2008 is not this generation's 1968. Let's get that matter straight, right away. Even if we can draw some parallels or see some similarities between now and then, the truth is that it was a very tragic year, and despite our penchant to fetishize the period and wish that our time could be so important and powerful, we need to pray no politicians are assassinated this year (the fact that one particular candidate has been compared to both MLK and RFK is especially upsetting) and we need to be thankful that there is no draft. But mostly we need to just move on from the '60s already and stop attempting to appropriate its events in order to heighten the relevance of the 2000s. 2008 is indeed a significant year on its own, or it could be if we let it exist as such.

That said, Chicago 10, the latest documentary from Oscar-nominee Brett Morgen (On the Ropes) is literally about events of forty years ago, though the filmmaker claims it is a film about now. Okay, sure, there may be some relevant themes, but imprisoning your film with such definite statements of purpose makes it possibly less enjoyable to the people who are tired of these weak and easy-minded juxtapositions. Without acknowledging the obviously apparent intent, Chicago 10 is actually appreciable as one of the most creative and entertaining documentary films in years. And it could indeed be viewed as significant on its own, if we let it exist as such.

Produced and about to be distributed by Lionsgate, The U.S. vs. John Lennon is a documentary about Lennon that explores "the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist." It was directed by the well-established music-doc team of David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, and the trailer, trawling for viewers prior to the film's mid-September release, just showed up online.

Now, don't get me wrong: The U.S. vs. John Lennon could be a phenomenal film. I'm immediately suspicious, however, of a preview that features an appearance by Geraldo Rivera as a sage-like talking-head in its first few seconds. The next talking head? Oh, that's G. Gordon Liddy, the guy who did the most prison time for Watergate-related offenses, far-right radio host and a certified nut-job to boot. Call me crazy, but these things trouble me a bit (and I honestly get a kick out of Liddy, at least when he's talking about Nixon and being all macho), as does the impression the preview gives that the film is less an exploration of Lennon's politics than a blunt instrument, designed to bludgeon its audience into agreeing with those politics. Like I said, the film could be brilliant, but the impression the trailer gives is a strange one to say the least.

[via JoBlo]