Patrick Boivin's Jazz with a General Problem provides bullet-proof evidence that Hollywood is wasting millions. How else to explain this stop-motion-animation dazzler, which Boivin made in his own kitchen for nothing and which looks like Michael Bay's Transformers, which cost, oh, $150 million?

The title alone is pure genius. "Jazz" is an autobot transformer (one of the good guys) and "general" refers to The General Lee, the 1969 Dodge Charger featured on the old TV show "The Dukes of Hazard." Boivin has created a new decepticon transformer (one of the bad guys) out of The General Lee. The enemies transform from cars to robots and battle it out on a dining room table.

Boivin is clearly having a blast. He takes some of his favorite movies and toys and incorporates them into one seriously cool ride.The General has the voice of psycho-killer Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs ("Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"), and Boivin has said that Jazz is one of his favorite autobots. You won’t believe how dynamic the camerawork and choreography are here. Most filmmakers can do one or two things really well. Boivin can do it all. (Watch the making-of and you'll see what I mean.) Wild, wild, wild!