Love Beats Rhymes

I didn't expect much from this movie but I was blown away by this film. The acting, story and directing were top notch. A truly gorgeous film by RZA. Azealia Banks also brought her A game. Definite must watch!

It tells the story of a female rapper who enters a university and joins a poetry class. Although the classes don't improve her lyrical skills as expected, they do spark a passion for the ''poetry beat'' in her.

Forced and convenient, and with a lot of music Which is to be expected, a lot of hip hop, a simple and cute little film, a charming little novel, and empowered women fighting for their space in hip hop, mixing poetry and music, suffering misogyny and prejudice , however, a light and pleasant movie to watch... "Reading a book can change what you know, reading a poem changes who you are" beautiful...

A nice flick about a young upcoming female rapper finding out that words have meaning and power. This is a love story about the art of spoken words. The cast did a great job. Azelia Banks was good to a degree for her first starring role but Jill Scott knocked it out the park. I didn't know RZA was this good at directing a love story, it flowed seamlessly. Btw RZA should have cast Jeremie Harris to play him in Wu-Tang An American Saga, they looka like.

So.. any film that starts with a rap battle is an instant turn-off for me. But this is neither a story of how life is tough in the streets, or how women are strong. Like step up movies, there is quite a formulaic plot, but unlike those films, the acting is great.. natural and simple. The lead is a good actress. The poetry and rap is good, and really gives body to the film. There is a real love of the content shown by the writers and director. I thought it was touching and made me realise myself that I was missing poetry and needed to keep expression and feeling in my life. Some famous faces in there, and erm, it just seemed to fit together well in a very satisfying way. I wanted to give it an 8, but it just doesn't have the intrigue that could be created with a better storyline. If you like art and have feelings of some type, watch the film.

Brilliantly directed and acting was very well-done. Jill Scott and especially Azealia Banks were outstanding in their performances. Hope to see more of Ms. Banks in future films! Her talent and charisma really shines through. The only major downside of the movie was probably the romance which happened very suddenly and spontaneously, as there was not enough development between the two characters and it seemed a tad unconvincing. Aside from the romance and a semi-predictable plotline, the movie makes for an enjoyable quick watch and is definitely worth checking out.