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“What’s Love Got To Do With It?” (1993) I just rewatched this for the first time in years...

And it’s so good! Even better than I remembered! Ike was a fucking MONSTER! And Laurence Fishburne was INCREDIBLE as him. A much deserved Oscar Nomination.

Even moreso, Angela Bassett shined in every freaking scene she was in. She NEVER missed one step. She devoured every scene and was incredible. I remember my mom and stepdad wanting her to win the Oscar that year and being so upset she lost. They felt this was the performance that should have the title for “First Black Actress” to win Lead at the Oscars.

The movie is heartbreaking at moments and hard to watch. The way Ike would beat on her is scary! The scene where he beats then rapes her always stuck in my mind.

But my favorite is when she had enough and fights back. Good.

LOVE Tina Turner!!!

Did you like it?

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by Anonymousreply 86August 18, 2019 9:39 PM

That movie is FANTASTIC. I even got choked up watching that scene at the desk, all over again.

An amazing thing the movie does (and I don't know if it's the writing, or the casting, or what) is it makes you be 100% on the lead character's side, immediately, from the very first scene straight through to the end.

The actress who plays her mom is great, too.

by Anonymousreply 1July 15, 2019 11:10 PM

“I remembered! Ike was a fucking MONSTER!“

I had a very serious Tina problem.

by Anonymousreply 2July 15, 2019 11:14 PM

I hate hate hate when Ike calls her mom and she tells him where she is when she’s trying to get away from the abusive prick.

I get enraged.

by Anonymousreply 3July 15, 2019 11:14 PM

This scene was so hard to watch, especially seeing those two little boys watching this.

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by Anonymousreply 4July 15, 2019 11:25 PM

[quote]r3 I hate hate hate when Ike calls her mom and she tells him where she is when she’s trying to get away from the abusive prick. I get enraged.

Jennifer Lewis as Mama "I'm the Only Sinner in this House" Bullock.

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by Anonymousreply 5July 15, 2019 11:38 PM

It's an excellent film but it did cut out a lot of stuff from 'I, Tina'. And Bassett was exceptional and should have won or at least tied with Lange. But her arms were way too muscular - Tina was toned but it was over the top in the movie.

I remember at the time Fishburne was pissed when at the end of the movie it cuts from Bassett on stage to footage of the real Tina on stage. He said it was very disrespectful to Bassett.

by Anonymousreply 6July 16, 2019 12:05 AM

But it was great for the audience. They cheered. Everyone loves Tina Turner, and it was a thrill to end the movie that way.

by Anonymousreply 7July 16, 2019 12:11 AM

R6 Holly Hunter, not Jessica Lange.

by Anonymousreply 8July 16, 2019 12:24 AM

"An amazing thing the movie does (and I don't know if it's the writing, or the casting, or what) is it makes you be 100% on the lead character's side, immediately, from the very first scene straight through to the end"

Well, no shit, Tina Turner and her story were world famous when the movie came out. What else would you expect? People would have sided with Ike?

by Anonymousreply 9July 16, 2019 12:33 AM

oh, right r8. Sadly Angela had no chance in winning that year - Holly was the front runner.

by Anonymousreply 10July 16, 2019 12:33 AM

Tina Turner = 80s goddess. Her vid What's Love Got to do with It signaled the beginning of the most phenomenal comeback in pop history, with that volcanic coiffure, and stardom in Mad Max. She was in her 40s and she was unstoppable.

What a subject for a movie. Angela Bassett and Fishburne couldn’t have been better casting for it.

by Anonymousreply 11July 16, 2019 12:58 AM

Excellent movie! One of the best showbiz bios ever made!

And yeah, Bassett was phenomenal, I'd have voted for her in the Oscars that year, if I'd gotten a vote. It's a pity her career hasn't been bigger, because that woman is an excellent actress and has star quality out the wazoo! Because no, acting the role of a well-known person isn't a matter of wigs and mannerisms, it's also pulling the audience into their personal journey, and showing their star quality, and what made them a star. Very few actors can do that.

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by Anonymousreply 12July 16, 2019 1:14 AM

It was a hard movie to watch. But very realistic. I know many people can’t bear the rape scene and believe it’s over the top, but it actually happened the way it’s shown. Spousal rape is quite common, yet til this day What’s Love is one of the few movies that portrays it on screen.

by Anonymousreply 13July 16, 2019 1:15 AM

Ga dammit Anna Mae!

by Anonymousreply 14July 16, 2019 1:16 AM

Angela is great but she looked silly at the end in the 80s Tina wig. But nobody could pull off that ‘do except Tina...the same was nobody could pull off the Farrah ‘do except Farrah.

by Anonymousreply 15July 16, 2019 1:33 AM

I was rooting for Stockard Channing to win for Six Degrees of Separation. It was a good Best Actress year.

by Anonymousreply 16July 16, 2019 2:06 AM

[quote] Six Degrees of Separation

Now there's a movie no one ever needs to see again

by Anonymousreply 17July 16, 2019 2:08 AM

R17 is Kevin Bacon, still humor-impaired.

by Anonymousreply 18July 16, 2019 2:10 AM

[quote]r16 I was rooting for Stockard Channing to win for Six Degrees of Separation.

What kind of irked me is the playwright John Guare went on and on about how Channing had been "born to play this role" ... how it dovetailed perfectly with her own preppie, east coast society background, etc. That may all be true (though Channing looks more Italian or Jewish than waspy to me), but - -

Initially, Blythe Danner was hired to play the role of Ouisa. She quit after a few days rehearsal.

So, doing the math, if the author insists Channing was born to play the role, why did he hire an entirely different actress, first?

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by Anonymousreply 19July 16, 2019 3:55 AM

You musht undahshtayand that a touch of yaw hayand makesh mah pulsh reeeayact

by Anonymousreply 20July 16, 2019 4:22 AM

Liza?

by Anonymousreply 21July 16, 2019 4:25 AM

R19 In her memoir, Swoozie Kurtz says Guare showed her "Six Degrees" and she believed she had a good shot at playing Ouisa ... until Blythe was cast.

by Anonymousreply 22July 16, 2019 5:16 AM

Tina, bring me the axe!

I’ll take ‘Tina’s inner thought the moment she decided to cut Ike loose’, for $100, Alex.

by Anonymousreply 23July 16, 2019 2:05 PM

But still, if not for Ike she'd be Annie Bullock living in a trailer in Tennessee.

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by Anonymousreply 24July 16, 2019 2:19 PM

R24 not an excuse for what he did to her.

by Anonymousreply 25July 16, 2019 2:27 PM

Ike said she gave as good as she got. They were knock down drag-out boxing matches, not 'Tina' cowering in a corner.

by Anonymousreply 26July 16, 2019 2:38 PM

R26 so she defended herself? Good for her.

by Anonymousreply 27July 16, 2019 2:39 PM

True, r24. He was her ticket out. Ike & Tina Turner's version of Proud Mary, with Tina's “nice and easy” spoken intro, and the Ikettes' backups, got them to the top, and won them their Grammy.

It was a Creedence song but CCR couldn’t pull off those fringed micro-dresses the way Tina and the Ikettes did.

by Anonymousreply 28July 16, 2019 3:34 PM

Tina did even better without him.

by Anonymousreply 29July 16, 2019 4:11 PM

[quote]It's a pity her career hasn't been bigger, because that woman is an excellent actress and has star quality out the wazoo!

Agreed. She does seem to be having a bit of a career resurgence at the moment. Too bad it's on the back of that piece of dreck TV show, 911. I hope she's at least making a boatload of money.

by Anonymousreply 30July 16, 2019 4:18 PM

R30 um she was in Black Panther and the lastest Mission Impossible also

by Anonymousreply 31July 16, 2019 4:20 PM

Hence the "career resurgence," R31.

by Anonymousreply 32July 16, 2019 4:22 PM

[quote]It was a hard movie to watch. But very realistic.

Except it wasn't. A lot of the stuff in the movie as well as a lot of the violence was exaggerated or fictionalized (which has been corroborated by the book it's based on).

Great movie though. I've always loved that Tina never bothered to watch it saying she didn't need to, she lived it.

by Anonymousreply 33July 16, 2019 4:23 PM

Caveat: This post probably should go in the "Unpopular opinions" thread.

Good movie, but I really think it and the book laid it on just a little too thickly.

I think it's really unfortunate that Ike rarely gets credit for his revolutionary contributions to soul, R&B, and especially rock music. There are a shit-ton of famous musicians who were abusive, drugged-out assholes, yet still are revered as pioneers and superb musicians.

I actually love Ike's solo stuff way more than I do Tina's. And he was fantastic live, even into the early 90s. And was hilarious on MadTV.

by Anonymousreply 34July 16, 2019 4:29 PM

"Ike said she gave as good as she got. They were knock down drag-out boxing matches, not 'Tina' cowering in a corner. "

Ike was twice her size and much stronger. If they were having knock-down-drag-out fights, she was the one getting hurt.

by Anonymousreply 35July 16, 2019 7:37 PM

He was also the one starting them.

by Anonymousreply 36July 16, 2019 7:38 PM

Ugh of course someone is defending Ike Turner. He was a fucking terror.

by Anonymousreply 37July 16, 2019 7:47 PM

[quote] I've always loved that Tina never bothered to watch it saying she didn't need to, she lived it.

In her recent book, she wrote about finally watching some of it years later, and not liking it. She liked Angela (She personally picked her) and Laurence, but felt the movie didn't portray the complexities of her relationship with Ike. And she hated some of the costumes.

by Anonymousreply 38July 16, 2019 7:56 PM

R37 it was gonna happen. Not shocked.

by Anonymousreply 39July 16, 2019 7:56 PM

[quote]many people can’t bear the rape scene and believe it’s over the top, but it actually happened the way it’s shown.

I love Tina and the movie, but this is not true. It was completely made up for the movie. It’s not in her book. The rest of the violence was not exaggerated as someone else stated. Some episodes (like him torching a car outside the house where she was staying after she left him) were left out of the film entirely.

by Anonymousreply 40July 16, 2019 8:09 PM

I just rewatched Tina's "What's Love Got To Do With It" music video. It was shot almost entirely in the West Village. I know all those locations.

by Anonymousreply 41July 16, 2019 9:10 PM

"It [spousal rape] was completely made up for the movie. It’s not in her book."

That doesn't necessarily follow. Tina didn't put every moment of her life in the book, and undoubtedly didn't include every horrible thing that Ike ever did, he was a man who devoted his life to doing horrible things and she needed to keep things to a few hundred pages. So unless Tina actually said whether the incident in the film was true or made up... it might be true. Or not. We just don't know, unless Tina says.

by Anonymousreply 42July 16, 2019 9:45 PM

Eldergays, why didn't Angela Bassett win an Oscar for this?

by Anonymousreply 43July 16, 2019 9:50 PM

R42, I remember reading somewhere years ago that she did say it didn't happen. I can't remember where. What she has said is that there were times where he would beat her and then insist on having sex. She begrudgingly agreed, which could certainly be construed as spousal rape, but not quite the same as the violent rape depicted in the movie.

by Anonymousreply 44July 16, 2019 9:51 PM

Also, in her more recent book, Tina recounts the (previously untold) story of how Ike took her to watch a live sex show in Tijuana on their honeymoon. She said she was too embarrassed to put it in her first book.

by Anonymousreply 45July 16, 2019 9:55 PM

R43, she faced some stiff competition - Holly Hunter (the winner) for The Piano and Emma Thompson for The Remains of the Day. Plus Debra Winger and Stockard Channing. There were a lot of great films that year and for Angela to be nominated in their company says a lot, even if her chances of winning were nil.

by Anonymousreply 46July 16, 2019 10:00 PM

Love the movie! Fantastic performances all around. If the actors had been white, the movie would have cleaned up at the Oscars.

by Anonymousreply 47July 16, 2019 10:15 PM

Bassett shouldn't have had "nil" chances of winning, R46! She was amazing, intensely emotional, utterly engaging, and blazing with star quality, as I said above. IMHO the competition should have been between Bassett and Hunter, I love Thompson but her role was supporting, and the other two were terrific but not as terrific as Bassett.

I think Hunter won because Bassett wasn't as well-known, and she played a mute character. The AMPAS does love to watch someone faking a disability.

by Anonymousreply 48July 16, 2019 10:17 PM

E19

1. He did not realize that Channing was born to play the role until she played it.

2. Channing was committed to Jakes Women. She only became available when the show closed out of town.

3. Channing was not a considered a big enough name then. She initially came to fill into rehearsals till they could get a bigger actress for the role. (Of course, 6 Degrees was the play that turned Channing from a respectable secondary actress like Christine Baranski, to a leading lady.)

by Anonymousreply 49July 16, 2019 11:12 PM

Bassett is black. No matter how amazing she was, they weren’t giving it to her for lead. Berry is the only one that was able to break through that and never again since, not even Viola could for The Help.

by Anonymousreply 50July 16, 2019 11:15 PM

When Tina leaves Ike in Dallas...wow. Angela’s vulnerability at the hotel counter and big Bubba’s compassion always make me tear up. It’s a beautiful scene.

by Anonymousreply 51July 16, 2019 11:51 PM

R41, I just googled the locations. Someone actually went and visited them. It totally looked like The West Village to me too. Great video.

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by Anonymousreply 52July 17, 2019 2:19 AM

I love the opening scene, in the church; that little girl was epic. Tina has become huge, Aretha huge.

by Anonymousreply 53July 17, 2019 2:30 AM

What else does she have to do but eat? Making up time for not eating that cake.

by Anonymousreply 54July 17, 2019 3:06 AM

[quote]Tina has become huge, Aretha huge.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY chile, could be as huge as Aretha, god rest her soul.

by Anonymousreply 55July 17, 2019 1:36 PM

Tina is NOT THAT big.

by Anonymousreply 56July 17, 2019 9:57 PM

Why don't we see more of Fishburne and Bassett? WHET? In all this talk of diversity casting, where are the star vehicles for actors of their caliber?

by Anonymousreply 57July 17, 2019 10:38 PM

Fishburne has done quite a few supporting roles recently,

John Wick Chapter 3 and Chapter 2

The Mule

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Last Flag Flying

Passengers

Roots

Batman v Superman

Angela Bassett as well... she did voice work for Bumblebee and BoJack Horseman and her seasons of American Horror Story

Mission Impossible Fallout

Black Panther

London Has Fallen

by Anonymousreply 58July 17, 2019 10:44 PM

Thanks r58

by Anonymousreply 59July 17, 2019 10:47 PM

Angela Bassett would win the Oscar if this movie came out today.

by Anonymousreply 60July 17, 2019 11:18 PM

Bassett was not going to win because of Hunter but I still think she was a pretty strong contender in '93. It would be interesting to see the results for that year.

by Anonymousreply 61July 17, 2019 11:23 PM

To be fair, Holly Hunter is a terrific actress and the best part of Batman v Superman.

by Anonymousreply 62July 17, 2019 11:24 PM

Tina had the best look of all the 80s pop stars. That was such an amazing image, and just perfect for the decade.

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by Anonymousreply 63July 17, 2019 11:28 PM

Tina looked hotter in her 40s than her 20s!

by Anonymousreply 64July 17, 2019 11:30 PM

Nobody is saying Hunter isn't a terrific actress; she is r62. '93 was a tough year, although I really think it was between Hunter and Bassett but Hunter was the frontrunner. I personally feel Hunter should have won for Broadcast News in '87, another tough year because I thought Cher and Glenn Close were just as deserving.

If What's Love had been released a year later, I wonder if Bassett would have beaten Lange?

by Anonymousreply 65July 17, 2019 11:46 PM

"Why don't we see more of Fishburne and Bassett? WHET?"

They're old, 57 and 60, respectively, an age when actors are not offered leading roles and are usually lucky to be working. They're both working, almost entirely in supporting roles, and I really do hope that soon, someone offers each of them a leading role worthy of their talents.

But the fact is, right now, they're not getting anything unless VIola Davis or Samuel L. Jackson has turned it down first.

by Anonymousreply 66July 18, 2019 12:08 AM

"'93 was a tough year, although I really think it was between Hunter and Bassett but Hunter was the frontrunner. "

I agree, I said so earlier, and Hunter had the advantage of being the bigger star, and being owed a make-up Oscar from "Broadcast News". And, frankly, of being white.

But mainly, the AMPAS loved faked disabilities then and still loves them now! Hell, Sally Hawkins won an Oscar last year for playing another mute, it still goes over big.

by Anonymousreply 67July 18, 2019 12:10 AM

Angela Bassett >>> Viola Davis

by Anonymousreply 68July 18, 2019 12:10 AM

Great movie, great performances but I have a hard time believing that Tina was as innocent as they portrayed her.

by Anonymousreply 69July 18, 2019 12:15 AM

Sally Hawkins didn't win r67. It was Frances McDormand.

I remember reading an excerpt from a book written by someone who worked with Tina who said that she pulled a gun on one of Ike's mistresses, and apparently Tina would get into it with them r69. I'm sure Tina could mouth off to Ike's mistresses but he really did treat Tina like shit. And Ike treated all the women like shit which is why Tina and Ike's girls would bond.

by Anonymousreply 70July 18, 2019 4:55 AM

Tina going off on his mistresses seems normal. Most women do.

by Anonymousreply 71July 18, 2019 11:28 AM

Tina has the greatest comeback story, no?

by Anonymousreply 72July 19, 2019 8:22 PM

R67 THE PIANO was nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. In fact, it was second only to SCHINDLER'S LIST that year. The Best Picture & Director races were between those two films. Being in a Best Picture nominee goes a long way!

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT was only nominated for 2 Oscars -- Best Actor and Actress. Thus, Fishburne and Bassett were recognized but their movie wasn't embraced. It was pretty much run of the mill musical biopic.

by Anonymousreply 73July 20, 2019 7:12 PM

I remember talking about how some of the abuse in the movie was exaggerated for dramatic effect.

by Anonymousreply 74July 22, 2019 1:28 PM

EAT THE DAMN CAKE ANNA MAE!!!

The movie *does* feel a bit over the top in some scenes, but I think it's to its credit. It plays like a domestic abuse drama on steroids. Even the initial romance scenes between them are VERY lusty and hormonal, Ike's violence is as cartoonish as his own show-pony stage personality, and Tina's incredibly huge voice is as muscular as Bassett's upper arms. I guess what i'm trying to say is that the movie overall is kind of pulpy and melodramatic.... 'larger than life'. And it works. The scene where she first discovers Buddhist chanting feels genuinely empowering, and of course the "I SWEAR I will pay you back" extended sequence is quite harrowing and effective.

I would have voted for Bassett. I think Hunter's work is really effective, but it's more about how Jane Campion captures her than anything else. Channing was superb too.

by Anonymousreply 75July 22, 2019 1:49 PM

*I remember TINA talking about how some of the abuse in the movie was exaggerated for dramatic effect.

by Anonymousreply 76July 22, 2019 1:52 PM

But they also intentionally left out the More psychological and emotional abuse he put her through.

by Anonymousreply 77July 22, 2019 2:31 PM

[quote] Sadly Angela had no chance in winning that year - Holly was the front runner.

And won an Oscar for a mute bitch

by Anonymousreply 78July 22, 2019 2:34 PM

It was the only way Holly was ever going to win an Oscar... finally voters didn't have to listen to her Godawful voice.

by Anonymousreply 79July 22, 2019 2:35 PM

Anna Paquin was really good in that movie also.

She was so much better as a child than when she got older.

by Anonymousreply 80July 22, 2019 2:36 PM

Loved her as Aunty Entity in Thunderdome.

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by Anonymousreply 81July 22, 2019 2:51 PM

Doesn't the movie also take liberties with the order in which she married and had kids? It's been a long time since I've seen the movie but don't they completely skip over how she got pregnant by a man that wasn't Ike, prior to hooking up with Ike?

by Anonymousreply 82July 22, 2019 2:56 PM

Yes r82. But I think there was only so much they could focus on.

by Anonymousreply 83July 22, 2019 4:45 PM

[quote]And won an Oscar for a mute bitch

Hey, I DESERVED that Oscar for getting into that tiny boat with that huge piano! I almost died shooting that scene.

by Anonymousreply 84July 22, 2019 6:55 PM

Fantastic film.

by Anonymousreply 85August 18, 2019 9:34 PM

R79 what's wrong with her voice?

by Anonymousreply 86August 18, 2019 9:39 PM
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