Review of Burning Palms (2010) by Curt F — 04 Nov 2011

This movie is unconventional, simple, and so very entertaining. It appears that most people seem to hate this movie (based on the overall rating it has on here), but then again, it also seems like a lot of people have never heard of this movie (even though there are some fairly recognisable actors in it and it's relatively recent). All that aside though, I really liked it, and think that more people should give it a chance.

It tells 5 different stories, and unlike so many other movies that tell multiple stories about multiple characters (e.g. Magnolia, Valentine's Day etc.) the mini-stories in this movie are not connected. I liked that. Made it almost like I was watching 5 different short films - though they did (stylistically and thematically) have some similar aspects. I think what I admired most was the variety within the movie. Some of the stories actually made me laugh out loud, whereas others could make me cringe. Furthermore, I can confidently say that all 5 plots were unique and different than pretty much anything I've ever seen before. Though they may start with a topic we've seen before to some extent, this film breaks out of the box and really takes things to a whole other level - explores options we may never have considered. I think it was creative, and that's something I'm very pleased to see happen in film these days. It's not about special effects or CGI, nor is it deeply emotional to the extent where you'd necessarily feel for the characters, but yet it's human enough that I think you can still connect to it.

At the very least, this movie should be good for a few laughs, and maybe leave you with something to think about, and there isn't anything wrong with that.

What did this movie teach me? Little boys with subtle lisps are the cutest things EVER!