Change of Habit (1969)

A few notable items about this movie before we begin. First, this was Elvis Presley's last film in which he acted. Second, "In the Ghetto" does not appear in the soundtrack, though the song and film both came out in 1969. Third, Ed Asner and Mary Tyler Moore are both in the movie, and I like to think that it may have had a hand in their working together on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. If anyone runs into Ed, be sure to ask.

So, Change of Habit. Mary Tyler Moore stars as Sister Michelle, the leader of a trio of nuns who go undercover to work their nun magic in a surprisingly diverse ghetto. Even Dr. John Carpenter (Elvis) doesn't know that his three new nurses at the free clinic answer to a higher power. Which makes the "I don't do abortions" scene hilarious.

After some initial misunderstandings, the women get to work. Sister Irene (Barbara McNair) confronts some childhood demons as she does housecalls in an environment that she joined the sisterhood to escape. She encounters some Black Panther types who question her blackness, which makes her uneasy.

Sister Barbara (Jane Eliot) is best described as spunky. After tarting it up a bit to get some guys to move furniture into the women's apartment (and almost becoming an assault victim), she gets hellbent on bringing down the grocery store that consistently rips off the locals.

The major drama involves Sister Michelle. She is a speech therapist by training and has diagnosed a girl everyone thought was deaf with autism. Michelle wants to try to work with her through love and understanding, but the Doc decides that rage reduction is the way to go. And that scene ends up on film and it is as unsettling as you might imagine. But it's Elvis, so he manages to cure autism. Remember: his name is Carpenter, and Jesus was a carpenter. Anyway, Michelle falls for Elvis and has a crisis of faith.

The big event of Act II is the San Juan festival. Michelle uses it as an opportunity to release the stranglehold of The Banker, an "protection" extortionist. Barbara decides to give up the nun's life and become a full-time social activist. Michelle wants to flee to the convent so she doesn't have to choose God or the Doctor, but then she almost gets raped by another patient and Elvis saves her. Yes, that really happens. She and Irene do end up back in the convent, but John performs at the church's folk mass. The movie ends as Michelle tries to decide between Jesus or the Carpenter.

This movie is bad in the sense that it takes an incredibly superficial look at inner-city social issues. While it tries to be sharp, the presence of Elvis and MTM dulls the edge. Though if you can get through the truly offensive parts of the film (the rage reduction scene, the rape scene), Change of Habit is surprisingly watchable. To be clear, this is not a musical, though John Carpenter does sing a few songs including my favorite Elvis song "Rubberneckin'."

I think Change of Habit scores exactly 3.000000000 out of 5 stars. If there was one more cringey moment, this would be a bad movie. If the film had one more clever line, it would be a good movie. This film could be the tuning fork for just about any other movie.

The Informant! (2009)

I wasn't exactly wowed or whatever reaction the exclamation point was supposed to draw out of me. The story is about Mark Whitacre, a VP for agriculture supergiant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). The company is involved in a price fixing scheme involving corn and Whitacre decides to work for the FBI to bring down some of the higher-ups. At first he professes to be doing it for the good of the company and his soul, but eventually it is revealed that he is trying to oust his superiors so he can become CEO. Whitacre is a pathological liar and we soon learn that not only was he trying to perpetrate this bizarre usurpation but he had embezzled millions of dollars while under the FBI umbrella.

The story, which is based on true events, is interesting in an "I can't believe that this guy really did that" sort of way but it isn't a very cinematic story. The events are all based around verbal lies and FBI surveillance of business, neither of which really action based. Also, financial chicanery and price fixing are not the sexiest crimes -- particularly for those of us who only have a vague understanding of the concepts involved. The film reached a point where you finally understand that Whitacre is a schnook but then the movie goes on for another half hour. The story stops building and his inevitable comeuppance doesn't provide much of a payoff (particularly since Whitacre is now a COO for some other company after a brief hiatus in prison).

The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh, an auteur I just can't get behind. His choices tend to distract me more than engage me and this film is no exception. The camerawork was steady, as opposed to Traffic and The Limey (both of which made me seasick) which was refreshing. However, he chose to give the film a 60's motif despite the fact that the events took place between 1992 and 1995. I think he was going for homage to double agents, but it was giving me an Austin Powers vibe. My other major issue involved casting choices. Matt Damon was all right as Whitacre, but I'm not sure what he brought to the role that was distinct. Not good, not bad, just nothing special. The supporting cast was where I found more distraction. Joel McHale played an FBI agent working with Whitacre, Patton Oswald played an attorney, and Paul F. Tompkins played an attorney. I'm not sure what the deal was with all the stand-up comedians, particularly since they were all playing against type. My theory is that it is a commentary about framing reality with how you tell a story, but the analogy falls flat since the reality framed by this story is not particularly engaging.

This film strikes me as a product of timing -- riding the coattails of populist rage against the giants of corporate America (one of the previews was for Capitalism, Michael Moore's new film). However it is a whistleblower (sort of) who is trying to slay Goliath, not the lay person. The timing seems off and the story doesn't get much beyond the conversation point of "oh, really? You don't say?"

Captain America (2011)

I was never a comic book reader growing up, though I do enjoy superhero movies. If asked to name DC or Marvel characters, I would probably score a 60 on that test. However, I tend to favor the Marvel characters/films (Batman being the major exception).

That being said, I knew absolutely nothing about the character Captain America before entering the theater. A little jingoism goes a long way with me, so a guy wearing skin-tight stars and stripes isn't necessarily going to draw me in. I think that instinct is what may have hampered my ability to enjoy this film. Also the fact that Captain America is a really boring character.

That isn't a critique of Chris Evans. I think he did a fine job with what he had to work with. The problem with the character is that, as far as I can tell, CA has no fatal flaw. Superman has kryptonite, Batman has his residual guilt and loner sensibilities, Spider-Man is in a constant state of puberty. In Act I we learn that Scott (pre-CA) is a glutton for punishment who won't give into bullies. After his transformation, Scott now has superspeed, greater strength, a souped-up metabolism and 99% hit accuracy. The metabolism prevents drunkenness, which is a non-issue after Scott's best friend dies, but I don't see any super villains using that information against the hero.

Given all these stats, it's difficult to feel any suspense in any of the missions the Captain faces in the movie. The prison rescue, which reminded me of the NES Metal Gear game, had some tension, but that was before the audience learns that the hero is practically invincible. When it gets to the final battle, you know he is going to survive and save the day, not just because that's how movies work but because you see the resulting wreckage at the beginning of the film.

I thought the main supporting cast did an okay job. Tommy Lee Jones played his part as the crusty commander perfectly. Hugo Weaving was an interesting casting choice, in that it made this movie seem like a prequel to The Matrix. The only casting choice that drove me nuts was for the ragtag team that worked with CA after the prison rescue. Hey, it's a coalition of token minority representation! Anachronisms be damned! Though what bothered me was how their contribution to Act II was completely tacked on. This, the musical number shortly after CA's transformation, and the receptionist going tongue-to-tongue with Scott were moments that completely removed me from the movie experience that made the movie...less than what it could have been.

The epilogue was intriguing. I enjoyed The Truman Show feel to what was going on. Perhaps when The Avengers comes out next summer, Captain America's fatal flaw will be Rip Van Winkle syndrome. Though how important is it for Scott to be able to microwave a burrito or use an iPod?

Overall, Captain America was a good popcorn movie, but it's not a fantastic superhero film. The action sequences were strong, but the lack of suspense caused by the main character's poor construction (a fault caused by the source material and not the script) hold this movie back.