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In theaters Friday: The Darjeeling Limited, The Seeker , The Heartbreak Kid New on DVD: 1408 , Civic Duty , Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

If you've seen any of the reviews of Wes Anderson's Hotel Chevalier -- his new, free-on-iTunes short film and prologue to The Darjeeling Limited -- they've probably gone something like this: blah, blah, blah, stuff happens, blah, blah, blah, Natalie Portman takes off her clothes, blah, blah, blah, the end. While it's true that Portman shows more skin here than usual, that shouldn't be the point, now, should it? The idea that Anderson is using Portman's allure to bring more pubescent fan boy interest to Darjeeling is as absurd as thinking the actress would participate in anything that wasn't done tastefully and for good reason.

The most revealing thing about this short is not Portman's profile, it's the arrival of Jason Schwartzman as an adult actor of significance. There is nothing overtly funny or quirky about this performance. His character does not exist to be laughed at or cheered for. This is a defeated, broken and lost young man. The entire film hinges on his change of expression from the time he orders a grilled cheese via room service to the point that he picks up the phone and hears the voice of his ex on the other end of the line. If the entire room wasn't tinted a golden yellow, we could have seen the blood draining from his face.

As the rest of the film goes, it's talky, but heart-felt in a modern detached way. It won't win anything from non-Anderson fans other then a chorus of yawns or outright apathy. But whatever. Anderson is back. Hotel Chevalier is cool. And I can't wait to see 90 minutes of Schwartzman's character -- he plays the same lovelorn writer -- in The Darjeeling Limited.

Some might be wondering: If Anderson is releasing his short film for free, why aren't the faux trailers for Grindhouse available on iTunes as well? Instead, The Weinstein's chose to release Death Proof and Planet Terror separately and are holding out the trailers (many fans' favorite part of the experience) until they make everyone buy it all a second time with some kind of deluxe package. I guess that's the difference between marketing and really cultivating your base and appreciating your fans. Well played, Mr. Anderson, and a wag of the finger to you, Mr. Tarantino and Mr. Rodriguez.

Hey, Harry Knowles crawls out of his hole to give us an advance review of the sure-to-be-brilliant There Will Be Blood. You can read his musings here . This movie can't arrive fast enough.

Finally, the first poster for the Judd Apatow/Jake Kasdan joint Walk Hard is online. This image of John C. Reilly aping a shirtless Jim Morrison is funnier than the trailer, I think. I was shocked how little I laughed at this clip, given the fantastic cast. Judd Apatow is on a roll this year, but Walk Hard could be his first taste of backlash because it could easily fall into the Scary Movie category of spoofs. I'm keeping my expectations low. In fact, the only things I am really excited about are Jack White's cameo as Elvis Presley and Jack Black's cameo as Paul McCartney.