This week on the Pop Almanac, we dissect the top two movies at the box office: Twilight: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 and The Muppets. With the help of friend of the show and CultureMap Austin Assistant Editor Michael Graupmann ("Graupples" to his friends), your hosts delve into the larger cultural significance of glittering vampire pro-life arguments and felt-based sex appeal.
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series of novels have clearly become one of the biggest literary phenomenons of our time, and erstwhile creative-writing major Duncan claims he read the first three books out of intellectual curiousity—but mostly just is awe-struck by the series' growing insanity, especially in the fourth installment of the film series (which, fair warning, is thoroughly spoiled during this episode). Michael has enjoyed the camp value of the movies with diminishing returns, while Brendan has lived a blissful Twilight-free life, until now.
This gives way to a reasoned debate about muppets. Does Jason Segel's screenplay for The Muppets coast on sentimentality, and if so, can you blame it when somepeople find themselves welling up five minutes into the film? Does the relaunch of the Muppets focus entirely too much on underwritten human roles? On one front, however, all parties stand united: Bring Back The Muppet Show!
Finally everyone is forced to choose a favorite Muppet (or Jim Henson creation, including the absurdly cruel proto-Kermit from his early Wilkins Instant Coffee commercials).
Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wickmovies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.
A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).
A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.
Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.
The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.
After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.
Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.
You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.
