MICMACS: La Jolie Bande de La Récup - Stylized Salvage

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, of Amélie fame, brings back his franco-francais blend of winsome and satire in this highly stylized film about two arms dealers, a man with a bullet lodged in his brain named Basel, and a team of quirky outcasts from the junkyard.   Almost comic book in it's attention to visual detail (think "Tin-Tin"), MICMACS original French title, translates as "non-stop madness." The madness being the greed and insensitivity of the war merchants, of course, who manufacture items such as the landmines that killed Basel's father when he was only a boy. The Fellini-esque collection of artists, including a contortionist and a human canon ball, who befriend and aid Basel in his plot for revenge against the arms dealers are the heart and soul of this movie which is full of whimsy despite its political statement. -- Suzanne Lynch