Bu Neng Shuo De. Mi Mi

I personally thought that the plot was rather exciting and intriguing. Jay Chou must definitely have put in much effort into making this movie. His first movie-making attempt is pretty much a success, I must say. He's even got very positive reviews and comments from award-winning directors from Asia.

Although the plot needed some thinking to be able to understand it fully, I thought this show was pretty original- a far cry from many other love stories produced. This love story was genuine and not like many other cliché stories you can find in the movie market. The actors and actresses put up remarkable jobs too. I personally feel that Jay Chou has made a great improvement with regards to his once-stagnant facial expressions. His co-star Guey Lun-mei's acting did not fail to impress too- for a neophyte selected by Jay Chou himself, her acting was breezy and natural.

The whole story is filled with love, passion for music and excellent piano pieces. My favorite parts were the piano battle, as well as the piano duet. I thought that Jay Chou's piano-playing was fabulous. He, indeed, lived up to his label as "musical genius".

Overall the movie was great. I watched it twice, and both times I still cried and laughed the same as before. Although I'm merely fifteen and hence my mentalities may be a cry away from some readers and movie-watchers here, I think that this show is one that you should catch. You will not regret it! :)

I was pleasantly surprised after watching this film on DVD. While the premise of the story may not be entirely original (there are many who may compare it with Il Mare or its Hollywood remake - The Lake House), frankly speaking, the manner in which the plot unfolds is relatively engaging and has kept me glued to the screen from the opening credits to the closing credits.

The film, Secret, begins with Lun (played by Jay Chou, who also directed the film) being led by a mysterious and alluring piano piece to an old dilapidated room in his new school (Tamkang Secondary School). It was in this room where he meets Rain (played by the infectiously sweet Kwai Lun-Mei), who was responsible for playing the mysterious piano solo. This chance encounter would trigger the start of Lun and Rain's somewhat nebulous relationship, which would be 'put to the test' to an extent by another female student named Sky (which was played to perfection by the delightfully charming Tseng Kai-xuan).

Jay Chou had also taken this opportunity (and a great one as well – with music being centerpiece of this story) in his directorial debut to pay a small tribute to one of his favourite composers, Chopin, wherever possible. Apart from being described as a "gifted composer" in the film, Chopin's Waltz was also featured in the beautifully shot sequence of a "piano duel" – which was one of the highlights of the film.

Besides the storyline and music, the film's cinematography was decent as well. In short, it's a wonderfully packaged film with a plot formula that works.

(DVD Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars – definitely could have been a lot better. The "making of" video was disappointing with no guidance or insight on the making of the film and it was constantly interspersed with periods of continuous silence.)

While Jay Chou no doubt holds court in today's Mando-pop scene, he gets no love from the movie-goers who snigger at his expressionless performance in Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower. It indeed is quite brave of him (though it's arguable to strike while the iron is hot) to diversify and have a hand in directing so early in his cinematic career, and coming up with quite an interesting, engaging story, though like any creative work, his story did make him seem quite intelligent, in spite of his usual laid-back demeanour.

Jay stars as Jay (yeah, bring back those lazy Hong Kong production days where characters share the actor's first names, because they were working on so many movies simultaneously, it's hard to keep track, so why not name the characters after yourself!), a new student in Tamkang Secondary School. He follows a mysterious piano tune and meets with Rain (Kwai Lun-Mei), a fellow student with whom he starts to spend many lovey-dovey moments with. It's essentially a romance story for dating couples to catch, and it will be a definite test of anyone's cloy-tolerance, given that the lovebirds share so much saccharine sweet dialogue and behaviour, those with lesser tolerance will have goosebumps all the way.

And for the romantic movie fans, it's time to revisit some of the cliché plot elements like the bicycle ride - who can resist a bicycle ride! - lovely scene setting landscape shots, idle banter, close contacts, dance, kisses, the "third party" Sky (whom I think is more attractive than Kwai, thus providing that additional tension), the list just goes on. Jay has mentioned parts of the story was really based on his own experiences, it is indeed interesting to try and find out just which are. Being a piano student, the movie too was a showcase piece for his musical talents and prowess on the piano, coupled with computer generated graphics which enhanced certain scenes for dramatic effect with great aplomb.

Those who think that Jay Chou can't act will want to rethink that again. Given Initial D was pop, and that Curse was action, Secret was a perfect dramatic platform for him to do a little more emoting, even though he can't seem to shake off his signature drawl. And of course some help to make him look good came from thespian Anthony Wong, who had also played his cinematic dad (of similar interest / capability) in Initial D, as he again does in Secret. Here, their father and son characters play off each other a little more in some endearing, comical moments, and naturally, Wong seemed a more believable father figure than Chow Yun-Fat for Jay Chou.

The strength of the movie however laid in its story. I shall keep it a secret just exactly what it was, and all I can say is it is similar in nature to some of my favourite movies in the past, thus I had taken a natural liking for Secret as well. However, while you think you might have it all planned out how the story will unfold, Jay Chou actually had an added punch to keep it a little bit fresh, and in doing so, raises it to a slightly different level as well, with a fairly intense climax that will have you rooting for a desirable outcome, no less. What worked against it though, would be the verbatim nature in which the story was explained, making it a little draggy and at times, repetitive, instead of allowing the audience to put the pieces together.

Jay Chou as story writer (he had someone to script it for him), actor, director and composer, Secret turned out to be a surprisingly commendable, co mmendable effort. If this is any indication of what's to come from this talented dude, then I'll be more than happy to be a fan convert, for his cinematic efforts at least. Recommended date movie of the week, remember to bring out those tissues as well! I won't be surprised if this movie will work its magic into my top ten list for the year.

I never heard of Jay Chou before, but simply based on this film alone he seems to be quite a talent. Secret is really his film, as he acts, directs, plays the piano and serves as singer/songwriter. That's a lot for a guy not even in his 30s. It's even more impressive how he manages to weave all his talents into a solid whole, easily defining a style of his own.

The core of Secret sounds pretty cliché, with Chou playing a pretty boy starting school and falling in love with the school's outcast. The first part of the film really doesn't go much behind its premise and doesn't intend to be anything more than a simple romantic drama. Luckily Chou is helped by good performances of the entire cast and some solid cinematography, which makes it all very easy to bear.

Apart from the love story there is a big musical angle too, resulting in a few nice scenes on the piano, the most interesting one being the piano battle between Chou and the school's biggest piano talent. It brings some fresh ideas to the film which at that time is really nothing more than a solid genre piece. It's of course also a good way for Chou to demonstrate his talents on the piano. And impressive it is.

The path for the film seems fixed after the first part, but Chou knows how to surprise. Halfway through he adds a magical twists to the story elevating the film above many of its peers. While at the same time it adds to the drama and sentiment, it never crosses the border of becoming a true melodrama as the fantastic elements keep the film from turning into a simple tearjerker.

This magical twists also allows Chou to play with the visuals some more, resulting in several beautifully shot and constructed scenes. In places, the CGi is a tad too intrusive but that is easily forgotten as it is never there just for visual kicks alone. The soundtrack remains pretty active and is not what you'd call subtle, but since it is integrated so well into the whole story it never becomes bothersome and Chou hits the rights notes time after time again.

It's nice to see so many things go right in a film like this. Visually Secret is solid and often stunning, the acting is equally solid and with Anthony Wong completing the cast you really can't go wrong. While the film starts of in pretty classical manner, halfway through it really blooms and turns into a very quirky and lovable genre film creating an impressive universe of its own. Chou really shines as a director in the second part of Secret, making me curious to any new output will see of him.

It's nice to see young talent like this thriving. As a whole, the films feels a tad poppy and maybe a bit too flimsy, apart from that it's one big solid romance with a pretty cool twist and a magnificent ending leaving you pretty fulfilled after the film has finished. 4.0*/5.0*

1. familiar plot but with some refreshing elements.

2. beautiful piece of film score which are composed by Jay Chou and Terdsak Janpan .

3. surprisingly good acting by Guey Lun-mei (an adorable and charming girl with potential), great acting by Anthony Wong (such a versatile actor, no doubt), refreshing acting by Alice Tseng Kai-xuan (a girl who possesses sublime beauty and angelic smile) and fairly improved acting by Jay Chou (just being himself by acting cool as usual, i guess?)

4. fancy cinematography with good editing and compositing.

5. intermediate visual effects.

6. cool executed scenes to show off music talent.

7. a combination of sci-fi, comedy, mystery, youthful romance (although Jay looks a bit "mature") and probably horror? (the flashback and liquid paper parts really give me the creeps!)

8. some logical flaws. (eg. the desk in the classroom, get what i mean?)

9. flowing storyline with great atmosphere formed by the cool color theme used.

10. and of course, the director himself-Jay Chou, the Chinese pop icon and idol for many teenagers and young adults.

All of the main ingredients above could be found in "Secret". It's definitely worth your time to explore and reveal the secret by yourself or together with your beloved one. It's quite a touching tear jerker (but not as touching as Be With You, personal opinion...) Well, it might not be the cup of tea for everyone, but it is the bowl of soup for me!

Overall, 8 out of 10 for a freshman film director.

Recommend to all of those who believe in fate and love.