ots of people have ideas they think will change the world, but innovators sometimes see their brilliant inventions go awry - or get ripped off by a giant corporation.</p><p> The latter happened to Bob Kearns, whose story is told in "Flash of Genius," opening Friday.</p><p> Keams (played by Greg Kinnear) is the guy who created the intermittent windshield wioer in the '60s - and took the big automakers to court when they stole the idea.</p><p> Here are six more Hollywood celebrations of inventors who were brilliant or bonkers - and sometimes both.</p><p> TUCKER:THE MAN AND HIS DREAM (1988) Flash of genis: Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) has decided post-Wwll America is ready for a better car - and he'll build it.</p><p> Brcaldhroryh or bomb: Detroit doesn't like upstarts, and so it squashed Tucker's dream.</p><p> This Francis Ford Coppola film is one of his underappreciated gems, with flash and style to spare - just like the 48 Tucker sedan.</p><p> THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (2006) Flash of geniu: Just because you had to retire from NASA to save the family farm is no reason to give up your dream of space travel.</p><p> At least that's the thinking of Billy Bob Thornton's character, a former astronaut named ...</p><p> Farmer,o? .irj sl\ r*' ,il F ,f' some things weren't meant to be invented, but .$i tnut ** a luxury they just didn't have.</p><p> Brcak0uough or bomb: Farmer's wife, played by Virginia Madsen, has got his back, while the FBI is suspicious.</p><p> Without spoiling the ending, let's say that just trying to get into space on your own is a nutty triumph.</p><p> FAT MAN AND LITTLE BOY(I989) Flash d genius: Our best and brightest scientific minds (overseen by Paul Newman's Gen.</p><p> Groves) race against the clock to build an atomic bomb before the Nazis do. healrftrcugh or bomb: They then see it used to wipe out a pair of Japanese cities.</p><p> MaybeTHE HUDSUCKER PRO)0/ 0994) Flash of genius: The head of a company (Newman, again) hires a "moron" (Tim Robbins) to drive the firm into the ground so he and his cronies can take it over for pennies on the dollar.</p><p> Unfortunately, said moron comes up with a brilliant idea for a new toy.</p><p> Ereakftrongfi or bonb: Robbins thinks a Hula-Hoop-type toy will work.</p><p> And darned if it doesn't.</p><p> Nobody's hated accidental success this much since "The Producers." FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Fhsh of gcnius: Everyone dreams about defeating death.</p><p> But Dr.</p><p> Frankenstein took it a step further by harnessing the power of lightning to reanimate a "creature" stitched together from various bodies.Brcakftrough or bomb: Two words: "lt's alive!" A definite success, though someone should have thought about what to do with the Monster after it came to life.</p><p> BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) Flash of genius: Time travel is one of Hollywood's favorite sci-fi devices, but it was never more entertaining than when Christopher Lloyd's Doc Brown introduced the flux capacitor.</p><p> Brcakhrutgh or bomb: Michael J.</p><p> Fox's Marty McFly soon realized the hilarious - and sometimes creepy - aspects ofjumping back into the past and meeting your nerdy dad and randy mom when they were in high school. lt took two more movies (and probably a lifetime of therapy for McFly) to straighten it all out.</p><p> But it sure was fun.</p><p> Michael GilE
