Rating: 
Summary: Glover turns in one of his best performances
Review: Willard, by all means is a creepy movie if your afriad of rats, and believe me I aint but its a good movie anyway. Glover in one of his best performances too this day plays Willard,a lonely man who lives with his mother, whos sick and who looks completely like a shriveled up prune, he has a boss whos a (...) and he has a strange connection with rats, rats who live in his basement..funny sometimes and exciting. those rats sure kow how to partyt..I havent seen the original but I hear it was good and I hear Ernest Bornine gets eating by rats so im looking foward to seeing that. good movie with a great cast. seems like Glover is playing Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates from Psycho and Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho..creepy
Rating: 
Summary: Man and rat
Review: I loved this movie, it was great. More humorous than funny has been said here before and it's true. This movie will not scare anyone more than 10 years old, but it has a few frights and is entertaining. Lee Ermey as the jerk boss is perfect. Of course Crispin Glover and his rat pals are the real stars, and a good role they performed.Willard looks like a modern day, grown up Alfalfa from the 'Little Rascals'. He is a complete loser, no friends, no girl (although a cutie is interested in him) a jerk of a boss, an insane old mother, and a miserable, creepy old house to live in. No wonder he snaps. Maybe the ending borrowed just a wee too much from the original Psycho, but all in all, this is a good, fun time film. The moral of course is not to surf porn at work after you fire someone.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeously done.
Review: Willard (Glen Morgan, 2003) You can't hear the name "Glen Morgan" without thinking "and James Wong." The two writers, whose collaborative career stretches all the way back through 21 Jump Street, first came to major prominence by being the bigwigs behind most of the scripts for The X-Files, then also branched off into the short-lived and wonderful Millennium. When millennium died and The X-Files was on its way out, Morgan and Wong did what any two cutthroat Hollywood insiders would do: jumped to the big screen. Their first joint venture was the amusing Final Destination, written by both of them and directed by Wong; this time around, Morgan took the helm, and we got a remake of one of 1971's finest movies, Willard. Odd, both 1971 and 2003 were banner years for horror flicks, and Willard was at the center of both. The X-Filing of Willard did exactly what you'd expect it to, if you've seen more than two episodes of The X-Files. The look and feel of the film is murky, dark, filled with odd, ornate details that never quite seem right, but never quite seem out of place, either. As with Final Destination, the stuff that was pushing the envelope in a TV series barely rates them a PG-13 here, but it's just as creepily effective, if not more so, for the lack of explicit detail. All in all, what they came up with is a gem, an excellent piece of filmmaking that equals, and in some cases outpaces, the wonderful original. This time, the role of Willard is played by Crispin Glover, the best of the young typecast-as-psychotic actors, and his annoying boss is played by R. Lee Ermey, in a rare civilian role. (You do still get some drill sergeant barking, however, so Ermey fans will not be disappointed.) Wilard, for those of you who have been living in a cave for thirty years, is a shy young man who discovers he has not only an attraction to, but an empathy with, rats. He befriends a rat he finds in the basement and names him Socrates. Socrates is the intelligent, wily leader of the pack, always at odds with Ben, the strong, charismatic co-leader. Willard and Ben immediately get locked into a battle of wills for control of the pack, each willing to manipulate the other to get what he wants. Yes, it sounds odd talking about a battle of wills between a human and a rat. But that's what's going on here, and it's filmed well enough that it should be obvious. Things get complicated when Willard's co-worker Cathryn (Laura Elena Harring, Naomi Watts' love interest in Mulholland Dr.) starts putting out relationship feelers. Pretty soon, everything's set up for a big disaster, but whom will it befall? The atmosphere of the film is wonderful, the acting is excellent, and the cinematography is as good as one would expect from Robert McLachlan, the usual cinematographer for the Morgan and Wong camp. Also, special note should be taken of the music of composer Shirley Walker, whose contribution to the film, while resembling Danny Elfman a bit too much at times, is some of her best work in years. Highly recommended. One of the best movies of 2003. ****
Rating:
Summary: It won't win any Oscars, but...
Review: Pluses:
1. Thoroughly enjoyable and creepy turn by star Crispen Glover
2. Shirley Walker's brilliant score
3. Interesting camera angles
4. Socrates and Ben
5. R.Lee Ermey's performance as swarthy "Mr. Martin"
7. "Scully" the cat
8. Nice tribute to Bruce Davison, the star of the original
9. A wonderfully-stage opening credit montage, featuring various types of animation Minuses:
1. Not enough big scares
2. The speed with which Willard is able to "train" his rat horde 3. Too similar to Hitchcock's "Psycho", something that can't quite be said about the first one Thus, the pluses outweigh the minuses making "Willard" a film worth of one's time and, perhaps, one's bucks.
Rating:
Summary: A new breed of friendship
Review: Not normally being the squeamish type, I got the creeps a number of times during this movie. Maybe it was the visual of hundreds of rats running around, or maybe it was that great, big one named Big Ben, or Ben for short. Either way, this isn't a movie for everyone, but then Crispin Glover seems to flourish in offbeat roles. In this movie, he plays the title character, Willard. Apparently this is a remake/sequel to a movie of the same title released in 1971 staring Bruce Davidson, probably most recognizable as Senator Kelly in the recent X-Men movies. It's a sequel as Crispin plays the son to the original character, but I think it can also be considered a remake, as I've heard this story seems to follow the original quite closely. Anyway, Willard lives in a great big house caring for his invalid mother. He always works at the company his father started. The now owner, Mr. Martin, played by R. Lee Emery (Full Metal Jacket) hates Willard with a passion, but due to a promise he made to Willard's father, he keeps Willard on, but gives him quite a hard time, seeing Willard as a weak link in the company chain. Apparently, there has been recent construction in Willard's neighborhood, and this is causing rats to take refuge in the basement of the home of Willard and his mother. Willard buys some traps, and captures a white rat. The rat somehow appeals to him in some way, and Willard ends up saving and keeping him, calling him Socrates and they soon become close friends, Willard allowing Socrates to even sleep in bed with him. It also seems he and Socrates have a sort of psychic connection in that Willard can give him commands and Socrates complies. Not only that, but then Socrates seems able to train the other rats to follow suit. Odd? Yeah, but just go with it... Soon more and more rats begin to show up, so I would guess that there is a rat grapevine, and news of a rat sanctuary spreads fast. Among the new rats is a humongous one Willard calls Big Ben, or Ben for short, one I would have probably mistaken for an opossum. Eventually Willard's life begins to spin out of control, precipitated by a number of events at home and at work, and Willard puts his army of rats to work. The confrontation scene between Willard and Mr. Martin is truly a gruesome and creepy and contains some really good CGI work, in my opinion. All the supporting actors do a wonderful job, and I really like R. Lee Emery, but I've seen his hardcore persona done in quite a few movies now, and it's starting to get a little old. The standout in this movie is Crispin Glover, though. The guy exudes weird like nobody's business, and was truly fun for me to watch. I really enjoyed the movie throughout, but I knew even before it was released, it would slide under the radar of most people, as it doesn't really have widespread commercial appeal. That's okay, for as long as Mr. Glover keeps making movies, I will go see them. I haven't been disappointed in him yet, and I hope for more in the future. New Line has included a number of special features including commentary from the actors and directors, a making of documentary, deleted scenes, storyboards, weblinks, and full and wide screen formats. A stellar release of a quirky film...
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than theatrical release indicated
Review: I won't cover territory here that others have covered. It's sad that this movie failed at the box office, to some extent due to censoring material down from an "R" rating to "PG 13" and thus aiming it toward younger teens, who hated it in initial screenings anyway, which should have given New Line and the director/producer a hint. After all, the movie has its own brand of black humor that many younger teens are not going to enjoy or appreciate. (However, the toning down of R. Lee Ermey's expletives, for whatever reason, was a positive thing, since four-letter words don't have much bite when overused. But the toning down of the rats' violence was a big boo-boo.) Visually the movie is beautifully realized. The acting, especially by Crispin Glover and Jackie Burroughs (you might remember her from "More Tales/Further Tales of the City") is exceptional, although Glover's interpretation might have been a bit off if this movie was going to work. Those who remember fondly the original with Bruce Davison and Elsa Lanchester should enjoy this version, which now benefits from modern computer-generated effects, in addition to 450 actual rats, plus rat puppets. (As an homage to Davison, pictures of him as Willard's late father are scattered about Willard's house.) The sets are also truly superlative in creating mood, as is the music score. Although Glen Morgan, the writer-director, based the script on the original screenplay, one problem is that Davison as Willard was always sympathetic, whereas Glover's Willard is too neurotic (verging on psychotic) from the beginning and loses audience sympathy at a certain point -- a fatal flaw. This is far more Morgan's fault as director than Glover's. R. Lee Ermey as Willard's nasty boss was also a wee bit over the top, and once again, Morgan must take the blame for not reeling him in a bit. Strong actors should not dictate a movie's vision; that's the director's job, isn't it? Another problem is that Morgan steals from strong directors, mainly Hitchcock, that he admires. That would be all right, except that Morgan is not skilled enough to realize that the seams should never show. The movie-literate audience shouldn't be painfully aware that the director is plagiarizing. The borrowings from "Psycho" are so obvious, from Willard's peculiar relationship to his mother to the film's ending, in which one could easily substitute Anthony Perkins (were he young and alive) with little difference. Also, the use of Michael Jackson's version of "Ben" couldn't help but call attention to itself in a scene in which the rats are terrorizing a helpless cat. As an homage to the original "Willard's" sequel, it could have been used in the end titles only, rather than the Glover version that is used in the titles. Let's face it, Michael, whatever his personal problems, is a much superior singer. One small quibble (as seen repeatedly in the documentary on the film) is this -- if Morgan is going to tackle screenplays, he should learn the proper use of pronouns. He's one of these "between he and I" guys, which seems to be a common California thing. I hope Mr. Morgan buys himself a grammar book. Finally, there is a huge risk in remaking movies from yesteryear, and seldom are they successful. The reason is that movies reflect the times in which they were made. The U.S. audience of 30-plus years ago is totally different from today's audience. Any producer willing to take such a risk had better explore very deeply why a movie was popular with audiences and what were the social, political, and economic trends of the time. Popular movies from the late 1960s and early 1970s often dealt with challenges to authority figures, as did the original "Willard." But this challenge was happening in the real world too, with the anti-Vietnam War protests, the sexual revolution, etc. Today's mainly conformist, conservative audiences just aren't going to relate!
Rating:
Summary: Marty McFly comes back with pets!!!
Review: The film is focused on Willard (Crispin Glover). He minds his mother in the sprawling mansion that he has lived his whole life in. He has no friends. His boss is evil in a brutal campy way. He is timid to an extreme. His mother burdens him with the task of removing the rats from the basement. When he finds that one of the traps has worked, he finds himself compassionate for the victim, who he befriends. Thus begins his minding of the rat colony in his basement. The opportunities for horror here are tremendous. Rats are generally considered creepy when encountered in the house. Visuals of swarming rats should have provoked a sense of revulsion here but fails. Director Glen Morgan pulls in the reigns every time this films threatens to run away with sanity. Crispin Glover is allowed to explore Willard but comes off only as creepy when he should be disturbingly offensive to anyone with a tangible grip on reality. Willard is finally driven over the edge when his boss (R. Lee Ermey) steps on him for the last time. However, like elsewhere in the film, he goes over the edge only to be caught one foot into the fall. He's clearly crazy, but not really in a threatening way. The one moment where he is truly frightening is when he is relishing with child-like mirth the vandalizing of his boss's car. The film is well shot. The acting is competent throughout. It simply doesn't go far enough. The film had potential to go somewhere totally strange but didn't have the courage to do it. It probably could have got a PG rating had it fought for it when the concept demanded NC-17.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Darkness
Review: Let me mention that this is, among most standards, a 4-star film. However, I give it 5 stars for three reasons:
1. The bar says that 5 means you love it, and I certainly loved it.
2. This is a 5-star DVD.
3. Crispin Glover is perfect for the role. I'm not a fan of Crispin Glover (nor a non-fan) as I'd never heard of him before "Willard." However, I certainly know him now. He is perfectly fit as the role of Willard, a disturbed, lonely, pitiful, and creepy young man who's heading nowhere in life. He lives with his aged and diseased mother, who's night cries are more disturbing than the rats of the film. The rats, originally a target needing to be exterminated, become Willard's friends after he rescues one from a glue trap. He names it Socrates and befriends it. While in one instance this could seem like a simple pet, it is immediately seen as desperation when Willard is brought to tears simply by the rat's return after freeing and feeding it. Away from home, Willard is bullied and tormented by his boss, Mr. Martin, who built the manufacturing company they work at with Willard's father. He harasses Willard about his tardiness, his lack of confidence in his work, and how Willard and his mother remain in their home after his father's death. As the harassment continues and Willard's relationship with the rats grows stronger, he begins to have thoughts of revenge. There's more to the story than that, with Willard's life further complicated by the friendliness of a young female co-worker, as well as the disturbance to his friendship with the other rats by a challenger among them, a large brown rat he names Ben. "Willard" is a very atmospheric remake (yes, remake. Complete remake. Willard's father being painted as the character of Willard from the original movie is a tribute and nothing more.) The tones and colors of Willard's home are all dark and eerie, seeming to glow with earthliness as well, like a cave. The camera angles are superb for fleshing out the characters and the director isn't afraid to give straight on angles instead of just the typical diagnols. As for the acting, I'm not sure what everyone is complaining about. Everyone seemed to give a solid performance, including the rats. Speaking of the rats, there are few CG shots in the movie, a relief when thinking of what could have happened. Most of the shots with the rats are used with live animals, and the shots that are CG are done well and only when needed. The DVD (I'm becoming a steady fan of New Line with each release of theirs) has a decent share of extras. There's a Making-of feature that is over an hour long, as well as a documentary on rats. There is a full-length commentary of the film by the director, producer, and main actors, as well as commentaries for the music video and Deleted Scenes. The music video is very bizarre to say the least, but Glover's singing talent is highlighted in it. The Deleted/Alternate scenes are interested, as well as the reasons for their changes. Much of the changes are simply the removal of curses (which, admittedly, were used in a bit of excess) to keep the film at a PG-13 rating. I suppose this was done to allow a wider audience range, but considering the dismal theatrical returns, I doubt it would have mattered much. There is also more gore in these scenes, an aspect that probably should have remained, as it wasn't very graphic. Finally, there's the original ending and an extended ending, both of which should be watched with the commentary tracks on. All in all, this is a great DVD for a very good movie. Tension is well-built, with moments of humor thrown in at the right times, and a style of darkness that should give this film a loyal following as a dark classic. You'll certainly enjoy it for what is had... as long as you don't mind the rats.
Rating:
Summary: Atmospheric thriller with superb acting, but not a horror.
Review: I wish I saw this sadly underrated gem in the theater. I think the reason it failed there was because it was marketed as a horror film with killer rats, and to me, it isn't a horror film. The film is primarily about one man's descent into madness; the rats in this film serve more to illustrate this, rather than as a tool for horror and scares. The most important things about this film are the atmosphere, which throughout the film is creepy and gothic, and the acting, which is silmply fantastic. It'll never happen, but I think Glover should get an Oscar nomination for this role.
I believe that this film would have succeeded if it were marketed as an art-house film rather than as a scary horror film.
Rating:
Summary: Cheesy, but overall Creepy film.
Review: Most people will either hate this movie or love it. I loved it, even though at first I thought the previews made the film look cheesy. It's true, it is a bit cheesy, but what makes the film so great is Crispin Glovers performance. He makes Willard likeable, loveable, he makes you feel sorry for him, even though he is a very disturbed, creepy young man, and you want him to let loose his pet rats on the people who make his life a living hell. The rats are fantastic. While not all that scary, they will still give you the heebie jeebies, and I guarantee you will be thinking rats are crawling all over you at night while you sleep. The ending could have been played out a little better, but overall a great film. Watch it with a bunch of friends and squirm together.
|
