (barely) by the sheer force of his undeniable talent and some very amusing moments. Highlight: the trajectory of a large lady sliding precipitately out of an amusement park's horror house causes some impact problems for Buster.Born into a family of Vaudevillian acrobats, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) mastered physical comedy at a very early age. An association with Fatty Arbuckle led to a series of highly imaginative short subjects and classic, silent feature-length films - all from 1920 to 1928. Writer, director, star & stuntman - Buster could do it all and his intuitive genius gave him almost miraculous knowledge as to the intricacies of film making and of what it took to please an audience. More akin to Fairbanks than Chaplin, Buster's films were full of splendid adventure, exciting derring-do and the most dangerous physical stunts imaginable. His theme of a little man against the world, who triumphs through bravery & ingenuity, dominates his films. Through every calamity & disaster, Buster remained the Great Stone Face, a stoic survivor in a universe gone mad.In the late 1920's Buster was betrayed by his manager/brother-in-law and his contract was sold to MGM, which proceeded to nearly destroy his career. Teamed initially with Jimmy Durante and eventually allowed small roles in mediocre comedies, Buster was for 35 years consistently given work far beneath his talent. Finally, before lung cancer took him at age 70, he had the satisfaction of knowing that his classic films were being rediscovered. Now, well past his centenary, Buster Keaton is routinely recognized & appreciated as one of cinema's true authentic geniuses. And he knew how to make people laugh...
Lugosi31
Here, Buster Keaton accidentally gets on top of a hot-air balloon. When he shoots himself out of the sky, he lands near a stream filled with fish. Also, there is a young woman camping nearby. Funny scenes follow, which contain, among other things, bears, burning canoes, and waterfalls. See this film because it is yet another one that displays Keaton's mechanical ingenuity. Surely, you will also find it quite humorous.
