Toys: Movies ‘R’ Us
By Jevon Phillips and Todd Martens,
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Pictured: View-Master’s inventor William Gruber. (Don Ryan / AP)
Potential film: Aliens invade the planet and are able to overwrite human dna using complex cubes that hold the ‘spark’ of life. Math whiz Donnie Glickman (‘Superbad’s’ Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his ‘math posse’ escape capture and set about saving the world. (Jeffrey F. Bill / Baltimore Sun)
Potential film: These tiny figurines inspired a major controversy after their late ‘90s release, with critics claiming they glorified gang culture. In the film, Robert Rodriguez would return to his gritty “El Mariachi” roots to document two generations of a Chicano family. The gang claims would be largely unfounded, as young Jokachild (real toy) falls into a performance art group at a downtown L.A. loft party, and domestic tensions ensue. (Myung Chun / LAT)
