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Flash of Genius (Abraham, 2008): Greg Kinnear as the inventor of the windshield wiper
Comingsoon synopsis:
Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, "Flash of Genius" tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price. But this determined engineer refused to be silenced, and he took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win. The Kearns were a typical 1960s Detroit family, trying to live their version of the American Dream. Local university professor Bob married teacher Phyllis (Lauren Graham) and, by their mid-thirties, had six kids who brought them a hectic but satisfying Midwestern existence. When Bob invents a device that would eventually be used by every car in the world, the Kearns think they have struck gold. But their aspirations are dashed after the auto giants who embraced Bob's creation unceremoniously shunned the man who invented it. Ignored, threatened and then buried in years of litigation, Bob is haunted by what was done to his family and their future. He becomes a man obsessed with justice and the conviction that his life's work--or for that matter, anyone's work--be acknowledged by those who stood to benefit. And while paying the toll for refusing to compromise his dignity, this everyday David will try the unthinkable: to bring Goliath to his knees. Trailer Clips from official site |
I imagined that being a lot better than what the trailer showed me. It looks too lite. Why can't they make these feel-good true story films more like Quiz Show?
Not to get off-topic, but I really wish they would make a movie about Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster, who in a very similar situation, created Superman and never received credit until years later. But Hollywood would probably make that movie sappy like this one. |
This is a great story, i'm in.
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Quiz Show is briliant
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In "Flash of Genius", the story of the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper, only to have his invention stolen by Ford, Greg Kinnear plays Bob Kearns in tale of the little guy having to fight and dig deep, at high personal costs, to get not only the credit, but the respect he feels he rightily deserves.
The setup of how Kearns comes up with the idea and execution of the idea is probably the best part of the film, but as film enters its mid-section, it sags from the weight of Kearns' struggle with coming to terms with the theft of his invention, which just doesn't make for compelling cinema. The final act dealing with the resolution of this tale struggles to pick up momentum as Kearns gets his case heard by the court system, although the deck is stacked mightily against him as Ford Motor company has plenty of influence and deep pockets. Will the truth will out? I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+. |
I thought they really could have trimmed 15-20 minutes out of this and made it a lot stronger. I thought it was pretty good anyway, but the middle dragged aimlessly for a while.
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From DVD Times:
Universal Studios Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Flash of Genius on 17th February 2009 priced at $29.98 SRP. Based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns’ (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, Flash of Genius tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price. But this determined engineer refused to be silenced, and he took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win. Features include: * 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen * English, French and Spanish DD5.1 Surround * English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles * Commentary with director Marc Abraham * Deleted Scenes with commentary by director Marc Abraham |
^Is it just DVD, no BD?
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