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BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFEMovie Reviews
Documentary follows the influential hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest on a reunion tour ten years after the release of their last album. Cast:Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Mohammed, Jarobi White, Adam Yauch, Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Pharrell WilliamsDirector:Michael RapaportRelease Date:July 8, 2011DVD Release:October 18, 2011From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr. 35 min.
OCTOBER 18, 2011
Beats, Rhymes and Life, Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Beats, Rhymes and Life played in key cities to very good reviews. • Camille Dodero wrote in the Village Voice, "...phenomenal... director Michael Rapaport devotes the film's first half to deftly curated archival material... the second half veers into cinema vérité..." • And Peter Hartlaub wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...an outstanding effort, and one of the more honest band biopics in recent years." More Reviews Below...
Beats, Rhymes and Life Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "Directed by the actor Michael Rapaport... a welcome blast of nostalgia, taking us back to a time -- and a sound -- that pulsates with optimism."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 292 words, 07/08/11
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Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 180 words, 07/08/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has both a fan's enthusiasm and a slyly observant way of letting the subjects talk themselves into unexpected revelations.... a portrait of lives still in motion..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/08/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a reminder that even artists professing love and togetherness have a hard time keeping it going.... conventionally made but no hagiography, and often thrillingly alive."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 508 words, 07/15/11
John Anderson, New York Newsday: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Intimate, adoring and deliciously nonobjective... a movie that doesn't require any pre-existing interest to be a satisfying film and emotional catharsis."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 07/22/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: FAIR "...overstuffed with underwhelming video of reunion performances... a bit like a Rolling Stones doc that hurries through Altamont and zooms in on the Steel Wheels tour."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 07/08/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...engages on many levels... Fans will love the exploration of how the various songs came together and the live footage... But you don't have to know Quest to be moved..."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 07/29/11
Camille Dodero, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...phenomenal... director Michael Rapaport devotes the film's first half to deftly curated archival material... the second half veers into cinema vérité..."(See all of Camille Dodero's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 07/06/11
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...timing, access, a visual aesthetic that reflects ATCQ's Afrocentric 'surface philosophy' and, most importantly, story-conscious editing elevates it above the norm."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 07/29/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often feels like any other E! celebrity profile about a successful band that just can't keep it together.... What was and still is groundbreaking is Tribe's music..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 07/28/11
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
David Malitz, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "First-time filmmaker Rapaport shows admirable restraint in going overboard with praise. He lets a stream of A-list stars do the fawning, every word of which is deserved."(See all of David Malitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 07/15/11
Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the emotional honesty Rapaport captures on screen comes off as real, a cut above standard-issue 'Behind the Music' drama in terms of believability."(See all of Dan DeLuca's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 728 words, 07/22/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...for all its winning and revealing moments, 'Beats, Rhymes & Life' is far more inside baseball, a sometimes funny, sometimes revealing fan film for fans only."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 08/12/11
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A Tribe Called Quest deserved a fully realized documentary and Rapaport delivers a portrait that is as naked as they come."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 07/22/11
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...thanks to a particularly even-handed job by director Michael Rapaport, the story emerges as compelling, even for non-fans..."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 08/05/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if A Tribe Called Quest can't stay together, who can? It's a worry that eventually gets at the eccentricity of both the music and the movie."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 885 words, 07/22/11
Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a negative setup, focusing on dissension right off the bat. But Rapaport's slick technique also immediately draws viewers into the group's story..."(See all of Kevin C. Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 08/05/11
Camille Dodero, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...phenomenal... director Michael Rapaport devotes the film's first half to deftly curated archival material... the second half veers into cinema vérité..."(See all of Camille Dodero's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 07/06/11
Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...either mandatory rap-nerd masturbation material or the most boring movie imaginable about that group with the song you liked in middle school."(See all of Chris Faraone's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 07/21/11
Andrew Schenker, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...as much a 'Where are they now?' as a 'Why did they matter in the first place?... not always an elegant affair, but it's a surprisingly resonant one."(See all of Andrew Schenker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 04/18/11
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often feels like any other E! celebrity profile about a successful band that just can't keep it together.... What was and still is groundbreaking is Tribe's music..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 07/28/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has both a fan's enthusiasm and a slyly observant way of letting the subjects talk themselves into unexpected revelations.... a portrait of lives still in motion..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/08/11
Jonah Weiner, Slate: EXCELLENT "...we find ourselves rooting for these two friends to get over themselves and work things out because their relationship is rendered so affectingly, even at its pettiest."(See all of Jonah Weiner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,201 words, 07/06/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (3 Reviews)
Andrew Barker, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...as stylish and intimate a treatment as fans could hope for, paying as much attention to the music in question as it does to the characters who made it."(See all of Andrew Barker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 01/24/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has both a fan's enthusiasm and a slyly observant way of letting the subjects talk themselves into unexpected revelations.... a portrait of lives still in motion..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 07/08/11
13.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Beats, Rhymes and Life's reviews are separated by an average 13.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Beats, Rhymes and Life (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Beats, Rhymes and Life's reviews cover 45.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,830 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 458 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Beats, Rhymes and Life Coverage, Volume & Length (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 38.8 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Beats, Rhymes and Life's reviews on average broke 38.8 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Beats, Rhymes and Life's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Beats, Rhymes and Life (28 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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