Having Fun Up There

    

HAVING FUN UP THERE

Writer: Geoff Tarulli

Director:Frankie Frain

Starring: Jon Ryan, Maria Natapov, Hana Carpenter, Frankie Frain

Availability: DVD or Blu-Ray available at www.redcowentertainment.com

Rating: 

    Frankie Frain is an indie director none of you are talking about right now.  Why the fuck is that, you ask?  Well, just let me tell you.  There are two different indie scenes in the world.  There are the mainstream indies. These are the films that actually have budgets, stars, and production design.  There's nothing wrong with them, but to the people in the second camp, it's almost a joke to call them independent.  This brings me to the second camp.  I'm talking, of course, about the microbudget scene.  These are the movies I champion. These are movies that cost next to nothing, made by people who were brave enough to put their own hard earned money on the line to create something they were passionate about.  

    Now, the problem with the current microbudget scene is that if it isn't shocking or extreme, few people take notice.  I've grown tired of extreme cinema, because too many modern directors don't understand what people like Eric Stanze and Fred Vogel understood.  In order to truly shock people, you need to give them some substance to chew on.  Films like Perseveration and Madness Of Many are a couple modern examples of this sub-genre I've seen that just failed to connect on any level other than to shock.

    

    Frankie Frain is that rare breed in the microbudget scene.  He makes small, intimate films that echo early Kevin Smith in their frank dialogue and likable characters.  In fact, he's actually quickly becoming one of my favorite indie directors working right now.  His first two films, I Need To Lose Ten Pounds and A-Bo The Humonkey were charming, rough around the edges comedies with high spirits, big laughs, and showed Frain to be someone with a truly original voice.  Suddenly, with Sexually Frank, something crazy happened...He grew up.  Sexually Frank was terrific, and in a lot of ways, was like his Chasing Amy.  It was the film that showed he still wanted to make you laugh, but he also wanted to make you think and feel.

    This brings me to his newest film, Having Fun Up There.  It's a much more modest film than his previous work, clocking in at a mere 65 minutes.  However, that is the perfect length to tell this story.  The beautifully honest screenplay by Geoff Tarulli tells the story of Mark, played by Jon Ryan (a revelation in his role), a 30-something musician struggling to make ends meet.  He has a shitty job at a coffee shop, spends a lot of his nights bitter and drunk, but he still has his music.  That's where his passion lies.  It's his blessing and his curse, something a lot of artists can relate to.  The blessing is he's great at what he does.  However, the curse, of course, is that he can't seem to make a decent living doing it. 

    The film has a very casual, laid-back feel.  There aren't a lot of big moments or startling revelations.  This is a movie about the small moments in life, and what they can mean to all of us.  It's a beautiful movie, but also quite funny at times.  It's a movie that gives me hope for the future of the indie scene.  Mark is very bitter and kind of an asshole, but you still can't help but like the guy.  He just wants to create, and wishes the rest of the world cared.  I loved this movie quite a bit, and I strongly suggest seeking this bad boy out.

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...