the tv set Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Paul Verhoeven in his native land, making an independent movie about a hot naked woman and Nazis? That's got to be my pick of the week. Of course, this being Verhoeven, he subverts expectations, at least according to the critics, and produces a film with a serious intent in mind. And the result was so good it prompted Cinematical's Ryan Stewart to declare it "the best film of 2007 so far" when he reviewed it in April. I'm talking about Black Book, Paul Verhoeven's "sweeping war epic ... following a Jewish girl on the run in Nazi-occupied Holland." Sony Pictures' DVD features an audio commentary by Verhoeven, who is usually entertaining on yak tracks, and a "making of" feature.

William Friedkin's films have been generally derided for many years -- pretty much everything since The Exorcist in 1973 -- though, personally, I have a soft spot for the failed Sorcerer, really love To Live and Die in L.A., and am glad that Cruising has recently received some critical reevaluation. Though it didn't make much of a ripple at the box office, Bug seems to be a comeback of sorts for him. Our own Jette Kernion wrote: "Bug blends paranoia, trust and love into a riveting story, driven by intense characters." She also commented very favorably on the "incredible" performances, especially the one by by Michael Shannon, but also those by Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr. The Lionsgate DVD includes both a commentary by director Friedkin and a discussion with him.

If you're looking for something a bit further out of the mainstream, Ten Canoes sounds like the best bet. The critics were pretty well united in their praise. Stephen Holden of The New York Times said it "interweaves two versions of the same story, one filmed in black and white and set a thousand years ago, and an even older one, filmed in color and set in a mythic, prehistoric past." The Palm Pictures DVD sounds like it's worth a rental.

Also out are two comedies: mockumentary Chalk (about high school teachers) and Jake Kasdan's The TV Set (about a television pilot). Several friends of mine -- and many festival audiences -- thought Chalk was hilarious, while The TV Set has received mixed response. Perhaps the respective subjects will help you decide if you'll want to check those out.

"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.

Here are some trailers to peek at before the weekend:

• 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.
  

Though it took a little while -- the film had its world premiere this past spring at Tribeca -- it's no surprise that Jake Kasdan's The TV Set has finally been picked up for US distribution. After all, it probably came fairly cheap (I realize it's all relative, but you know what I mean), and stars big names like David Duchovny and Sigourney Weaver; ThinkFilm certainly can't be blamed for taking a flyer on the thing.

A behind-the-scenes comedy about the television industry, the film stars Duchovny as a naive writer who "steers a fictional skein through a gantlet of stars, managers and a severe network exec (Weaver)." Kasdan spent the early part of his career in television (he directed episodes of both Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared), and the TV Set reviews in the trades all mention the impressive accuracy of his depiction of that world. However, they reviews also wonder how funny such an insider story will be to the general public; we'll all get to decide for ourselves when the movie hits theaters next spring.