Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Martin Bradley
When pitched the idea might have seemed novel if hardly riveting, (a concert pianist about to perform finds a note on his sheet music telling him that if he plays a wrong note he and/or his wife will be killed), but this thriller, penned by current Hot Young Thing Damien Chazelle and directed by Eugenio Mira, is surprisingly suspenseful. Indeed this is the kind of conceit that Hitchcock might have toyed with, (something similar was seen some years back when Colin Farrell found himself trapped in a phone-box with a sniper's rifle trained on him). Of course, that movie, "Phone Booth" had the streets of the city to play with; the problem facing Mira is how to keep us glued to a limited set, (in this case a concert hall), and a fixed time span, not to mention 'inflicting', on perhaps a less than enthusiastic audience, a lot of semi-classical music. That he, and lead actor Elijah Woods, as well as the off-screen voice of potential killer John Cusack, pull it off is a credit to them all. Also, for something so seemingly insular, Mira makes excellent use of the widescreen. Perhaps more destined for cult status than mass consumption but certainly worth seeing.
inforaza
Grand Piano is supposed to be a psychological thriller – but it falls flat! This 1 hr 20 minutes film looked like a Showreel for some students of film-making. I suspect Eugenio Mira made this (test) film to hone his own skills to make something better in future. LOL! In the film, there is an embedded lock in the piano which if released would yield a key to a safe deposit box containing the late pianist Patrick Godureaux's disappeared fortune. The villain himself is the locksmith who worked with Godureaux to construct the mechanism.This is truly a convoluted idea! Why'd Patrick construct this mechanism, in the first place? What is the benefit of this hopelessly contrived technique to hide the key to the safe deposit box? When he dies who is supposed to find the key? One who can play "La Cinquette" perfectly (like Elijah Wood, a student of Patrick)? Does this mean whoever plays La Cinquette well becomes the rightful owner of the fortune? How hilarious! It'd have been credible had Patrick willed away the fortune to Elijah Wood through that key and no one is aware of this (not even Elijah) except a few trustworthy people. But the villain somehow becomes aware of this secret key.Coming back the film, it is well-paced & well-cinematographed no doubt - but DOES NOT offer any tangible thrill and suspense at all. You can easily ignore it without feeling an iota of guilt, unless you sincerely want to check things out for yourself.By the way, the movie ends in a very strange way! Elijah plays the damaged Piano and the key falls out of the Piano and then the credits starts scrolling.How am I supposed to react to this? Fall out of my chair? If ever you want to see an UNCONVINCING ending then watch Grand Piano.
Lundgrenja
If sound makes up more than half of the movie experience then Grand Piano is as simple of a concept as it is brilliant. In Grand Piano the worlds greatest concert pianist is set to make his return to the grand stage after freezing and failing an epic piece a few years prior. He plans to make his return while playing the piano of his recently deceased mentor and this is where the movie finds the inspiration for its title. However someone has scribbled down threats in his notes and he is now forced to play every note perfectly if he wishes to stay alive.Elijah Wood plays the main part brilliantly even though he seldom has anyone to act off of and his energy in playing the piano shines through and most of the time comes of as real rather than fake. Using the score in a two-fold meaning, both as a story mechanism and as a suspension builder, works great most of the time and it really showcases the talent behind the movie.Much like many other movies that are based around simple concept or locations it struggles to keep things interesting throughout the entire running time and this plus some stereotypical minor characters unfortunately keeps the movie from being as great as it could have been. But as it stands its a unique, often thrilling, movie that dares to think outside of the box.
g-bodyl
Grand Piano is one of those small, independent features that often no one pays mind to which is a darn shame. Essentially speaking, it is the little thriller that could. No doubt, it's a small film but this is a piece of art. The film is very similar to 2002's Phone Booth, but instead of a phone booth, it takes place on a piano during a concert. The movie is riveting, tense, features fine acting, and a tight screenplay by Damian Chazelle, whom we will meet later on in great detail. This film is about a gifted piano player named Tom Selznick who embarks on a comeback trail after spending several years in retirement and suffers from stage fright. However, a sniper leaves a note saying if he plays one wrong note, he will die. Elijah Wood delivers a fearful performance as Selznick. He hits all the right notes, figuratively and literally speaking. His paranoia is intense as he tries to find the identity of his killer. John Cusack, or I shall say mostly his voice, delivers a fine performance as the man who wants Tom to play all the right notes for a specific reason. Overall, Grand Piano is a riveting thriller and a better movie than the kind of release date would inspire. The screenplay was excellent and likewise for the acting. The ending could have been better as I felt the movie ended at the wrong time. An additional five minutes would suffice. But on the whole, this is the little thriller that could.My Grade: B+/A-
