Your turn to help me –
I have a confession to make. I still haven’t seen The 11th Hour. Or Human Footprint. And I’m reluctant to watch Blood Diamond, even though it’s not even a documentary. Or to click the Watch Instantly button on Netflix to finally see Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.
And you already know from my Eco Trip post yesterday that I haven’t read Bottomfeeder or Bottlemania.
On the other hand, I’ve still watched a lot more eco-documentaries and read a lot more research-based nonfiction eco books than the average person. And I watched one more docu film, FLOW, last night — which I’ll review shortly. And I have to watch a couple more docu DVDs sitting on my coffee table right now because I’ve committed to reviewing them. And I have 5 or so books on my shelves I need to read and review.
The thing is, I’m glad that these films and books are coming out. Each will interest, I hope, a different subset of people that may not’ve been introduced to the environmental movement otherwise. But the combo of all these films and books being delivered straight to my door for review — and the fact that almost all these films take the “give ‘em 90 minutes (or 200 pages) of doom and gloom then a 10-minute (or 20-page) ray of hope dependent on achieving near-impossible large-scale enviro policy changes at the end” format — has actually driven me to the point where I cringe when I hear about a new eco documentary or good eco book coming out.
I guess this is a long way of saying you may be seeing less book and film reviews here — at least after I’ve gotten through the current backlog. I’m also wondering if anyone can commiserate with this feeling that I SHOULD be reading and watching this stuff because it’s “important” — but I just don’t want to / can’t anymore –
No, I think it’s perfectly fine to pass on them. Perhaps it’s worth farming out some of the reviews.
Don Hosek’s last blog post..A leak in the dike
Comment by Don Hosek — April 21, 2009 @ 11:09 am
btw, did you see the Simpsons this week?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/68577/the-simpsons-the-good-the-sad-and-the-drugly
Don Hosek’s last blog post..A leak in the dike
Comment by Don Hosek — April 21, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
I feel your pain. While I finally watched The 11th Hour, I haven’t finished watching “Wal Mart. . .” from my Netflix instant. I borrowed Blood Diamond from a friend in January and it’s still collecting dust on my bookshelf.
However, I enjoy reading reviews here, so maybe a few guest posts from your other eco-friends would be a nice idea, for those of us looking for some direction on what to watch and what to read!
Comment by Anne — April 21, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
Hi Greengirl,
I enjoy your blog and newsletter and have found it helpful in my pursuit of a greener lifestyle. I have a similar problem because I am highly sensitive and prone to anxiety and depression – so whie I believe that being well informed is important, I also like to temper it with optimism, levity and humor. I think watch some funny movies or some hopeful documentaries with positive solutions.
Also, I have subscribed to ODE Magazine, which is billed as the magazine for “Intelligent Optimists” and it has many stories about solutions. I feel like when I’m too much “in the problem” I tend to be overwhelmed by it and then suffer burnout. I agree with the idea of farming out some of your reviews to others to lighten your load (figuratively and metaphorically)!
Cheers!
Comment by Marina — April 21, 2009 @ 3:04 pm
Interesting how you all recommend farming out the reviews — I’m not sure how I feel about that, since I still think of this primarily as a personal blog, and farming out reviews would mean bringing in a second set of opinions, etc. — which I may not agree with :P Will give it some thought though :)
Don — I’m a bit behind on my Simpsons, but I’ll try to catch up this weekend :)
Comment by Siel — April 21, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
I can totally relate to this – there are so many things that I want to watch and read but I can’t being myself too – I lean toward pessimism anyway and I start to feel like the situation is hopeless.
I even do this with non-eco films that I think will be depressing. My most recent and ridiculous example is the film Blindness. The reason this was absurd was that I’ve read the book and already know the story – it wasn’t like I was going to be completely shocked by it.
Maybe give yourself a break with some lighter things – like The Simpsons ;-)
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..(Anti) Social Personal Developments
Comment by Kim Woodbridge — April 21, 2009 @ 4:14 pm
A lot of these books and movies are “preaching to the choir,” and the way I feel is that if it is about a topic that I don’t know much about, I will pick it up and read it. Otherwise though, we as environmentalists should not be compelled to watch every single new documentary that comes out. Hopefully though, people that may have not been exposed to certain issues see them, and if at least one person changes their behavior because of a movie, then to me that movie was successful.
Comment by Chris — April 21, 2009 @ 4:26 pm
I totally hear you. I still have not seen 11th Hour. I had Flow sitting on my table for a month and finally sent it back to Netflix. King Corn, same story. I’d rather spend my video time on episodes of Project Runway or 30 Rock or ADAM LAMBERT! In other words, sometimes I just need to be entertained and not feel bad about it.
Still, you should see Addicted to Plastic. Just because. :-)
Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish’s last blog post..Addicted to Plastic: must-see film not made by Disney
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — April 21, 2009 @ 11:49 pm
I understand exactly what you mean. My whole business is green, yet it still took me 2 years to watch Inconvenient Truth, cuz I knew it would just make me so mad nothing was being done about global warming.
I also have several hard-hitting documentaries on my watching list, but when I finally step away from my computer at night, mentally exhausting from working and digging up client prospects, I want something funny and uplifting to watch, like Chris said above.
It probably has something to do with my sensitive nature, but people like us do already know alot about what is going on.
My advice? Maybe arrange a group screening so peeps can get together to commiserate. 11th Hour is a good one, all encompassing + Leo.
OR get around to watching them when you feel like it, and cut yourself a break, for JOYful entertainment! If you’re reading this blog, you do a lot to be informed and promote the cause already, esp. Green LA Girl herself!
Comment by Tiffany — April 22, 2009 @ 1:28 pm
Kim — I too tend to be depressive. Your story re: Blindness is v. apropos b/c really, I already know what’s going to “happen” in the documentary, since I’m usually aware of the general problems and the proposed solutions to the enviro issues they’re addressing. And yet they can still be depressing to watch. The truth hurts?
Beth — Addicted to Plastic is one of the DVDs on my coffee table! :)
Tiffany — I like your idea re: the group screening. Maybe I should have a regular green LA girl movie night –
Comment by Siel — April 22, 2009 @ 4:50 pm