Round-up Week 1: The Beginning

I need to be consistent. Consistency isn't just key; it's one of my worst enemies. I think of one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, Holland March, from 2016's The Nice Guys.

"She [my wife] says I have no follow through. I hit nails halfway and stop". I think there's a lot of truth to this for myself. Especially when it comes to my writing. I'm always working on something but never finishing anything. Specifically with essays and articles and whatnot. Call it ADHD or whatever else one could diagnose me with. I've been down to about two feature-length screenplays a year when I once would write one in a week or two. From age sixteen to age twenty-three so much has changed that I've felt it in my motivation overall.

So, I'm taking action. Making a tangible account of "Carpe Diem." Every week, I will create a "round-up" of sorts where I'll cover what I've read, watched, and had thoughts on overall throughout the period. I'll keep it light and easy to read so that it's just as easy to write.

The big highlight was Severance. I am in absolute awe and still dumbfounded by the lot of Ben Stiller and the company's efforts. Had a friend of mine recommend the show a few weeks ago, and while I only have access to Apple TV+ for a limited time (I am poor), I plan on finishing out this second season before it expires. I think I burned through season 1 addicting and brilliantly executed. The friend who recommended the show is far more analytical of the scientific elements of the story, which makes me feel dumb, but as I go back and rewatch, I am more enlightened than before. I won't do any spoilers here (I might do a separate post for spoiler talk), but I will say that it's heartening to see Mr. Stiller venture out into a new direction other than mainstream comedy and with such confidence. The lead performances by Adam Scott, John Turturro, Britt Lower, and Tramell Tillman stand out. I am watching the latter intimately as we approach the final act of season 2...

The other big new watch of the week was Monkey Man, the directorial debut of Dev Patel from last year. I had a great time with it, a very obviously John Wick-inspired action-thriller set in the Middle East. The first act starts out strong with several powerhouse fight sequences that seemingly compound onto one another. However, this exciting crescendo is halted about halfway through with melodrama that greatly impedes the pacing overall. I love me some melodrama, don't get me wrong, just not in the dead middle of a sub-two-hour action film that marketed itself as being just that. I can see myself giving it a rewatch sometime soon, just to make sure I didn't miss anything critical in said melodrama. Credit where credit is due, Dev Patel knocked it out of the park for his first effort.

Unfortunately, those are the only two big highlights of the week. My Spring semester just started a few weeks ago, and being a full-time economics student as of late, in my final stretch, I don't have as much time as I used to. And the time I do end up having, I find myself spending on YouTube. What a damn shame. Goes back to my issue of consistency. I think this is an issue that stems from COVID, but that's an argument and an essay for another day. I have got to find a better way to organize my time... But I digress, as always.

Thinking about finding some new challenges or lists to complete to give some content to the site as well. Open to public feedback... Round-Up Weeks will be published on Sundays, God willing.