Inglourious Basterds moves right to the top of my Tarantino list. QT succeeded in bringing a western style WWII fantasy film to the big screen, seamlessly blending a handful of genres while incorporating his own distinct style. Thankfully, he toned down his usual MO: excessive monologues. Of course, we were treated to other obligatory Tarantino tricks including conversational dialog, graphic violence, and chapter style storytelling (linear in this film), but they were all executed in perfect fashion. It's amazing that the film was so good given its years-long buildup and hype. I really enjoyed the story, even cheering at times. The star of the show was future Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Col. Hans Landa). Every line of dialog given by this outstanding character, whether it was in English, German, French, or Italian, was music to my ears. We've been given a truly iconic character. (2/9/2010)

Tarantino + historical fiction + Nazi killing. What a blast. Quentin plays to his strengths here, filling this WWII love affair with memorable characters and plenty of his trademark conversation scenes. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz as Nazi Colonel Hans Landa are particularly enjoyable as they command your attention in each of their scenes. About half the movie is German-spoken with subtitles, but you barely even notice, as the movie somehow skips by at 2+ hours. Not for the squeamish, as Tarantino’s trademark in-your-face violence is here in buckets, though he somehow always seems to make gore fun. Very enjoyable. (2/18/2010)