Yellow (2013) Reviews

• Bad Hair Day

  ncc12052014-06-23

  Wikipedia defines "Giallo" as a twentieth-century Italian and French storytelling genre, one specifically focused on crime, mystery, eroticism, and horror. (Think blood. And plenty of it.) One can probably search the internet for various examples of legitimate Giallo films, though I suspect you'll find some controversy surrounding the level of quality typically associated with these films. In my web-life as a movie critic, I've only had the opportunity to review a few of these, so others might be far more inclined to give something like CITY OF LUST stronger marks. I didn't dislike it; rather, I saw it as far more experimental than an actual entry into the form of art. (NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …) From the product packaging: "Arianna is a young woman who moves to the city to escape a traumatic family life in the suburbs. She works as a cosmetologist and is showing early signs of formaldehyde poisoning. New to the city and lonely, she reaches out to a female sex line operator. They agree to meet and soon begin a volatile relationship. An altercation at work results in Arianna losing her job. Then, people in her life begin to turn up dead. With Arianna's health, career, and new relationship all disintegrating before her eyes, how much longer can she, and those around her, survive?" The downside to producing such an experimental-style release is that right off the bat you're practically guaranteed a relatively limited audience. (Now, hold on there, haters: this isn't to say that fans of Giallo horror are in short supply but rather to say that there aren't as many folks who'll pass up, say, TRANSFORMERS 4 in favor of spending 76 minutes with something they know nothing about.) The narrower the influence, then narrower the ticket sales; and I suspect such will be the case with CITY OF LUST. Written and directed by newcomer David A. Holcombe, so very much of LUST feels kinda/sorta like an inside joke: you may not get all of the details, but you sure understand the punchline. Holcombe has possibly drawn on a plethora of influences as not all of these characters feel that original nor even all that contemporary (are there still sex-line operators like this in existence?). Each one is a bit more lurid than the next – some with more flamboyant personalities than they really needed – but all of them do pale when paired against the sublime young beauty of Arianna. She's the classic victim here – or is she? – who was only looking for a way out of a personal tragedy, one that's obviously about to catch up and make her life worse all over again. Still, Holcombe packs his lean 76-minute feature with enough interesting creative choices that I had no problem staying interested if even for the mild annoyance of so many cookie-cutter secondary characters. (Seriously, if I see one more clever but catty transvestite I'm gonna puke.) CITY OF LUST (aka YELLOW) (2013) is produced by Soft Cage Film NFP. DVD distribution is being handled by Brain Damage Films. As for the technical specifications? Well, therein lies many of the problems I experienced with the flick: the sound work isn't particularly impressive in a few sequences (though I have experienced much, much worse with films I enjoyed less), but the clever if not quirky cinematography makes up for it most of the time. Lastly – if it's special features you want – then prepare for disappointment as there aren't any; it would've been nice at the very least to get an interview with Holcombe to know what films have influenced his career. RECOMMENDED. As I said at the onset, CITY OF LUST feels like the kind of flick that was 'inspired' by countless other works; and the danger in crafting something so stylistically dependent upon other films is that unless you've seen them you may be at a loss as a casual viewer. Still, I think most folks these days can recognize good cinematography for what it is, and, on that front, LUST offers up something that I found easy to look at for most of its 76 minutes. In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Brain Damage Films provided me with a DVD copy of CITY OF LUST by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

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• This is what love looks like

  nogodnomasters2017-10-10

  Arianna ( Margret Grace) is a confused cosmetologist who has moved to city leaving a "bad situation" which we see in her nightmares. Arianna is abused at work by her boss and has few friends, Renee (Kyle Greer) a gay cross dresser, and Jackie (Jill Oliver) a phone sex operator. Our heroine exhibits symptoms of formaldehyde poisoning such as nose bleeds. People in her work place start disappearing. Jackie instructs Arianna to face her fears and that she "has a right to be here." We see her frequently waking up cowering in her closet and it isn't hard to figure out what was going on from what we see in her nightmares and the home scene. They changed the title from "Yellow" to "City of Lust." Neither one was very good. While there was a mystery, it wasn't a very good one with limited characters and the main character lacking personality. The ending was dumb, but I had to laugh. Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Margaret Grace, Jill Oliver)

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• My Review Of "City Of Lust" a.k.a "Yellow"

  ASouthernHorrorFan2014-06-23

  The story that Holcombe weaves together, of building a future-facing a dark past-and struggle, is one of nightmares told is surreal horror. From start to finish "City Of Lust" creates a strong, chilling prose. The characters are twisted representations of over-exaggerated flamboyance. The most subdued and grounded character is the mousy Arianna. It as if all her world is developed of dreamlike perversions of her reality. This directorial style gives us a framework that manages to stay dark, even in it's heightened theatrical state. The camp is even a sinister spin of hypnogogic that reminds me of a blend of cult-camp and Argento's, 80's giallo style. It could be off-putting but combined with the deep horror element, "City Of Lust" stays true to the genre. The special effects is low budget, but done with enough care not to be seen as cheesy. Pretty much every scene where the blood flowed and the body dropped works in "City Of Lust". Practical effects are used and used the way you expect in a film that is paying tribute to both the classic giallo styles while telling a timeless nightmare of personal transition of a character. There are visual effects that do enhance the surreal into areas of German expressionism, and the avant garde concept direction. Colors, stylized camera angles and shadowing keep everything in specific territory so some people may not get into "City Of Lust". I loved it but these styles of storytelling hits my sweet spot in horror. A similar feel runs through "Alyce Kills" and I loved that film also. Sound effects and soundtrack are similar to classic horror films, creating a haunting, emotional atmosphere. The sound effects offer short changes in attitude, raising the suspense of the film while the instrumental soundtrack creates a hypnotic pull. "City Of Lust" doesn't really give us anything new in these areas but the effects are used right, creating cool crescendos of emotional changes in the story. Thought went into how the sounds were used and when. This film could go either way with horror fans, those that get it –get it and those that won't get –won't get it. I found it to be a smart celebration of the elements of the giallo / arhouse horror styles, and gives us a nice bloody horror story with heart.

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• Excellent Ala Dario

  Richard_Dominguez2016-04-11

  Yellow (Aka City Of Lust) Is A Suspenseful Thriller, Greatly Influenced By The Master Of Suspense Dario Argento. There Is a Chill Of What Is To Come Next In Every Scene And A Sense That You Know What Is Going On, But You Can't Tear Yourself Away Wanting To Make Sure You Are Right. The Wonderful Thing About This Style Is That At The End If It Turns Out You Are Right You Are No Less Disappointed By The Journey. Some Of The Surrealism In The Scenes Were Masterful. In One Scene The Female Lead Is Getting Ready To Go Out and It Is Obvious That The Film Is Being Fast Forwarded, Yet The TV Right Next To Her Is On The News At A Normal Pace. Indicating The High Level Of Anxiety Where Everything Around Her Is Perfectly Normal. Unfortunately I Do Have To Agree With A Previous Reviewer, If You Have No Experience With This Style Of Movie Making (ala Dario Argento ex: Deep Red, Susperia, etc...) You Are Going To Miss All The Things That Make This Type Of Movie Truly A Work Of Art. My Recommendation Watch It, Don't Miss It You May Just Be Intrigued Enough To Open Up A Whole New Genre For Yourself ...... I Gave It An 8 Out Of 10 ......

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