Skip to main content

TWO BALLOONS Review

Image
By

2018
Directed by Mark C. Smith

A film about two silent lemurs in hot air balloons is not only one of 2018’s finest animated shorts but one of finest films of the year. I cannot understate the beauty of Smith's TWO BALLOONS, along with its aesthetic the simplicity of its narrative, it's stunning. This 9 minute short strikes a rare emotional honesty that is sadly lacking in most feature-length films, let alone in an animated short. The detail displayed in the stop-motion animation and charming score from Peter Broderick make this simple story utterly re-watchable.   

While comparisons will undoubtedly be drawn to Wes Anderson, Smith’s exploration of humanity through these air-born primates shares more DNA with the films of Hal Ashby. It could be that I spent the morning re-watching SHAMPOO and THE LAST DETAIL but Smith seems more concerned with his films emotional resonance than its quirky details.

It would be nearly impossible to spoil the film by describing the plot, but without giving anything away, I will say at one moment my wife looked over at me and said: "if this ends badly I will be furious." In a few short minutes, Smith had her emotionally invested and pulling for these two star-crossed lovers.

Check out the trailer below


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Explaining the Ending of MULHOLLAND DRIVE

By
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive remains one of the most haunting and enigmatic films ever made. It operates like a riddle that refuses to be solved, luring the viewer into a world where time, memory, and identity dissolve into one another. What begins as a mysterious, almost whimsical Hollywood fairy tale gradually transforms into a psychological nightmare. By the end, it’s clear that what we’ve been watching is not a mystery to be unraveled but an emotional landscape, the mind of a woman caught between fantasy and despair. The film tells the story of two women, Betty Elms and Rita, whose lives intertwine after Rita survives a car crash and loses her memory. Betty, a bright and optimistic aspiring actress freshly arrived in Los Angeles, takes her in. Together, they embark on an investigation into Rita’s identity, which unfolds like a noir detective story bathed in dreamlike light. Everything about this world feels heightened: Betty’s charm, the coincidence of events, and the ease with w...
1 comment
Read More

Explaining the Ending of No Country for Old Men

By
No Country for Old Men is a tense, spare, and philosophical thriller that upends traditional narrative expectations. While it contains the elements of a crime drama—drug deals, hitmen, shootouts—it refuses to follow a conventional path. By the time the film ends, the central conflict seems unresolved, the villain walks away, and the protagonist we’ve been following disappears offscreen. To understand the film’s ending, one must look beyond plot and consider its themes: fate, violence, moral decay, and the erosion of order in the modern world. The Narrative Setup The story begins with Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Vietnam veteran who discovers a drug deal gone wrong in the Texas desert and makes off with $2 million in cash. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a remorseless hitman, is sent to retrieve the money. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), a weary and introspective lawman, tries to make sense of the violence unfolding around him. At first glance, the film appears to set up a c...
Post a Comment
Read More

Dracula (2026) Trailer, Release Date, Cast, and Plot Details

By
Dracula (2026) Trailer, Release Date, Cast, and Plot Details Vertical has officially announced that DRACULA (2026), the latest reimagining of the iconic vampire myth, will be released exclusively in theaters nationwide on February 6, 2026. Written, directed, and produced by visionary filmmaker Luc Besson, the film promises a dark, operatic take on one of cinema’s most enduring legends. Dracula (2026) Cast and Creative Team Besson’s Dracula (2026) stars Caleb Landry Jones in the title role, joined by an impressive ensemble that includes Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Guillaume de Tonquedec, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid, and Raphael Luce. The film is executive produced by Mark Canton, Dorothy Canton, Ryan Winterstern, and Philippe Corrot, further cementing the project as a major cinematic event. Dracula (2026) Plot Synopsis Set against the brutal backdrop of the 15th century, Dracula (2026) begins with profound personal tragedy. After witnessing the savage murder of his beloved wife (Zoë B...
Post a Comment
Read More