Hollywood Guns

Dear Hollywood,

While I appreciate the appearance of the Browning Hi-Power in the bank robbery scene of whatever crime investigation show I happened across earlier this evening, there are a couple of things I would like to point out:

a) The likelihood of a Hi-Power as the pistol of choice by a bank robber is pretty slim.  Likewise, the frequent appearance of the 1911 in use by TV and movie scumbags in similar scenarios is just as unrealistic.  I am sure it happens upon occasion "IRL", but most crime reports I've read place a significantly different kind of pistol in the dirtbag's hands - generally something of a double action design, or something more compact and easily concealed without a proper holster.

b) If you're going to use a single action pistol in your production, you may want to have said robber ready the gun in a state where the threat is realistic.  Hammer down on a Hi-Power means anyone with a basic knowledge of common handgun designs has opportunity to either relieve said robber of his (or in this case, her) firearm, or to ventilate said robber before she has the opportunity do something about it.

PS:  Female bank robbers are incredibly rare.  They do exist, but in exponentially smaller numbers than you portray in your productions.

Sincerely,

John the Texaner

And now for something completely different.

Due to a the daylight savings change, a change in job status, and various other variables, I find myself up late at a coffee shop, browsing the internets and rummaging though thought tangents. Something crossed my mind from last week, so I figured I'd post it. It is not related to guns, food, or photography (unless you consider that a movie is a set of moving photographs).

Anyhoo, my girlfriend and I were flipping channels on the idiot box the other day, and came across National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation. This particular scene had our usual characters arguing over what to do in a hotel courtyard, with the daughter all dressed up to go out on town separate from the family. I had never seen the movie and was unfamiliar with it. Judging from the clothing, I pegged it as something quite recent. I was wrong. Apparently the film was released in 1997 - twelve years ago! Did the National Lampoon folks have some eerie insight into future fasion? Almost.

Most of my estimation was derived from the clothing of the daughter character. She was wearing clothing typical of what you would see worn in modern times by famous actresses and pseudo-celebrities like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and the like. My girlfriend pointed out that the clothing in the movie was meant to portray, shall we say, someone of questionable morals. A slut on the town, in other words. I found myself wrapping my mind around the notion that 1997 "slut" garb is acceptable everyday fashion for 2009.

Quite a ways we've journied in a little over a decade. It makes me wonder what fashion will bring us in 2021.

(I tried and tried to find an image on the internets of this scene, but was unable to locate one.)

EDIT: I just realized I got on this train of thought while reading phlegmfatale's post about Africans and donated clothes. Heh.