Burning Palms Blu-ray Review

Posted May 23rd, 2011 by Brandon A. DuHamel

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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Region: A (Region-Locked)
Rating: R
Discs: 1
Studio: Image Entertainment
Blu-ray Release Date: May 24, 2011
List Price: $29.97

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Overall

The Film

Video Quality

Audio Quality

Supplemental Materials

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

Burning Palms is writer/director Christopher B. Landon’s subversively dark comedic look through the twisted lives of Los Angelenos. Leaving no taboo untouched, four stories, vaguely connected through their wry and cynical undercurrents and odd finales, are told in a series of separate “vignettes,” if you will.

The first story tells of the seemingly strange relationship between a father (Dylan McDermott) and his precocious teenage daughter (Emily Meade) that sends his fiancé into a fit of jealously, leading her to take a violent action. In the second story, a young boy with violent tendencies drags his entire family into his cruel games, finally resulting in a trial to determine who stole the housemaid’s cherished possession – the umbilical chord from her dead child. The third story finds a college girl (Jamie Chung) becoming a bit neurotic after fulfilling her boyfriend’s kinky sexual request. In the fourth, a gay couple fulfill their dream by getting the ultimate in chic accessories – an African child, but soon find they are having serious regrets. Finally, a woman (Zoe Saldana) confronts her rapist after tracking him down from the wallet he left in her apartment with a highly unusual request, after taking him on a date.

This one is truly bizarre yet funny in that twisted, indie film sort of way.

Video Quality

Burning Palms is granted an AVC/MPEG-4 1080p transfer to Blu-ray that is clean and free from any issues with artifacting. It shows natural flesh tones, a good extension of shadow details, and rich midtones. Although overall detail is strong, there are moments when the image softens, not necessarily due to the transfer, but from the production.

Audio Quality

The sole audio option os a relatively tame DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. It uses the surround channels well for a good bit of ambient sounds, but remains a bit front-heavy. Nevertheless, the mix is spacious, with a wide and dynamic soundstage, a a good bit of motion across the front channels.

Supplemental Materials

The only thing offered here is the theatrical trailer (1.78:1; 480i/60) for the the film.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

It takes someone with a really special sense of humor to create something as darkly cynical, sardonic, and wry as Burning Palms. It sheds a light on the neurotic and weird world of L.A. In a special sort of way. Recommended.