Korean Film

The cinematography is obviously derived from "Saving Private Ryan", but this is a better film.

What do you mean you haven't seen this film? This is a must for anyone with any interest in Korean cinema beyond the "Asian Extreme" releases that seem to dominate in the West. This romantic comedy based on an internet diary was huge in Asia. Sometimes it may seem to try too hard, but not only did this fllm catapult the Korean language around the world (through the girl's memorable catchphrase), it has one of the most perfect resolves to a modern romance ever, played to the music of Pacobel's canon.

Sadly, I have little doubt the Hollywood remake will blow.

Yes, this is unquestionably a sentimental romance, that leaves you in no doubts to its credibility, but it is also wonderfully stagesd, shot and acted. A real heart warmer.

One of the blockbusters that blew Korean cinema into Western audiences. The first 5 minutes of the film should be cut out - the north Korean training camp scenes are pointless. After that the film is a great thriller.

Great comedy in the vein of "Goodbye Lenin", concerning a dying father who tells his sons to reunite Korea to gain their inheritance.

Saw this on a visit to Korea. It's clearly ripped off from the popular K-drama "Damo", with the same female lead. The cinematography sparkles at times, but it looks far too staged, and the story is extremely contrived. About 30 minutes into the film narcolepsy striikes.

If you like investigative thrillers, this is a good place to start amongst Korean films.

Sweet film set in a village ignorant of the Korean War going on around it. When soldiers from various sides end up in the village they find themselves having to grow together. A nice story of hope in a dark place.

It's a biopic, and that says it all. But I wanted more than it gave. I wanted more about the artist's passion. ... er... I mean that entirely in an in artistic sense. But even his liason's with women and alcohol seem dry - there is no sense of their effect on his work. One thing to note: the website for the movie was one of the coolest sites I've ever seen.

Very interesting fantasy romance that I find difficult to pin down. The opening credits warns of sad events to come, but when they end the film continues in a mode of general hilarity until the second half. Then the tears begin, as the comedy mixes with tragedy. Closely tied to "My Sassy Glrl", and with one crucial in-joke to it, I quite like the film, but there is no doubt that its inconsistent style will put some people off.

Maybe this film has a plot ripped from Hollywood (there are elements of the Sandra Bullock film "While You Were Sleeping" here), but this film is hilarious. Kim Ha Neul is great as the woman who, through a combination of accident and design is mistaken for the fiance of a hapless Kang Dong Won.

This Kim Ha-Neul vehicle is often compared to "My Sassy Girl", though the character of the film is a little different. Like "Please Teach Me English" and "Ally MacBeal" this film incorporates CG thoughts in it for comic effect. In general this is an effective romantic comedy - not as funny perhaps as some films, but still a nice film to relax to.

I'm not entirely sure if this film would do well in an international market. Will it make people laugh, I wonder? I'm not sure. The mood of the thing is light enough, and there are jokes a plenty, but the problem is this: it's ostensibly a romantic comedy between a 15 year old girl and a 25 year old man, who, as the dying wish of a grandfather, agree to marry.

So, while all the comedy is going on, I can't help thinking: "Hang on a minute, she's 15 for goodness sake!"

So, yeah. I have friends who love this film, but I just can't overcome my reservations.

It's alright, I guess. The story's fine as far as it goes, and the special effects are good, but I never felt gripped by it - despite (or because of) the fact that the director never flinched from killing off major characters. It's interesting that whereas in US and HK films, Brits play the badguy roles, in Korean films it's the Americans.

Depressing, depressing, depressing. It's an admirable social tale of a soldier who shoots a man on a guarded beach, and the consequences of the incident; but my goodness it's grim. This is not something you watch for the entertainment value; you watch it purely to be educated.

Now this is interesting. During the 1960s the South Korean government trained up a bunch of elite soldiers to make an assassination attempt against the North Korean president, before disbanding the regiment, and (apparently) trying to remove its members. Now while the film is certainly a fictionalised account, it's still quite a revelation. This is not exactly a cheery movie, though according to surviving veterans the film underplays the harshness of the training in the camp.

It's a film that's worth watching to learn a little about 1960s Korea, but its not one to put on to entertain. The directing and acting is solid, but as a movie I'd say it's no classic.

Its hard not to laugh at the beginning of this as Son Ye-Jin acts her cutest in an attempt to win sympathy from various men she 'accidently' crashes into, but the various tactics of the two seducers in this are never left properly resolved. For that matter, more should have been made of the love-rivals than was shown on screen, since they were largely left hanging in the air (though the end credits offer a little resolve).

So, overall I'd say this was entertaining, but unsatisfying.

Quite an affecting film that follows the divergent lives of five friends after high school.

This Korean attempt at an historical epic is fine as far as it goes, but it could have been so much better.