In my quest to see as many Oscar-nominated films as possible before the big show on March 7, I will be featuring reviews of many nominated films over the next few weeks.  My latest screening: Inglourious Basterds.

Only Quentin Tarantino could imagine a revenge fantasy as epic as the one featured in Inglourious Basterds.  Featuring a stellar international cast, a riveting story, and Tarantino's signature violence, Inglourious Basterds stakes its claim among its fellow Oscar nominees as one of the best films of the year.

The story centers on a group of rogue Jewish-American soldiers (and a few German defectors) led byTennessee-native Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt).  Raine instructs his men to "collect 100 Nazi scalps...or die trying" and that motto leads to the troop's "apache" reputation among wary German soldiers.  In the midst of the Americans' exploits, the German propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbles (Sylvester Groth) plans a large-scale film premiere for a new film honoring the actions of a daring German soldier.  Raine and crew concoct an elaborate plan to bomb the theater during the premiere, and take out Hitler and Co. in the process.  Unbeknownest to the "apaches," another anti-German rebel has a plan for the fate of the audience--a plan which could alter the course of WWII.

Inglourious Basterds stands out not only as a fantastic Tarantino film, but as an all-around great cinematic work.  The film features stellar acting by Pitt, Christoph Waltz as "Jew Hunter" Col. Hans Landa, and Diane Kruger as UFA actress and Allied informant Bridget von Hammersmark.  In addition to the sensational international cast, Inglourious Basterds features a compelling storyline which straddles history, current events, and personal stories.  The film shapes an alternative view of official History, and questions the parallel History being shaped by today's War on Terror.  Quentin Tarantino maintains his ironic, edgy style, but brings complexity absent from many of his earlier works; this shift indicates Tarantino's transformation from adolescent, violence-loving filmmaker to mature, thought-provoking auteur.  For underground Tarantino fans and mainstream moviegoers alike, Inglourious Basterds cannot be missed!