Ice-T Movies
Often cited as the founding father of gangsta rap, Ice-T has also crafted a successful film career from his hardened street persona. Despite the fact that his early roles stuck closely to his public image as a thuggish West Coast pimp, T has since proved both his versatility and his sense of humor by appearing as everything from a mutant kangaroo (Tank Girl [1995]) to, in a surprisingly effective about-face, a police officer (New Jack City [1991]). Born Tracy Marrow in Newark, NJ, in 1958 and later adapting his better-known persona as a tribute to pimp-turned-author Iceberg Slim, T moved to Califorina following the death of his parents in a car accident. Ice-T soon began to develop an obsession with rap music, and after serving a two-year stint in the Army, he began recording and appeared in the films Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (both 1984). Following a near death auto accident in 1986, T devoted his life to music and released his debut album, Rhyme Pays, the following year. T gained positive accolades for his first major film role in 1991's New Jack City, in which he played a dedicated police officer, and the irony was not lost on fans the following year when he caused a stir with a song entitled "Cop Killer." After sticking close to the streets in Ricochet (1991), Trespass (1992), and Surviving the Game (1994), T took a sci-fi detour with Tank Girl and Johnny Mnemonic (both 1995). Generally appearing in straight-to-video schlock from the mid-'90s on, Ice-T could be seen as a naval pilot in Stealth Fighter (1999) and stealing a magic flute from a vengeful green meanie in Leprechaun in the Hood (2000). Though his appearances in such films grew nearly too frequent to count, T occasionally appeared in such theatrical releases as 3000 Miles to Graceland and Abel Ferrara's 'R Xmas (both 2001). After offering curious insight into the life of a pimp in the documentary Pimps Up, Ho's Down, T continued to expound on the life of a hustler in Pimpin' 101 (2003). He also took on a recurring role on the Law & Order spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and later joined the cast as a regular in the show's second season. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Forced to become the man of the house after his father goes away to war and never returns, a young boy named Tommy attempts to save the family farm with a little help from his new friend, a talking mule named Jackie A. If Tommy could only win enough money to stop the bank from foreclosing on the farm, his mother and sister could rest easy knowing that they have a place to call home. As the annual country stock show draws near and the big kids make Tommy's life miserable, he and Jackie A. hatch a plan to beat the odds, and take top prize. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A successful 80s music producer turned wealthy stockbroker is drawn out of is longtime funk by a classically trained dancer who reignites his passion in life in director Fred Williamson's gritty psychological drama. Ricardo French (Richard Brooks) has long fallen out of the limelight. His days as a flashy musical producer are but a distant memory, and these days recovering alcoholic Ricardo directs most of his energy into staying sober. Richard has grown detached, but that all starts to change when he meets Lexie (Cindy Herron Braggs). Lexie is a classically trained dancer who has been forced into servitude for shady nightclub owner Rashid (Ice-T). The moment Richard sees Lexie take the stage, he's inspired again. Not only does he go back to writing music, but he makes it his mission to prove that he can still pen an undisputed hit. Yet as Richard makes his way back to the top, Lexie is being pulled beneath the undertow by the abusive ex-husband who's threatening to take her daughter away. Will these two lost souls be able to meet on a common ground, or are they destined to remain two passing ships in the night? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Brooks, Ice-T, (more)
- 2007
- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 09 to QueueAdd Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 09 to top of Queue
Changes greet the SVU gang at the outset of the ninth season: Munch (Richard Belzer) is put in charge of the department after Capt. Cragen (Dann Florek) is temporarily removed from duty, and Det. Lake (Adam Beach) is now a full-time member of the squad. In Alternate, the season's first episode, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) investigate a case involving a woman (guest star Cynthia Nixon) with multiple personalities. Before long Cragen is back in command, but the themes of people taking on new roles and different personalities continue in Avatar, which focuses on the case of a missing woman who portrayed an underage prostitute in an online video game. In Undercover, Fin (Ice-T) poses as a corrections officer while Benson poses as a prison inmate and has an eye-opening new experience. Benson then finds herself in another precarious situation when she is kidnapped in the series' 200th episode, Authority. This milestone episode features guest star Robin Williams as a man with an antiauthority agenda who attempts to trick people into committing criminal acts. When Williams' character abducts Benson, he uses mind games to try to get Stabler to inflict pain on her. Stabler is also no stranger to pain this season: In Blinded, he temporarily loses his sight after suffering a head injury courtesy of a suspect. That same episode finds ADA Novak (Diane Neal) confronting a dark part of her personal history as she attempts to convict a schizophrenic artist. While Novak faces her past, Stabler worries about his family's future in Paternity, which finds his wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), and their unborn child in jeopardy after being hurt in a car accident. An unconventional family of homeless children are at the center of Streetwise, which features guest star Mae Whitman as the clan's pseudo-mother. Other notable Season 9 guest stars include Aidan Quinn, Erika Christensen, and Melissa Joan Hart. ~ Jennifer Sankowski, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)
- 2007
- Add Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav to QueueAdd Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav to top of Queue
Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav presents an uncensored version of the special that aired originally on the cable channel. Comics such as Jeff Ross, Carrot Top, and Lisa Lampanelli offer a number of off-color jokes about the Public Enemy hypeman. This release contains material edited for time for time from the original broadcast. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katt Williams, Flavor Flav, (more)
- 2007
This edition of the hip-hop video magazine All Access DVD Magazine, Vol. 16 features appearances by such personalities as Ice T, 50 Cent, Sha Money XL, and Jay-Z. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2006
True to its title, this cable-TV vehicle for popular recording artist Ice-T found the eponymous star conducting classes in rap music. Adding extra spice to the mix was the fact that all of Ice-T's pupils were wealthy eighth-grade students attending York Prep, a private school located in New York City's fashionable Upper West Side. As was often the case in such reality series, the students (only one of whom was African-American) were identified either by their first names (Dodge, Sophia, Phil, Mary, Sam, Leir, Erin, Arielle) or by the "stage names" imposed upon them by Ice-T. The star's task was to hone the kids' singing, dancing, and rhyming skills to the point that they would be able to function as opening act for rap group Public Enemy at "BB King's" in New York. Although "culture clash" was the order of the day, a lighthearted and good-natured ambience pervaded the whole project. In one episode, for example, the kids face the prospect of a visit to the South Bronx with abject terror, only to have the time of their lives upon arrival. Ice-T's Rap School made its VH1 debut on October 17, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Clap features hip-hop artists talking about the tricks they learned that help them survive their difficult childhoods, often spent involved in street life. Among the artists featured are Maino, Ice T, Camron, and Young Buc. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
The Queen Mother of all dirty words (as it was once described by Jean Shepherd) is examined through all its linguistic, sociological, legal, and ethical implications in this documentary. Filmmaker Steven Anderson interviews dozens of people about the history and function of "the F word," including language historians who have a hard time nailing down its origin, writers (including Hunter S. Thompson and Ben Bradlee) who talk about its role in literature and press freedom, comedians (among them Drew Carey, Janeane Garofalo, and Billy Connolly) who ponder its frequent presence in hipster humor, pop musicians (such as Ice-T, Pat Boone, and Alanis Morissette) who offer their theories about its role in contemporary culture, and social critics (including Michael Medved and Dennis Prager) who believe its currency is taking America into a dangerous place. F*ck also includes footage of famous figures caught using the word unexpectedly and animated sequences by Bill Plympton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Take an intimate look at the lives and work of some of the hottest artists on the hip hop scene in this video hosted by Mark Sain Juste and Natasha Williams. In addition to getting the scoop straight from the source in interviews with Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Naughty by Nature, and Skee Lo, fans are also invited to step inside the studio with The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and listen in as Snoop Dogg discuses the current state of hip hop as well as his opinions about Master P and No Limit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natashia Williams
- 2004
- Add Body Count: Featuring Murder 4 Hire - Live in Concert to QueueAdd Body Count: Featuring Murder 4 Hire - Live in Concert to top of Queue
Hardcore rapper Ice-T took his music to a new level in 1991 when he formed an African-American thrash metal band called Body Count, and caused a firestorm of controversy with their debut album, featuring the song "Cop Killer." The band faded out after the tragic deaths of drummer Beatmaster V, bassist Mooseman, and guitarist D Roc, but in 2004, Ice-T assembled a new version of Body Count and took the band on the road for the 2004 Vans Warped Tour. Ice-T and Body Count: Murder 4 Hire captures the band's furious stage show during their comeback tour, and includes the songs "There Goes The Neighborhood," "Body Count," "Surviving the Game," "KKK Bitch," "Cop Killer," "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight" and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Body Count
- 2004
- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 06 to QueueAdd Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 06 to top of Queue
Season six of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, gets off to a powerful (and timely) start with the episode "Birthright," about a disreputable fertility doctor who plans to rob an embryo bank for his own purposes. Several subsequent episodes likewise showcase "respectable" authority figures who are anything but: "Debt" finds the SVU unit exposing a crooked immigration attorney who is involved in a prostitution ring, and "Obscene" features two teenagers whose lives are destroyed by publicity-hungry adults. This season also offers a number of personal shakeups for several familiar characters. For starters, Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is bluntly informed that his wife has left him and taken the children in "Doubt." And former Assistant DA Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March), presumed murdered by Colombian drug lords during the previous season, emerges from the Witness Protection Program to confront her enemies in "Ghost" -- thereby forcing Stabler and Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to perjure themselves by claiming they were unaware that Cabot was still alive. In the season's most talked-about development, former Murder, She Wrote star Angela Lansbury is cast as the stern, cold-blooded mother of a rape suspect in "Night" -- the first episode of a two-part story which would be concluded on another branch of the Law & Order family tree, Law & Order: Trial by Jury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)
- 2003
C-Walk: It's a Way of Living documents the dance craze known as C-Walk. Because the origins of the dance lie in gang initiation rituals, the move is shrouded in controversy. This film features prominent rap figures such as Snoop Dog, Warren G, Malik Yoba, and Ice-T as well as interviews with the Crip gang members who created the walk. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2003
This urban drama about the fight to escape life in the ghetto includes appearances by many names in hip-hop, such as Ice-T and Mad Lion. The story follows Fay (Milira), a girl who knows that her only chance to escape the street life is a college scholarship. An infatuation with a slick drug dealer (Robert Laney), however, proves just how fragile the dream of an escape can be. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
- Add Body Count Featuring Ice-T: 6th Annual Smoke Out to QueueAdd Body Count Featuring Ice-T: 6th Annual Smoke Out to top of Queue
Body Count: The Smoke Out Festival Presents features a 2003 performance by the band, fronted by rapper Ice-T, that mixes heavy-metal and rap. The ten song setlist includes their controversial song "Cop Killer," "KKK Bitch," "Bowels of the Devil," "Masters of Revenge," and "There Goes the Neighborhood." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2003
- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 05 to QueueAdd Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 05 to top of Queue
The SVU unit is confronted with a murder case yielding too many suspects and too many confessions in "Tragedy," the opening episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's fifth season. Things take a truly disturbing turn a few episodes later in "Loss," wherein Assistant DA Alexandra Cabot's (Stephanie March) relentless prosecution of a murder tied in with a Colombian drug cartel results in her death -- or so it appears to the world. The next episode, "Serendipity," introduces Diane Neal as Cabot's replacement, ADA Casey Novak, who immediately develops an adversarial relationship with detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Novak's professional zeal is admirable, but she proves to have as many human flaws as anyone else in the series -- notably in the season finale, "Head," in which she lives to regret allowing a child molester to cop a plea and win a lighter sentence. Season five marks the series' 100th episode, "Control," about a mutilation victim who turns out to be a sexual predator and kidnapper -- leading to Benson being raked over the coals in court because she'd refused to heed the warnings of one of the predator's potential captives. Benson is also the focus of attention in "Escape"; trying to defuse a hostage situation involving an escaped convicted pedophile, the detective ends up concluding that the man was the innocent victim of widespread political and departmental corruption. In a similar vein, the SVU unit's skipper, Captain Cragen (Dann Florek), faces the grim possibility that he may have unwittingly railroaded a guiltless criminology professor on a rape-murder charge in the episode "Criminal." And like Cragen, Det. Munch (Richard Belzer) is forced to confront the demons of his own past while handling an assisted-suicide case in "Painless." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)
The urban drama Rhapsody begins when Jelly frames his friend Roughneck concerning a drug deal. Roughneck ends up doing time. When he is released, Jelly has become a hip-hop impresario looking to sign Roughneck's brother to a recording contract. Roughneck sets out to get his revenge, and save his brother from Jelly's selfish manipulations. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2002
- Add C-Murder: Straight From the Projects - Rappers That Live the Lyrics to QueueAdd C-Murder: Straight From the Projects - Rappers That Live the Lyrics to top of Queue
Some rappers simply talk about the lifestyle, and other rappers live it. From his trying childhood in a crime-ridden New Orleans housing project to the nightclubs where he first began to develop his unique style on the microphone, rapper C-Murder returns to his roots to discover the influences and people to helped to drive his creativity. Hosted by legendary rapper Ice-T. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
- Add Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 04 to QueueAdd Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 04 to top of Queue
Formerly appearing on a recurring basis as forensic psychologist Dr. George Huang, B.D. Wong graduates to full series regular in "Chameleon," the opening episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's fourth season. Among the year's best episodes are "Vulnerable," guest-starring former musical comedy ingenue Jane Powell as an elderly Alzheimer's victim who is misused by both a sexual predator and her own caregiver; "Disappearing Acts," in which the SVU team runs smack against the stone wall of the Witness Protection Program while tracking down a brutal rapist; "Waste," a compelling exploration of the dark side of stem-cell research; and "Risk," wherein the team must expose the rotten apples in their own police ranks to find out who caused the cocaine-related death of a baby. As in previous seasons, many of the plotlines are driven by the unique personalities of the principal characters. In "Mercy," for example, Assistant DA Alex Cabot (Stephanie March) finds herself sympathetic to a mother who euthanized her desperately ill daughter, and in "Pandora," Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) travels all the way to Prague to crack a difficult kidnapping case. Other episodes emulate the Law & Order "ripped from today's headlines" formula. Case in point: "Appearances," which is clearly inspired by the still-unsolved murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Season four ends with "Soulless," chronicling the frustrations of using the juvenile record of a suspect to arrest him for sex crimes committed as an adult. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, (more)
Blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson directed and stars in this action thriller written by his wife, Linda. Amidst the rough-and-tumble drug-trade of the inner city, a young, well-intentioned basketball phenom gets in too deep. Before long, the gangsters come knocking and the teen's best friend winds up dead. Enter Williamson and fellow blaxploitation alums Bernie Casey, Jim Brown, and Ron O'Neal. The band of old-timers sets out to even the score and clean up the streets, but they'll have to get through a tough hitman played by Gary Busey first. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
