 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
X-FILES: GRACELAND
Produced, Written, and Edited by Daniel Masucci and Joseph Masucci
Directed by Daniel Masucci
Director of Photography - Joseph MasucciFox Mulder - Dan Masucci
Dana Scully - Donna Hayes
Prissy - Stacy MasucciMy favorite episodes of the X-Files were always the ones played for fun. While the show has always had an off-center sense of humor, there's just something gut-bustingly funny about Alex Trebek as a Man In Black or Mulder and Scully on COPS. Those episodes give us a chance to break away from the dense mythology of the show and see the characters as the wacko's they truly are.
X-FILES: GRACELAND is fan-film created in the best X-FILES tradition. Deadpan humor and a well-written script put this on par with classic, official, episodes. The film is made all the more effective with two leads who have their mimicry down pat and perfectly capture the suspicious minds of Mulder and Scully.
This episode revolves around Elvis. It seems he's been popping up around the midwest with his spaceship and getting waitresses pregnant. It's up to Mulder to convince Scully that the love-me-tender on the blue apron belongs to the King.
GRACELAND isn't just a quality fan-film, it's a quality film. The Masucci's take care in every step of the production, from the casting process down to the locations. Whether filmming took place in the ghetto or on a college campus, each location fits the scene. That's something I've been paying attention to more and more recently. Micro-budget filmmakers have a tendency to use the location around them, but they don't write their scenes around the locations.
Something else that's always on my mind is the lack of interesting stories that are told. In another recent review I mention the three kind student films. Have fun with your work. While GRACELAND is an outright spoof of the X-Files, it's an example of what can be achieved when the time is taken to make intelligent decisions about where the story needs to go. Far too many up-and-comers rely on the proven formula to fill in the gaps between gore effects, something not found in GRACELAND.
Maybe it's beginners luck, but the Masucci's have made an enjoyable movie. At one time GRACELAND was one of the most downloaded movies on the internet, and it's easy to see why. When they mock, it's easy to see they do it with love. As I've said before, that's the reason fan-films are made, to share a filmmaker's love of characters that inspired them to create film in the first place.
The Masucci's have since gone on beyond the bend to bigger budgeted productions. I'm glad. With a project like GRACELAND, their love for filmmaking shines through. I'm sure with their next project, which I'm anxiously looking forward to, they'll put forth the same care and exercise to make something of quality.