Inglourious Basterds

Yes, it runs long. At times it drags. But every prolonged scene is a lit fuse ready to explode. The pay-off is always satisfying. Likewise, Tarantino and company cast fantastically. Each face is uniquely mesmerizing. Every German looks really German. The eyes of Mélanie Laurent, huge and sad, beautifully reflect her own personal nightmares of the war. And the villain! The perfectly evil, cunning, and deceptively eccentric Nazi colonel played by Christoph Waltz, is also a ticking bomb, the results of which are entirely unexpected. Brad Pitt is barely part of the allure here. It’s the rest of the well-cast ensemble that makes this so watch-able. And it’s the deeply satisfying, visceral resolutions to the ridiculous problems set forth in Tarantino’s overstuffed script that make this so deliciously vindictive.

And now a word about revisionist history. If our politicians can lie so regularly and openly about hidden weapons, U.S Attorney firings, and torturing detainees, and if people can pull “death panels” out of their asses during a health care debate, why not rewrite history? There’s no doubt in my mind someone, some day, will believe this is a true story. For some people, it’s easier to believe the lie.

Also, SO much better than Death Proof.