Recently, I re-watched a movie I enjoy "Whats love got to do with it?", the Tina Turner story based on her autobiography "I, Tina". She has had an interesting journey in life, and shes a woman of resilience, strength and determination. The film is well acted and the way the story is constructed for the screen keeps a good pace for the viewer and incorporates a good number of performance scenes. The thing I find with a lot of bio pics about musical groups is the performance scenes are generally where the story sometimes falls apart. Integrating the performance scenes is a delicate balance I think. Some filmmakers splice partial performance scenes in with some of the dramatic events. It doesn't always come off effectively. In WLGTDWI, theres a balance of full performance scenes, and some scenes which are just a few moments of them performing clipped together to show the passage of time. The style works in the films favour.
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne compliment each other in their performances. They have great chemistry and their strong acting skills bring you into the world of Tina & Ike. Incidentally both were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, the year the film came out. Their acting partnership has continued over at least 2 other films - Boyz in the Hood (another great film), and Akeelah and the Bee. I love Tina's music, the stuff she did with Ike in the first part of her career, and much of the post-Ike creations. She is adaptable in her music styles, but beyond that she brings a unique sound, and a talent and enjoyment of performance.
In 2008, I went to see Tina perform. What an experience! She sold out three shows. She had no openers. Just her and the audience for three hours. She had an elaborate stage, but her show is a performance, not just her dancing to the music. She sets a scene, and tailors her acts to the music that she is singing. H
er vocals are still great, and her voice hits you like this force of nature. Maybe it is the passion she sings with, but I am in awe.
Her more recent material has a new sound, but resonates those distinct vocals. I realize she has moved beyond her music with Ike, but it was an integral part of her early success and her time with him I think must have shaped some of who she is. One of my favourite Ike and Tina songs was Proud Mary. (In my opinion, still hands down a better version than the Creedence version, which is also solid). Maybe this song is hard for her to perform, as it was one of the ones she used to do with Ike, but she still does it. As one of her encores. she played this song. And wow......is she ever an incredible artist. She proved again she still has it. She is almost 70, she has legs of steel and she can still do her trademark dance for that song. Pretty awesome.
At the end of the show, we heard that it was her 50th year in music (she started in 1958). It's no suprise when you consider the way she conducts herself. This woman is a class act. I have been to hundreds of concerts - I have never seen a performer express gratitude like this woman. She literally thanked every person, by name, who contributed to the success of the evening. So many people who reach her level don't spend time acknowledging how others have shaped their success, I see this as one of her greatest strengths. She has lived a life with its fair share of challenges and found the strength, courage and resilience to not only survive, but to thrive and create these awesome pieces of music that she has shared with the world. Thank you Tina, you are still the Queen.
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne compliment each other in their performances. They have great chemistry and their strong acting skills bring you into the world of Tina & Ike. Incidentally both were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, the year the film came out. Their acting partnership has continued over at least 2 other films - Boyz in the Hood (another great film), and Akeelah and the Bee. I love Tina's music, the stuff she did with Ike in the first part of her career, and much of the post-Ike creations. She is adaptable in her music styles, but beyond that she brings a unique sound, and a talent and enjoyment of performance.
In 2008, I went to see Tina perform. What an experience! She sold out three shows. She had no openers. Just her and the audience for three hours. She had an elaborate stage, but her show is a performance, not just her dancing to the music. She sets a scene, and tailors her acts to the music that she is singing. H
er vocals are still great, and her voice hits you like this force of nature. Maybe it is the passion she sings with, but I am in awe.Her more recent material has a new sound, but resonates those distinct vocals. I realize she has moved beyond her music with Ike, but it was an integral part of her early success and her time with him I think must have shaped some of who she is. One of my favourite Ike and Tina songs was Proud Mary. (In my opinion, still hands down a better version than the Creedence version, which is also solid). Maybe this song is hard for her to perform, as it was one of the ones she used to do with Ike, but she still does it. As one of her encores. she played this song. And wow......is she ever an incredible artist. She proved again she still has it. She is almost 70, she has legs of steel and she can still do her trademark dance for that song. Pretty awesome.
At the end of the show, we heard that it was her 50th year in music (she started in 1958). It's no suprise when you consider the way she conducts herself. This woman is a class act. I have been to hundreds of concerts - I have never seen a performer express gratitude like this woman. She literally thanked every person, by name, who contributed to the success of the evening. So many people who reach her level don't spend time acknowledging how others have shaped their success, I see this as one of her greatest strengths. She has lived a life with its fair share of challenges and found the strength, courage and resilience to not only survive, but to thrive and create these awesome pieces of music that she has shared with the world. Thank you Tina, you are still the Queen.
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