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You can’t say that Rishi Kaneria doesn’t know what he’s interested in when he makes his supercuts. Following logically on the heels of “Stanley Kubrick: Red,” which looked at that director’s use of the color, now we have “Red & Yellow: A Wes Anderson Supercut.” Red’s on the left, yellow’s on the right, and there’s an oddly disproportionate emphasis on his 2007 short Hotel Chevalier.

You can’t say that Rishi Kaneria doesn’t know what he’s interested in when he makes his supercuts. Following logically on the heels of “Stanley Kubrick: Red,” which looked at that director’s use of the color, now we have “Red & Yellow: A Wes Anderson Supercut.” Red’s on the left, yellow’s on the right, and there’s an oddly disproportionate emphasis on his 2007 short Hotel Chevalier.

Here.s something you almost certainly never noticed: Wes Anderson has a slight obsession with the colors red and yellow. You probably don.t believe that.s true. Joking aside, there.s a handy video now available that showcases just how often he uses these colors, and it.s pretty damn wonderful. Watch it below! See, what did I tell you? Kudos to Rishi Kaneria for creating Red & Yellow: A Wes Anderson Supercut, which divinely brings together and amalgamates footage from the likes of Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, along with the short films Hotel Chevalier and Castello Cavalcanti. Just in case you didn.t know, that.s all of Anderson.s movies - which suggests that he might have a problem. Could be a medical reason for Wes Anderson...

As the ornate narratives of Wes Anderson’s films threaten more and more to burst from the frame entirely, Fox Searchlight have since satisfied the need for deserved bonus content. “Hotel Chevalier” and the animated shorts from “Moonrise Kingdom” found different purposes when it came to referencing their feature counterparts, but a new short released with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is delightful and informative in equal measure. More in line with the previously mentioned “Moonrise Kingdom” short, a new film entitled "How To Make a Courtesan au Chocolat" has dropped, taking a mere detail from “Grand Budapest Hotel” and showcasing it with a bit of love. The titular pastry, a favorite of Ralph Fiennes’ character Gustave H. in the film, is shown here as a visual recipe—it may actually be the first of Anderson’s work (or an offshoot of it) to offer valuable explicit advice. Precision is the...

Today’s film is the 2007 short Hotel Chevalier. The film stars Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman, and is written and directed by Wes Anderson as a prologue to his feature film The Darjeeling Limited. Despite having only seven feature films to his credit, Anderson has already garnered critical acclaim and a large number of fans for his work, which includes The Royal Tenenbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox. His newest feature, titled The Grand Budapest Hotel, opens in limited release in American theatres this weekend.

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The post Saturday Shorts: ‘Hotel Chevalier’, written and directed by Wes Anderson appeared first on Sound On Sight.

There are few filmmakers working today with such distinct style as Wes Anderson. And because his movies are so identifiable and enjoyable for certain characteristics, if you like his past work then chances are you'll like his latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which opens in limited release this weekend. If you don't like his movies, maybe it's safe to say you won't like this one, either. But Anderson hasn't just been repeating himself for the past 20 years. He does often surprise us, whether it's with a focused short film tied to a new feature (Hotel Chevalier, an appendix/prequel to The Darjeeling Limited) or with a venture into stop-motion animation (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) or by making a whole movie without a single Rolling Stones or Kinks song on the...

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For everyone else counting down the days until Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest is released next year, the wait has just got a little easier, with Anderson releasing a brilliant new short film, Castello Cavalcanti.

Anderson is of course no stranger to the medium, with his career beginning back in 1994 with the short, Bottle Rocket, which was itself be turned into a feature two years later). The director then made the fantastic Hotel Chevalier, serving as the prologue for The Darjeeling Limited. And now he returns to the format with Castello Cavalcanti, presented by Prada.

Anderson is reuniting here with Jason Schwartzman, with whom he has worked countless times over the years, including on Hotel Chevalier, with Schwartzman then starring as Jack Whitman opposite Natalie Portman, his on-screen girlfriend.

This time around, Schwartzman stars as a Us racecar driver who crashes in a small Italian village in 1955, and he stars opposite Giada Colagrande.

Wes Anderson has crafted a wonderfully distinctive body of work with his feature films, establishing a visual style and tone that is instantly recognizable, whether it's live-action (Moonrise Kingdom) or stop-motion animation (Fantastic Mr. Fox). His style has become so well-known that he was recently parodied on Saturday Night Live. That style and tone also extends to the occasional short film (Hotel Chevalier) or TV spot (American Express) that he's done, and it's abundantly evident in Castello Cavalcanti, his latest short film. Set on a September evening in 1955 Italy, it stars Jason Schwartzman as a race-car driver who ends up in the titular village and makes a surprising discovery. The short is witty, low-key and utterly delightful. And it ends far too soon...

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After delighting audiences with a bittersweet story of first love in Moonrise Kingdom, writer-director Wes Anderson has cruelly made us wait until 2014 to see his follow-up The Grand Budapest Hotel. But for those of you who need more quirk and warm-toned storytelling in your life, he's graced us with a short film called "Castello Cavalcanti" made for Prada, and tipped by The Playlist. While his 2007 short "Hotel Chevalier " served as a sort of introduction to its soon to follow feature The Darjeeling Limited, "Castello Cavalcanti" looks to be unrelated to The Grand Budapest Hotel. In the prior Jason Schwartzman stars as a racecar driver Jed Cavalcanti, while in the other he plays a mysterious character called M. Jean. "Castello Cavalcanti" clocks in under eight minutes and is set in 1955 Italy within the quaint titular town that is a point on Molte Miglia (translation "Many Miles") rally. The quiet evening is...

Good news, Wes Anderson fans. It turns out we don’t have to wait until next February to see the filmmaker’s latest project, as a new short film written and directed by Anderson has been released online following its premiere at the Rome Film Festival. Presented by Prada, Castello Cavalcanti stars Anderson’s frequent collaborator Jason Schwartzman and centers on an American race car driver who crashes in a small Italian village in 1955. Anderson and Schwartzman previously collaborated on the short film Hotel Chevalier, and their follow-up effort is in no way a let down. It’s a fantastic and incredibly funny film, and running at nearly 8 minutes long it’s a great appetizer for Anderson’s next feature The Grand Budapest Hotel. Hit the jump to watch the new short film. Castello Cavalcanti also stars Giada Colagrande.

The first trailer for Wes Anderson's latest film is released today, and the signs are that all those stylistic flourishes we know and love are present and correct

• Why I love ... Max Fischer's school plays in Rushmore

• Fantastic Mr Fox recap: Wes Anderson reworking well worth another look

Nothing gets us going more than the promise of a new Wes Anderson film. Will it be a funny as Rushmore? As inventive as Fantastic Mr Fox? As ambitious as The Royal Tenenbaums? Well, another one is on the way: The Grand Budapest Hotel, which despite its title seems to have less to do with Anderson's tenderly mysterious short film Hotel Chevalier than an amalgam of Anderson's predilection for jewel-box environments, giant major-name casts, and arch pseudo-professional patter.

That's not to say The Grand Budapest Hotel doesn't look great: we can safely say this is a return to the mentor...

In the interest of speed and efficiency, and before all this good icing melts, my uncensored thoughts as they come to me...

• This poster looks good enough to eat. Literally. All I see is a tiered heavily frosted chocolate cake and I want it in me right now. Put it in me!

• Remember when people made such a big deal of Natalie Portman's nudity in "Hotel Chevalier" even though it was only like side butt? Will their be profile nudity in this hotel? And if so whose? My guess is Léa Seydoux though its unlikely to occur at all.

• The title signage is like delicate decorative pastel frosting (I have not eaten dinner yet, can you tell?)

• So pleased that Ralph Fiennes' career seems to be on an upswing again -- I believe he's the protagonist and butler here -- though I read the weirdest headline the other...

Look at them in that picture -- they were both once so young.... It was on the set of "Rushmore" where Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman first crossed paths, and like many who come into the orbit of the director, they hit it off and continued to collaborate further, spending time togther on "Hotel Chevalier," "The Darjeeling Limited," "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and of course, this summer's "Moonrise Kingdom." And obviously, they are working together again. "I'm going to be in it. Yes, I'm going to be in it. I'm playing Cousin Ben [referring to his 'Moonrise Kingdom' character]. No, I'm just kidding -- wouldn't that be crazy? No, but I'm excited about it. I'm very excited about it. It's a beautiful movie," the actor told Movies. To recap, he joins Bill Murray, Jude Law and Ralph Fiennes in the cast with Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson among.

Are you a Wes Anderson fan? Of course you are! Moonrise Kingdom is available for a brand new Blu-Ray combo pack starting October 16, but with the help of Ology you can win your very own set for free! Ology is giving away 2 copies of the film, including a specific pack for a grand prize winner!

Moonrise Kingdom is centered on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965. What begins as two friends making a pact to run away together soon turns into a community turned upside down. (In Anderson's quirky and amusing style, of course.) Starring Bruce Willis and Edward Norton among others, this prize could easily be yours.

Check out the simple steps on how to win:

The user who posts the best Moonrise Kingdom comment below (feel free to post more than one!) will win a copy of Moonrise Kingdom.

Here’s what...

Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom broke Us box office records when it went into limited release back in May, and two months later, its worldwide gross is topping $44m. and still going strong.

The writer-director-producer is already forging ahead with his follow-up, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Deadline report that he’s begun assembling another excellent ensemble with Johnny Depp first to officially join the team.

Anderson is very much well known for having some of the best ensemble casts in pretty much all of his films, and it looks like that streak is going to continue wonderfully, with word recently surfacing that he’s also been eyeing the likes of Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, and more.

Essentially: A dream team.

Moonrise Kingdom was Anderson’s first film that Owen Wilson didn’t have an official credit on in some shape or form,...

About a week ago, the good burghers over at Twitch caught word on the wind of a whisper about Wes Anderson reaching out to what would frankly be his most star-studded and eclectic cast yet. While we’re not sure everyone on the list will end up in the final film, he has at least locked in one of the biggest names, with Johnny Depp signing on the dotted for The Grand Budapest Hotel.Deadline could dig up no details about the project besides the title, but we’re happy to see another cinematic universe besides the Avengers coming together; the new building-based film will apparently share characters with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel… Okay, we’re kidding about that. Anderson, of course, has previous form in hotel-based movies, with short Hotel Chevalier in his back catalogue and key scenes in The Royal Tenenbaums set in a big New York...

A new companion piece to Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom has finally found it's way online, featuring a series of animated shorts based on the books that Suzy (Kara Wayward) reads in the film.  The short is narrated by the same narrator of the film, played by Bob Balaban.  Crack open a short: Wes Anderson last created a companion piece to one of his films with The Darjeeling Limited with Hotel Chevalier, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman,...

Wes Anderson‘s new film, Moonrise Kingdom, has only been out for a week — and only in a pretty select capacity, to boot — yet the director’s got something else from this world on the way, having announced that, sometime in the next week, he’ll release a new animated short telling the story found in one of his characters’ favorite books.

As previously mentioned, the film focuses on a pair of star-crossed children (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) who fall hopelessly in love and defy their elders by running away to New England (if you haven’t yet, check out Raffi‘s excellent Cannes review here). Every Anderson character has their unique traits and, for Suzy, it’s her book-filled suitcase. Now, he plans to introduce his audience to the story inside one of those books.

Anderson, on his upcoming short (via ComingSoon):

“[The character of Suzy has] a suitcase full of these...

While the joys of "Moonrise Kingdom" are still reserved for those that managed to see it at the Cannes Film Festival or in the handful of cities it opened in last weekend, it looks like there will be even more to enjoy from Wes Anderson's forthcoming film.

As you already know, the film centers on two young kids played by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, who fall in love and run away in New England much to the chagrin of the adults in their lives. As with any Anderson film, each kid has their own set of quirks and interests, and for Suzy, no runaway is complete without a suitcase full of books. Well, it looks like audiences and fans are going to get a deeper look at what's between the books' covers. "[The character of Suzy has] a suitcase full of these young adult fantasy type novels," Anderson ComingSoon. "Sort of sci-fi/fantasy books.

Prior to the release of Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom I decided I would revisit his entire oeuvre and add Moonrise to the mix upon seeing it at this year's Cannes Film Festival where it served as the opening night feature (read my review here). Before sitting down to watch all of Anderson's films again for this piece, I'd seen Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited only once each. I'd seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou twice and The Royal Tenenbaums I had only seen about 15 minutes or so before I turned it off due to a lack of interest. However, I'm a huge fan of Anderson's debut feature Bottle Rocket and love The Fantastic Mr. Fox and have watched both multiple times. As a result it seems I'm an Anderson outlier, considering I always hear about how much everyone loves Rushmore and Tenenbaums and yet these were two of...

Directors who plug their favorite songs into films is nothing new, but Wes Anderson is one of the few -- along with Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Crowe -- who have turned the movie soundtrack into an art form.

From the underappreciated Rolling Stones song "2000 Man" in Anderson's debut feature "Bottle Rocket" to a Brazilian acoustic guitarist playing David Bowie tunes in the oceanography adventure movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," Anderson's musical choices for his films are as patiently awaited by his fans as the films themselves.

Though the tweed-stylin' director has stated that his new movie, "Moonrise Kingdom" (which opens May 25), "has a big musical element, but there are not really songs in it," his previous films are a master class in how to use songs in movies. Here are 11 of our favorites.

'2000 Man,' The Rolling Stones ('Bottle Rocket,'...

Wes Anderson is heading from Rhode Island to Europe for his next film, according to new reports. He unspooled his latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, at the Cannes Film Festival this morning, where we enjoyed it, calling it a “return to the youthful vigor and real emotion on display in his earlier work.” No sooner does he have an update on his next feature, thanks to an interview with Harper’s Bazaar (via The Playlist).

They revealed that Anderson is now halfway complete on his next script, although no details were given outside the location. Currently spending his time partially in Paris, he said “it’s a film I want to make in Europe, a Euro movie.” We last saw the director in the city for his pre-The Darjeeling Limited short, Hotel Chevalier and having adored the style and music displayed in that 13 minutes, I’d love to see what...

After 13 years on the sidelines, director Whit Stillman is back with Damsels in Distress. Here, he talks about his film-making torment – and reveals why is he looking so ghastly

Whit Stillman stands out on the hotel terrace like the ghost of independent American cinema, a pale apparition amid the hucksters and high-rollers at the neighbouring tables. His eyes are bloodshot, his stomach in uproar, and his complexion is barely two shades more ruddy than his pristine white shirt. The director is sick; he can't stay the course. No sooner have we shaken hands and taken our seats than he's up again, gently excusing himself before bolting for the washroom. It is at this point that I fear we have lost him for good.

Once, long ago, Stillman found himself briefly billed as the next great American auteur; the creator of dry, literate bourgeois comedies that idled on the edge of...

Over the next month I am going to be rewatching Wes Anderson's six feature films and two shorts in advance of a "Rank and File" piece leading up to the premiere of his new film Moonrise Kingdom at the Cannes Film Festival. These films include the following: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Hotel Chevalier* (2007) The Darjeeling Limited (2007) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Rushmore (1998) Bottle Rocket (1996) Bottle Rocket* (1994) Of those eight titles only two would I immediately jump up and watch over again, and ironically they are Anderson's first and last directorial features -- Bottle Rocket and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Of the bunch there is only one I am not excited about watching whatsoever... As the headline implies, that title is The Royal Tenenbaums, the only film Anderson has ever made that I do not own. To be fair, I have never really given Tenenbaums a fair shot.

Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox divided audiences but his latest appears to be just the ticket for those wanting a return to form (i.e. familiar) and you can expect the words ‘quirk’ and ‘charm’ to be used in equal measure until the film sees its release in May of this year.

Leaping over the animated delights of F Mr.F we look back to The Darjeeling Limited and its companion short Hotel Chevalier for our last live-action film from the director and as usual there’s an excellent cast, with the scattering of Anderson regulars, and the trailer is quirky as it is charming. See.

Here’s a cute synopsis,

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As...

My apologies straightaway that this week's Q & A is so late. A particularly nasty bout of insomnia derailed me for over a day. I was without rail. Back on track now and the time has come to answer your questions, 10 of them at any rate.

BBats: What young director (3 or less films) are you most excited about seeing over the next decade?

Nathaniel: This is a great question but difficult because then you have to really stop and think about who made which pictures when and you have to set aside people you've been rooting for forever that will seemingly be 70 before they birth a third feature (I'm talking to you Jonathan Glazer and Kimberly Peirce). It'd be weird to say John Cameron Mitchell since he's been making great movies for a decade now but in fact he's only made three. Still it's hard to argue with that diverse, unique...

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

As proclaimed in her rap for The Lonely Island, “It’s Portman, motherf**ker!”

This weekend, now Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman adds another aggressive role to her repertoire with the new comedy Your Highness, which has her playing a violent warrior on the road for vengeance against those who have killed her family. With an expansive career of feature film roles that range from a little girl with a gun fetish to a fragile ballerina with psychological issues, The Scorecard Review has attempted to rate the best roles from Portman’s in honor of Her Highness.

7. Jack’s Ex-Girlfriend in The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Recap: This film from Wes Anderson took his style and relatively usual casting (Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson) to India for this story about three brothers who seek to connect with one another during a trip through the country after their father’s passing.

In a piece of casting news that shouldn’t really surprise anyone, it’s been revealed that Jason Schwartzman will be starring in frequent collaborator Wes Anderson‘s next film, Moonrise Kingdom. A story over at Examiner (via GordonandtheWhale and RushmoreAcademy) reports that a cast list for the movie, which is set to shoot this spring in Rhode Island, confirms his involvement.

The cast already includes Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Bill Murray, and is Anderson‘s first period piece. It centers on two young lovers in the 60′s who run away from their small New England town, leading to members of the town to go searching for them. A previous story indicates that the two leads will be young, likely around the age of twelve. Owen Wilson also hinted that he’d be appearing, although there don’t seem to have been any updates since...

Quite a long time ago director Sofia Coppola and Natalie Portman got together in Paris to film a Coppola styled commercial for a perfume called Miss Dior Cherie! That commercial has finally showed up online. When we first heard about it there was a lot of talk involving Natalie Portman stripping for the spot but, that.s not really true. You.ll see her vaguely beginning to remove a few clothes, but it doesn.t really go anywhere. Actually what.s most striking about it is how utterly suited Sofia Coppola.s style is to perfume commercials. I don.t mean that as an insult, I love Lost in Translation like I love the Vulcan neck pinch and dogs with floppy ears, but seriously, this feels exactly like a perfume ad. Maybe it was too much to hope for it to somehow turn into Hotel Chevalier. Here.s the spot:...

Though she has been an actor for the better part of her 29 years, Natalie Portman admits there was a time when she wondered if she should choose a different career.Portman recalls, "There were moments when I questioned it, when I was thinking, 'What is the purpose of this in our world? Is it as meaningful as being a doctor, being a teacher, or things that I think of as such noble professions?' But I think I've really reconciled myself with that, and I think art is not only important but critical to the soul of a human and the soul of a community. Not to be self-important about what I do, but I've found a lot of meaning in it." That said, she recognizes a certain degree of "silliness" to what she does. "There really is something ridiculous about dressing up and pretending to be someone else," she says with a laugh.

Natalie Portman is everywhere right now. Just a week after winning a Golden Globe for her soul-baring, body-punishing, Mila Kunis-kissing performance in Black Swan, Portman is headlining the change-of-pace romantic comedy No Strings Attached. That’s just one of the five movies she’ll appear in this year. Portman’s also newly engaged and pregnant with her first child. What better time to look back at where it all began? Portman’s first movie was The Professional, in which an emotionally detached hitman meets a chain-smoking orphan who becomes his companion, his student, and his unrequited love. It’s...

Filed under: New Releases, Weekend Movie Preview

The very pregnant Natalie Portman is making the rounds these days to promote her new movie that explores the question of whether there's any such thing as consequence-free sex. Let that sink in for a moment.

New and Noteworthy

'No Strings Attached' (R)

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Cary Elwes, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig

Directed by: Ivan Reitman

What's It About? Portman and Kutcher play old friends who decide to have a purely sexual relationship -- no romance allowed. But of course, it's never that easy, at least not in the movies.

Why Should You See It? Portman lets her inner-'Black Swan' loose, offering the kind of raunchy, funny, grown-up performance that past roles have only hinted at. Kutcher remains a pro at light comedy. Veteran comedy director Ivan Reitman, whose work has felt sluggish in recent years, seems...

Given Natalie Portman’s résumé, which includes playing everything from coquettish teenager to epileptic liar to damaged ballerina, it wouldn’t be shocking if she turned the new romantic comedy “No Strings Attached” (with Ashton Kutcher) into a surprise hit.

Regardless of its success, the 29-year-old actress is the front-runner for Best Actress at this year’s Academy Awards for her role as a troubled ballet dancer in Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” and has a huge year ahead with no less than four major movies hitting theaters.

But it’s just the latest in a series of roles dating back more than 15 years that have made Portman “America’s Girlfriend.” To wit, a look back.

9. ‘V for Vendetta’ (2006)

James McTeigue’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic 1980s graphic novel polarized audiences and critics alike, though many lauded Portman’s role as Evey Hammond, which saw the actress pull...

What? I was feeling jealous of everyone else's sensationalist headlines. It's weblag from that Nyfcc brouhaha and that 'lazy journalism' Jacki Weaver was talking about in our interview. So, 'bout that headline. Define Topless. We're most concerned with definition #3...

...although we suspect most actresses would like us to use the obsolete definition, #5.

Ubiquitous Natalie Portman found that she just wasn't making enough bank this year from Black Swan or her four, yes four, 2011 features. Also, the covers of every magazine weren't enough now and won't be enough when she wins the Oscar and still won't be enough this summer when she gives birth either. So now you can find her photos inbetween the reams and reams of magazine articles about her as as she hawks Christian Dior's cosmetics and perfumes. Here she is posing for Miss Dior. 

 

Her children's children's children will have their trust funds all insured by...

Enough with the atonement.

Natalie Portman is ready to have some fun…and maybe cash in.

For years after playing a major role in the disappointing Star Wars prequel trilogy — which many saw, but few liked — the Israel-born, Long Island-raised actor who’s worked for nearly two-thirds of her 29 years, looked as if she might be doing some kind of professional penance.

She shaved off all her hair for V for Vendetta. She made a series of underperforming indies (Goya’s Ghosts, My Blueberry Nights, both the New York and Paris I Love You anthologies), and demanding dramas (Brothers, The Other Boleyn Girl). Plus, after famously avoiding on-screen nudity following the uncomfortable scrutiny of her Lolita-esque performance in 1994’s Leon: The Professional, Portman finally gave in and did her first nude scenes in the Wes Anderson short Hotel Chevalier.

It seems the Criterion Collection will not rest until every Wes Anderson film is under their banner, and with their release of The Darjeeling Limited, they are one title away from having all of his films in their collection. Few modern filmmakers seem to have pursued this goal, and few modern filmmakers seem as deserving. And yet The Darjeeling Limited strikes as a transitional work, a filmmaker trying to re-find his voice after having gone through a cycle of films that worked through the main concerns of a filmmaker. The film stars Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and co-screenwriter Jason Schwartzman as three brothers on a spiritual quest in India to find themselves (and their mother) after their father has passed away. My review of The Darjeeling Limited on Blu-ray after the jump.

At the beginning, Wes Anderson seemed the most original of the heist movie filmmakers. Even more so than...

After the high voltage Playboy/Madame Bovary bash on Wednesday, I made a return to the House that Waris (temporarily) built under the Highline on Sunday evening for his closing event with Wes Anderson. The occasion was twofold: to celebrate the Criterion Collection's Special Edition DVD release of Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited (Waris himself plays a role both in the feature and in "Hotel Chevalier," the Natalie Portman short which precedes the film); and to enjoy the first-ever public showing of original artwork and select reproductions by Eric Chase Anderson (brother of Wes), who signed worked specifically for the special guests in attendance. The vibe was considerably more mellow than Wednesday's all night affair, but the crowd was no less impressive. Harvey Keitel, Cynthia Rowley, and Terence Koh were among the intimate group of boldfacers and industry types who...

A look at what's new on DVD today:

"The Darjeeling Limited" (2007)

Directed by Wes Anderson

Released by Criterion Collection

Anderson's underappreciated trip to India on the backs of three brothers (Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson) who take a train the country to honor their late father gets a reexamination with this Criterion Collection edition that includes a new documentary, an audio commentary from Anderson, Schwartzman and Roman Coppola, audition footage, a video essay from Matt Zoller Seitz, a chichat between Anderson and the late James Ivory about the film's music and Anderson's ad for American Express and the short "Hotel Chevalier" with Natalie Portman.

"As Good As Dead" (2010)

Directed by Jonathan Mossek

Released by First Look Entertainment

Andie MacDowell, Frank Whaley and Matt Dallas star as spurned cult members from the South who take a New Yorker (Cary Elwes) hostage years after they believe he's killed their leader in this thriller.

The Darjeeling Limited Directed by: Wes Anderson Written by: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman Staring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman It took some time, but I did eventually warm up to Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. I still think it's somewhat dominated -- and restricted -- by his obsessive sense of style, but the film holds some genuinely humorous moments that ultimately won me over in the end. Now, three years after it's theatrical release, Criterion has released a fully loaded special collector's edition of the film on blu ray, making up for the lame DVD release that came before it. If you've ever had the urge to revisit Darjeeling Limited, this is definitely the way to do it. I would imagine that most people have seen the film by now so I'll keep the synopsis short. Basically, three estranged brothers plan a trip across India to...

Natalie Portman engages in gratuitous nudity in her role as Isabel for her forthcoming flick Your Highness.Slapstick humour and B-movie special effects have been juxtaposed with a lingering shot of the actress' rear in a thong in the medieval comedy, reports the New York Daily News.Portman plays a kick-butt warrior princess who has a penchant for swimming in next to nothing.Though she appeared fully nude in Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier and showed much of her behind as a stripper in Closer, this is the first film in which the 29-year-old actress' nudity is simply offered up as an eyeful ...

New York, Oct 11 – Natalie Portman engages in gratuitous nudity in her role as Isabel for her forthcoming flick ‘Your Highness’.

Slapstick humour and B-movie special effects have been juxtaposed with a lingering shot of the actress’ rear in a thong in the medieval comedy, reports the New York Daily News.

Portman plays a kick-butt warrior princess who has a penchant for swimming in next to nothing.

Though she appeared fully nude in Wes Anderson’s short film ‘Hotel Chevalier’ and showed much of her behind as a stripper in ‘Closer,’ this is the first film in which the 29-year-old actress’ nudity is simply offered up as an eyeful for the audience.

Danny McBride.

Like Robert Zemeckis, someone else is returning to live-action films. However, this guy hasn't been gone for too long. Wes Anderson's last effort was appropriately titled Fantastic Mr. Fox. Before that in 2007, he offered up The Darjeeling Limited and the accompanying short, Hotel Chevalier. Production Weekly tweeted this little update: "Wes Anderson has begun pre-production on his next live-action project, the untitled feature is scheduled to begin filming in the Spring."...

I love that well-established filmmakers are directing commercials. As long as we must be advertised to, why not make the ads interesting and somewhat like short films? I know that's what Jason Batemen and Will Arnett have said they're going for with their comedic Orbit commercials, and Frank Miller's new Speed Racer meets Sin City Gucci ad, for which we've seen a trailer, appears to be going after the Comic-Con crowd (will there be more designer handbags in San Diego next summer?)

Now Martin Scorsese gives us a cool new ad for the Chanel fragrance Bleu, which The Playlist likens to a Wes Anderson script (specifically the Darjeeling Limited-based short Hotel Chevalier, I assume), but which also reminds me more of Sofia Coppola's latest, Somewhere. And of course there's a bit of a Blow-Up homage in there. Maybe a hint of 8 1/2?

The commercial stars French actor Gaspard Ulliel,...

This October, Wes Anderson’s 2007 film, the Darjeeling Limited, will finally make it’s way into the Criterion Collection. This was a much anticipated release from the earliest days of it’s availability on DVD. As Anderson’s other live action works (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) have all been made available as Criterion editions, many have wondered when the Darjeeling Limited with find it’s place.

When it was announced on July 15th, as has been the case recently, Criterion did not have final artwork ready to put alongside the release details on their website (see also: The Thin Red Line and Paths of Glory). When Criterion sent out their initial press notes for the October releases, they included a temporary piece of art, that was clearly not going to be used as it’s final product release artwork, due to...

Criterion has announced their October releases and they’ve lined up some great titles including Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited, Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 1977 film House. Criterion has provided us with high resolution front and back cover art as well as details on each release. Hit the jump to take a look. All are being released on DVD and Blu-ray:

The Darjeeling Limited

In The Darjeeling Limited, from director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox), three estranged American brothers reunite for a meticulously planned, soul-searching train voyage across India, one year after the death of their father. For reasons involving over-the-counter painkillers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray, the brothers eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert—where a new, unplanned chapter of their journey begins. Featuring a sensational cast,...

Here we are again: another mid-month Criterion Collection new release announcement, with some incredible titles to talk about. Many of today’s announced titles have been teased at in one way or another, over the past few months.

First up we are finally going to see Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece, Criterion Collection #2, Seven Samurai finally making its high definition debut in the states. This release was something that Criterion mentioned back in December, as the Ak 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa was released, and the Yojimbo / Sanjuro films were about to be announced on Blu-ray. In the post, Jonathan Turell mentioned that they wanted to have Seven Samurai ready on Blu-ray for Kurosawa’s birth month as well, but that it wouldn’t be ready until later in the year. The Seven Samurai Blu-ray was also teased at earlier this year when Amazon suddenly added a pre-order page for it,...

Happy 29th, you delicious creature!

"Thank you. My name is Jane."

7 Best Natalie Portman performances

Léon | The Professional (1994)Closer (2004)SNL "Natalie Raps" (2008)

Cold Mountain (2003)Hotel Chevalier (2007)Garden State (2004)Beautiful Girls (1996)

I almost got super cheeky and put the forthcoming Black Swan (2010) at #1 on account of Darren Aronofsky sitting in that director's chair. He brings out career bests from actors without fail, does he not? See also: Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Hugh Jackman, Mickey Rourke and (far more arguably) Ellen Burstyn & Marisa Tomei.

Nudity in Hollywood has been variously described as beautiful, creative or explicit. But lately many famous actors have been vowing never to bare it all.Oscar winner Kate Winslet, who showed off her bare body in a series of films like 'Titanic', 'Hamlet', 'Iris', 'Holy Smoke' and 'The Reader', has said no to nude scenes.During an interview, Winslet said: 'I can't keep getting away with it and I don't want to become 'that actress who always gets her kit off.' 'Ever since 'Pretty Woman' Julia Roberts embraced motherhood, she has refused to go nude onscreen for the sake of her kids. The original script for her 2009 film 'Duplicity' involved a raunchy sex scene, but she insisted it be toned down.'I refuse to do nude sex scenes, now that I'm a mother,' she said during the film's London premiere.

A few years after Wes Anderson’s Hotel Chevalier, which paired Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman in a brief but memorable romance, Schwartzman gets another lovely, five-minute girlfriend in his cousin Gia Coppola’s short film for Opening Ceremony, Non Plus One. It’s a reunion of sorts. Kirsten Dunst first appeared with him in another Coppola project, Sofia’s Marie Antoinette. This time, with a wink to their French roots, the actors salute New Wave while dressed in Opening Ceremony’s new collection and backed by “Is This Sound Okay?,” a track by Schwartzman’s band, Coconut Records. Note: The clip’s sound is, in fact, okay. The first bit is silent. non plus one final from Tracy Antonopoulos on Vimeo.

Actress Natalie Portman has revealed she was 'terrified' about having to kiss Mila Kunis in their new movie 'Black Swan' and worried their steamy encounter would overshadow the whole film.The actress has a steamy scene with Kunis in the supernatural thriller and admits she struggled to overcome her nerves before locking lips with another woman, reports fashion.ie.'I was terrified. At the moment I lived in a state of inner terror,' she said.Portman, who previously shot a nude scene for short film 'Hotel Chevalier', is also worried the lesbian sequence may overshadow the plot of the film.'Nudity is something absolutely natural and I'm not prudish but in a film it can be distracting. Doing 'Black Swan' I couldn't say no. The project is a huge opportunity for me to show a new me. I can't always play the nice mothers.