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Your Future Nostalgia. Today. | ||
| www.asmzine.com / www.alteredstatesmag.com | |||
| March 21, 2010 |
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Invasion Iowa
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There is an inherent problem when trying to review a new series by the same creative team behind a series you loved. Invariably, one tries to compare it to the old, rather than letting it stand on its own.
Such is the case I found myself in when watching the first episode of Invasion Iowa tonight, the new mini-series from the creators of The Joe Schmo Show. The basic premises of the shows are the same: What happens when a group of actors plays a joke on unsuspecting people?
In Joe Schmo, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick lampooned reality shows, in which one or two real people competed in a reality show that was completely fake. In Invasion Iowa (hereafter abbreviated as "II"), William Shatner leads a fake movie crew to the future birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk -- Riverside, Iowa -- to film what will a new sci-fi movie. And this time, the unsuspecting real people consist of the entire town's population.
So, the shows are the same -- but they're completely different. With JS, the funny lines and memorable insights seemed to come at a rapid pace. II needs more time to set up. So at first, I thought the show was dragging.
Then I decided to sit back and let the story tell itself at its own pace. Once I did that, the show immediately clicked.
This show will appeal to many people. Sci-Fi lovers will, of course, gravitate to Shatner and the sci-fi movie aspect. Amateur moviemakers will enjoy getting glimpses of behind-the-scenes aspects of getting a film made. Sure, it's all fake -- but the best lies are the ones with bits of truth in them. And without those truths, this show would just be a cruel prank. Instead, it's the truths that give the show its heart, just like in JS.
You see the earnest of the everyday people in Riverside, as they try out for parts. You see the willingness for the helpers to do whatever is asked of them just for the sake of saying, "Hey! I helped make this movie!". And you see Shatner immediately realize that the final payoff is going to be difficult to deliver, because, as he said, the cast will be part of the townspeople's lives now.
There will be time enough for introspection later. To the review!
Episode 1 starts with Shatner and crew arriving in Riverside. As you see the star exit the limo with his new Emmy in hand, you realize -- this is not Shatner. No, this is Shatner as Shatner, playing an exaggerated version of himself. In fact, that's what all these characters are -- somewhat amplified people, from the bumbling assistant (Michael J. O'Hara as "Herb") to the spirtual advisor (Ernie Grunwald as "Steve"), from the sexually-heightened (sort of) actress (Desi Lydic as "Gryffyn") to the body double/stunt man/Shatner's cousin (Kirk Ward as "Tiny"). These are characters in a loosely-defined story. We know the general plot, but the actors and actresses will have to move the story along based on what the real people do.
We see Shatner getting a tour of the city (the scene in the diner where he eats a customer's fries is classic), meeting the people he's basically lying to, and his internal reaction to what he's doing. Again, it's things like that that make this show more than just a cruel prank.
Shatner plays the part of the director to the hilt when it comes to the auditions. You wouldn't dream of actual auditions taking place this way, but the people don't know any different. With that, the casting choices are made, and it's time to get to know each other. At dinner that night, the fake-cast and the town-cast exchange information about each other, and then Shatner presents the with gifts of -- SHATS!
"If it's not a SHAT, it's not a hat!" Mood hats, SHATS come in green, yellow, and red to show people how you're feeling.
Good Lord, it's so horrible. I want a set. Someone hook me up.
The main highlight of the episode, though, is the first day of filming. It's here that Shatner and Tiny (his cousin/body double) really start upping the ante. Words don't do these scenes justice. Suffice it to say, it's a parody of the arrival of the Terminator... only with disgusting glop that looks like... well, I can't say it here. But poor Tiny; he went through hell for this joke. You witness the local people acting for the first time, you witness the assistant fail to shut off cell phones, and you see Shatner get more and more irate. You get to see Wanye ("Pa") forget his lines again and again.
And you get to see Shatner tell Tiny that his right hand is overacting.
Seriously. The hand is overacting.
There's more hilarity involving Tiny (who is so not a body double for Shatner, but the people buy it), more goo, more manure, and Wayne hitting Tiny repeatedly with a shovel. I know I'm forgetting parts of what happened. Shows like this you need to watch more than once to get all the details, and dang it, I need to get this review up and online.
The show ends with the cast gathered to see the entire scene editted together as it will appear in the movie. The movie is going to be one of the worst B-movies ever made. But the people of Riverside don't care -- they're part of something special!
And so are we as the audience. Don't miss the rest of this show, on every night this week at 9:00pm ET/PT.
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