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I have just
watched one of the most difficult movies
to review that I have ever seen. “Reflections of Evil” is a low budget independent
feature by filmmaker Damon Packard. Up until
a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard
of Packard or this film, but there has been
an Internet buzz about it of late that caught
my attention.
I looked into the film’s website
(http://www.reflectionsofevil.com/)
and what I found there only strengthened
my curiosity. I won’t go into to much
detail here, as you need to visit the site
yourself, but it seems that in a whirlwind
of self-promotion between March 2002 and
February 2003, Mr. Packard distributed 29,000
DVD copies of the film. He sent them everywhere,
in the hopes of getting some attention.
And he certainly got it. The website includes
comments and reviews from celebrities who
either loved it, hated it, or in one case
got totally incensed that it was even sent
to him.
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Having finally watched the film for myself I
can see why there are so many opposing reviews.
From start to finish, this 2-hour plus opus often
seems like an acid trip come to life. There is
a cohesive story hidden within the images, with
Packard portraying Bobby, an insanely paranoid
person stumbling through life. Everything is a
threat to him; all is evil in the world. The story
seems very non-linear as he walks the streets,
only to find himself being attacked from every
corner. At one point, he evades police by hiding
out at Universal Studios.
It seems the story is less important than the
images we have to deal with. Violent and bloody
images are pretty much a mainstay throughout the
film. And if that isn’t enough, there is
also an underlying sense that Packard is thumbing
his nose at the shallowness of people, both famous
and non-famous.
I say it’s hard to review simply because
it defies description. Generally I can pick out
the good and bad in a film and give you the sense
as to whether or not you might enjoy it. Here
it is not that easy. I can tell you that, despite
it’s length, I loved it. But I’m frustrated
because I’m not sure why. I found a lot
of the film to be disturbingly funny, while as
a whole it was almost hypnotic, hitting my senses
with a deluge of imagery. And no matter how dark,
disgusting or surreal some of those images were,
I couldn’t turn away. In it’s own
way, “Reflections of Evil” is a brilliant
and creative piece of work.
I now understand that Packard has turned his
attention on the world of “Star Wars”
by creating a behind the scenes ‘mockumentary’
of the process of creating the films of the series.
It is supposed to reach out to all of the fans
that feel that George Lucas has lost touch with
them and has delivered nothing more than merchandise
fueling, empty sequels. I haven’t seen it
yet, but considering how much I enjoyed…
wait enjoyed may not be the operative word here…
perhaps… experienced fully “Reflections of Evil”, I only hope I have the opportunity
to see this new project.
The only thing I think I can safely say is that
most of your average DVD watching audience, having
grown up on the pabulum Hollywood feeds them,
will probably hate “Reflections of Evil”.
And I say most, because it’s quite possible
that some of them may find that the film touches
some deep, dark part of their psyche, and they’ll
end up liking it, and even laughing at it with
one of those ‘guilty’ laughs. But
like me, they might not know why.
Written, Produced and Directed by: Damon Packard
Starring: Damon Packard, Beverly Miller, Nicole
Vanderhoff, Chad Nelson.
Extras: Earlier short films by David Packard
Specifications: Full Screen
Release Date: Available
Region 0
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Reflections of Evil a B-.
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