TheTvSet Tagged Articles at Cinematical

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book" -- Groucho Marx

The only good thing to come out of the cancellation of the television show Freaks and Geeks was the emergence of some pure comedic talents; writer-director Jake Kasdan being one of them. With The TV Set, Kasdan dives back into the seedy cesspool that is network television in order to provide us with a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of one little show trying desperately to land a spot in the primetime line-up. From the lonely writer whose only goal is to transform his original vision into a new hit show, to the network executive who judges the quality of a product based solely on the opinion of her 15 year-old kid, The TV Set is at its best when its characters are at their worst. If you thought the folks on your favorite reality show were pathetic, wait until you meet those who fought to put it on the air.

In the vein of films like Network and Broadcast News, The TV Set revolves around the trials and tribulations of writer Mike Klein (David Duchovny). After selling his pilot script for a show called The Wexler Chronicles, Mike sets out on a journey to not only produce a successful pilot, but also sell his unique and personal vision to the same folks who think the new reality show Slut Wars is the greatest thing to happen to television since its inception. Though it's not based on any one particular experience, it's quite obvious that this film is very personal for Kasdan. These are people he's dealt with; these soulless, emotionless network devils are probably the same ones who canceled Freaks and Geeks because, let's face it -- the audience at home would take hot and sexy over awkward and ugly any day of the week. At least, that's what the people running the show like to think.

• Last month, I could only share a brief teaser of the upcoming Zombie flick, Fido. Now, there's finally a very substantial trailer, if you want to see more before you head to theaters to watch it. (It finally opens tomorrow!) We've got head coffins, zombie crossing guards and just a little bit of zombie luvin'. Honestly, the film is fun, and just as zany as the trailers suggest. Check it out.
• On the more foreign side of things, there is a strange "teaser" up for Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson's latest film, You, The Living. It's more like a behind-the-scenes clip, and it doesn't show much, but it will test your curiosity factor. Me, I'm wondering what the hell it's all about. The film's website has a number of stills as well, with pasty-looking people, so I can't help but wonder if this is some sort of zombie film too. Or, maybe it is a Swedish film version of Six Feet Under. The film will premiere at Cannes this May, so I'm sure things will become clear soon enough.
• Lastly, we've got some television. Last summer, Martha Fischer shared that Jake Kasdan's The TV Set was picked up by THINKFilm. The movie goes through the Mike's (David Duchovny) struggle to maintain the integrity of his TV pilot while it goes through the process of being made -- casting, production and airing. The movie will finally be released next month, and Moviefone has a trailer up for you to follow the struggles of maintaining sanity when execs say things like: "Frankly, 'original' scares me a little," and "Suicide is depressing to like 82% of everybody." In other words, one of those things you could laugh at, but would never want to experience.