Antique Bakery (2008)

I loved everything about this movie. It's the first time I've watched Kim Jae-Wook and I had a hard time keeping my jaw shut whenever he was on screen. He is beyond gorgeous (drool) and his looks aren't just a cover for crap acting- he is a wonderful actor. The chemistry between all of our male leads was palpable, hysterical, and even touching. The random musical numbers were so fun and highlighted Ju Ji-hoon's talented physical comedy. I've always loved how funny he can be with just his body language and facial expressions. I was surprised to see Yoo Ah-In in this (and even Ju Ji-hoon, to be honest) because I watched it for Kim Jae-Wook not realizing the other big names that were cast. Overall, a great watch and definitely highly recommended.

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This was a truly engaging, fun, meaningful film! Just wow even after watching it a few times I still get the same feels! Two people one straight, one gay get into the bakery business and hire other people who have their own issues and hilarity ensues! Okay let's face it everything they say about Kim Jaewook he's all that and more! But I love that they touched the topic of homophobia in a natural way. Showing the male lead himself being that way himself due to the same old toxic behaviors people develop due to fragile male egos and toxic masculinity. And just the scenes were so damn hot lmao even though the four main characters are so different from each other and mostly straight the chemistry between them was so good! Especially the way Yoo Ah In gets so protective over Jaewook that was so adorable!!!! But this movie also touches some harsher topics and even that they did well. Truly an amazing watch!

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Now, I saw this movie only for one reason and that's for Kim Jae Wook. That's it!!! Could I start by saying, what a flawless guy he is!!!
Where the hell have you been? Why not been a part of more popular dramas? Hopefully after Her Private Life, he'd be out there more.

Now as far as the story goes, let me say, I first saw the trailer and then the movie. Now if you're like me, you'll be in for a major surprise, cause they're quite different. There is more depth to the movie. I did not expect, the Mainlead, the owner of the bakery, to have such a past.

The other cast were cute too :-)

Now back to KJW, he is sexy, he is sexy and he is sexy. He portrayed the character of Gay so easily, it was marvellous. And his dance at the gay bar. Phew!!!

Anyways I thoroughly enjoyed the movie!!!

Njoy!!!

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So all the actors did excellent in this, in particular I'm a huge fan of Yoo Ah In after seeing him in Secret Love Affair and of Kim Jae Work after seeing him in Coffee Prince and Voice. They were my favorites in this movie and I thought they played their roles the best.

It was much more light hearted than I expected and i thought that complimented the atmosphere of the bakery and their work in general. But also it strongly juxtaposed Joo Ji Hoon's back story which was very interesting and unexpected. I was confused by the ending though. I didn't feel like things wrapped up and am now wondering if there is a part 2 out there. Even if there was, I don't think it would have the same charm as the first one and so I wouldn't watch it which means I finish this show feeling a little unsatisfied.

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Beyond the Mouthwatering Cakes served by Gorgeous Gentlemen is a serious story about social justice

Based off a successful manga and anime, this is the story of a Kim Jin Hyuk (Joo Ji Hoon), a rich man with a tragic backstory who decides to open a bakery in hope of getting some closure on his past. He hires Min Sun Woo (Kim Jae Wook) an old classmate to be the chief Patissier knowing the man has been fired from MANY bakeries for causing issues as he is a "Demonic Gay" and everyone, male or female, ends up falling i love with him leading to drama and thus him getting fired. Everyone, except the owner, who happens to have rejected Sun Woo's advances in High School as he is not gay. The 2 men open Antique bakery and have a hard time finding or keeping any male staff until Yang Gi Beom (Yoo Ah In) an ex boxer shows up, who also happens to be immune to Sun Woo's demonic gay vibes.

This starts off as a foodie lovers show with some comedy thrown in. The nightclub scenes showing the "Demonic Gay" are particularly hilarious. Then we are quickly made aware of the social issues (homophobia) and the owner's tragic past. All this amidst the backdrop of cakes and handsome men, both of which are enough to make this female drool. The cakes ... the cakes look GORGEOUS and if possible, even more edible than the men. Imagine a bakery where you can be served by 4 different types of handsome men - the stylish debonair owner, the sensitive talented gay patissier, the macho but crude ex-boxer or the strong silent screw up? What a brilliant marketing plan. I'd be visiting for sure and the cakes would just be an excuse.

The only place I think the producers messed up is not putting enough effort into the soundtrack as I guess all their budget went to clothes and cakes. There are several musical type montages which are pretty well done. The show doesn't shy away from depicting gay men, there's kissing and a hand placed possessively on one character's butt.

Overall this is a great movie with a nice mix of comedy and cakes making the rest of the content more palatable to those who may object, so when the movie ended I was satisfied with the show except it left some cravings and had to go get some ... cake.

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I love it. A feel good drama splash with a bit of mystery, hot guys, sweets, colorful cakes and good acting. Joo Ji Hoon is rough and is oozing charisma here. Kim Jae Wook certainly played his character well and Yoo Ah In is well, being Yoo Ah In. The story has holes but I that didn't bother me. I just thought that there was a greater mystery that needs to be solved out there but half way through, it felt like they were just showcasing their cakes, the bakery, customers and the actors. I am a fan of the 3 leads especially of Joo Ji Hoon and Yoo Ah In so I am giving this a high rating because its them and because acting wise, all of them delivered.

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I'm very picky about giving high ratings to movies and TV shows. I liked everything about this movie adaptation of the manga.

It skips over the detailed filler from the manga without losing the backstory or slowing the present story. The characters remain true to the original concepts and are depicted well in all aspects. The presentation of desserts is artistically beautiful and temptingly alluring.

The entire cast is well chosen; from the main characters to the school girls who swoon over them. For the entire two hours, you are cheering each character on regardless of what he wants to accomplish. I want to reach through the screen and hug the bodyguard on multiple occasions. I want to do the same to the chef but for far different reasons. I even want to sit with the school girls and join in their chatter.

The music is well chosen for each scene, but no one song or piece stands out and shouts to be heard. It all flows well, supporting the movie as audible background. The artistic presentation of making the desserts and displaying them is mouthwatering. The same effort is used with the actors who represent their characters; emphasizing their uniqueness but natural cohesiveness.

While the credits were rolling, I wondered about what each character was going to do next. It's not that I want a sequel; simply that invested in how their individual stories make up the overall story. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes this review.

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Healing story with a stunning cast and dark undertone in cake world

This movie showcases an incredible 5 stars cast in a story with an unexpected dark undertone while around the baking art. However, given its age, the film can also feel a bit outdated in the way it approaches some themes. The mix of genre is well-done and pervade little by little into the script.

The pace is fast and can at time seem a bit too quick with the dialog being delivered really rapidly. This gives an energetic vibe to the picture but can also feel a bit choppy overall. Regarding the directing, there are some really good and original transitions between the scenes, which make the movie dynamic and relatively captivating to follow.

The ensemble cast is clearly the strong point here: all the main 4 actors plays very well with each other and help building a believable family atmosphere in the bakery. For once, the foreign guy (here French) is interpreted by a real native speaker who do a correct job, which therefore helps the viewer in the immersion of the world of bakery. Narratively speaking, I would have loved to see some of the plotlines a bit more developed, to detail further the characters and more particularly their future. Despite this, I'm quite satisfied with the ending.

I would recommend this to people who love one of the main cast member, and well-thought original story involving some darker themes. My advice is to try it blind, without any expectations (except if you have some triggers: you may want to check the Mydramalist tags for this).

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Fancy desserts and hot guys. Need I say more?

I LOVED this one so much! It's very fluffy and a fun, light-hearted watch with only a sprinkle of dramatic elements. Honestly, the story itself isn't much but I especially loved Kim Jae Wook here! He is so cute and I understood how many people would fall in love with him immediately aaaa To think that I last saw him in Voice tho, his mind! Baby Yoo Ah In was an extra treat too! The only thing I did not really like about this was the musical parts, to me, it was not really necessary.

Anyways, seriously, this was fun! I love desserts, I love hot guys. I love being gay. There we go!

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This movie is very different from your typical korean movie and because of that I found it totally refreshing. Seeing how very conservative korean culture is about homosexuality, this movie is completely covered in gay cuteness. While I read the synopsis saying that each of the characters had dark pasts, I was totally blown away by how their stories were especially jin-hyuk and when he actually sold the cake to the one he was looking for I was literally screaming. The movie had a great balance between comedy and darkness neither one out-shined the other.

The cast chosen were absolutely brilliant: I loved every single one of them, they brought out the comedy in the movie. The kissing in here is definitely not your typical ?? and not the frozen eyes wide open kiss that we're use to seeing in many k-dramas so i need all the actress to learn how to do it from here lol.

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MOULIN ROUGE OF BLs

ANTIQUE BAKERY
South Korea (2008 movie)
1:49

This is the MOULIN ROUGE of BLs! It’s different from the usual BL and it’s consistently crazy – from beginning to end. And I think the producers / director had MOULIN ROUGE in mind when they created this movie. Both were shown in the same year. MOULIN ROUGE was shown in May 2001 and this, ANTIQUE BAKERY, was shown October 2001. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

It might take a while before you get the hang of it, its style, its quirkiness.

This story has been adapted in Japan as ANTIQUE (series) and in Thailand as BAKER BOYS (also series). I haven’t seen them yet, but I’ll bet they won’t measure up to this Korean movie.

Superb cinematography and editing. It’s not perfect though. More of “style over substance.” But, hey, I love the style!

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