The Year of the Rat (2003)

Making a studio film is a huge collaborative effort, whether it's an epic period blockbuster or a small horror movie about a lonely man and his pet rat. This is a behind-the-scenes ... See full summary »

Director:

Julie Ng

Stars:

James Wong, Robert McLachlan, Casey Hotchkiss

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Wong	...	Himself - Producer
Robert McLachlan	...	Himself - Director of Photography (as Rob McLachlan)
Casey Hotchkiss	...	Himself - Camera Operator
Bill Carraro	...	Himself - Executive Producer
Mark S. Freeborn	...	Himself - Production Designer (as Mark Freeborn)
Boone Narr	...	Himself - Animal Stunt Coordinator
William Shane Grisco	...	Himself - 'Socrates' Trainer (as William Grisco)
Mark Harden	...	Himself - Head Trainer
Jack Hardy	...	Himself - 1st Assistant Director
James Coblentz	...	Himself - Editor
Kristen Cloke	...	Herself - Actor and Glen Morgan's Wife
Crispin Glover	...	Himself - 'Willard Stiles'
Matt Swan	...	Himself - Locations Production Assistant
Julie Ng	...	Herself - The Chick Making This Documentary
Jack Cruikshank	...	Himself - Grip (as Jack Cruickshank)

Storyline

Making a studio film is a huge collaborative effort, whether it's an epic period blockbuster or a small horror movie about a lonely man and his pet rat. This is a behind-the-scenes documentary that follows the filmmaking process of the feature film, "Willard" through the eyes of a film student, who soon discovers that making movies isn't anywhere near as glamourous as those EPK specials would like the public to believe. "The Year of the Rat" exposes the innards of filmmaking in such a way that even without the glamour, it doesn't make the process any less fascinating or romantic an idea; that we can still find the making of a movie about killer rats an amazing and compulsive act.

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Plot Keywords:

rat | filmmaking | behind the scenes | musician | documentary filmmaking | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Horror

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

7 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Jahr der Ratte

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hard Eight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

this film would never have been made without the belief and support of the amazing Willard crews on either side of the 49th parallel

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Connections

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

User Reviews

Great Documentary!

This is one of the finest making-of documentaries I've ever seen. I think DVDfile.com said it best when they included the Willard DVD as one of their Top Ten DVD picks of 2003 and wrote : "WILLARD. This year's wild card slot goes to...Crispin Glover and a rat named Ben!? A flop during its theatrical release but an instant cult classic, this is a DVD that packs a surprisingly wallop - the most underrated documentary of 2004. "The Year of the Rat" is by turns heartbreaking, hilarious and frightening, and one of the most frank and informative looks ever created on the triumphs and tragedies of making a movie. A real sleeper."