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Ah, to be young. But I do stand by this. While I ended up having a blast with that car chase, watching those four girls sitting around the table talking about nothing was like listening to a chorus of Sand People. Tarantino and I were most definitely on the outs.

So given this, you'd think I'd have learned to stick to my guns and just roll my eyes at the sight of a marquee with Tarantino's font bigger than the title of the film, right? Heck, no. Not only did I eagerly anticipate Inglourious Basterds, but after the old scratched Universal logo alone, Tarantino and I were instantly back on. Seriously, what is it about him? Like that girl who treats you like crap until you finally get fed up and say "to hell with you," all she has to do is bat her eyes or, in Tarantino's case, make some obscure film references – Emil Jannings, awesome – and you're shelling out $12.50 faster than you can "check out the big brain on Brett. "

My first thought after walking out of Basterds was that email I referenced above. I would now like to officially state that as of this moment, my mouth is wide open and is containing my foot.

I don't know if I just got him this time, or if QT has matured. Maybe we've grown together. Whatever the reason, Inglourious Basterds, with a finale that I have no doubt is inciting spontaneous applause in theaters across the country, was one of the most extended satisfying rides I've had at the movies in a while. And after taking in $38 million its opening weekend and receiving tremendous word-of-mouth – currently nestled in at #35 on the IMDb top 250 – it looks like I'm not alone.

So finally, what is it about Quentin Tarantino?

Personally, I think the reason people are and always will be crazy for Quentin is that he has an uncanny ability to indentify, harness and bottle whatever it is that makes film lovers tick. And what was so great about Basterds was that he finally figured out how to pour it on just right. Unlike Grindhouse, all extended dialogue scenes, eventually, contributed to the plot. And also unlike Grindhouse, they were blissfully delightful. The card on the head guessing game. Mike Myers and the (brilliant) Michael Fassbender. The next Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor Christopher Waltz - along with Javier Bardem, Heath Ledger and now Christopher Waltz's Colonel Hans Landa, we are in a golden age of cinematic villains. Tarantino also managed to extract Brad Pitt's best performance since Snatch (no, I did not think he was good in Benjamin Button). And finally, thank heavens, we have a Tarantino movie without an awkward director cameo! Although, there was an awkward director – albeit not the director of this film - supporting role (sorry, Eli Roth).

But Roth's self-consciousness aside, Basterds was all the good of Tarantino with none of the obnoxiousness. He played the audience with the oldest, simplest trick in the book. Give them what they want. And he did. And oh man, was it good.

Now give us more and don't wait a freaking decade this time.

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