And the Oscar Buzz Goes to: Christoph Waltz in 'Inglourious Basterds'

It's not easy stealing a Tarantino movie. They're usually ensemble affairs, brimming with colorful characters speaking even more colorful dialogue. (Don't even get me started on their fantastic hairdos and/or facial hair.)

But that's exactly what unknown Austrian actor Christoph Waltz does in 'Inglourious Basterds.' Waltz plays the pipe-smoking Col. Hans Landa, nicknamed "The Jew Hunter" for pretty obvious reasons, as a Nazi commander in World War II France.

Landa is essentially the film's central villain -- "besting" even Hitler, who makes an appearance. What makes Waltz's rogue so intimidating is the enigmatic and tranquil manner by which he grills the suspicious, remaining considerably calmer than the situation calls for, only letting his penetrating stare hint at the diabolical nature of his intentions. Oh, and he can tell when you're lying, too. He's like the world's most evilly cunning poker player.

And on top of that -- in a film about Americans in German-occupied France with some operatives posing as Italians, Waltz/Landa speaks all four languages perfectly. Something about that scares us even more than his itchy trigger finger.

So yes, Waltz steals this Tarantino movie. And now he could become the first actor to score an Oscar nomination in one since the 'Pulp Fiction' trio of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman Robert Forster in 'Jackie Brown.'

We're not the only ones wild for Waltz. Some samplings from around the Web:

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: "Austrian actor Christoph Waltz triumphs, heroically, over Tarantino's brash, cine-drunk tall tale. His Landa makes a magnetic entrance in the movie's first (and very best) scene, terrifying a French farmer suspected of hiding Jews simply by requesting a glass of milk. Waltz, who easily won the 2009 Cannes prize for best actor, centers 'Inglourious Basterds' with the welcome subtlety of his performance."

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: "It is for [the scene described above] and his performance throughout the movie, that Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar nomination to go with his best actor award from Cannes. He creates a character unlike any Nazi - indeed, anyone at all - I've seen in a movie: evil, sardonic, ironic, mannered, absurd.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: "Waltz is a wonder. His dazzling, diabolical performance blends seductive charm and monstrous malice (in four languages). Listen up, Oscar."