Tomatometer rating: 77%Gross: $22,555 Ever wanted to see Frodo Baggins playing the piano literally to save his life, while John Cusack has a sniper rifle trained on him, for an entire movie? Well, it's unclear why, but 2014 audiences didn't - Eugenio Mira's film made a paltry $22,555 last year, coming off so badly that it just went straight to DVD in some territories. Here's the thing: Grand Piano is no masterpiece. What it is, however, is a thoroughly entertaining popcorn movie (think the final, Royal Albert Hall-set scenes of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much extended to feature length) built out of a ludicrous premise by writer Damien Chazelle. That's right, Damien Chazelle - of Whiplash fame - actually wrote a screenplay about a pianist (Elijah Wood, likeable even when he's anxious) who must hit all the right keys in front of a live audience, or an unseen assailant speaking over an earpiece (Cusack) will shoot him. Such a ridiculous film should never have been made, and it shouldn't work at all, but it's Fresh for a reason: so those who missed it the first time around will now know to catch it at home. Which other recent Certified Fresh movies do you think deserved more love from the audience? Let us know in the comments below.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
