He started with an idea borrowed from a not-so-hot Italian war movie (its English title: plain old Inglorious Bastards). But being Quentin Tarantino, he turned it into something extravagantly other: a fantasy rewrite of World War II and the downfall of Hitler and a polyglot, truly international adventure. The Basterds, led by Tarantino and Brad Pitt, face a challenge more daunting than setting the Führer on fire: convincing the Academy membership that their movie deserves Best Picture. If there's a consolation prize, it's that Christoph Waltz is a sure thing to win Supporting Actor. Q.T. also has a good shot at Original Screenplay.