Flash Of Genius

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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

Zahveed wrote:
OscarGuy wrote:I only update once a week and the only two sources I use are apple trailers and yahoo movies. Between the two, I think I get most all of the new releases.

That makes sense. I think the only problem, though minor, is your poster updates. You're usually on top of the trailers.
Well, the poster updates are based on what I see on the individual pages for the trailers. I don't have time to sift through the films I've already reviewed each and every week to see if new posters are out. Plus, they most generally aren't.
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Post by rolotomasi99 »

Greg wrote:Based on the trailor, it looks like it could be a sleeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2N9ta1Hmiw

i genuinely do not know if you mean "sleeper" as in a surprise hit or a snoozefest. i am definitely leaning towards the latter.

i am not a big fan of these type of treaclely inspirational stories to begin with, but this one is particularly stupid and annoying looking. it seems more like an snl spoof than a trailer for an actual movie. apparently they ran out of stories about people taking on the corrupt government or evil corporations who pollute the drinking water of a small town, so now they have to make a two hour movie about the guy that invented the windshield wiper. when i first heard about this movie i thought it was a joke, and then i hoped it would be told in the manner of THE HUDSUCKER PROXY as a way to mock corporate greed.

the trailer just confirmed how incredibly stupid this movie looks. no surprise it was helmed by a first time director, former producer. it looks like he did a perfectly competent but completely unimaginative job in his directing.

the part that actually makes me loathe the film sight-unseen is the following bit of dialogue:
EVIL CORPORATE GUY: Ford wants to offer your family $30 million.
IDEALISTIC LITTLE GUY: Do they admit it was my invention?
EVIL CORPORATE GUY: No.
IDEALISTIC LITTLE GUY'S ADORABLE DAUGHTER: Don't do it dad.

what the fuck!?! they offer you $30 million but you want the fucking credit. your pride is so huge that you are willing to continue to destroy your family (which happens in real life but probably not the movie) just so you can get the fucking credit. i have no idea who invented the rear view mirror or the hubcap, so why does it matter that you get the credit for the windshield wiper?
$30 million now is quite a bit of money. $30 million several decades ago is quite a fucking bit of money!!! imagine all he could do with that money. he could open an engineering school for underprivileged students or something. he could use that money for so many good things, but he wants the credit.

as i watched this movie in the theatres, i went from thinking it looked silly to actually hating the film's protagonist. what an unbelievable ass. how the hell am i supposed to identify, care about, or root for a protagonist who is supposed to be a regular joe but just comes across as a selfish jerk?

maybe if the movie had framed him as a don quixote character, a deranged little man titling at windmills, we could have sympathized and been amused with his insane mission. i think charlie kaufman could have done a wonderful job with this story.
however, the trailer makes it seem like we are supposed to identify and completely side with his struggle. who else out there would make such a stupid and selfish decision?

am i the only person who thinks this movie looks both silly and infuriating?

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S-P-O-I-L-E-R-A-L-E-R-T
in the end, the real life bob kearn eventually won his case. victory came in the year 1995, around 25 years after he first began his fight. in the end what did he win? $30 million. so he fought that battle, spent all that money, time, and energy, only to come away with the monetary compensation he was offered several decades earlier. he could have invested his many, many millions when he was originally offered it and have been quite wealthier than he ended up being.
also, the supreme court ruled the corporations were guilty of "non-deliberate patent infringement." the car companies were never forced to give kearn the credit he deserved.
kearn had several mental breakdowns during his lengthy legal battle and had to be institutionalized. kearn died five years after he won his case.
from a washington post obit:
"In the end, his courtroom battles cost him his job, his marriage and, at times, his mental health."




Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1222463391
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Post by Zahveed »

OscarGuy wrote:I only update once a week and the only two sources I use are apple trailers and yahoo movies. Between the two, I think I get most all of the new releases.
That makes sense. I think the only problem, though minor, is your poster updates. You're usually on top of the trailers.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

I only update once a week and the only two sources I use are apple trailers and yahoo movies. Between the two, I think I get most all of the new releases.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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Post by Zahveed »

OscarGuy wrote:I saw the trailer months ago, you guys really shouldn't let YouTube tell you when new trailers come out because I got them from other sources. Matter of fact, you should look through my list of Previews and see what's available before resorting to linking YouTube. I put a lot of work into those pages...
I look at your pages, OG. I tend to catch some on other film sites before yours, but I have found a few items of interest. Usually it's just to see your take on the trailers and posters I've seen, but every now and then I'll be surprised with something new.
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Post by flipp525 »

edited for unnecessary bitchiness.



Edited By flipp525 on 1222459228
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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

I saw the trailer months ago, you guys really shouldn't let YouTube tell you when new trailers come out because I got them from other sources. Matter of fact, you should look through my list of Previews and see what's available before resorting to linking YouTube. I put a lot of work into those pages...

I think it has some hokey elements. Reminds me a lot of those sports dramas with inspirational messages blended with Erin Brockovich.
Wesley Lovell
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Post by flipp525 »

I really love Greg Kinnear.
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Post by Greg »

Based on the trailor, it looks like it could be a sleeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2N9ta1Hmiw
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