Thursday, March 24, 2016

Un-Depress (Yourself) #19

This is installment #19 of an ongoing list I've been keeping for several years, and now I feel the need to share. I am only including things like movies, books, TV shows, and songs on here-- if I included actual events and phenomena from reality, this list would never end and I'd never stop thinking about depressing shit. Unavoidably, some of the items on this list touch on depressing stuff from reality, and that's part of what makes them so depressing. I am also not devaluing the quality of any of these artifacts; many of them are quite good, even great: touching, well-made, intelligent, and so on; but nonetheless, they bum me out. I'm sure it's at least partly because of the high quality that they depress me so.
   And these choices are all subjective, of course. If any of these things happen to not depress you, maybe you're just having a less depressing life than I (wink, wink). Lucky you! Also, some of the items on this list were suggested by friends (Thanks, Larry & Bobby!).
   I've alphabetized the items in each sub-list. If I tried to rank them some other way, that would depress me further.
   Maybe this list will help you avoid some things that could depress you, too. Or maybe not. Enjoy.


More Movies to avoid



The Comedy - A creepily realistic portrait (starring Tim and Eric of Tim & Eric) of a spoiled hipster who may also be a sociopath. Very well done, but bleak as shit. You may know this person. He definitely exists.

The Time Machine (1960 version) -- In the future, the people you know will be dead. And other terrible things.

Zardoz -- I remember it as having one (another!) of those the-passage-of-time, you-will-die kind of things in it. And some other bleakness.



TV shows

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, "a beautiful and very depressing depiction of the massacre of hundreds of Lakota people by the U.S. government in 1890" (from "Native Actors Deserve to Be Seen" by Julia Jones, in Lenny Letter)
Flaked - I don't know why contemporary AA-heads in Venice (L.A.) should be a bummer, it just is. Also, they make it look like Will Arnett is the most attractive man around for miles.


More depressing stuff: Read Part 2 here.
And here's Part 3.
And Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12 
Part 13
Part 14 
Part 15 
Part 16 
Part 17
Part 18


As always, I welcome your suggestions for More Depressing Shit. Please comment, and I'll include any good suggestions in a future update.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Civil War Two, Part 1 by Randall Collins

Civil War Two, Part 1

by Randall Collins

Giveaway ends May 24, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

Friday, March 11, 2016

Un-Depress Yourself 18: Avoid sad thingies, more

 This is installment #18 of an ongoing list I've been keeping for several years, and now I feel the need to share. I am only including things like movies, books, TV shows, and songs on here-- if I included actual events and phenomena from reality, this list would never end and I'd never stop thinking about depressing shit. Unavoidably, some of the items on this list touch on depressing stuff from reality, and that's part of what makes them so depressing. I am also not devaluing the quality of any of these artifacts; many of them are quite good, even great: touching, well-made, intelligent, and so on; but nonetheless, they bum me out. I'm sure it's at least partly because of the high quality that they depress me so.
   And these choices are all subjective, of course. If any of these things happen to not depress you, maybe you're just having a less depressing life than I (wink, wink). Lucky you! Also, some of the items on this list were suggested by friends (Thanks, Larry & Bobby!).
   I've alphabetized the items in each sub-list. If I tried to rank them some other way, that would depress me further.
   Maybe this list will help you avoid some things that could depress you, too. Or maybe not. Enjoy.


More Movies to avoid

Heaven Knows What https://www.netflix.com/title/80016426


The True Cost http://www.netflix.com/title/80045667

S'all for now.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Civil War Two, Part 1 by Randall Collins

Civil War Two, Part 1

by Randall Collins

Giveaway ends May 24, 2018.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway



More depressing stuff: Read Part 2 here.
And here's Part 3.
And Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12 
Part 13
Part 14 
Part 15 
Part 16 
Part 17


As always, I welcome your suggestions for More Depressing Shit. Please comment, and I'll include any good suggestions in a future update.