Iron Lung, 2026 - ★★★
I don't think this movie can be reviewed properly without some background first, so let me start there.
If you know who Markiplier is, you can skip ahead. But if you don't, he is a well-known YouTube streamer who mostly records playthroughs of video games, usually horror. One of those was of the game Iron Lung. Apperently he liked it so much, he decided to make a movie about it, and with over 30 million followers on YouTube, he had the budget for it as well.
So what we have here is an independent YouTuber who decided he wants to make a movie based on an existing video game with a solid story. He paid for it, he directed it, and he is the main star in it. This is a feature-length film made by the professionals, not some cheap flick made by amateurs, and it should be reviewed as such.
But the movie suffers from the above facts. It seems Mark is counting on viewers of the film to know what the game is about and what's going on, because there isn't a whole lot explained. In a way, that adds to the personality of the film, but I'd appreciate a bit more hand-holding before jumping into the cold waters, or blood, in this case.
Things could have been better if it were easier to pick up the dialogue in the movie, but the settings of loud, ominous sounds in the deep ocean of blood, combined with the static of the bad comms, all fitting the settings, mean that it's even harder to understand what's going on. I started losing track almost as soon as the movie started. I'd recommend you go watch this movie with subtitles if you can, it would have sure helped me a lot.
But that's all the criticism I have, really. It is a solid sci-fi horror movie, and it feels real. Mark is not a Hollywood actor, but it doesn't stop him from delivering a strong and authentic performance. Yes, it's a bit rough or overdramatic at times, but so is the movie, and it works well together. You can tell he cares about making this work, and in my opinion, he did
Some argue that the movie is too long and drags on. I felt that some parts were repetitive, but looking back, I think it was because I didn't understand what was going on. For example, there are two different voices and thus two different stories, but they sound too similar to distinguish in the movie, so I thought it was just one person who, for some reason (my mind was happy to apply theories, such as alternate dimensions, conspiracy theories, etc.), was acting as a different person entirely
What we see on the screen is interesting and engaging. There are enough details to appreciate in the background. There are floating question marks that are placed in good taste (Did he just hallucinate this, or was that real? Is any of this real? Real to what degree?) that we're not meant to fully answer, and there's a rich, intriguing story going on.
About that: if you enjoy horror sci-fi, the game behind the movie has interesting lore to explore. I spent a good chunk of my night yesterday digging up more stuff. You could read up on it or watch some of the play-throughs of the game (Mark has a good one, in which he explores some of the lore updates to the game). The story of what happened is still stirring in my mind. I find that I want to learn more; I'd love to read up more about it if there were any books. The movie explores one angle, the one of the main character of the movie, which is a good example of Mark knowing what to expand on and where to add more to the existing story.
I hope big studios will take note of what a single passionate person can do, but as these things go, they'd probably only pick up empty conclusions, like the fact that movies based on video games are solid (wrong, the story is solid) or that inexperieced actors can be good behind the camera (wrong, mark has been doing his own form of acting for years, he does not lack experience.)
Get this movie to watch at home, with subtitles, when you can explore it and the story behind it further.
Last year on this day, I went out on a snow walk. I’m considering doing this later today… only difference is it’s 30 degrees colder than it was exactly a year ago. A year before that, my partner came up with what I call “zombie margaritas.”
I really like the “On this day” on my blog 😃
Lessons about journalling and taking notes
Journaling has become an essential part of my life. I’m definitely in the digital notes camp, with the opinion that using a phone is faster and better in terms of search, but handwritten notes have their place too, especially when reflecting. A few tips if you want to start.
Denote includes the option of adding different directories, so this now makes sense:
(setq denote-directory
(if (eq system-type 'gnu/linux) ; If I'm using Linux, include the private folder.
(list (expand-file-name "~/Sync/Notes")
(expand-file-name "~/Documents/private"))
(list (expand-file-name "~/Sync/Notes")))) ; If I'm using anything else (macOS) just Notes.
(setq denote-excluded-directories-regexp "data") ; the data folder (with attachments) is excluded.
I have a private folder for Denote notes on Linux only. I used to only sync my Sync/Notes folder, which includes my informational notes and blog posts, but that means I’m missing out on Denote’s abilities in my private folder, which is slowly increasing in size. This solves this problem.
There’s no need to list the data folder (which includes my attachments, mostly in file formats that are not Denote’s format), so that’s why the exclusion is there.
Or Something, 2024 - ★★★½
I was on a flight back home when I picked this movie up, not knowing what to expect besides that it had to do with New York. Happy I did.
It's a bit of a modern twist on When Harry Met Sally, but also, not really. It's a slice of life movie, a tale that can happen and probably does happen every day in NYC, with two city "muts" of mixed heritage and past.
As a New Yorker, especially one who lived uptown in the last couple of years, it felt very homey for me. The acting is organic and interesting, even though the plot is somewhat vague. It's basically just two people talking about a bunch of stuff. Or something.
But it's good. The questions they bring up, the stuff they talk about, it's questions I ask myself also on a regular basis. I've been in these shoes for a while now, and the movie serves as a sort of validation.
The ending of it threw me off a bit, I didn't see it coming - but then I just needed and said to myself, "yeah, makes sense."
starting to get annoyed with Zen on the Mac.
Can’t play Netflix and the like because DRM issues. Can’t view embedded MP4s on my own blog because of a decoder issue. With the fact that Zen never synced fully using my Firefox account, I am considering returning to Orion, or just using Safari again.
Org files to beatiful docx files with Pandoc
Did you know that Pandoc allows for seamless conversion of org files to docx format by using a customized Word style template to maintain consistent formatting? And it looks good too. Here’s how.
I have mixed feelings about stuff like www.resistandunsubscribe.com/.
Of course I agree with the sentiment.
But for folks out there, saying something like “it’s easy! Simply change how you buy stuff, get rid of your credit cards, get used to finding alternatives for transportation, entertainment, and how you talk to your family and friends! That’s all!” it’s just not gonna work. Not to mention many workplaces for Microsoft, Google, or Apple.
I don’t know what the solution is, maybe for folks to try and see how hard it is to change their ways and how dependent they are on all these things would do it, but I don’t know.
Of compliments: give them when the person you give it to has your attention and is not distracted. Be specific, not generic. Give it once, mean it, and do not repeat unless it’s something else. Do not expect a thank you automatically, that’s not the point.
This was encouraging to read through quickly. If teens worry about their relationships and students worry about lack of creativity, this is a good thing.