So the barefoot bandit was arrested Sunday, and it got me to thinking.

And you know I like to think!

I asked myself: Why do so many news networks romanticize a criminal, just cuz he doesn’t own any shoes?

And how stupid can a criminal be that he kept going barefoot – when his odds of capture would have dropped if he put on some Keds? Or, at least some tasteful pumps?

Bottom line: he’s a nice looking white kid who’s committing seemingly victimless crimes, so the media (and even some of his “victims”) are letting him off the hook. But there are victims – insurance companies have to pay for the stolen crap, which raises our premiums. (more…)

Michael Mann’s Public Enemies was one of the most anticipated films of the year (Read my Parcbench review here, John Nolte’s slightly opposing view here). However, it seems that many critics are drastically underrating this film. This is unfortunate because even though the film may not be the gangster movie we are used to; it sure has hints of perfection throughout. After reading many reviews panning this film, I decided to give it a second look.

There were still some obvious flaws. There are a couple of choppy edits as well as questionable music in the scene where Dillinger walks into the cop shop. But the flaws most people discuss don’t seem to be a true flaw at all. I’ve heard and read many people say the film has no depth and the characters are shallow. This is simply not a fair assertion.

The film may appear shallow to some, but it doesn’t give us anything we don’t need to know. That is exactly what makes this film enjoyable; there is no abundance of useless information. It is about Dillinger’s short time as public enemy number one, nothing more. (more…)