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My Gun
by JAPOV - 02/17/25 03:53 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
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Well, now that Our Government's using YOUR MONEY to bail out a lot of Big Scumbags, you can either go to the movies & Escape, by watching "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (Which most folks DID last weekend) OR...Consider going to watch a VERY Under-Appreciated movie, "A FLASH OF GENIUS".
Why? Well, because it's a Documentary about one of America's "Downtrodden", a Creative Person just like YOU, who got screwed by "The Powers that Be" and..though it took 20 YEARS to get some kind of Justice..fought back.
Every time you start your car up, you're cranking a machine that's been improved by over 100,000 Patents over the last century. Inventor Bob Kearns, while-alive, held 5 of these.
Wee-Bitta Backstory: The Windshield Wiper was first invented by a woman, Mary Anderson, in 1903. (Her "Flash of Genius": Watching trolly car operators have to open side windows to see out of during a big rainstorm.) This was cranked left-&-right, by-hand..Big Success. Next came another gal, Charlotte Bridgewood, 1917, with an electric roller-based "automatic" wiper..Not a Big Success. Over the years, many refinements were made.
In the early 1960's, Bob Kearns (Played the Best-Ever-Imaginable by Greg Kinnear) was a college professor who also had a "Flash of Genius" between a big rainstorm & brainstorming in his basement workshop. His tinkering succeeded in creating a working prototype of today's "Intermittent Interval Wipers"...a commonplace item Today...but back then, NONE of the major carmakers had solved the problem successfully. One-Speed Wipers were the Norm.
You'd think living in Detroit, with several friendly backers to tout his invention & finance his patents, Professor Kearns would end up overnight on "Easy Street". Instead, Ford Motor Co. (& others) used subterfuge to swipe his Patents...& Kearns lost both Sanity & Marriage..one Temporarily, the other Irretrievably, in his 20 year quest for Justice.
See it & develop a sense of Outrage. The "Big Guys" just have too many LAWYERS and TIME on their side. It's NOT a fun, escapist kind of movie. BUT the Acting is start-to-finish Excellent: Lauren Graham, of "Gilmore Girls" fame, plays Phyllis Kearns, Substitute Teacher/Mother to the Kearn's 5 kids, played by a bevy of good Young Actors. Alan Alda shines as a Scumbag Attorney, in a fine role FAR from his usual "Hawkeye" Persona. The Ford Executives & Goons & Attorneys are well-portrayed, as is the Very Patient Judge while Kearns & Son press their Citizens' Lawsuit before an equally-patient Jury.
First-Time Director Mark Abraham doesn't overdo a BIT of the Re-enactment here, and Screenwriter Mark Abraham takes an Article by Philip Ralsback & runs with it.
The Film's noteworthy Bottom-Line Message here is America STILL has a long way to GO in protecting the fragile Inventive Geniuses out there who STILL come up with "The Better Ideas" that help keep America's Economy STRONG and in the "Top Tiers". See it and you'll feel more outrage every time you turn on your windshield wipers.
A "7 1/2-Outta-10" for View-worthiness..and a "10-Outta-10" for Moral Outrage. Sadly-Enough, Professor Kearns died in 2005, 3 years before his story was turned into Cinematic Legend..& now is shared with the world. See it before "Chihuahua" takes over the Planet.
JMO...Keep-or-Sweep-it! Big Hugs, Stan
Last edited by "TampaStan" Good; 10/13/08 01:19 PM.
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Thanks, Stan. This does sound like a very worthwhile flick. As for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," I think (as the old Taco Bell commercials used to say) they need a bigger box.
joe
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HiDee Bro Joe!
In Total Honesty, it's a Great Guy-Flick...tho La Femme opted to see "The Dutchess"/we saw Different Flicks, quite-happily, Sat. Evening. (She liked hers/I Liked Mine..heh!) ;-)>
The Period Autos in this one WILL bring back a Lotta Memories..& the Digitally-Inserted Background Shots of Ford's Formerly HUGE Detroit-Area Foundry & Assembly Plants, all-spread-out Clear-Across-The-Screen, will mist ya UP how it's gettin' So-Downsized these days.
(Not that they didn't DESERVE a bitta-downsizing for what they did to The Professor, though!) Ironically...Chrysler paid even MORE than Ford...after The Dust Settled on this case!
Talk to ya More about it...After Ya See It!
Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug, Ol' Stan (Who worked for Ford, 2 Summers, back in the 60's..Brookpark Foundry & Engine Plant #2!)
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I'm "Bumpin'" this Baby UP in hopes of Breathin' Some Life into it before "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" kills off ALL the Potential Viewers for this'n'. So far, lotta critics have liked it/but it's becoming a Box-Office Disappointment. Which is sad..'cuz Greg Kinnear really does a FINE job of acting this time around..& as Family-Earning-Crises seem to be on the Upswing, here's one about Such Tnings that makes ya glad "It hasn't been THIS bad for US, Thank The Deity".
Thanks for Considering It, Big Hugs, Stan
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I think it looks like a movie I'd enjoy.. but not in a theater.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Stan, I think the statistics point out a truism in the entertainment business. Given the choice of a good plot, good acting, and a decent message, most folks will opt for the chihuahua anyway.
Joe
Last edited by Joe Wrabek; 10/14/08 06:46 PM.
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HIDee BigBro Brian!
You may have a point there, Amigo! As I sat there in the tiniest Theater of the 12 in the Movie Megaplex, I reflected on how LARGE a crowd it'll probably draw when it hits the Small Screen's "Saturday Night Movie" Slot.
Oh..we-uns got 2 of those $40 Gov't Coupons for TV Converters..then discovered Best Buy only HAD 2 diffo models, both cost $20 MORE Apiece than the Coupons covered. GOT the Analogue-Pass-Through Model..vs the kind that was ALL Digital (Only)..so we'd change to Digital ONLY when we had to in Feb.
Real GLAD, too: these crummy things ONLY get 4 Stations currently. Analogue, we got about 10-15 MORE. Picture's far-crummier than with Analogue...what we've seen. So..I dread when Feb comes..I'll either have to run up Cable Expenses..or shell out for the Eventual HD Digital Set...which is WAY outta our current TV Budget.
Lucky, Movies are STILL Under-$10 (for Us Geriatrics)...so-far!
I've grown to Hate Commercials....Channel-Surf like Mad..(Really Ticks La Femme Off..too!) Movies...NO Interruptions, save for a few Cell-Phonin' Idjuts, occasionally.
Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug, Thanks for Commentin', Stan
Last edited by "TampaStan" Good; 10/14/08 10:15 PM.
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I agree, sorty...Amigo!
I don't really blame folks for wantin' Something FUN on their Weekends...they're sure EARNED it Lately!
Same holds true in Music....I wanna sorta Strangle that Gal who sings that "I'm In Love With You-Hoo-Hoo-Hee-Hoo, Yeah, (Etc-ad-Nauseum)" Hook every Millionth Time I hear it now....But It WAS Great FUN the First Time my now-weary Ears Heard It!
Frankly, those Ol' Taco Bell Commercials WITH that Chihuahua I rather LIKED.
LOOKS like Disney's buildin' on "WALL-E", where Live was mixed with Digital Action & got a Major-League-Hit...& now we got Dogs replacin' Robots & Rubbish. Trailers DO look like a lotta Pithy, Harmless Fun. (La Femme just gave a Thumbs-Down for seein' it Next Weekend...so guess You're On-Your-Own for seein' that Chihuahua Flick!);-)>
Waal..I tried. I don't really begrudge the Disney Folks a single Buck--they gave the folks What Was Wanted...WHEN they wanted it.
Waal..off to the Idiot Box, if-only to Bug My Spouse..heh!
Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug, Ol' Stan
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