Tag Archives: Jane Freese

Guest Blog by Jane Freese: A Fine Line

Last month I was fortunate to witness a movie being made by Jordan Freese, assisted by Brendan Jamieson and featuring my husband Matt.  It took all day Saturday and most of Sunday to film (or rather digitally record) a teleplay that will probably end up running less than 15 minutes.

I now have a greater appreciation for all the preparation and time that is required to create something of quality.  As with all movies, much of what was recorded will end up on the proverbial cutting room floor.  As Jordan explained, “Even if you think you shot it perfectly, you never know. There could be a tiny glitch in the picture or audio and then you’re screwed if you don’t have a backup.”  Dialogue and scenes must be recorded multiple times.

The film entitled “Non-fiction” is, from what I gather, an exploration of what is real and what is not real in film making and how the viewer viscerally responds to what is presented.  Jordan is treading on treacherous ground in the sense that he creates a character, Old Ornery Prick (played by Matt), who both challenges and insults the viewer.

I asked Jordan about the premise and purpose of the film and I am still struggling with why he wants to confront his viewers in this way.  Asking an artist why he or she does something is often folly since what the artist is trying to say can only be expressed through the work itself.

In another short film Jordan created in 2009 entitled “Casting,” he directs an audition.  He placed an ad on Craigslist calling for actors to audition for a movie.  The actors are not informed until later that the audition is the movie itself. No future movie is scheduled.  There are uncomfortable moments as the actors struggle to make sense of a non-sensible script.  The IMDb listing describes the film as: “A behind the scenes look at a casting call where the fine line between acting and reality blur.”

I asked Jordan if he is interested in confusion.  “Dead Man,” “American Psycho,” and “Exit Through the Gift Shop” are some of the films he recommended Matt and I watch and they seem to challenge the audience’s preconceptions about traditional story structure and the questionable reliability of the protagonists.  He explained later that it isn’t confusion that interests him so much as throwing the viewing experience off balance and making the viewer question his or her own expectations and emotional responses.

This hit home to me yesterday as I was driving and listening to Neal Boortz.  I enjoy listening to conservative talk radio from time to time because the viewpoints expressed are antithetical to my opinion on the issues. We all have a tendency to seek out information that supports what we already believe.  Maybe I enjoy being annoyed, but I try to keep an open mind. On this particular program Boortz stated emphatically that people who are undereducated and ill-informed tend to support Barak Obama. Over and over again he repeated in the most insulting way imaginable that Democrats are essentially stupid.  I found myself getting angry and feeling insulted.  Then I remembered that this is what Jordan is pointing out: Our illogical response to the media. It is absurd to allow someone who doesn’t know me to insult me.

In “Non-fiction,” Matt’s character, Old Ornery Prick, makes a point of looking straight into the camera and saying, “I’m insulting you specifically.”  Of course, this is absurd.  He can only insult the viewer if he or she allows it.  Who is in control?  If it is Old Ornery Prick, why does the viewer allow him that control?  Why do any of us allow our feelings to be manipulated?

Though I had some understanding from my conversations with Jordan what he was going for, I must admit, while watching the monologue being recorded, I felt uneasy and at times insulted.  Why is Old Ornery Prick calling the viewer repugnant, a moron, ugly, shitbag, etc.?

Brendan Jamieson, Jordan’s colleague and friend assisted in photographing “Non-fiction.”  He articulated some of my concerns.  He said in essence, there is a fine line between being provocative and simply annoying.  This is the risk Jordan is taking and the fine line he is drawing.

Matt took to the project with gusto projecting the sarcasm and contempt that Jordan was looking for. He ceded control to the director like a pro. Using a teleprompter, Matt was able to look directly into the camera. The teleprompter is an ingenious tool of illusion used by politicians and news casters, allowing them to personalize their message as only the appearance of eye contact can accomplish.  This is another example of what is unreal.  Old Ornery Prick even states, “I’m trying to make this a bit interactive.” But how can the viewer possibly interact with pixels on a screen?

Being a child of the digital age, Jordan is exploring media intimacy in ways that would not occur to me.  I come from a generation that grew up with movies and TV shows as a social activity.  At least to me they are more enjoyable when shared with others. We are, after all, social animals.  Perhaps we need others to reinforce how we are supposed to react. Laugh tracks indicate where the jokes are and when we are supposed to laugh.  Sad music accompanies the hero’s death, just in case we aren’t sure how to feel.

Visual media, however, is something that more and more people are consuming alone on a laptop.  Social media, in this case, is a contradiction.  It is both personal and yet solitary.  The internet is where “Non-fiction” will most likely air. How independent are our reactions? Ornery Old Prick asks, “Are you going to tell your friends about this later? Have them watch, just to see how they react and then know how you should have reacted instead?”  Good question.

“Non-fiction” has no obvious agenda and offers no solutions. That is what makes it so fascinating and exasperating.   I have no doubt that Jordan’s career as a film maker will be exciting to witness.

As a father and son collaboration, the filming of “Non-fiction” was a joy to watch.  Matt wanted Jordan to use his skills to record his father and Jordan cast his Matt in a role where he could be the director and at the same time have his father be the star. This will be a warm and hilarious memory for everyone involved.

 Having these two delightful young men in our home for the weekend was the best part of the project.  They are both at a time in their lives when the future is full of promise.  They have the skills and means to pursue their art and do so with vigor.  They are healthy, handsome, and free of encumbering dependents and mortgages. After filming at Red Rock Canyon Sunday, I confess to feeling a slight twinge of envy as a watched Jordan and Brendan walk back to the car with their camera gear, side by side in the sunlight.

Guest Blog by Jane Freese: Dare to Examine Romney’s Mormonism

At the Las Vegas Book Festival (Nov. 2), Sally Denton, author of American Massacre and Faith and Betrayal said that she was puzzled by the lack of scrutiny about Mitt Romney’s Mormonism

Like Denton, I am a woman of Mormon ancestry, and I too am troubled by this lack of religious scrutiny. Being a Mormon is not the same as being a Presbyterian or a Methodist.  Being a Mormon is closer to being a Scientologist.  Anyone who has been a Mormon knows that being Mormon is integral to one’s character and belief system. As a Mormon friend of mine said, being a Mormon is “who you are.” It is not a religion.  It is a cult.

 He is Better Than You

To put it bluntly, Mitt Romney is not one of us.  I would not be surprised if Mitt has never tasted a beer, coffee, Coca-Cola, said a swear word, or had sex with any woman other than Ann outside of the marital bedroom. Is this an indictment? Not necessarily, but it does tell us that he cannot relate to the non-Mormon population without feeling self-righteous and superior.  To Mormons, all non-Mormons are “Gentiles.”

As a young man, Mitt participated in a rally supporting the draft, yet he was excused from it because he went on a religious mission to France.  That’s right, France. I have no problem with him avoiding the draft (who wants to go to war?), but to demonstrate in favor of the draft for others who might go to their deaths when you know you will not be put in that position is cruel and disgusting  Apparently, standard rules don’t apply to Mormon elders or the sons of governors.

Mitt has always known he was better than others. This knowledge gives him license to behave badly.  When he was in high school, a classmate’s flamboyant haircut offended his masculine sensibilities so much he recruited his posse of fellow gay bashers to assist him in a physical assault on the boy, tackling him to the floor and cutting off his blond locks with scissors, terrifying and humiliating him in the process. There were no repercussions.  Mitt claims to have no memory of the “hijinks,” but I do not believe him.  The young man came out as gay years later, but Mitt claims that people “didn’t think in those terms back then.”  Bull shit.  Homosexuality is a sin in the Mormon faith, one that invites excommunication. In other words, it will send the gay person straight to Hell. The defeat of Prop. 8 (marriage equality) was largely due to the millions of dollars the Mormon Church invested in its defeat.  Good work, bigots.

How many French people did Mitt convert to the faith?  There is no clear answer.  For a numbers guy, he cannot definitively take credit for a single conversion.  Apparently the French are not keen on abstention from wine, sex, colorful language, and the pleasures of being a little naughty from time to time. Good for them. But Mormon missionary work is not really about converting non-believers as much as it is about indoctrinating the missionaries themselves; the future patriarchy of the church.

Mormons are constantly told and encouraged to declare as part of their testimony that they belong to the “true church.” Other religions are not simply misguided. According to the church’s founder, Joseph Smith, God considers other faiths to be an “abomination.” Pretty strong word, wouldn’t you say? Abomination.

Prepare for the Apocalypse

Mormons stockpile food and water for the upcoming Apocalypse.  According to Mormon belief, Mormons will be notified first of a coming disaster through the church hierarchy. It isn’t enough to be a Latter-day Saint to qualify for the “run to your bomb shelter” phone call. You have to be on the bishop’s “Mormon in good standing” speed-dial.  The rest of the population, the Gentiles, will be doomed to extinction.  Poor bastards. They should have put down their Starbucks and listened to the missionaries who had only their best interests at heart.

Do we really want a president who believes that the end of the world is likely, soon?  Push the button, Mr. President; after all it is God’s will. Wouldn’t want all those cans of evaporated milk to go to waste now would we?  It’s all good.  Heavenly Father is purging the Earth for the Second Coming of Jesus.

Not only do Mitt Romney and other Mormons believe that they will be assigned to rebuild the Earth, they will be gods of their own worlds in the hereafter.  Sorry women, only males will be gods.  Females cannot gain entry into the penthouse of heaven (the Celestial Kingdom) on their own, they must be escorted “though the veil.” Without a priesthood holder (man) to escort them into the Celestial Kingdom, she will be relegated to the lower levels, doomed to dwell for eternity with the dreaded Gentiles.

The Celestial Kingdom is for Mormons

Other than Mormons, I can think of no other religion besides Muslims that envision the afterlife more concretely with their lakes of fire and harems of virgins. All is to be sacrificed for the ultimate reward—Heaven.  Romney knew that focusing as much as possible on “the Creator” in his closing statements at the debates he would win the hearts of Christians.  What they don’t know is that Mormons don’t consider other Christians equal to Mormons. Mormons believe themselves to be closer to Jews than to Christians.  The Hebrew Bible states that Jews are “the chosen.”  The Book of Mormon states that the Latter-day Saints are “the chosen.” How lovely it is to be a little bit better than everybody else.

If you are raised in a Mormon family, this fabulous position is yours, and just as the Jews were persecuted, so were Mormons.  The Mormons were driven into the desert to establish a promised land—Zion. I was raised hearing great tales or deprivation, sacrifice, pioneer heroics, and miracles. There is no doubt that the Mormons did astounding things with very little resources.  There is nothing quite like religious zeal with its promise of celestial reward or eternal hell fire to stimulate construction and agriculture.

How this applies to Mitt Romney is simple.  As a former Mormon from a long line of Mormon pioneers I know that there is a sense of obligation to the sacrifices made by our ancestors. Like Romney, I too, am a descendant of Mormon polygamist Mexican expatriates.  When the federal government outlawed polygamy many families decided to flee the laws of this country and settle in Mexico.  Although polygamy was against Mexican law, President Diaz turned a blind eye to the domestic practices of the Mormon colonists in exchange for the commercial enhancement that Mormons brought to a desolate area.

Whites Only

I must point out that the Mormons colonists, although friendly with their Mexican neighbors, never integrated.  They still celebrated the Fourth of July and flew American flags.  According to the Book of Mormon, dark skinned people are Lamanites.  The light skinned people, the Nephites, were good and dark skinned people were inferior.

I was taught, as a child, that the reason blacks could not hold the Mormon priesthood was that Africans, and therefore African American blacks, were marked by Cain’s ancient curse for killing his brother Abel and lying to God.

How can people living thousands of years after an event (if you believe it ever happened at all) be blamed for it?  Here is another dimension of the Mormon religion that few know about.  Mormons believe that our souls exist before we are born and that we are assigned a family to be raised by.  So, souls assigned a Mormon home are just a tiny bit better than those who are not. Souls assigned an African American family (mark of Cain) must have done something to deserve it. How any person of color can be a Mormon is beyond my understanding.

Although Mormons pride themselves for being early abolitionists, they didn’t believe that black people were their equals. God apparently changed his mind in 1978.  Now African Americans can hold the Mormon priesthood. Oh goodie!

 “You People”

I was also taught that wealth is endorsed by God.  My grandparents worked hard to establish a successful mink business. They amassed a small fortune.  They made it clear and it is dangerous to let others know how much money you have because they will try to take it away from you.  Romney’s refusal to reveal his tax returns reminds me of this paranoia.  In an interview, Ann Romney was asked about their refusal to divulge more than two years of income tax returns.  She used the phrase, “you people.”  As in “you people don’t need to know.” “You people” indeed.

I’ve worked for the Obama campaign. I hope he wins.  However, there is another part of me that knows that if Romney wins his presidency and he is unsuccessful in fulfilling his excessive promises it could be detrimental to the Mormon cause.  The great Mormon patriarch, bully boss, High Priest and god in the making, could bring about the downfall of the middleclass.  Mormonism is the religion of misogyny, racism, self-righteousness, and oppression.

Political correctness cripples free speech and an honest examination of ideas and beliefs. Saying that Mitt Romney has contempt for 47% of the population is generous.  If only about 2% of the US population is Mormon, then I would assert that he has contempt, or at least pity, for 98%.  He said he cares about 100% of us.  I seriously doubt it.

 

Guest Reviewer: Jane Freese

Abyssinia, Jill Rush poems by David Herrle

Herrle’s poetry swims through feelings and memories of a girl from his childhood, the merciless ticking of watches, hair that flows and grows, failure, tears, death, the bustle of cities, silent paintings, the shadows of classic movie stars, laughter — and rain. Abyssinia, Jill Rush is a collection of 86 poems divided into three sections.

“Self-Centered” is the title of the first section. Poets are often accused of being self-absorbed, navel contemplating narcissists. Herrle accepts and even pokes fun at this indictment. By indulging in his own self-importance he challenges readers to deny that we all are pompous and the center of our own weirdly comical mirror world.

There Was No Noble Savage

I stand in your center, city, for anywhere I stand is the center.
I am an aggregate of egos; I am a mob.
Here, within, I’m out of town. Here, within, I am free of age and death.

Think I’ll throw my reflection at your windows,
think I’ll protest the marching protestors,
think I’ll sing “Downtown” a cappella until the homeless pay me to stop.

What the Hecht, city, you busy dirty hussy.

Herrle is an intellectual, no doubt about that. He includes a “Notes” section at the back of the book to provide clarification with respect to some of the more obscure references and foreign phrases. Though there is a profound dimension of erudition to Herrle and his poetry, the writing is accessible and deeply human. Not all of the references are obscure, many occupy the low-brow strata of popular culture; Barbie, Mary Poppins, Christina Aguilera, LL Cool J to name a few. The key to enjoying this book comes from recognizing the many universal truths that Herrle is throwing at us — not only our self-centeredness, but also our insistence on indulging our misery.

Button

This button will make you happy.
Press this button for happiness.
This button — press it.
It will make you happy, once pressed.

You refuse to press this button?
This button that brings happiness with one press?
You refuse?

I refuse too, doomed lover,
I will never press this button.

In the second section of the collection, “Jill Rush,” Herrle swan dives into past and present impressions of females. Erotic fascination collides against boyish trepidation. Childhood impressions waft into the present.

from I Found My Jill on Lemon Hill

. . .At school the next day, a rumor spread that a new girl had been enrolled.
I saw her, first period: “Class, this is Jill Rush.”
She had blue and black hair and a pale face powdered paler.
Skirt so high that I could see her snowball buttocks.
Black and red Chucks.

Today my mother calls on the phone as my naked wife jiggles to the shower,
and I remember

Jill Rush.
Lost
in the busy river of time.

Many of the poems are quite short consisting of a few carefully crafted, deceptively simple sentences.

Sonia Sunset

Sonia Sunset’s sun-spun hair is a golden liar.
It strikes midnight like a comet.
Turns my head into a pumpkin.
Bewitches my loins into nervous rats.

The last section of the book is entitled “Abyssinia.” Herrle informs readers between the dedication page and the table of contents that: “Abyssinia” is a 1930s pun on “I’ll be seeing you.” This concluding portion of the book contains the darkest set of poems — an examination of sadness, evil and death. Some of the poems in this section resonate with a surreal, dreamlike quality.

Herrle is not a man to deceive himself about life’s contradictions. Nietzsche said, “Knowledge is death.” For the poet, this awareness must be expressed. Wallace Stevens said, “Poetry is the scholar’s art.” Scholarly, Herrle wrestles between the darkness and the light, between tears and laughter.

from A Tear Is the Ultimon

. . .You have seen the ultimate miracle:
that we shed tears, that our hearts
are full of tragedy, though comedy fills our heads.

Several poems in Abyssinia, Jill Rush are funny. However, they will not inspire Hallmark greeting cards. Herrle rewards the reader by refusing to recoil from unpleasant and contradictory feelings and situations. There were times when I wasn’t sure how seriously I was meant to take a particular poem. For example, Herrle articulates in the following selection, profound doubts about the value of his own efforts.

from Blunt Farce Drama to the Head

Metered verse is quaint, like chintz
And free verse? Please!
Talk about the coward’s craft!
Who isn’t a poet these days?

Too many cooks in the kitschen.

I apologize for my part in spreading the virus:
boo-hooing, tra-la-la-ing, and exclaiming like some
Wordworthless Rimbaud.

No need to apologize, David Herrle. As Ed Hirsch writes in, How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love With Poetry (1999), “Perhaps poetry exists because it carries necessary human information that cannot be communicated in any other way. Some of that information is joyous, some a distress signal from afar that whispers in the inner ear.”

From what Herrle reveals of himself, it is clear that he has experienced loss, bullying and disappointment. Emerging with his memories and sense of humor intact, Herrle knows and shows who he is — perceptive, intellectual, sensual and ornery.

Abyssinia, Jill Rush poems by David Herrle.

“David is a technical writer, freelancer and founder/editor of SubtleTea.com. He earned an English degree from Point Park University and studied English literature at the University of Pittsburgh.  He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Marsha and daughter Kara-Zeal.”

from Biographical Note in Abyssinia, Jill Rush

Time Being Books. (2010). $15.95

Jane Freese is a freelance writer and author of In Madera Canyon, a picture book for children.

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