Yellow

I thought this movie was pretty good. There were some parts that were a tad hard to understand, but if you watch it through, many things become clear. Too bad there's no prequel, because you know hardly anything about the characters. This movie is a lot of fun for people who like to watch independent films. It was a very good job by the director and I would encourage others to follow his work.

The film Yellow casts an interesting light upon any Asian who has the opportunity to see it. I rented it one day by chance just to see what it was all about. In the end I was pleased with the the overall product.

I feel that the whole background of the story warrants a film. It seems to me that it is almost a documentary that is happening in real time. The main character (Sin) doesn't quite get me by the end of the film. I never really understand his motives, and some of the things he does to his friends are just too far fetched and don't lend me to respecting his situation. He seemed like a first time actor, and I think other male memebers of the cast could've pulled off the role with a much greater strength. The rest of the cast was pretty strong especially the father of Sin and Sin's mother.

My favorite part of the film is the beautiful moment between Sin's father and his girlfriend. I also enjoyed the cliche love scene between Joey and Mina's character. I didn't like the symbolic coins falling on the floor at the beginning nor during the robbery. It lacked a force that I wanted to get hit with. Also, there were bad edits with the sound. The scene when we are introduced to Burt Bulos and Jason Tolbin's characters with the basketball...the cars that pass by, with the cuts make it sound out of sequence and that there is obvious audio cutaways. But overall it was alright.

So watch the movie

I'm always on the look out for American films that actually acknowledge that there are more than two races in America. Unfortunately, while YELLOW does in fact feature Korean Americans, it fails in too many ways. The title itself is an in-your-face attempt to say "Hey!! THIS is Asian-Americanism!!!" The characters seem to have been created to fulfill the film maker's desire to represent Korean Americans. That's a trap that a lot of films about ethnic minorities fall into, but sometimes with skilled writing that purpose can be fulfilled while still creating characters that seem real. Not so in this case, and in fact, they characters and story don't give you any genuine feel for the issues facing Korean Americans anyway. No point in taking the actors to task for their performances... the finest thespians couldn't make these character's motivations tangible. The story suffers from the "dummy-plot" syndrome.... there would be no story if the characters weren't stupid. The story drifts aimlessly from one contrived event to another. It eventually reaches such levels of ridiculousness that you're wondering if the film maker just added scenes in because it would be fun to shoot. That all being said... Chris Chan Lee might have a good film in him. At times he displays a good visual sense. Maybe if he was working with a writer who could craft a convincing story with genuine emotion. But unfortunately, YELLOW is a film worth watching only if you're writing a term paper on Asian American film.

Teen angst, Overly expectant parents... It's something that all children and parents experience... Yellow does an excellent job conveying it all....

While the lead character turns in a mediocre performance, The supporting cast shines. Sin's Father turns in an epic performance as the overprotective father who only wants the best for his child, including the morals and drive that he learned along the way. In a very telling scene between Sin's Father and Sin's girlfriend, we learn that Sin's Father is not as evil as he may seem. He is truly trying to provide the absolute best for his child, and have him not see the eons of struggles of life.

Another amazing performance is turned in by Alex, Sin's best friend. A guy who is willing to compromise everything, just for his friend. His emotion is true, and his desperation is apparent. One could only wish for a friend like that...

This is a film that transcends the racial barriers. Yellow is appropriately titled not for the "Racial Overtones" rather that Yellow is the color of cowardice. Sin exhibits this cowardice, courage and desperation in this epic tale of growing up.

8/10.

to make this short and sweet: i hope this movie will not be considered the seminal work for the "gener-asian" of american film making. the acting was sub-par, relying on stereotypes, raised voices, and exaggerated eye-buggery to convey its message. chris chan park does not delve very deep into the any of his characters, allowing them to remain caricatures of angry/frustrated/distant/uncommunicative asians. these depictions do not make characters mysteriously appealing; it makes them confusing and unsympathetic. i like to think that us asians are more complex than that.

i came out of the movie unconvinced. unconvinced that these characters had a life long, blood-brother like connection with each other to go to the lengths they did to help their buddy out. unconvinced that the main character had anything beyond a superficial attraction to his girlfriend. unconvinced that hard working immigrant parents wouldn't pay for their son's college education. unconvinced that all of the characters were even necessary, i.e.: janet, who is put to bed in the back of the car and quickly forgotten.

the story line, which i actually think had potential, was not allowed to come into its own for two reasons: 1) flat characters for whom i had no sympathy/affinity, 2) the plot is overshadowed by meaningless non-sequitur scenes, such as the seance/donut shop sequence with amy hill which was simply ridiculous and unnecessary.

i commend park for his efforts, as i'm sure it took a lot of hard work to even produce the film, and i'll even give him the benefit of the doubt this time around as a rookie director/screenwriter, but i sincerely hope that next time around he'll go a little deeper. just because the film is one of the first of its kind about the korean american experience, doesn't mean it's automatically good.