Summary
TheCarShieldcommercial actors, Vivica A. Fox and Ice-T, will be very well known to anyone who pays even a little bit of attention to popular movies and television. Ice-T andVivica A. Fox is the spokesteam duo for CarShield, a company specializing in vehicle service contracts. The two most often appear in separate ads but in one notably clever commercial, they act out a little skit for the company together. In it, Ice-T and Fox walk up to a bodybag and unzip it to reveal a smoking engine, as if they are in a forensics lab.
A riff on Ice-T’sLaw & Order: SVU, the duo discuss the cause of “death” and how it could have been saved if only the owners used CarShield. It’s cute and a good use of both actors having a little fun with their respective careers. Ice-T is one of manyrappers who have appeared in a commercialand used their persona to sell and Fox is a trusted and charismatic presence whenever she appears. Both actors have had long, successful careers, though some of their performances rise above the rest.
The Other Guys
Cast
From director Adam McKay comes The Other Guys. This action comedy movie stars Will Ferrell as forensic accountant Allen Gamble and Mark Wahlberg as detective Terry Hoitz, two NYPD employees sent to investigate a simple permit violation before they stumble upon a deep conspiracy and a flourishing crime ring. Without the former two best detectives on the force, these two unlikely partners will become central to bringing a criminal plot to its knees.
The Other Guysisdirector Adam McKay’s fifth feature movieand the bridge between his more absurdist earlier films likeAnchormanandStep Brothersto the more serious, high-stakes productions likeThe Big ShortandVice. Like many McKay films,The Other Guyshas a narrator, this time provided by Ice-T. As soon as his instantly recognizable tones come on over the credits explaining the line between law and crime, viewers know this is going to be a film with its tongue firmly in its cheek.
Ice-T was uncredited for his role as the narrator inThe Other Guys.
Ice-T is a surprisingly frequent presence in the movie,often giving updates on what the characters are feeling at their lowest or highest. It’s a fun trick McKay plays, and it ensures every scene that would usually lull at least has Ice-T getting the audience up to date on the current story. It’s a complicated plot too, so while some narration can grate, Ice-T’s is appreciated.
Yes, Ted Danson Is The Actor In The Consumer Cellular Commercial
Cheers and The Good Place fans know that the actor in the Consumer Cellular commercial is none other than Ted Danson. But he’s not the only Ted…
Johnny Mnemonic
Johnny Mnemonic is an action sci-fi film directed by Robert Longo and based on William Gibson’s novel. The film follows data courier Johnny, who carries a large implant in his brain that holds significant information that could change everything - but a yakuza member takes on a hit request and sends a dangerous assassin to stop incriminating information from getting out.
Ice-T costars inJohnny Mnemonicas J-Bone alongside Keanu Reeves as the titular character. The film is a cyberpunk action movie about a dystopian future racked by a tech-induced plague, megacorps, and organized crime. There are a lot of different influences going into the film and, upon release, it wasn’t particularly well received, but recent years have seen it reclaimed as a cult classic thanks to its wild sets, characters and audacious storytelling.
He’s tough, smart, resourceful and Ice-T is up to the task of playing Keanu’s number 2 at a time when the actor was becoming one of the hottest in Hollywood.
J-Bone is the leader of the Lo-Teks, an anti-establishment group, who ends up helping Johnny against the evil Pharmakom megacorporation.Ice-T is totally game for the wacky part and brings some heavy-weight edgeto a film that is often too goofy for its own good. He’s tough, smart, resourceful and Ice-T is up to the task of playing Keanu’s number 2 at a time when the actor was becoming one of the hottest in Hollywood.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is a Comedy television show created by Larry David, the same creative mind behind the wildly popular sitcom, Seinfeld. Starring Larry David himself, along with Cheryl Hines, and Jeff Garlin, the show acts as a semi-fictionalized look at Larry’s every day life and the people he would come in contact with.
When the Blacks move into Larry David’s home inCurb Your Enthusiasmseason 6, the outrageous and hilarious family completely upend Larry’s life, for the better sometimes and for the worse at others. Loretta is Leon’s (J. B. Smoove) sister and she and her family were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and forced to move. Fox is snarky, vivacious, and doesn’t let a thing slip by her, including Larry’s many faux pas.
It’s the funniest Fox has ever beenand shows a different side of the usually dramatic actor. She can keep up with both Smoove and David in the rapid-fire comedy and seems to be having a blast while doing so. She ends up becoming one ofLarry David’s best love interestsas well, before they break up after a classic Larry misunderstanding in which Loretta incorrectly believes he’s cheating on her.
Ricochet
Ricochet is a 1991 action thriller directed by Russell Mulcahy, starring Denzel Washington as Nick Styles, a rookie cop who becomes a hero after taking down a notorious villain.Years later, the villain, Earl Talbot Blake, escapes from prison and seeks revenge against Styles, who must confront his troubled past to stop him.
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Ricochetfollows the conflict between Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) and Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow), a criminal Nick put away who is looking for revenge. Ice-T plays Odessa, Nick’s friend from childhood. The two went separate ways, with Odessa becoming a major drug dealer in South Central Los Angeles. Despite the bad blood, Odessa ends up helping rescue Nick from Earl and the pair make up, promising to play a game of basketball sometime in the future.
It’s a multifaceted performance from Ice-T, who at times is credibly sinister but who also has a clear code of ethicsthat Nick can tap into. Nick is heroic with a lot of heart, though Ice-T shows how guarded the character is when it comes to letting his softer side show. Ice-T also specially made a song for the film titled “Ricochet”.
Independence Day
Roland Emmerich’s iconic 1996 sci-fi disaster movie Independence Day chronicles the attack of a hostile race of aliens against planet Earth. When extraterrestrial aircraft occupy Earth without warning, the forces of humanity quickly band together to stop them. At the behest of President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman), US Marine pilot Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) and satellite engineer David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) organize humanity’s last-ditch counterattack against the technologically-advanced alien mothership.
Vivica A. Fox plays Jasmine Dubrow, Captain Steven Hiller’s (Will Smith) girlfriend, in the 1996 classicIndependence Day, and then reprises her role inIndependence Day: Resurgence, now a widow after Hiller passed away in some unknown accident, an explanation forWill Smith not returning to theIndependence Dayfranchise.Independence Daywas an early role for Fox, but one that brought her mainstream attention and showed how comfortable she could be in a major blockbuster.
It’s a demanding part that requires a lot of action and stuntwork and Fox is clearly up for it. Parts of that first film are only focused on Jasmine, meaning thatshe has to make whole sequences as interesting without Jeff Goldblum and Smith as they are with them, a task she accomplishes thanks to her dedication to the character and her believable terror at the events surrounding her.
Empire
Empire is a musical drama series that follows a father who acts as the CEO of Empire Entertainment, a major hip-hop record label, and his family. When Lucious Lyon discovers he is diagnosed with ALS, he realizes his time is short, and he must find a successor to his empire. Forcing his three sons to compete with one another to earn the right, what follows is a vicious journey of power and control - only complicated further by his ex-wife’s entry into the fray.
Empireis a six-season musical drama show starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson as Lucious Lyon and Loretha “Cookie” Lyon, his ex-wife, who are fighting to determine who will take over the Lyon’s Empire Entertainment music dynasty after Lucious learns his death is imminent after being diagnosed with ALS. Vivica A. Fox first appears in season 2, episode 8 as Candace Mason, Cookie’s snobbish older sister who looks down on her younger sister for her previous life of crime.
Candace goes from a recurring character in seasons 2-5 to being part of the main cast in season 6.Candace is feisty, funny, and a welcome addition to the showafter season 1. A realtor, Candace generally stays out of the main conflict ofEmpire, simply giving advice to her sister and her family, though she has some critical arcs throughout the seasons as well.
Ice-T Plays Detective Scotty Appleton
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Ice-T began his professional rap career in 1983 with his first single, “Cold Wind Madness”. Less than 10 years later, and after three smaller roles that didn’t change his trajectory, Ice-T broke out as an actor inNew Jack City, revealing what his career would end up looking like as he leaned more into acting and less into music.New Jack Citysees an NYPD detective, Scotty Appleton (Ice-T), go undercover in drug lord Nino’s (Wesley Snipes) gang to catch the criminal.
Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson, and Chris Rock also star in this throwback tothe blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. The film has left a long cultural legacy andIce-T’s intense and brave performance is part of that.An original of the gangsta rap movement, Ice-T taking on the role of an undercover cop is a bold move that paid off thanks to his careful balance of menace and humor. Many musicians have since been inspired byNew Jack City, with the label Cash Money Records a reference to the film and Lil Wayne’s series ofCarteralbums coming from The Carter Complex.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is the sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s martial arts action film, continuing the story of The Bride as she seeks vengeance against the assassins who betrayed her. The narrative follows her quest for retribution, culminating in a confrontation with her former mentor, Bill.
Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) only appears in flashback inKill Bill: Volume 2, but her appearance inKill Bill: Volume 1features one of the best fights in the entire series.Kill Billis not always ranked at the top ofQuentin Tarantino’s pantheon of fantastic films, but its uniqueness among his movies, and contemporary cinema in general, makes them something special. Vernia is the first member of the Deadly Viper Assassins the Bride (Uma Thurman) meets after she wakes from her coma.
Vernita Green’s codename in the Viper Assassins is “Copperhead”.
Their knife fight in the kitchen, interrupted by Vernita’s daughter arriving home from school, is fantastic and beautifully choreographed. Fox is athletic and desperate in the sequence and shows off some impressive physical control. Vernita is one of the few characters who seems sorry for nearly killing the Bride andFox plays the character as a sympathetic villain with a gravitas that makes the audience feel for her in just one scene.
Kill Bill: The Bride’s 10 Most Vicious Kills, Ranked
Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films contained amazing kills on the part of the Bride, and here are some of her most vicious take-downs.
2Set It Off (1996)
Vivica A. Fox Plays Francesca “Frankie” Sutton
Watch on TubiSet it Offcame out the same year asIndependence Dayand while Roland Emmerich’s disaster movie may be much more famous,Set it Offis the better film. In the movie, Lida “Stony” Newsom (Jada Pinkett), Cleopatra “Cleo” Sims (Queen Latifah), Tisean “T.T.” Williams (Kimberly Elise), and Francesca “Frankie” Sutton (Vivica A. Fox) are four frustrated Los Angeles friends who decide to rob a bank together to improve their lives and those of their families.
The chemistry between the four leads is what makesSet it Offan engrossing and thrilling watch, bringing the audience into the action and danger. It’s a staple of urban cinema and heist movies, with a much more dour but moving end than most films in the genre. Fox is at her best in this role, as she struggles to survive as the doors start closing in on her. Cleo’s romantic relationship with Ursula (Samantha MacLachlan) marks a critical moment for lesbian representation in cinema.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is a television series that premiered in 1999. Set in the criminal justice system of New York City, it follows an elite team of detectives who investigate sexually-based offenses, focusing on their efforts to solve complex cases and seek justice for victims.
Ice-T first appeared as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola inLaw & Order: SVUseason 2, episode 1, “Wrong Is Right”, and since then, he’s appeared in over 500 episodes of the show, making him the second most prolific character in the entireLaw & Orderfranchise, behind only Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson who’s appeared in over 550 episodes since season 1. Fin has softened over the years, initially viewing criminals in black-and-white terms and frequently butting heads with his SVU colleagues, refusing to let anyone in.
In later seasons, Fin has often shown how much he cares for his SVU teammates. It’s the role that Ice-T will always be known for and for good reason. Fin doesn’t feel like a character; he feels like a real person, andIce-T’s commitment to the show and Fin has made the character arguably the most critical aspect of the long-running police procedural. EvenCarShieldcommercials can’t help but pay homage to the iconic character.
