Ponyo (2008)

So Alfredo feels like a fish tonight ;)and so he's got something similar to serve you. No he's not talking about dinner, but about a cute movie about a loveable fish girl, who wants to be a human just like its loveable master Sosuke.

The fish has the hunger for the world outside the sea, and luckily the first human she comes in contact with is Sosuke, who rescues her and very simply promises to protect her. Alfredo loves the fact that sometimes love can be bestowed so unconditionally. Probably that's what makes Ponyo realize what she has been missing in her underwater world-the promise of love, the beauty of a human heart, the sense of being cared for unconditionally.

Alfredo loves the way Miyazaki delivers again on animation, stressing the wonders of the beautiful marine world and the need to preserve it and equally on the simple pleasures of being a child-selfless, innocent, clear, and unconditionally loving and giving be it towards his mother or his fish girl. The scene where Susoke cheers up his angry mom is touching in its simple way. Alfredo realized love makes not only this world but even a fish's world go round and round; never mind the tests it's subjected to or the lengths one has to go for it.

So Alfredo urges you to watch this movie tonight and sit back and enjoy the pleasures of loving and being loved!

Happy Go Lucky(2008)

So what is Alfredo showing you tonight?

Tonight Alfredo wants you to sit back and laugh a little at the daily trappings of life as he shows you the sunny story of a diehard optimist Poppy and her mundane life in working class Britain. Poppy sails through her life with her sunny disposition sometimes bringing cheer to people and sometimes encountering the stoic reluctance of people to leave their baggage behind to laugh a little.

Alfredo laughed at the moments when Poppy doesn’t lose her smile on losing her bicycle; when she doesn’t lose her calm on being confronted by her judgmental sister about her seriousness to life's plans; how beautiful her rapport with her ten year old roommate; how easily she smiles away into the heart of her first date by noticing his eyes; and how she is not affected by the rant of a world hating misogynist and still believes being nice to everyone is not a habit she would want to give up.

Alfredo was touched by her humility to recognize the things she can’t change and her unspoken gratitude for the wonderful things she had. The wonderful rowing scene in the end made Alfredo realize life is beautiful in small little things shared with people you love.

That’s why Alfredo urges you to shut down your car, take out your bike, take a ride in the sun and wind, and come back home to watch a lively Poppy sail into your heart and life with a smile.

THE LIVES OF OTHERS(2006)

So what is Alfredo playing for you tonight?

A German drama involving a charming writer, a beautiful actress, and a morally hardended Stazi officer trying to do his best. All of them get entwined in the cultural and social scene of 1984 East Berlin and get connected in a way that will change their lives forever.

Why did Alfredo choose this movie for you? Because Alfredo likes the way it shows the transformation of a human heart affected by music, literature, and love. Now you would think Alfredo is a sentimentalist and you are right in that. Alfredo was amazed by the scene where the Stazi officer listens to the writer playing "Sonata For A Good Man" on the piano and he cant stop that music from piercing his hardened heart and puncture his soul and demolish all his ideas of integrity and duty. That one note of music makes him question the foundations of his beliefs.

Alfredo also likes the way a lover pays her debt by sacrificing her life to show that she meant no harm; even though she loved him, she had to deceive him.

Alfredo also likes the way a human heart can develop bonds over voices;hearing some one's voice day in day out can bind you to him in ways you cant imagine; you can understand their deepest fears and their joys only if you are paying attention to what they are saying and how they are saying it.

And in the end, Alfredo likes the way the protected writer shows his gratitude by producing a work of art dedicated to his saviour without grandly announcing it to the world; only reaching out to the intended one in soft whispers.

You see Alfredo loves the way when people rise above their weaknesses to acknowledge the power of love and music and question their faiths when they are shook by these gentle forces.

And that's why Alfredo gives this movie a big thumbs up and urges you to watch it tonight