Burning Palms (film)
Encyclopedia
Burning Palms is a 2010 satirical film based on Los Angeles
stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.
," a 1993 drama film directed by Robert Altman
.
Dedra Davenport (Rosamund Pike
) meets the 15 year old daughter (Emily Meade
) of her fiance (Dylan McDermott
) for the very first time. However, she is soon disturbed by how unhealthy and bordering on incestuous the relationship between the two is.
This Little Piggy
Ginny Bai (Jamie Chung
) agrees to participate in an unconventional sex act with her boyfriend Chad Bower (Robert Hoffman
). Soon after she begins to slowly lose her mind when she cannot seem to get rid of an odd smell from her finger.
Buyer’s Remorse
A rich and well recognized West Hollywood gay couple (Peter Macdissi
and Anson Mount
) decide to adopt a 7 year old African girl (Tiara McKinney). They prove to be mentally unprepared for the challenges and risks involved in parenthood, especially so, as their adopted daughter is a decided mute who refuses to speak to them.
Kangaroo Court
A nanny (Lake Bell
) for a group of neglected children comes to find some dangerous secrets about the live- in staff at their mansion home.
Maneater
An unidentified man (Nick Stahl
) breaks into the apartment of meek woman Sarah Cotton (Zoe Saldana
), whom he proceeds to rape. Sometime later she finds the man’s wallet and is able to track him down. Rather than seek justice or revenge the woman invites him on a date, then back to her apartment. Once there the man becomes suspicious of her motives, and is shocked when she begs him to rape her again, though he does as she asks. As he begins to leave Sarah cries and begs him to stay, but he leaves all the same.
and TV Guide
reported that the ensemble-driven indie feature will star Shannen Doherty
and Dylan McDermott
as well as Zoe Saldana
, Lake Bell
, Nick Stahl
, Paz Vega
, Adriana Barraza
, Colleen Camp
, Jamie Chung
, Robert Hoffman
, Peter Macdissi
, Emily Meade
, Anson Mount
, Rosamund Pike
, Austin Williams
, Chandler George Brown and Tom Wright
.
, who also wrote the 2007 thriller Disturbia
. Palms will also mark Landon's directorial debut.
. It will also move on to shoot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. Oren Segal, Steven Prince and Jason Hewitt are reported to be producing the film, and Tyler Thompson, Vince Morella and Naz Jafri will contribute as executive producers.
Andrew Schenker of Slant magazine gave the film just half of one star out of a possible four. Writing of the film:
Gabe Callahan, of Poptimal.com, pointed out his theories as to why the film was such a disappointment:
The film currently only holds a 33% rating on Metacritic
, and a 17% "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines.
Premise
The film explores satires of Angeleno stereotypes, which are told through five interlacing stories. The five intertwining segments are based on popular stereotypes of West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Westwood and Holmby Hills. Each of the characters in the film confronts taboos and an uncertain, often darkly humorous, fate. Producer Oren Segal likens the film to "a John Waters version of Short CutsShort Cuts
Short Cuts is a 1993 American drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver...
," a 1993 drama film directed by Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
.
Plot
The Green Eyed MonsterDedra Davenport (Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is a British actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day, Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helen in An Education, Lisa in Made in Dagenham, Miriam Grant-Panofsky in Barney's Version and Kate Sumner in Johnny English...
) meets the 15 year old daughter (Emily Meade
Emily Meade
Emily Meade is an American film and television actress. She has been cast in a potentially recurring role as a future version of the character Ella Blake in the U.S. science fiction series Fringe...
) of her fiance (Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott
Mark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
) for the very first time. However, she is soon disturbed by how unhealthy and bordering on incestuous the relationship between the two is.
This Little Piggy
Ginny Bai (Jamie Chung
Jamie Chung
Jamie Jilynn Chung is an American actress known to reality television audiences as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: San Diego and its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, and for her appearances in TV and films, such as I Now...
) agrees to participate in an unconventional sex act with her boyfriend Chad Bower (Robert Hoffman
Robert Hoffman (actor)
Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, dancer and choreographer.- Personal life :Robert James Hoffman III was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of Charlotte and Robert Hoffman II, and moved with his family to Madison, Alabama when he was seven. He has one younger brother, Chris, and...
). Soon after she begins to slowly lose her mind when she cannot seem to get rid of an odd smell from her finger.
Buyer’s Remorse
A rich and well recognized West Hollywood gay couple (Peter Macdissi
Peter Macdissi
Peter Macdissi is an actor who was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His filmography consists mostly of television work, most notably playing long-time recurring character Olivier Castro-Staal on Alan Ball's hit HBO series Six Feet Under. In 2007 and in 2008, he was seen in Towelhead, a feature film which...
and Anson Mount
Anson Mount
Anson Adams Mount IV is an American actor who has appeared in both movies and television shows. Mount has also played Jim Steele on the short-lived NBC series Conviction and appeared in the independent movie Tully with Julianne Nicholson, as the title character Tully Coates, a playboy whose ways...
) decide to adopt a 7 year old African girl (Tiara McKinney). They prove to be mentally unprepared for the challenges and risks involved in parenthood, especially so, as their adopted daughter is a decided mute who refuses to speak to them.
Kangaroo Court
A nanny (Lake Bell
Lake Bell
-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
) for a group of neglected children comes to find some dangerous secrets about the live- in staff at their mansion home.
Maneater
An unidentified man (Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
) breaks into the apartment of meek woman Sarah Cotton (Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana , sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña, is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage and later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role...
), whom he proceeds to rape. Sometime later she finds the man’s wallet and is able to track him down. Rather than seek justice or revenge the woman invites him on a date, then back to her apartment. Once there the man becomes suspicious of her motives, and is shocked when she begs him to rape her again, though he does as she asks. As he begins to leave Sarah cries and begs him to stay, but he leaves all the same.
Cast
- Zoe SaldanaZoe SaldanaZoe Saldana , sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña, is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage and later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role...
as Sarah Cotton - Jamie ChungJamie ChungJamie Jilynn Chung is an American actress known to reality television audiences as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: San Diego and its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, and for her appearances in TV and films, such as I Now...
as Ginny Bai - Dylan McDermottDylan McDermottMark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
as Dennis Marx - Rosamund PikeRosamund PikeRosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is a British actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day, Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helen in An Education, Lisa in Made in Dagenham, Miriam Grant-Panofsky in Barney's Version and Kate Sumner in Johnny English...
as Dedra Davenport - Lake BellLake Bell-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
as Maryjane - Nick StahlNick StahlNicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
as Robert Kane - Paz VegaPaz VegaPaz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
as Blanca Juarez - Adriana BarrazaAdriana BarrazaAdriana Barraza is a Mexican film and television actress and director. She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Broadcast Film Critics Association and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is also a veteran actress of Televisa telenovelas...
as Luisa Alvarez - Shannen DohertyShannen DohertyShannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
as Dr. Shelly - Robert HoffmanRobert HoffmanRobert K. Hoffman was an American businessperson and philanthropist, most notable for co-founding the influential humor magazine National Lampoon.Born in Dallas, Texas, Hoffman graduated from the St. Mark's School of Texas in 1965...
as Chad Bower - Peter MacdissiPeter MacdissiPeter Macdissi is an actor who was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His filmography consists mostly of television work, most notably playing long-time recurring character Olivier Castro-Staal on Alan Ball's hit HBO series Six Feet Under. In 2007 and in 2008, he was seen in Towelhead, a feature film which...
as Geri - Anson MountAnson MountAnson Adams Mount IV is an American actor who has appeared in both movies and television shows. Mount has also played Jim Steele on the short-lived NBC series Conviction and appeared in the independent movie Tully with Julianne Nicholson, as the title character Tully Coates, a playboy whose ways...
as Tom - Emily MeadeEmily MeadeEmily Meade is an American film and television actress. She has been cast in a potentially recurring role as a future version of the character Ella Blake in the U.S. science fiction series Fringe...
as Chloe Marx - Jon PolitoJon PolitoJon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
as The Phamacist
Casting
Media outlets such as The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
and TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that the ensemble-driven indie feature will star Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
and Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott
Mark Anthony McDermott , better known by his professional name of Dylan McDermott, is an American actor, known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the television legal drama The Practice and his role in the series Dark Blue as Lt. Carter Shaw. McDermott currently stars in FX...
as well as Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana , sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña, is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage and later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role...
, Lake Bell
Lake Bell
-Early life:Bell was born in New York City, the daughter of Robin Bell, owner of the design firm Robin Bell Design, Inc. in New York, and Harvey Siegel. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Protestant, and Bell has stated that she was raised in a "comically dysfunctional family".Bell attended The...
, Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
, Paz Vega
Paz Vega
Paz Campos Trigo , better known as Paz Vega, is a Spanish actress.- Early life :Vega was born in Seville, Andalusia, Spain to a homemaker mother and a retired bullfighter father. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic....
, Adriana Barraza
Adriana Barraza
Adriana Barraza is a Mexican film and television actress and director. She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Broadcast Film Critics Association and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is also a veteran actress of Televisa telenovelas...
, Colleen Camp
Colleen Camp
Colleen Celeste Camp is an American actress and film producer, known for her performances in two installments of the Police Academy series and as Yvette the Maid in the 1985 black comedy Clue. She was also the first actress to play Kristin Shepard in U.S. prime time soap opera Dallas in 1979.Camp...
, Jamie Chung
Jamie Chung
Jamie Jilynn Chung is an American actress known to reality television audiences as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: San Diego and its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, and for her appearances in TV and films, such as I Now...
, Robert Hoffman
Robert Hoffman (actor)
Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, dancer and choreographer.- Personal life :Robert James Hoffman III was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of Charlotte and Robert Hoffman II, and moved with his family to Madison, Alabama when he was seven. He has one younger brother, Chris, and...
, Peter Macdissi
Peter Macdissi
Peter Macdissi is an actor who was born in Beirut, Lebanon. His filmography consists mostly of television work, most notably playing long-time recurring character Olivier Castro-Staal on Alan Ball's hit HBO series Six Feet Under. In 2007 and in 2008, he was seen in Towelhead, a feature film which...
, Emily Meade
Emily Meade
Emily Meade is an American film and television actress. She has been cast in a potentially recurring role as a future version of the character Ella Blake in the U.S. science fiction series Fringe...
, Anson Mount
Anson Mount
Anson Adams Mount IV is an American actor who has appeared in both movies and television shows. Mount has also played Jim Steele on the short-lived NBC series Conviction and appeared in the independent movie Tully with Julianne Nicholson, as the title character Tully Coates, a playboy whose ways...
, Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Mary Elizabeth Pike is a British actress. Her film roles include villainous Bond girl Miranda Frost in Die Another Day, Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helen in An Education, Lisa in Made in Dagenham, Miriam Grant-Panofsky in Barney's Version and Kate Sumner in Johnny English...
, Austin Williams
Austin Williams
Austin Williams is an American soap opera actor. In 2005, Austin was cast in the film The Good Shepherd, which starred Matt Damon, as the young version of Damon's character Edward Wilson...
, Chandler George Brown and Tom Wright
Tom Wright (actor)
Tom Wright is a television and theatre actor. He was born in Englewood, New Jersey and attended West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania....
.
Writing
Palms was scripted by Christopher B. LandonChristopher B. Landon
Christopher Beau Landon is an American screenwriter best known as the writer of 2007 film Disturbia and as the son of filmmaker Michael Landon.-Career:...
, who also wrote the 2007 thriller Disturbia
Disturbia (film)
Disturbia is a 2007 American thriller film directed by D. J. Caruso and executive produced by Ivan Reitman. It is an updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Rear Window...
. Palms will also mark Landon's directorial debut.
Filming
The film is currently in production with principal photography taking place in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It will also move on to shoot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Oren Segal, Steven Prince and Jason Hewitt are reported to be producing the film, and Tyler Thompson, Vince Morella and Naz Jafri will contribute as executive producers.
Critical response
To date, the critical reception for the film has been largely negative. One critic described the film as being "one of the most offensive movies I’ve seen in the past decade", going on to say:Andrew Schenker of Slant magazine gave the film just half of one star out of a possible four. Writing of the film:
Gabe Callahan, of Poptimal.com, pointed out his theories as to why the film was such a disappointment:
The film currently only holds a 33% rating on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, and a 17% "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
External links
- Burning Palms at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...