BlazeLime
Strong and Moving!
Inadvands
Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess
Lancoor
A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action
Maidexpl
Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
ghajiniblue
...ing, excellent movie and definitely one of my favorite movie in Korean side. am not a Korean, but really like this movie very much This story is all about daughter-mother relationship as well as daughter-her lover relationship..A simple storyline, but as they so often are, so wonderfully told. A girl with a terminal disease falls for the boy who lives downstairs from her. Nothing more, nothing less. But the acting ability, and the brilliant writing keep this movie moving along with joy, even tho deep deep down, you know its going to end in tragedy.If you are a fan of Korean movies. Then you must see ...ing. i bet you'll cry your heart out at the end of movie. Korean film makers are miles ahead of Hollywood film makers when it comes to romantic movies
refresh daemon
So the title of the film, I'm guessing, has to do with the present moment, as in how you use the suffix "-ing" to make a verb in the continuous present tense. The story uses a popular Korean melodramatic cliché terminal illness (don't worry, it's not a spoiler because you learn it early on) as a means of exploring human relationships and the value of life.All this is done with fairly slick directing and cinematography, with a touch of lame CGI and a surprisingly attractive soundtrack. The protagonist shifts over the course of the movie, but is primarily a sickly young high school student, acted naturally by the lead sister of Tale of Two Sisters. She is moody and withdrawn, but early in the film encounters a young man who stubbornly refuses to let her be.Of course, there's a little love story involved, but surprisingly, the love story is a smaller factor than the the young Mina learning how to appreciate the life and the people in her life that she has. Another wonderful portrait is the relationship between Mina and her mother, Misuk, who she refers to by her first name (an astounding device, as few Koreans would ever call their parents by their first names).The film still suffers from a little manipulativeness and the humongous cliché of the terminal illness, but despite it, manages to be breezy, cool and at the same time poignant. The ending of the film drags a little and the recent Korean desire for "twists" even seeps its way into the film (M. Night Shyalaman, what have you wrought??), but the film still carries enough weight and an excellent atmosphere that keeps it enjoyable, despite these problems.And did I mention that I simply adore the soundtrack? Where can I find Korean music like that, rather than the overglossed pointlessness that is Kpop? I might have to make another purchase from Yesasia.com.Good. 8/10.
Meg Mee
I watched this for the first time with my south Korean house mate.The video had no subs for me to read but that didn't matter because the acting was so great and the story so well written that you knew what was happening. I did have to ask my house mate to translate a few things here and there but for the most part i just loved watching the film with out the distraction of subs. I especially loved the scene in the ballet school and the scene in the hospital. Both these scenes are beautifully shot.I loved the way the two lead characters interact. There is non of the usual sloppy, fuzzy, cheesy romance that south Korean films do so well. There is a sophistication or maturity to the relationship developing during the film.
pHo
I sat down tonight, in order to watch Christmas in August. It's at the top of some peoples Korean film list, and is supposed to be, quite simply brilliant. But instead, another film on the pile (yes, the infamous pile of everlasting movies is still with me) caught my attention, and I decided to watch just the first 5mins.5 mins turned into the first 10.10mins turned into the first half.The first half turned into the whole movie.A simple storyline, but as they so often are, so wonderfully told. A girl with a terminal disease falls for the boy who lives downstairs from her. Nothing more, nothing less. But the acting ability, and the brilliant writing keep this movie moving along with joy, even tho deep deep down, you know its going to end in tragedy.The cinematography, is beautiful. Some of the scenes are so lovingly shot, and the subtlety as to which the girl's (Mina) disease is dealt with far surpasses virtually any documentary about someone in ill health. The characters writing for each part is done so well, and even tho there's literally only a handful of people in the film (which is great for newbies to asian cinema!) each one is crafted so well, especially the male and female lead.Its a funny film, with plenty of laugh out loud moments, as it always is with asian movies. Maybe I'm one of only a few, but the humour in some of the smallest jokes sometimes makes the experience for me, and luckily these translate really well (an example, in one of the scenes the word "sacks" is misheard for "sex" causing embarrassment) and overall the subtitles are pretty well done with few, if any, errors.I tend to watch as many films as I possibly can, and so far this year I've not really been enticed by anything "new" to watch, and have settled for rewatching some favorites, and older films I've missed out on. Therefore, "...ing" has risen very quickly to the top of the pile of movies i've enjoyed so far this year. If in theory you're attracted to a romantic comedy but the western efforts seem so tacky and lifeless, then this might be the film for you. A great film for anyone who wants to try asian cinema without getting into something either too complex or badly translated, a great film for those already submersed into the world, a great film for those who enjoy rom-com's with "that little bit extra"... a great film.The sad thing is, it's been out (in cinema, and from a few days ago, on dvd) for several months, and I was the 8th person on iMDB to give it a mark. If you're sick of films like National Security or Haunted Mansion even GETTING marks in the first place, then its time to ignore Western commercial cinema, and give something else a try. You can start here.9/10