One Man Band (2005)

Such a frustrating disappointment

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This animated short film tells the story of two street musicians, who engage in a spectacular battle of skills to try to win a child's gold coin.The film is fun to watch, as the two musicians do everything they can and more to win the coin. Yet, the outcome of the battle is perhaps predictable, but what happens after that is not what I can predict. It is an interesting tale with a twist at the end.

I have always loved Pixar, and One Man Band is one of my favourites of theirs. For me, it is a perfect example of the short film being better than the film it is shown with, in this case it was Cars which I still like but consider it one of Pixar's weakest. Back to One Man Band, as is the case with all of Pixar's work it is gorgeously animated, with vibrant backgrounds, cute character designs and a sense of whimsy about it. The music is absolutely wonderful, as are the genuinely funny visual gags and musical sparring, in fact I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was too see and hear in such a short duration(4 minutes)and the story is told with plenty of charm and heart and moves swiftly. The characters are great, especially the lead character. True the little girl is a brat, but you learn to warm to her. Overall, a brilliant short film and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This was a funny short clip from Pixar. I think all musicians will find it really funny and, because they're a musician, they'd understand the comedy and duelling between the men, who try to 'entice' the little girl to give up her last and only coin. I thought the part where the 'brass' guy tore one of the 'strings' guy's violins and handed it to the girl was funny. In the end, the little girl 'screeches' the violin and tunes it, eventually playing a fast, Italian piece, resulting in a stranger throwing a big bag of coins in front of her. She then gets out two coins, making it look like one, quickly gesturing the coins into two, she raises them over her head and throws them into the topmost 'bowl' of the fountain. The last bit of the animation short shows the brass guy and string guy balancing on top of the other trying to get the coins out of the top.

I don't think people really pay attention to Pixar shorts as something other than a bonus to Pixar features (this one coming before Cars), but these things are really great, even standalone. A lot of Pixar shorts involve a theme of personal struggle, usually for recognition or comfort in an empty or uncaring world. They tend to involve smaller characters that are lonely and helpless, but learn something in their struggle.This one is a fun mixture of those themes, involving two competing one-man-bands (or, rather, a one man band and a one man orchestra) who are hunting for the only available coin in an empty plaza... held by a little girl who wants the coin to go far. As the competition heats up they get further and further off track of what they're doing, ultimately fumbling in a predictable direction but one that is still wonderfully poignant.Another magical thing about Pixar shorts is that few of them have any dialog, thus showing character through action and expression. This one is great at that approach, and has a great musical score to back it up.I hope someday Pixar releases a DVD of just their shorts so that people can regard them away from their feature presentations. They really are great on their own.--PolarisDiB