I woke up too early and will probably need a nap

Sunday morning question for you: am I the only one weary of watching movies and TV shows set against ultra-opulent, overly beige backgrounds that no normal human could possibly afford? I don't know why this is bugging me so much lately. Please validate me by commiserating. This first rec is a prime offender.

📺 Mr & Mrs Smith (Prime)
So good that I'm limiting it to one episode per day because I don't want it to end. Long-time readers know of my deep obsession with Atlanta, and this show has its fingerprints all over it, with Donald Glover of course, but also its producer and director. (Lot of vague modifiers happening there but I'm confident you're following me.) There are also stellar guest stars, including Sharon Horgan, John Turturro, and Paul Dano. This is one big chewy treat.

🎶 1989 (and Lisa Frankenstein 🎥)
I was just the other day talking about how effective music is at invoking memories, and then sat in a movie theater and was transported so vividly to my senior year of high school that my bangs inflated. Lisa Frankenstein is a completely silly movie that will make you laugh frequently and loudly (look at all those adverbs!), and you should not expect anything more from it. But its soundtrack worked so well that it inspired me to make my own.

🎥 Oscar-nominated short films
Four or five years ago, I realized that Alamo Drafthouse screened these every February, something they'd probably been doing for a while but one of my superpowers is living myopically. I highly recommend clicking that link and finding showtimes near you. There's something about watching 5 different movies in one sitting that feels different than your usual moviegoing experience. It's stimulating, enjoyable, and guarantees conversation with your seatmates afterward. There are three categories - animation, live-action, and documentary. I saw animation yesterday and loved every minute of it.

I think I might dig into Navalny for Wednesday's Smart Things. I still can't wrap my head around his death and am (perhaps naively) stunned that Putin went that far. Subscribe and join me!