Weekend Roundup - September 15

The best of what I read (and watched) this week.

Not Too Hard, Not Too Easy: Finding Flow In Your Work (99u.com)

PR Insider: 7 SEO Basics Every PR Pro Should Know (PR News)

Bigger Pizzas: A Capitalist Case for Health Care Reform (John Green, vlogbrothers)

How To Read Way More Books (And, Thus, Know Way More Stuff) (Fast Company)

5 Things you have to unlearn to succeed at work (Penelope Trunk)

How to Face Your First Day Like a Pro (Savvy Sugar)

What's Expected of Me on the First Day of a New Job? (Lifehacker)

Movie recommendation: Moon (2009)

Moon is the most recent success of my Netflix Game. My one criteria was a character-driven sci-fi story. Otherwise, I didn't know anything about the movie.

Moon is about an astronaut, Sam Bell, who has a three-year contract to work alone on a lunar station. That's all I'll say about the story because I don't like spoiling movies while I'm recommending them. Instead, I'll briefly list the things I liked about Moon. In no specific order:

1. The soundtrack. From the first scene, I knew I would love the soundtrack. The music is sparse, haunting at times, and gives a sense of yearning. It reflects Sam's mood, so when he is going about his daily routine, the music feels at ease. When he's scared, the music expresses his fear.

2. Character-driven. You watch Sam the whole time. That's it.

3. No explosions. There aren't high-speed chases, brilliant flashes of light, and booming sounds in Moon. You get to pay attention to the story instead of being distracted and interrupted by typical blockbuster action scenes.

4. You're rewarded for thinking as you watch. Moon lays out just enough details that you can guess at what's happening before it's confirmed on the screen. Despite that, the movie didn't feel predictable to me. The movie kept my attention and a level of suspense because I guessed what should happen and then watched to see if that did happen.

5. The soundtrack. I'm repeating this point because, seriously, the soundtrack is so good. I'm listening to it as I write this post. It fits the tone of Moon and encapsulates emotions so well.