Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) 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.

SnoopyStyle Buster Keaton is at an amusement park. First he's in the House of Trouble and then he gets slapped in a tunnel ride. He finds a large balloon. The balloon gets loose and he gets taken for a ride. He tries his hand at duck hunting and shoots his own balloon. He crash lands and tries to do some fishing. He gets into a constant fight with a woman fishing until they run into a bear.I really laughed when he brought out the duck decoys. It would have been better for Keaton to extend the balloon ride. That is fun and something different. Once he gets on land, the story isn't quite as much fun. It's interesting to have the bear but that's to see if he's getting bit or not. I really the balloon but it's far too short.

sebaveron2001 This is the only short feature of Buster Keaton's I have seen, it is funnier than I thought, what with the bear chases and the hot air baloon. However, it didn't seem as sophisticated, clever or as funny as "The General" or "Our Hospitality", it was lacking the usual clever, knowing edge of silent films e.g. Sunrise, The Kid. Which has now been replaced by CGI. Saying ll that, some of the stunts in it are extremely cool and really funny, perhaps the best introduction to Keaton. It is available on "Seven Chances" and on "Buster Keaton Shorts (Volume 1), along with Convict 22 and other things.Good, not brilliant, ****/****

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.