Bu Neng Shuo De. Mi Mi

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*

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!)

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.

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.

Unbelievably amazing! As the first movie of Jay, it's much beyond my expectation. I should say I contempt the action that once a music star gains his fame,he quickly transits to be an actor or even editor. But to Jay ,I have to admitted he won my respect. I am really longing for his next work.The story is begined with a romantic affection between two students in high school.The girl has a secret that is shown at the end of the story.The color of the movie is so good that I am sanked in it.I watched this film twice,and I completely understood the whole plot during the second time.The structure of the film is contrived carefully.The truth is so moving with the thrilling rhythm of the secret music.