Flash of Genius

• TESTED

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 at any price. This determined engineer refused to be silenced, and he took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win. 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. While refusing to compromise his dignity, this everyday David will try the unthinkable: to bring Goliath to his knees.In the early-1990s, Greg Kinnear was just another amiable talk show host. After As Good As It Gets, however, Kinnear c! onfirmed he could act. If Flash of Genius isn't as harrowing as the Bob Crane biopic Auto-Focus, Kinnear digs just as deep to play a man possessed, in this case taking on Bob Kearns, a Detroit physics professor who invented the intermittent windshield wiper. Supported by his wife (Lauren Graham) and best friend (Dermot Mulroney, making the most of an underwritten part), Kearns aims to align himself with a Motor City auto maker to manufacture his device. Ford expresses interest, so Kearns secures a warehouse, but it all falls apart when they abruptly pull the plug. Then he finds out that they've added automatic wipers to their latest line. Though he patented his invention, the company denies they're using his blueprint, so Kearns takes them to court, a process that drags on for three decades. Meanwhile, his support system starts to collapse as Kearns loses interest in everything except the credit he feels he deserves. If the film succumbs to some of the pit! falls of the genre, i.e. the win-lose-win structure, producer-! turned-d irector Marc Abraham never paint Kearns as too much of a hero. Through the inventor's brilliance, the world's streets are safer, but his tenacity also drove away some of those he held most dear. Hence, Flash of Genius serves as an inspirational story, a cautionary tale, and the perfect opportunity for Kinnear to make a potentially off-putting character sympathetic. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Stills from Flash of Genius (Click for larger image)

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Armored [Blu-ray]

• Condition: New
• Format: Blu-ray
• AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen

A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist.against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune with harm to none. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels and all bets are off.A good cast does its best to make Armored roll, but while this heist flick certainly has its moments, it's ultimately arrested by a predictable story, cliché-ridden dialogue, and ham-fisted direction. Matt Dillon plays Mike, the leader of a sextet of guards working for an armored truck company; other members of the team are portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich, and Amaury Nolasco, but the key is newcomer Ty (Columbus Short), an Iraq War veteran ! whose parents have both died, leaving Ty to support his troubled younger brother and somehow pay the mortgage on the home their folks left behind. When Mike and the others cook up a scheme to steal a cool $42 million on their next delivery and then claim they were hijacked, Ty is dead set against it--until he goes home and is greeted by a child-welfare official who threatens to put his brother into foster care unless Ty can prove himself capable of looking after the kid (this is but one of the handy plot conveniences designed to push the story forward). Predictability is one thing, but director Nimrod Antal and screenwriter James V. Simpson's setups are so on-the-nose that Helen Keller could see what's coming ("Promise me nobody gets hurt," Ty says to Mike, which guarantees that the body count will start to mount almost instantly). Armored has some good action sequences, a gritty look, a couple of welcome surprises, and the occasional tense moment. But when the great! heist movies are recalled, from Topkapi to Sexy Bea! st, this one is unlikely to be among them. --Sam Graham


Stills from Armored (Click for larger image)

A crew of officers at an armored transport security firm risk their lives when they embark on the ultimate heist.against their own company. Armed with a seemingly fool-proof plan, the men plan on making off with a fortune with harm to none. But when an unexpected witness interferes, the plan quickly unravels and al! l bets are off.A good cast does its best to make Armored roll, but while this heist flick certainly has its moments, it's ultimately arrested by a predictable story, cliché-ridden dialogue, and ham-fisted direction. Matt Dillon plays Mike, the leader of a sextet of guards working for an armored truck company; other members of the team are portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno, Skeet Ulrich, and Amaury Nolasco, but the key is newcomer Ty (Columbus Short), an Iraq War veteran whose parents have both died, leaving Ty to support his troubled younger brother and somehow pay the mortgage on the home their folks left behind. When Mike and the others cook up a scheme to steal a cool $42 million on their next delivery and then claim they were hijacked, Ty is dead set against it--until he goes home and is greeted by a child-welfare official who threatens to put his brother into foster care unless Ty can prove himself capable of looking after the kid (this is but one of the handy plot conveniences designed to push the story forward). Predict! ability is one thing, but director Nimrod Antal and screenwriter James V. Simpson's setups are so on-the-nose that Helen Keller could see what's coming ("Promise me nobody gets hurt," Ty says to Mike, which guarantees that the body count will start to mount almost instantly). Armored has some good action sequences, a gritty look, a couple of welcome surprises, and the occasional tense moment. But when the great heist movies are recalled, from Topkapi to Sexy Beast, this one is unlikely to be among them. --Sam Graham


Stills from Armored (Click for larger image)

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Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns

• Recreate your favorite Green Lantern moments with this new playset
• Includes Green Lantern figure, Kilowog figure, and a projectile launcher
• The projectile launcher and the lantern lights up
• Turn an activation disk to open the doors and explore the Planet OA
• Fun for all boys

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bas! sett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**. As far as superheroes go, Green Lantern may lack the clean, iconic lines of his more respectable DC counterparts Superman and Batman, but the very wonkiness of the premise (earthling joins elite force of space cops) lends itself to a pulpy, operatic, not-entirely-serious approach. (One of his teammates is a talking carrot, after all.) Capitalizing on a charming performance by Ryan Reynolds, the feature-film adaptation is a big, messy movie that, at its best, generates a feeling of aw-shucks wonder. Much like Thor, it isn't afraid to loosen up on the inner turmoil of its hero and go macro. Based on comic writer Geoff Johns's retrofitting of the title character, the story follows Hal Jordan (Reynolds), an impulsive test pilot whose encounter with a dying alien leaves him with an energy ring capable of weaponizing his imagination. While struggling to master his will-based powers, he must deal with threats both earthbound (! a hilariously nebbishy Peter Saarsgard, who may be the first s! upervill ain to rock a hoodie) and galactic. Martin Campbell, a director who specializes in more down-to-earth heroics (Casino Royale,The Mask of Zorro), brings a pleasing matter-of-fact baseline to the proceedings, an approach that makes the increasingly outlandish effects truly feel special when they occur. Green Lantern has its debits, certainly--the lack of a memorable theme, a second act that hems and haws before getting to the action, the standard origin story shoehorning in too many secondary plots--but its final scenes succeed on a Gigantor, cosmic level where most superhero movies fear to tread. The bigger it goes, the more goofily enjoyable it gets. --Andrew WrightIn a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' ! newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**. As far as superheroes go, Green Lantern may lack the clean, iconic lines of his more respectable DC counterparts Superman and Batman, but the very wonkiness of the premise (earthling joins elite force of space cops) lends itself to a pulpy, operatic, not-entirely-serious approach. (One of his teammates is a talking carrot, after all.) Capitalizing on a charming performance by Ryan Reynolds, the feature-film adaptation is a big, messy movie that, at its best, generates a feeling of aw-shucks wonder. Much like Thor, it isn't afraid to loosen up on the inner turmoil of its hero and go macro. Based on comic writer Geoff ! Johns's retrofitting of the title character, the story follows! Hal Jor dan (Reynolds), an impulsive test pilot whose encounter with a dying alien leaves him with an energy ring capable of weaponizing his imagination. While struggling to master his will-based powers, he must deal with threats both earthbound (a hilariously nebbishy Peter Saarsgard, who may be the first supervillain to rock a hoodie) and galactic. Martin Campbell, a director who specializes in more down-to-earth heroics (Casino Royale,The Mask of Zorro), brings a pleasing matter-of-fact baseline to the proceedings, an approach that makes the increasingly outlandish effects truly feel special when they occur. Green Lantern has its debits, certainly--the lack of a memorable theme, a second act that hems and haws before getting to the action, the standard origin story shoehorning in too many secondary plots--but its final scenes succeed on a Gigantor, cosmic level where most superhero movies fear to tread. The bigger it goes, the more goofily enjoyable it gets. ! --Andrew WrightIn a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**. As far as superheroes go, Green Lantern may lack the clean, iconic lines of his more respectable DC counterparts Superman and Batman, but the very wonkiness of the premise (earthling joins elite force of space cops) lends itself to a pulpy, operatic, not-entirely-serious approach. (One of his teammates is a talking carro! t, after all.) Capitalizing on a charming performance by Ryan ! Reynolds , the feature-film adaptation is a big, messy movie that, at its best, generates a feeling of aw-shucks wonder. Much like Thor, it isn't afraid to loosen up on the inner turmoil of its hero and go macro. Based on comic writer Geoff Johns's retrofitting of the title character, the story follows Hal Jordan (Reynolds), an impulsive test pilot whose encounter with a dying alien leaves him with an energy ring capable of weaponizing his imagination. While struggling to master his will-based powers, he must deal with threats both earthbound (a hilariously nebbishy Peter Saarsgard, who may be the first supervillain to rock a hoodie) and galactic. Martin Campbell, a director who specializes in more down-to-earth heroics (Casino Royale,The Mask of Zorro), brings a pleasing matter-of-fact baseline to the proceedings, an approach that makes the increasingly outlandish effects truly feel special when they occur. Green Lantern has its debits, certainly--the lac! k of a memorable theme, a second act that hems and haws before getting to the action, the standard origin story shoehorning in too many secondary plots--but its final scenes succeed on a Gigantor, cosmic level where most superhero movies fear to tread. The bigger it goes, the more goofily enjoyable it gets. --Andrew WrightThe Imaginext Green Lantern playset comes with a Green Lantern figure, a Kilowog figure, B’DG the squirrel figure, a projectile launcher, a projectile and a lantern that really lights up. Turn an activation disk to open the doors and explore the Planet OA. Boys will love recreating their favorite Green Lantern moments with this new playset.Imagine…a world of action and excitement where you decide what happens next! This time, it’s a trip to Planet OA with super hero Green Lantern, Kilowog and B’DG the squirrel. Whatever world you travel to, it’s a whole new adventure every time you play! For kids ages 3 to 8 years.

Playset includes 3 figures, 1 light-up lantern, a projectile launcher, and more!

Turn figures on the playset disks to activate special features.

Inspiring Imaginative Play!
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, BEWARE MY POWER ... Green Lantern's Light!” Green Lantern wears a ring that channels pure willpower in the form of green energy. He uses that energy in a number of waysâ€"blasting an energy ray, creating a force field or even creating solid objectsâ€"to help him fight t! he forces of evil. Kilowog and his animal sidekick B’DG are two of those evil forces.

Turn on the Adventure!
With Imaginext Green Lantern Planet OA Playset, kids get to make the action happen! They turn the Green Lantern figure on a disk, and a door opens. They turn the Kilowog figure on another disk to aim the launcher, then press to fire! There’s a lantern that lights up at the press of a button, and a space tether that attaches to a figureâ€"kids can just spin the thumbwheel to let that figure explore Planet OA!

Build Confidence and Develop Imagination
As characters in your child’s adventures, Imaginext figures like Green Lantern and Kilowog can help your child build self-confidence and eagerness to explore. The Green Lantern Planet OA play set provides a backdrop for your child to expand the boundaries of his imagination. And using his imagination is the best adventure of all!

What's In The Box?
1 moon base, 3 figure! s, 1 light-up lantern, 1 projectile launcher with 1 projectile! , 3 butt on cell batteries, and a DC Super Friends DVD.

Aim and fire with Imaginext DC Super Friends Green Lantern!

A malevolent force has usurped control over all the Green Lantern power batteries, leaving the Corps powerless except for a select few members. Now it's up to Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart and Sinestro to regain control - but can these warriors overcome their differences in time to save the universe?

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