Some have said that The Darjeeling Limited is a movie for Wes Anderson's fans. While that description is fairly accurate, it also suggests that this is some sort of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back project -- a self-indulgent film only for those filled with Anderson adoration. While it does tap into the magic that brings fans to the filmmaker -- the rich colors, quirky characters, and strange introspection -- it is also a study of grief, and a film that perfectly embodies the importance of charisma and chemistry.

As Erik Davis wrote in his NYFF review, it's hard to see Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson as brothers, but from the minute they come together on screen, each mannerism and look makes them seem immediately comfortable with each other, as if they are actually related and intimately familiar. It doesn't matter that they all look incredibly different. Brody slips into Anderson's world fluidly, and the three leads play off each other, making the quirk not only palpable, but subtly genuine.

You might not have heard of Mr. Skin prior to 2007, but once Knocked Up hit screens, Mr. Skin became a household name. And who better to throw together a top 20 nude scenes of 2007 list then the dude whose job it is to spot, record and gain access to each and every piece of big-screen nudity. It may not be the most intellectual year-end list, but it's certainly one that grabs a lot of attention. So who made the list? Who came in at number one? And would Mr. Skin throw a bone to the film that catapulted the site to nekked super-stardom? I think maybe ...

Coming in at numero uno on the top nude scenes of 2007 list was -- drum roll please -- 43-year-old (and still hot) Marisa Tomei for baring all that and then some in Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Tomei wastes no time in shedding off the clothes, as the film's opening shot reveals her bent over on all fours doing the nasty with Philip Seymour Hoffman. She continues to remain nude for a good hour of the film until, finally (and regretfully) she puts her clothes back on. Surprisingly, Natalie Portman's infamous nude scene in the Wes Anderson short Hotel Chevalier came in at number three (proving you can weigh 70 pounds soaking wet and still look hot), while Keeley Hazell (Cashback), Christina Ricci (Black Snake Moan) and Sienna Miller (Factory Girl) rounded out the top five. Knocked Up finally crashes the list at number 10 (with nude shots of Stormy Daniels, Nautica Thorn and a Mr. Skin plug at the fifty-nine-minute mark). Special kudos from Cinematical go out to Heather Matarazzo (18 on the list) for sporting the birthday suit in Hostel: Part II (is this the same girl from Welcome to the Dollhouse?) and Danielle Harris (17 on the list) for her nude scene in Zombie's Halloween ... after playing little Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and 5 almost 20 years ago. Oh, and even though it's TV, shouldn't the cast of Tell Me You Love Me get some sort of special nudity award for 2007? Like, most uncomfortable nudity ever! It's only right ...

Check out the full list after the jump, then let us know what your favorite nude scenes of 2007 are.

[via Slashfilm]

The World Entertainment News Network (WENN) is reporting that Natalie Portman has second thoughts about doing a nude scene for Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier, which will play in front of The Darjeeling Limited when it expands to nearly 800 theaters tomorrow. According to WENN, Portman said: "I'm really sorry I didn't listen to my intuition. From now on, I'm going to trust my gut more. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say no." Portman also says she'll never appear nude on screen again -- cue thousands of pervy men crying out like Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith: "Nooooooooooo!!!"

You might recall that Portman had second thoughts about nudity in the past. She played a stripper in Mike Nichols' Closer but then evidently convinced Nichols to cut out footage that was too revealing. Then rumor had it that she appeared in the buff in Milos Forman's Goya's Ghosts, but the naked bits were provided by a body double -- and it was an unpleasant torture scene anyway.

What surprises me about her latest regret is that Wes Anderson financed Hotel Chevalier out of his own pocket. He's not exactly known as a hound dog director, exploiting actresses by making them take off their clothes, though most of his films (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) have included nudity. Is it possible that she's more concerned now because the interest in Hotel Chevalier has been driven almost entirely by her exposed bits? (All due respect to Anderson, but there's no way half a million people would have downloaded the short off iTunes if not for her appearance.) Or possibly she's tired of all the cute headlines calling her "Naked Natalie." (Guilty as charged.) Maybe we can all get it out of our system this weekend.

UPDATE: It was all a big misunderstanding. WENN based their news item on a press release by PARADE, touting Portman's first-person article, "What I've Learned (So Far)," which will appear in print on Sunday. In a statement that has been forwarded to Cinematical by a publicist representing Portman, PARADE states: "In the release, we say that Portman regrets doing a nude scene in the movie Hotel Chevalier. This is wrong. When Portman writes about this in PARADE, she does not mention a specific movie title. However, she tells us she was referring to a torture scene with a body double in Goya's Ghosts, which was taken out of context and leaked onto the internet. Portman is very happy with Hotel Chevalier and proud of her work in the film. PARADE apologizes for the error." The entire article is now available online.

On November 20, for the first time ever, a movie will be exclusively distributed via iTunes. Yes, we already heard about this briefly when our own Kevin Kelly talked with Edward Burns at ComicCon. But at the time, Burns had said he would be given a trial run, in which his latest film, Purple Violets, would be available on iTunes for four weeks beginning on October 9. That date has come and gone, and now the New York Times has revealed that the film will actually get a full, exclusive release on November 20. That means you won't be able to see it in theaters, or on DVD, or on Cable. Yet, anyway. Personally, I'm a bit shocked the idea didn't happen sooner. There's tons and tons of indie films out there that can't get good distro. Going with iTunes sounds like a great opportunity to get notice. Plus, with iTunes still only offering less than 1000 movies, and still unable to get titles from all the studios, the service would do well to increase its library with exclusives like this. The idea certainly worked for companies like Netflix, which started exclusive distribution via its Red Envelope Entertainment moniker. Maybe one day, like Red Envelope, iTunes could even produce its own movies.

The Times goes into detail about iTunes distribution, mentioning the strategy of putting Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier up for free download, which sparked extra interest in The Darjeeling Limited. It also points out the benefit of having short films on iTunes in general, not just for well-knowns like Anderson. The move can affect DVD rentals, though, according to Burns, who has had difficulty securing video distribution for Purple Violets now that it will be available on iTunes. The movie, which stars Burns, Debra Messing, Patrick Wilson and Selma Blair, premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Eric called it Burns' "best film since The Brothers McMullen ... a more mature film than anything Burns has done in the past."

Early buzz hasn't been too nice to Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited, which opens this week, on the 29th. But does it really matter, at least, if you're a fan? I remember hearing a lot of bad things about The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, but Wes still caught me hook, line, and sinker. This time around, things are up in the air. Beyond some crappy response to the film, fans were dealt a blow when Fox announced that the prequel short, Hotel Chevalier, would not screen in its regular release like it did during festival screenings. However, Apple is coming to the rescue, at least for fans in selected cities, according to indieWIRE.

Lucky fans in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and LA will be able to see the short in all of its 12-minute glory, tomorrow, September 25, at 9 pm. Sweetening the pot even further -- Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, and Natalie Portman will be at the SoHo store in New York, and co-writer Roman Coppola will make an appearance at the Chicago store. Darjeeling is about three American brothers, Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, and Owen Wilson, who head to India on a spiritual quest and then find their journey veering into unexpected territory. Chevalier is a prequel to the story, which stars Jason and Natalie in a Paris hotel room -- the end of their love, and the prologue of the journey.