Curdled (1996)

The Worst Film Ever

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Blistering performances.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This movie is a total surprise. It's fast-paced and will hold your interest the entire time. As a girl, Gabriela witnesses, so to speak, the murder of a man. From then on out she becomes totally fascinated by murder and keeps a scrapbook full of drawings and clippings. As an adult she lives in Miami and ends up working at a place that cleans up after murders (suicides). Cleaners, as they are called. During this time a serial killer is on the loose and Gabriela is hooked. What makes this movie so great is Jones, who plays the young woman, and her somewhat warped sense of killings. The scene where she's dancing with the knife, re-living the latest murder is perfect. Though there's a lot of blood, and the near final scene is audibly graphic (you do not see anything), it's also one of the funniest, for those of us who appreciate a very warped sense of humor. In the Special Features Quentin Tarantino explains why this actress was so perfect for the part, and he's spot on, as even while watching her (prior to watching the SF) you could just tell. He talks about a sparkle in her eye. Her entire body lights up in this part. Everyone else, even Baldwin (as the killer), does not come close, though he did a fairly good job, especially in their scene where they are together dancing. And you know who the killer is from the beginning, so I'm not spoiling an ending here. Find this gem and watch it over and over again. Each time you will catch something new that Jones does. She's a very physical actress and I hope to see more of her, and soon.

This film is definitely unique in that it's original. Quentin Tarantino produced this film and put it under his now failed Rolling Thunder Pictures. The film in its essence had a lot of potential and really had a great leading actress, but it had its share of problems. If your a fan of Tarantino like I am you prob. will rent this no matter what anyone says, but I would recommend this movie with caution because it just a mediocre middle of the year release that Miramax quickly buried under its large pile of flops. The special features of this film are the best part. With the thesis student film attached to the DVD along with an intro and outro by Quentin himself. Overall not much here but you may find some qualities that can be enjoyed by all.

In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated movies of the 90s, featuring one of my all-time favorite performances by the enchanting Angela Jones. It is based on a short made in 1991, about a childlike murder-obsessed Colombian-American who takes a job as a maid...who cleans up after violent murders. Apparently, Tarantino liked the short so much that he cast Jones in Pulp Fiction and produced a full length version of "Curdled" with Jones and William Baldwin (who is surprisingly great.) This is one of my favorite black comedies and easily the funniest serial killer thriller ever. Angela Jones lights up the screen with her animated facial expressions (think Audrey Tautou) and quirky delivery. Oh, and this movie features one of the best dance sequences in a movie (yes, even better than Britt Ekland's in "The Wicker Man"). The recently released DVD is a blessing and surprisingly chockful of extras (including the original short film) for a movie that is apparently so reviled. The worst thing I can say about "Curdled" is that Braddock didn't go on to make another film and Jones went on to do a freakin "Children of the Corn" sequel. Recommend to all fans of serial killer movies and dark comedies. My rating: 10/10

Tarantino presents this little gem, which he caught at an Italian genre festival while promoting Reservoir Dogs (he relates the fateful anecdote in an epilogue after the movie on video.) It shares with that director the nervy, hip black-comedy attitude, an absolute command of cinematic techniques, and a post-modern approach steeped in b-movie history. However, where QT's films (and similar triumphs like Go) are explosive, this one is insidiously subtle and dead-pan; so much so that the gradual recognition of the filmmakers' intentions will give you the shivers. The creeping revelations of the themes, the dark pastels, self-referential script and straight-faced performances are reminiscent of earlier successful dark comedies, like Parents and I, Madman. Jones (her solo dance is a knockout) and Baldwin are both dead-on, and the director and editor never miss a beat. This is one of the best films of the 90s. (by the way, did anyone notice that this film opened about the same time as Headless Body in Topless Bar? quite a coincidence.)