Inglourious Basterds.  I was teed up to hate this picture, given how juvenile and overpraised Quenton Tarantino’s last pictures were (the Kill Bills, and the truly execrable drive-in homage).  Those pictures were the toasts of critics yet proved virtually unwatchable.  But this is a clever and exciting popcorn film, anchored by the actor who plays the primary Nazi baddie (Chris Walz).  Great fun – the shootout scene in the French cafe basement is one of the most tense and exciting I’ve ever scene.  A worthy Best Picture nominee.