Detention / Retenue (Bilingual DVD)

This crazily slapdash mash-up of teen movie genres, '90s nostalgia, lightning-round sketch comedy, and pop-culture overload is cause for metaphoric double takes and spit takes thanks to its cleverly schizophrenic design. The jokes, shocks, and bewildering jumble of references are a deliberate attempt to leave its youthful target audience gasping for breath, even if they're three or four allusions and punch lines behind. The movie begins in high gear with the introduction of an unpleasantly clichéd high schooler who narrates the rigors of her lifestyle with the help of witty graphical elements, trick camera shots, and the nonstop patter of speed-dialed dialogue. That she's killed off even before the ingenious title sequence rolls is a hint at how the rest of the movie is going to play out.