The Red Balloon – dir. Albert Lamorisse – 6.5 – The Red Balloon is a delightful short film by French director Albert Lamorisse about a boy, played by the director’s son, and a sentient red balloon which he finds while travelling to school one day. The film has a touch of magic throughout and reminded me of listening to Peter and the Wolf as a child as the film relies, heavily, on its score to swell your mood as the story unfolds.

I have a feeling that The Red Balloon will be a film that I wish each viewing will be my first viewing. Highly recommended.

Blue is the Warmest Color – dir. Abdel Kechiche – 5.2 –  When I tallied up the score for this film I wondered how Blue is the Warmest Color earn 5.2, the score seems like a gift for this very boring film. I did not finish the film so it may have picked up a some point but when I checked the running time I knew that I did not have a whole three hours to devote.

Someday I would like to know how it won the Palme d’Or but I am not too interested in finding out. I understand that the film deals with important issues but the my personal cost analysis does not make it a good investment, personally. Many people liked it and many people did not. (Note: You could watch The Red Balloon 5 times instead of watching Blue)