Definitely some good people behind this movie.

The film appears to be of the science fiction horror genre with Brody and Polley as scientists who disregard ethical boundaries and splice together human and animal DNA to form a sort of hybrid organism.

This new species makes a final metamorphosis that could destroy humanity.

Splice is in post-production right now and is set for a 2009 release date, so we have quite awhile to wait.

The weirdness sets in when I researched this movie and discovered pictures of the creature that is created by the two scientists. I fully want to credit Aint it Cool News for posting these photos twice now (once they were asked to take them down), which you can see below.

A word of warning: One of these photos could be deemed NSFW. The creature is female and one of the shots is a sort of naked side view.

This movie is going to be interesting, judging from these photos. Adrien Brody is a great actor, the production team behind it is awesome, but the pictures are what jump out at you. They are startling and creepy.

I’ll let you judge it for yourself.

(I’m testing out a new photo gallery plugin here, hope you guys enjoy it)

If you want to see the rest of the photos, some of which were a bit too nude for me to want to post here, visit Aint it Cool News to see them all.

The Essentials

Title: The Darjeeling Limited (official site)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, and Jason Schwartzman
Running Time: 1:31
Release Date: October 26, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for language.

The Plot of “The Darjeeling Limited”

Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray), and they eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert with eleven suitcases, a printer, and a laminating machine. At this moment, a new, unplanned journey suddenly begins.

The Story of “The Darjeeling Limited”

Francis (Owen Wilson) has invited his brothers, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody), to join him on a train trip for a spiritual quest through India. The brothers have been estranged since their father’s sudden death, and each is now embroiled in his own personal drama. Jack is being toyed with by his two-timing girlfriend, Peter’s wife is about to give birth, and Francis recently survived a car crash that nearly killed him. As the train chugs its way across India, the brothers try to reconnect, but mainly end up arguing and sharing pharmaceuticals. Francis admits that the real reason he lured them there is because he wants them to visit their mother (Anjelica Huston), who is living in a convent in the Himalayas. Peter and Jack are none too pleased with this plan, and immediately want to go home. The trip hits another snag when they are kicked off the train for a series of offenses. Stranded with their mountain of matching luggage, Peter and Jack are now insistent upon leaving. However, they suddenly find themselves brought together by an deadly accident involving some Indian children. The tragedy unites them, and they decide to continue on to their mother. Their visit with her proves revelatory, and they begin their journey homeward free of both their literal and metaphorical baggage.

The Review of “The Darjeeling Limited”

I should start off by saying that I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan. Everyone isn’t. I personally think his movies are incredibly funny and Rushmore is one of my all time favorite comedies. Having said that, I wasn’t that excited about seeing The Darjeeling Limited when it hit the theaters which explains why I didn’t see it until it came out on DVD.

All of Wes Anderson’s usual bag of tricks come to play in this, his fifth feature film. His frames are stuffed with impeccable sets constructed of vibrant colors and excessive attention to detail. The whimsical nature of his other films is present too, complete with the underlying melancholy that seems to saturate every character he creates. Anderson’s tastes in music, clothes, and cars is always interesting and always eccentric. You’ll not find fault with the camera work on a Wes Anderson film, nor will you find a weak performance from an actor.

So in many ways, The Darjeeling Limited is exactly like Wes Anderson’s other films. Yet, somehow, it’s completely different. The same sense of humor can be found buried beneath the quiet looks and witty dialogue, but this film has more of a “grown-up” feel to it; like something serious happened to Anderson in real life so he felt he must now make more serious films.

The Whitman brothers are not happy people. Francis, Jack and Peter Whitman are as in need of a spiritual journey as any three brothers who have graced the screen. The three of them are obviously lost, seeing the world around them with soulless eyes and hampered by unnatural attachments to their dead father’s objects. It is the oldest brother, Francis (played by Owen Wilson) who recognizes there is a problem. It is Francis who organizes the trip through India and it is Francis who knows that he must help them all find their mother and get closure on their father’s death if they are to get better. At least he recognizes the problem. He is, of course, too damaged to actually adequately pull off such a journey.

It is the attempt of the journey that is the heart of the film. It is the interactions of the brothers that makes the film work. At first glance the three actors are so dissimilar it seems odd that they could possibly play brothers. It is that apparent dissimilarity, however, that opens our eyes to all the little things, the subtleties, that the actors incorporate that make their brotherhood believable. And entertaining. The screenplay, of course, is to thank for much of what is good about these interactions.

The way the writers are able to work in little things, little pieces of dialogue and mannerisms was really good. I especially liked how Owen Wilson’s character was the big brother the whole time, always telling the others what to do and laying out plans for them like they were about to invade Normandy. The two brothers, despite not always agreeing, simply obeyed. The audience begins to think there’s no way anyone would take this sort of thing from their brother…and then we meet their mom…who’s just like Francis (Owen Wilson) and it all seems so perfect.

In fact, there’s a lot of stuff going on in this screenplay if you care to dig for it or think about it. You don’t have to. Some of it’s obvious (which I’ll get to in a moment) and you can simply enjoy the film as a lighthearted comedy full of witty jokes and snappy dialogue. However, for those who long for their comedies to mean more, Anderson and the other writers have provided us and the characters with long lists of neuroses and emotional issues to explore at leisure. Indeed, almost every action these guys take is a result of some emotional damage they’ve suffered in the past (and continue to suffer). A psychologist could work a lifetime on this family and never completely finish the task.

The brothers in the story are hampered by baggage, both real and emotional. The baggage serves as an all too obvious metaphor for the theme of the film, of course. Once the brothers lose the baggage (literally), they are able to shed their own baggage (figuratively). It’s a bit obvious for a Wes Anderson audience. It’s the subtle that we appreciate, and this was not subtle.

Still, though, there’s a certain joy in watching a Wes Anderson film. He has the rare ability to carry an audience with him on the journey he wants them to take and have them appreciate it when it’s over even if they don’t want to. At times I found myself wondering how long the movie had been going, but I never wanted to actually look away. I wanted the film to keep going because for every uninteresting or boring bit of dialogue Anderson might give us, he’s capable of giving us another scene that is completely brilliant. The film is funny, in a Wes Anderson sort of way. It’s also sad.

Many of Anderson’s regular cast show up in this film as well (even if only briefly) Anderson certainly knows how to get a performance from these actors and by now his steady troupe of entertainers know how to perform the way he wants them to as well. Adrien Brody was a nice addition to the regular stable of characters.

If you really want to get a firm grip on the emotion of the theme of The Darjeeling Limited, I highly recommend watching the short film Hotel Chevalier which is available on the DVD. The short was filmed as a prologue to the movie and is better than the film in a lot of ways. At the very least it is a perfect emotional introduction to the film and helps to explain much of what you will see in the movie. It also has some of the best dialogue…and Natalie Portman’s nude derriere.

Watch “The Darjeeling Limited” If…

You like Wes Anderson films. Possibly is you’re a Owen Wilson fan. Definitely if you’re a Jason Schwartzman fan. However, if you think Epic Movie was funnier than Rushmore…skip this because you aren’t going to understand the humor.

But this week is a whole new ballgame and one with some great picks, even some good movies I haven’t seen yet.

And let’s me tell you, for those of you lucky enough to be in the Blu-Ray camp, it looks like a great week to not be red.

Let’s get right into it. Here are the DVD releases for 1/8/08.

3:10 to Yuma

I’ve not seen it yet, but have heard fantastic things about this one starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. And from what they say, it’s another great performance by Bale last year to go with Rescue Dawn.

Not only it is out on DVD, but also Blu-Ray.

Sunshine

Okay, I wont go out on a limb and say this was an awesome science fiction film, because it had some issues. But, I really LOVED the overall plot of Sunshine where a team of astronauts are sent to re-energize our dying sun 50 years in the future.

The science behind it is interesting, what they find along the way is even moreso. This is my kind of science fiction movie. If I had to choose between I am Legend and this movie to re-watch, it would be this one. A film not scared to take a chance on a REAL science fiction story.

Which is what I am Legend could have been.

You can get Sunshine on DVD and also Blu-Ray, of course!

Zodiac: The Director’s Cut (Two-Disc special edition)

Wow, this movie is easily mistaken for being a 2007 film since it came out so long ago, but it was awesome. It’s been out on DVD for awhile, but this is a new special release with two-discs and a bunch of extras.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. are just a few of the many highlights of this film about the real life hunt that went on for the Zodiac serial killer during the 1960s and 1970s.

It’s available on HD-DVD for those of us with now outdated players.

So here are a few other good choices, including some great Blu-Ray and HD-DVD releases.

DVD (427 total titles released)

• Two and a Half Men: Complete Second Season – Some people really like this show
• Death Sentence – With Kevin Bacon, heard it sucked
• The Waltons: Complete Sixth Season – Never, EVER watched this show

(Also note, it’s not out yet, but you can now PRE-ORDER Battlestar Galactica Season 3 on DVD)
Blu-ray (9 total titles released)

• 3:10 to Yuma - Great western
  
• Sunshine – Yummy sci-fi
• The Rock - Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery in high-definition!
• Con-Air – Wow, even more Cage in high-definition, but this time with a little Jon Cusack thrown in!

HD DVD (7 total titles released)

• Zodiac - Twisted psycho serial killer
• The Pianist – Awesome film about the Nazi holocaust movie starring Adrien Brody

Buy any of these titles at Amazon.com