In the not so distant past when a parody was made about a movie, it was meant as homage to the success of a blockbuster film. Only recently have parody movies gotten a bad name and have been criticized by the movie going public. There are some movie makers out there who want to bring the prestige of making a parody using pop culture icons back to the silver screen. One such person is Craig Moss, and he hopes with his newest film, The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad about It, to erase the recent stigma of parodies and make them fun again. An accomplished comedy writer, Moss has plans to parody the Twilight films in a movie called Fully Mooned which is set to start filming this summer. With these movies Moss is taking his experience with comedy writing and turning his eye to the director’s chair. In a recent phone conversation with Moss he talked about his latest projects and why he started directing.

Parodies are not new territory for Moss who also has the short film Saving Ryan’s Privates on his resume’. Moss does not make these movies to insult or make fun of other film makers, but to show respect for the success of others. “I have been in this business a little while, mostly on the writing side for production companies and I have mainly written mainstream commercial comedies. I’ve always had an affection towards parodying things. I am a huge fan of the early days with Mel Brooks, the Zucker brothers, and SNL throughout the years. This is a genre I love doing along with other comedies.” Ross is a big fan of Judd Apatow films and would love to work with him in the future. He sees The 41 Year Old Virgin as more of a sign of respect to Apatow and his projects rather than trying to shoot the films down in hate.

Ross is also taking his life into his own hands by writing and directing his next movie called Fully Mooned, a parody of the Twilight films. “They (the plans for the movie) are going well. We’re in the pre-production stages right now and we are getting geared up to start shooting this summer.” Poking fun at a movie franchise with such a loyal fan base may not seem as the smartest thing to do. “I will probably get death threats, but not a day goes by when I don’t get one. (Laughs) I’m kidding.” “I do respect these films, obviously it is a huge franchise and this is my way of showing respect for these films.” As to whether or not Twilight fans will enjoy Fully Mooned, Moss answered, “Those fans who have a sense of humor will enjoy the film and find it funny- those without a sense of humor should just wait for the next Twilight film to get their fix.”

Writing and directing has been a life long ambition for Ross. “I just love telling people what to do. When I was younger I always made films and loved the process of putting everything together and bringing a story to life.” Ross has high hopes for the future and wants to continue making comedy movies and parodies. When I asked him who he would like to work with in the future, his answer was a little surprising. “There are so many talented people, actors, and actresses out there. First and foremost in tribute to this film: Judd Apatow, that would be fantastic and if you could go ahead and let him know that would be great.”

Humor aside, we have yet to see if Ross can return to the beloved parodies of the past, but he is going to give it his best shot in trying. To judge for yourself check out The 41 Year Old Virgin who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad about It which is out on DVD June 8th. Be sure to also keep an eye out for Fully Mooned in theaters next year.
Some fun tidbits…

Three movies Craig Ross would take to a deserted island:

- Stripes (1981)
- Blazing Saddles (1974)
- Goodfellas (1990)

Summer release he is most looking forward to:

* Inception (2010) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ellen Page. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight).