Posted 1:44 PM by Steve
Few virtues in Miami Vice.

Aside from neat cars, boats and airplanes and another good performance from Jamie Foxx, Miami Vice fizzles in it's big screen iteration. Mann's brooding and atmospheric directorial style lends itself to a more serious movie like "Heat". "Miami Vice" was fluff when it was on T.V. and it shouldn't take itself too seriously.

I don't think Colin Farrell ever found a voice for his character and so he ends up sometimes sounding like he's trying to lower his voice or talk with Don Johnson's scratchy voice from the T.V. series. It's distracting and lowers the quality of his performance. Gong Li is surprisingly good because I think this must be one of her first English speaking roles. It sounds as if she is speaking english phonetically in some scenes.

The stereotypical sleazeball bad guy is not menacing, he looks like he should be wearing gold chains and driving a Camaro. The movie has a few major shoot-outs which I'm sure Mann insisted upon since his shoot-out in "Heat" was widely hailed as revolutionary.

I recommend renting the film if you were a big fan of the series, otherwise skip it altogether and watch "Heat" again.

Posted 4:18 AM by Steve
Minimum wage increase. Sounds good right? Legislate to give people more money...

Let's examine the effects.

Those earning minimum wage get a raise. Hopefully, those making just above minimum receive a boost also.

The problem: This raise did not come from increased revenue. It was mandated by government. In effect, it is a tax. It's an increase in the cost of doing business. Reduced profits. Increased price of goods and services offered by the businesses affected.

The kinds of businesses that pay minimum wage are typically low-margin businesses. In order to remain profitable, businesses will find a way to either cut staff or decrease hours of employees. The laws of business are as cold and heartless as any law of nature. The almighty dollar doesn't care if the employee nets a smaller paycheck because even though he gets a few more cents an hour, he gets fewer hours per paycheck.

Also another negative effect of legislating a minimum wage increase is that those same low-margin businesses generally operate in low income areas. In response to the increased cost of doing business they will increase the cost of the goods or services they provide and effectively punish the same people whom the legislation is attempting to assist.