The Director's Series: Quentin Tarantino, No. 1


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz
Director: Quentin Tarantino
About: There is a moment near the end of this film when Pitt's character looks at the camera and says, "I think this might be my masterpiece." I've always thought that was a meta commentary from Tarantino, and it's totally accurate. You can see a lot of things that worked and were iconic in his previous films as key elements of this film. It's ambitious in scope and delivers. Waltz is incredible, which is part of the reason he won an Academy Award. This is a bit of wish fulfillment when it comes to how the film plays out, but it works beautifully here. This is an incredible work of art and by far the best from Tarantino.

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