Bu Neng Shuo De. Mi Mi

After watching the movie, you have to admit that Jay Chou is talented. I was bent on catching the show because one,I saw the movie trailer(when I was watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, that I thought was average but that comes under another thread) which really caught my attention,and two, I am a fan of Jay's music. His acting has received much flak, but this time round, one must say that his acting has improved (even though his character in the movie was basically he himself).

So, Jay stars as Ye Xiang Lun (anyone noticed that Jay, known for being very filial to his mum, took his mum's surname? Really sweet of him.)who is a new student at Tamkang High School. He meets Lu Xiao Yu (Guey Lun-mei) on the first day of school and the romance begins. The lengthy sequence of building up the romance was cloyingly sweet. Riding on bicycles, close contacts, apples!, sweet kisses, conversations that were shy and slightly flirtatious - Jay's fans would probably swoon and wish they were Guey Lun-mei, while others would probably feel their goosebumps popping up. Of course, romance always comes with a third party, who in the movie comes in the form of attractive Jing Yi.

Before you switch your minds off thinking this as just a film about high school romance, be assured that it is much more intelligent, the kind which makes you think back, ponder and oh! the puzzle fits together perfectly (think: Deathnote the movie) The twist comes at a very good time (perhaps a little too late for some), at the point when one starts to demand for reasons behind what is happening. The ultimate twist is more than what you can figure out, not a new idea, but one which makes complete sense in the movie and one which Jay worked on and brought to the climax - which would have you hoping for a happy ending.

The magic that Jay laid on the movie is one, the story, two, the piano and three, the characters.

The piano was awesome, brilliant, breathtaking, no doubt to showcase Jay's skills at tickling the ivories (which is mesmerizing!). The piano battle, the sweet practices together, the use of music in the film to convey feelings and vent the characters' built up emotions (think:anthony wong and jay in the movie) - they were really effective in helping one relate to the characters and fall in love with them.

The characters in the movie were well put together - bringing on the endearing moments which have you wishing you had someone like that (thnk: anthony wong as jay's father with those comical humorous moments and the brainless sidekicks (those two from the rugby team)) Guey Lun-mei shows off her acting chops as Xiaoyu, which was really believable and brings the character a lot more depth - the happiness, the confusion and the emotional pain, showing her acting skills to the mainstream audience(since she usually does art-house films) Not to mention Anthony Wong's portrayal as Jay's father which was so believable and so endearing, caring so much for his on-screen son that makes you hope for a happy ending for him as well, when the truth finally dawned upon him.

Overall, this movie was definitely worth the ticket and I believe more will be made to sit up and take notice of Jay's talents. It is refreshingly good and a movie that will remain on ons'e mind even after the show's ended. Do give the movie a chance and watch it (and bring your tissues! I used up quite a fair bit!)

When this romantic movie was released for the first time in Korea, there wasn't big media hype. However, it became famous gradually through word-of-mouth so that it was shown again a few months after it went off the air. Also it pulled down big amount of money. Many reviewers said, 'If you miss this movie, it would be one of the goofiest things you've done throughout your life as a movie-goer.' I found it true for myself after watching it.

To cut to the chase, it's a romantic movie. However if you expect just a bog standard chick flick, it would be pretty different from what you've expected because it doesn't have only sweet love story and humor, but also the touching plot, unpredictable fantasy, and even a twist. Also when it comes to its music, couldn't be better! It's been considered as one of the movies which have the best music with 'August Rush' and 'The Pianist'. Some commercials were takeoffs on its stunning piano performance scenes.

Thus it would make people who like romantic stories and sweet music be glued in front of the screen, but I'm not sure in the case of people who anticipate cutting edge special effects, spectacle and action scenes. The story goes pretty slow in the first-half part and some graphic effects at the last part is sort of cheesy (It was awarded the prize for visual effects, though). Nevertheless, I still want to recommend it strongly to even these people. At least, I'm not afraid it'll let them down. I can rattle on for hours about the reasons followed by.

First, let's get down to characters. Main characters are Jay (Jay Chou) and Rain (Kwai Lunmei). The two players seemed to have chemistry. Jay Chou is already famous as a good singer and an actor in East Asia. He played lots of roles in this movie. He starred in it as a main character who had a talent for piano. Also the story was based on his first love. Moreover it was his debut movie as a director. He was a composer of this O.S.T as well. He'd studied piano until high school, so he could make amazing scenes in which he played the piano by himself. His calm and gentle appearance went well with the sweet dialog.

Rain is a mysterious girl in the same piano department with Jay. She has innocent looks that could make many guys remind of their first love. Kwai Lunmei played the role of the girl, which I think is the most difficult role to express the character's complicated emotion without a flaw. Plus, the quite cheerful supporting actors add zest to the movie.

The story takes place at one arts high school in Taiwan. It seems to be the late 20th century or the early 21th century. One day, Jay(Jay Chou), who has just transferred this school, follows the unknown tune from the old piano practice room. He tracks down one lovely girl who is playing the piano there. They have good feelings toward each other right from the word 'go', and they fall in love with each other gradually. However, she sometimes disappears, saying 'It's a secret.' Next? I don't want to spoil your pleasure. All that I can say is that the director hid some special factors, such as fantasy and dramatic reversals in the last part and locked down the cover good and tight until the climax. Actually, the first part seems to have something in common with other romantic movies. However, the ending part will lead you to the unknown world.

It's no exaggeration to say that its background music is another main character. Even if you hate soft music, once you try to listen to its music, it would begin to wear down your defenses. It won't let your ears close even for a minute. Especially, the scene, called 'Piano Battle' between Jay and the talented student at the school, is considered to be the killer part of the movie. Jay copied it correctly by ear right after the talented boy played one piece. This was how the battle went. They played three pieces each, and two of them were arranged Chopin's works. I bet over ninety percent of people, who watch it, would find themselves searching for the video clip of this scene on the Internet afterward. I even signed up for the piano institute right after watching it, and mastered Chopin's Impromptu.

The cinematography also pulled its weight. It tried to play down its involvement in the story. I thought first it was nothing to write home about, but I realized it helped me to concentrate on the story, not on less important things. I don't mean it was lousy. The subdued lighting matched perfectly with the atmosphere. Also, certain scenes were shot dynamically. While two boys were having the piano battle in particular, the camera chased their alive and dynamic performances very effectively.

Are you still hesitating to watch it? Well, I'm a girl in twenties who loves romantic comedy and classical music. This movie which has all these things was beyond amazing to me. I know arts can't be judged if one is better or worse than another. However, a lot of film festivals acknowledged 'Secret' through giving it many awards. It means that many people thought it was very worth watching.

Also one experience sometimes changes people's tastes by accident. There might be a chance 'Secret' could be this experience to somebody. Shake off your prejudice and just expose yourself to the variety of arts. I hope my review change your mind. Lovely music, striking scenery, interesting stories...'Secret', which was made out of this, will stimulate your sensibility. It's time to hunker down and dive into the romantic world!

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.)

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*

It has never come to my mind that the R&B/rap singer Jay Chou would make such an extraordinary fantasy/romance movie (and as his debut!), but beyond everyone's expectation he did, showing the world his talent as a fine director.

Definitely not going to compare it to any other campus love story, because this movie is quite different in nature. Still not wanting to give away much about the plot, but the movie got a 360 degree shift half way through when subsequently a whole lot of thrills and twists kept popping out.

Wong Chau-Sang is the most versatile actor in Hong Kong, this time playing Jay Chou's father-on-screen for the 2nd time since Initial D. Lun-mei Guey in the movie was a plain-looking girl who accidentally got hold of some kind of time-traveling ability by playing a mysterious sheet music on a old piano. Both two made irreplacable contribution to the movie's success.

And what also impressed me was the heart-touching soundtrack by Jay and the Thai composer Terdsak Janpan which went perfectly with the plot, especially towards the climax.

For those of you who like My Sassy Girl and Comrades: Almost a Love Story, Bu neng shuo de. mi mi is 100% sure to win your tears once again. Recommend to all Jay/non-Jay fans.