If you want to make a convincing case, you need to have powerful rhetoric and/or empirical data.  Phillip Montgomery‘s documentary ReGeneration has neither.  The documentary argues that Americans, and particularly young Americans, have become apathetic towards the world’s problems.  Montogomery then tries to trace the causes of their apathy by tracing a path through technology, media, history, and the overwhelming nature of major issues and crises facing the world today.  The movie occasionally trips over a salient or thoughtful point, but ReGeneration spends most of its time working off fallacies, personal anecdotes, and generalities.  The result is a simple-minded observation that insults the viewer’s intelligence and the efforts of socially-conscious teenagers.

The trailer for the documentary ReGeneration has gone online.  The film, produced and narrated by Ryan Gosling, argues that today’s generation of teenagers and young adults are far more apathetic than previous generations.  The synopsis says the doc “takes an uncompromising look at the issues facing today’s youth and young adults, and the influences that perpetuate our culture’s apathetic approach to social and political causes.”

Hit the jump for the trailer and why I think this movie is going to be irritating.

Popular music is defined by being ephemeral, it is whatever is, ‘New.’  Someday we will all understand this acutely when we slide across the radio dial and discover the band that scored that first summer romance is suddenly being played on classic rock stations.  It will happen someday, if it hasn’t happened already. But with this latest generation of pop music, we are granted a special privilege.  The remix culture that sprung to life with hip-hop and the rise of the superstar producer allows the modern music fans to hear generations old songs again for the first time in a totally new way. With this in mind, Re:Generation was born.  The film documents the production of a collection of remix tracks that mash together modern dance producers, DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, The Crystal Method, Pretty Lights and Skrillex with classical, jazz, blues, country and psychedelic rock classics, respectively. The film also features Erkyah Badu, Nas, Mos Def, LeAnn Rimes, members of The Doors and a slew of other music luminaries. You can hear the results here.

Last weekend, I sat down with Hip-Hop legend DJ Premier to discuss his excitement over conducting an orchestra, whether hip-hop is alive or dead, what new acts to look for, why Skrillex is totally more hip-hop than Soulja Boy and much, much more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Popular music is defined by being ephemeral, it is whatever is, ‘New.’  Someday we will all understand this acutely when we slide across the radio dial and discover the band that scored that first summer romance is suddenly being played on classic rock stations.  It will happen someday, if it hasn’t happened already. But with this latest generation of pop music, we are granted a special privilege.  The remix culture that sprung to life with hip-hop and the rise of the superstar producer allows the modern music fans to hear generations old songs again for the first time in a totally new way. With this in mind, Re:Generation was born.  The film documents the production of a collection of remix tracks that mash together modern dance producers, DJ Premier, Mark Ronson, The Crystal Method, Pretty Lights and Skrillex with classical, jazz, blues, country and psychedelic rock classics, respectively. The film also features Erkyah Badu, Nas, Mos Def, LeAnn Rimes, members of The Doors and a slew of other music luminaries. You can hear the results here.

Last weekend, I sat down with Pretty Lights – who insists he is not a DJ – and The Crystal Method – who transcend being DJs – to discuss the importance of first impressions, working with singers who don’t write songs, but have a tendency to say what won’t be in songs, what it’s like to be a totally new kind of rock star and much, much more.  Hit the jump for the pair of full, 10+ minute videos.