Kim Jae-wook (김재욱)

Pretty boys serve up a musical dramedy

Source | 2009/04/03 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The manga of Fumi Yoshinaga has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I worked for the company that publishes her work in the United States a few years ago. Like many female Japanese comic artists she is obsessed with pretty boys, which doesn't do much for me but her characters are complex and inhabit gentle slice-of-life stories, crafted with the humor of a skilled and sympat"hetic observer of human drama.

Yoshinaga's only real mainstream hit is "Antique Bakery", about the son of a rich family who decides to open a Western-style cake shop, which is odd because he hates cake. A series of subplots introduces an ensemble of other characters most of them also beautiful men. (The original manga, along with my favorite Yoshinaga title, "Flower of Life", is available from Seoul import stores such as http://www.whatthebook.com)

The Korean film version is simply called "Antique", and though it's moved the story to Seoul and given all the characters Korean names, it's mostly faithful to th...| More

6 Korean Films to Screen at Berlin Festival

Source | 2009/01/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The film "Antique" by Min Gyoo-dong has been invited to this year's 59th Berlin International Film Festival.

Based on a bestselling manga of the same title, the film will be shown out of competition in a themed section named Culinary Cinema.

"My Dear Enemy" by Lee Yoon-ki, "Land of Scarecrows" by Noh Kyeong-tae, "Members of the Funeral" by Baek Seung-bin, "The Day After" by Lee Suk-gyung and "Treeless Mountain" by Kim So-yong have been invited to the festival's Forum section.

"Antique", stars Joo Ji-hoon, Kim Jae-wook, Andy Gillet, Yoo Ah-in, and Choi Ji-ho. ...| More

Film 'Antique' to Visit Berlin Film Festival

Source | 2009/01/20 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

The film "Antique", directed by Min Gyoo-dong, has been invited to the Berlin International Film Festival, according to the production company Soo Film.

The delightful story of four pretty boys managing a cake shop will knock on the doors of the non-competitive "Culinary Cinema" section, which is in its third year and brings various food-themed films from around the world. The section also features gala screenings of the films followed by meals prepared by some of Europe's finest chefs.

The film, starring Joo Ji-hoon, Kim Jae-wook and Yoo Ah-in, is based on the namesake Japanese best-selling novel and was a hit among young women who enjoyed watching the model-turned actors making cakes and revealing their secrets in the movie.

Min is expected to visit Berlin during the festival and attend the official gatherings and meetings.

Other films that have been invited for the section include "Food Inc". by documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner, "Mi...| More

"Antique" Invited to Berlin Int'l Film Festival

Source | 2009/01/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Korean film "Antique" about four guys running a bakery has been invited to the non-competition category of the Berlin Int'l Film Festival. The world-renowned festival is scheduled to be held in Germany from February 5th to 15th.

"Antique" will be presented at the festival's Culinary Cinema section. First established in 2007, the non-competitive Culinary Cinema section shows films about food and environment. In previous years such noted culinary-themed films as "Sideways" by Alexander Payne, "Fast Food Nation" by Richard Linklater, and "Ratatouille" by Brad Bird were featured at the reputed festival. "Antique" director, Min Kyu-dong, plans to take part in the film's official showing during the festival.

Based on a Japanese comic book of the same title, visually pleasing "Antique" starred model-turned-actor Joo Ji-hoon, Kim Jae-wook and Yoo Ah-in, and has drawn more than 1.2 million moviegoers during its run late last year. ...| More

Filmmakers eye hit with stories from other genres

Source | 2008/11/03 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A good movie tends to have a good script. What if a director fails to get one? No need to worry, because Korean filmmakers are quick to borrow from other genres such as comics and novels.

A striking case in point is "My Wife Got Married", a provocative tale about bigamy adapted from the bestselling novel of the same title, written by Park Hyun-wook. The movie debuted on Oct. 23 and shot up to No. 1 at the box office here, demonstrating that good storytelling works across different platforms.

Other filmmakers with a similar cross-breeding approach seem to have taken heart from the positive performance of "My Wife Got Married".

"Antique", to be released Nov. 13, falls into the same category, though the original story comes from a bestselling Japanese comic series. Directed by Min Gyoo-dong, the film features Joo Ji-hoon, who surged to stardom through his stellar performance in the hit TV drama "Princess Hours". In the movie, which explicitly targets female audiences, Joo plays J...| More