Badmovies.org Forum

(http://www.lethaldeath.com/Crimson/Images/ResidentDVDvil/ReflectionsOfEvil.jpg)

I don't know if many of you've seen this or heard of it but it's intensely strange and certainly an aquired taste.  This is in the running as the weirdest movie I've ever seen.  Here's the synopsis provided by the filmmaker:

QuoteJulie, who died of a PCP overdose as a teen in the early '70s, searches from beyond the ethers for her little brother, Bob, an obese watch-seller, who is dying of sucrose intolerance, in the early '90s.

The movie opens with a clip of Tony Curtis introducing an entirely different film with certain words and phrases purposely dubbed over in sloppy fashion, and then we see an old couple watching TV and the viewer is treated to a Serta matress ad featuring Joey Heatherton, and an intro clip from the old ABC Wednesday Night Movie which takes us into the feature.

The old couple from the beginning is alarmed to find Bob the shabby and obese watch seller (who apparently materialized out of thin air) outside their home verbally berating some frightened people and a chihuahua.  He goes on to pig out on liquor candy until he pukes up an ungodly mess.

It's kind of hard to describe the film, but Bob spends most of the film wandering around L.A. trying to sell cheap waches but he's mostly busy throwing fits of rage and is constantly threatened by people and barking dogs.  These same people also threaten and fight one another.  The whole little universe in this movie is absolutely hateful and uncaring.  In spite of all of the anger, frustration and paranoia in the film, there's a strange sense of sadness and a fair share humor.  One of the longer flashbacks shows Bob on a tour of Universal Studios with his mother and sister and his sister wanders off and stumbles on the set of a film being made by a young Steven Spielberg.  The bit where he goes into action directing is hysterical!  

I basically loved this movie in spite of many parts being so monotonous, but its saved by strange surprises and weirdly touching moments.  

This trailer kind of shows you what to expect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95cg3ZcHoTc

I watched the 138 minute cut but there are a few different ones.  There's a 90-minute official DVD release out there but it's bound to be really different and omits most of the unlicensed music and film footage of which there is a LOT.  I've found that the director uploaded it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pookie67#grid/user/2E81CC5C5D463052

Rev, you ought to check this out as a contender for the 366 list.

(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kynqfdKJYe1qaxcuu.jpg)
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4jmRPuP_BxQ/S7zuUCbRTOI/AAAAAAAABnw/CpVGZL-mWag/s1600/damon+packard1.jpg)

Quote from: Pilgermann on October 27, 2011, 12:25:30 PM

Rev, you ought to check this out as a contender for the 366 list.

Thanks, this is currently #198 in our reader-suggested review queue, which means I should get to it in about 2015. :buggedout:

my review from a little while ago

Reflections of Evil (2002)- You might have heard of this. It was made by some guy or something. It's very homeade, an endurence test,  and impossible to reccomend to a normal person but I actually kind of liked it a bit. The dubbed in sound especially was just ridiculous. A fat homeless looking guy goes around selling watches in Los Angeles. This LA is horrible and unforgiving. He is constantly being harassed by people with dogs and everyone is nasty to him and to each other. The only friend he seems to have is his Mom and even she viciously berates him for eating too much, this in a particularly ridiculous scene at a diner where he keeps stealing bites of his sandwich, which she wants him to bring home in a doggie bag.

It's mainly him wandering around looking uncomfortable and desperate with horrible people attacking him for a while, then a story emerges abuot his sister somehow dying and she becomes a character, dressed and acting and being filmed at certain points like a 60's jean Rollin type vampire woman or something. There's lots of weird stuff in thes parts, some of it 60's / retro influenced.

It is an endurance test but it was interesting and even compelling in it's own way.  If you can get in to stuff like "Horror House on Highway 5" you could probably appreciate this.

3/5