Previously on Chuck:

            A lovable geek heading up his local Buy More’s Nerd Herd (think Best Buy’s Geek Squad), Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) leads a relatively normal, if somewhat nerdy life. All that changes after Chuck receives an encoded email from his ex-friend and former roommate Bryce Larkin, for when Chuck opens the email, his brain downloads the government’s most confidential files.

            Enter Agent “Sarah” Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) of the CIA and Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) of the NSA, who explain that Chuck is now the only government resource for accessing the Intersect, a supercomputer filled with classified information coded inside subliminal images. Sarah and Casey must take charge of both Chuck’s safety and the information he randomly provides (‘flashing’ when prompted by a trigger image). Chuck can be something of a handful, as he frequently places himself in danger by attempting to help conduct missions against various terrorists and assassins.

            Chuck must also keep his new role secret from his family and friends, meaning he must lie to his sister, Ellie (Sarah Lancaster), her boyfriend “Captain Awesome” (Ryan McPartlin), and his best friend Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez). John Casey becomes the Bartowski’s new neighbor, perpetually monitoring Chuck’s actions, and Sarah becomes Chuck’s ‘girlfriend.’ Though Chuck and Sarah constantly discuss their pretend relationship, the two have developed feelings for one another and care for one another’s well-being.

            Through a series of reveals, Chuck learns that Bryce had him expelled from Stanford to keep the government from using him and destroying his innocence. Bryce Larkin, believed dead, shows up and attempts to convince Sarah to leave with him, but she chooses to remain with Chuck. At the Buy More, Morgan begins dating Anna Wu (Julia Ling), a fellow member of the nerd herd, and becomes concerned when he feels Chuck no longer acts like his best friend.

Where we left off:

            Captain Awesome proposed to Ellie, who accepted wholeheartedly. Sarah and Chuck, though extremely close to one another, cannot admit that their feelings for one another are real. The replacement Intersect nears completion, and John Casey and Sarah must prepare themselves for the day when Chuck will become expendable.

Why you should be watching:

            The writing remains consistently humorous, geeky enough to include shout-outs to die-hard Lost fans and Mac users, but not over-the-top. Chuck Bartowski is downright adorable. His character is funny, intelligent, and relatable, and it’s easy to believe that Sarah would be attracted to him. Morgan, ever the twentysomething slacker, always has some scheme to make working at the Buy More slightly more bearable. The cast possesses chemistry, right down to the awkward bond between Casey and Chuck.

Chuck returns to NBC on September 29th at 8 p.m.

Previously on Pushing Daisies:

            As a child, Ned (Lee Pace) discovered one day that he possesses the strange ability to bring the dead back to life. His unexplained ability comes with some equally inexplicable rules, namely that the dead can only return for a single minute and, while Ned’s first touch brings life back, his second will take it away forever. Through a series of flashback scenes, we learn that Young Ned (Field Cate) defined these rules through unfortunate experimentation. After the death of his mother, Ned discovers his gift, but allows her to live past sixty seconds, resulting in the death of the closest equivalent life in proximity—the father of his childhood crush, Chuck (Anna Friel). Ned re-kills his mother when she touches him for the second time, just as she kisses him goodnight. The pair separate to lead out lonely childhoods, Ned discovering a love of pies at boarding school, and Chuck coming to love foreign languages while caring for her two neurotic aunts.

            In the present, Ned has opened a pie shop (adorably and aptly named ‘The Pie Hole’) and assists private detective Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) in solving mysteries. Finding murderers, Cod reasons, is much easier when you can simply ask the deceased who killed them. Chuck, meanwhile, takes her first steps into the world and promptly finds herself the victim of an unfortunate end. Ned rescues his childhood sweetheart, confessing his secret, childish crush—but he can never touch her again.

            The storybook feel of each episode relies heavily on the narration of Jim Dale and the colorful, absurd sets and costumes. The mysteries and crimes seem less gruesome and more whimsical, and the plot twists send the reluctant Ned into the most absurd situations. None of the murder victims can truly give the pie maker a straight answer (one victim informs Ned that his wife killed him, then Ned discovers the man is a polygamist), forcing Ned and Co. to do a little sleuthing on their own.

            Olive Snook (Kristen Chenowith), Ned’s assistant at The Pie Hole, adds to the drama by complicating matters between Ned and Chuck. Olive’s unrequited love for Ned leads her to think of Chuck as a romantic rival. The two eventually form a friendship over a mutual affection for Chuck’s prickly aunts, with Chuck baking mood-enhancers into pies, and Olive delivering the pies to the aunts and forcing them to interact with the outside world.

Where we last left off:

            Chuck, having discovered Ned’s role in her father’s death, refused to see or speak to him. Upset and lonely, Chuck nearly confesses her secret to Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens), who has sworn to uncover the mystery behind her unique scent (Vibenius is a perfume expert of sorts). She recants, saying that the only person she truly wants to share her secrets with is Ned. Olive, meanwhile, takes a double-dosed pie to Aunt Lily (Swoosie Kurtz), who hallucinates wildly before confessing that she is not Chuck’s aunt—she is Chuck’s mother.

Why you should be watching this show:

            Okay, I know what you’re thinking. This show sounds like an incredibly depressing Dr. Suess book. Murder in every episode, but it’s got the feel of a children’s book? It works, it really does. With Pace as the socially awkward, good-hearted Ned and Friel as the enthusiastic, slightly naïve Chuck, you cannot help but cheer when the pair shares an inventive kiss through cellophane, or when Ned asks Chuck to dance in a bee-keeper’s suit. Forget high-profile crime drama and fast-paced legal shows. Ignore the soap-opera antics of sexy doctors and tune-in for a one-hour fairy tale. A word of advice—every episode features shots of mouthwatering slices of pie, so bring a snack with you to the couch.

Pushing Daisies will return to ABC on October 1st at 8 p.m.

"Bangkok Dangerous"

Directed by: Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Charlie Yeung, Shahkrit Yamnarm

Plot: Cage plays a hitman who travels to Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs. While there he falls for a local woman and bonds with his errand boy. 

"Everybody Wants to be Italian"

Directed by: Jason Todd Ipson

Starring: Jay Jablonski, Cerina Vincent, John Kapelos

Plot: Eight years after separating from his ex, Jake is still pining for her. He then meets Marisa, a beautiful Italian woman, and learns how far he'll go for her when he opts to disguise the fact that he's not Italian.

Around this same time last year, writing buddies Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg conquered the August heat by entertaining audiences with high-school comedy "Superbad." Their latest project, "Pineapple Express," is a darker and more violent buddy comedy in which the heroes are chasing the perfect high and being chased by rival drug lords, giving new meaning to the paranoid pothead.

A little weary of the Judd Apatow brand, I had my doubts about "Pineapple Express." "Knocked Up" grossed out the guys (thanks for sharing, Katharine Heigl) but didn't win the hearts of the girls, "Superbad" reduced audiences to 15-year-old boys, and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" had a little too much of Jason Segel's sad manhood. So, you can't really blame me for lowering my expectations after seeing a trailer for "Pineapple Express" in which stoner James Franco exclaims that the titular drug "smells like God's vagina."

Oh, how wrong I was. Director David Gordon Green, known better for his dark dramas ("Snow Angels") than for any sort of gross-out comedy, brings a little bit of the macabre to "Pineapple Express," making it violently funny and at the same time thrilling. 

As for the story, we've got Seth Rogen starring as Dale Denton, a process server who makes his job more bearable by being as stoned as possible as often as possible. He gets his drugs from James Franco's Saul Silver, a lonely but kind-hearted dealer sporting an ancient "Jaws" t-shirt and striped pajama-style pants. The brotherly love begins to show when Saul shares a bit of top-shelf product, called pineapple express, with his favorite customer Denton. This blend of pot is so unmistakable that when Denton witnesses a murder while delivering legal papers and throws his joint into the street, he and Saul are immediately targeted, via middleman Red (Danny McBride) by drug lord Ted Jones (Gary Cole). 

Though Dale isn't about to call Saul his best friend, he certainly doesn't want to bring any harm to anyone involved, and the two take off into the night. After destroying their cell phones and spending a night in the woods, they decide to pay a visit to Red. This is when the buddy comedy about potheads that could have been written by the characters from "Superbad" turns violent. Red's apartment is destroyed, blood is shed, and bones are broken, only to find out that he has already fingered Saul to Jones. Embroiled in a drug war between Jones, who has the cops on his side, namely female cop Carol (Rosie Perez), and the gang known fittingly vaguely as "the Asians," Dale and Saul realize that this isn't the normal brand of weed-fueled paranoia and that their lives really are in danger.

For a film that is so tightly put together throughout its first half, it was surprising to watch it come apart at the seams in the latter. Throughout the Jones-Carol subplot, it appears as though the actors weren't aware of what type of film they were in, failing to bring comic levity to the ridiculous situations. The level of violence is high here (no pun intended), and Green's cinematographer Tim Orr shoots with an unsteady hand-held that gives the film a "Bourne"-ish feel during fight scenes that is missing from the rest of the film. Once the guys make it to Jones's lair, all hope for a good script and story go out the window; everyone needs to die, and they need to do so violently. Thank God for the laugh-packed first half of the film and the final diner scene, which together save "Pineapple Express" from slipping away into a bloody mess. 

Speaking of the laughs, most of them come from Franco's lovable but hopeless Saul Silver. Selling pot to make sure his grandmother can stay in a nice retirement home, audiences can't help but feel for Saul and his misguided ways. Franco brings a level of complete believability to the role, enabling Saul to be able to both throw his cell phone into the woods in hopes that it would deter the cops and use the word "insinuating" without either seeming out of character or surprising the viewer. 

Rogen works well as hapless Dale, but he doesn't bring anything new to the table in the film - a Seth Rogen role is a Seth Rogen role. One of Apatow's major successes has been his ability to put men like Seth Rogen (and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"'s Jason Segel) in the spotlight as leading romantic figures or heroes. Jason Segel, however, brought a little more heart to his role in "Marshall" than Rogen does here. 

Third wheel Danny McBride should not be forgotten, as some of the bigger laughs come from his rednecky Red, who learns to forgive and forget even while losing massive amounts of blood. 

Violence and mid-film sloppiness aside, "Pineapple Express" proves to be an entertaining summer movie that, like all Apatow movies, emphasizes the fact that the most important relationship (even more important than stoner and dealer) is that between two male friends. Just because the stakes have been raised and the substance escalated, the message is the same as it was in "Superbad" : never leave a buddy behind on the quest for substance abuse. 

With "Tropic Thunder," actor Ben Stiller reprises a role he hasn't played since 2001: director. Having conquered the comic world of male models with his last hit "Zoolander," Stiller turns to poke fun at the industry responsible for his own fame. Though "Tropic Thunder" isn't as zany or quotable as "Zoolander," it's an accessible comedy about the movie business that boasts an all-star cast and proves undeniably entertaining. Plus, it just may have saved Tom Cruise's career.

Films about Hollywood are risky undertakings since it is all too easy to fall into the trap of making your film difficult to understand for outsiders. Barry Levinson's "What Just Happened?" failed to connect with audiences at both the Sundance and Cannes Film Festival this year. "Tropic Thunder," thankfully, is more concerned with making us laugh than really getting under Hollywood's skin. "Tropic Thunder," the comic version of "Hearts of Darkness," the documentary about the seemingly endless troubles encountered in the Vietnam jungle by the cast and crew of "Apocalypse Now," satirizes actors and acting, agents and studio execs, writers, trailers and the entire Hollywood machine. 

Viewers are introduced to these star caricatures through promos and trailers for their own ridiculous products: rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Johnson) promotes his "Booty Sweat" energy drink and "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar while singing his hit single "I Love Tha' Pussy". Action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) is featured in a trailer for his latest film, "Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown;" clips from the previous five "Scorcher" movies are so repetitive that even the voice-over guy for the trailer seems skeptical. Comic actor Jeff "Fatty" Portnoy (Jack Black) appears playing the entire cast of his flatulent franchise "The Fatties: Fart 2" Eddie Murphy-style. Finally Australian actor and five-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) is introduced in a trailer for "Satan's Alley," depicting two monks (the other played by Tobey Maguire) who begin a passionate but sinful affair.

These pop culture symbols come together under director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), who is so far unsuccessfully adapting John "Four Leaf" Tayback's (Nick Nolte) Vietnam war memoir "Tropic Thunder." Speedman, Lazarus, Chino and Portnoy, along with young character actor Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) star as the central platoon. To portray his character Sgt. Osiris, an African American, Lazarus has undergone a procedure to darken his skin, and he refuses to break out of character until "after the DVD commentary is recorded," which is causing problems with his co-stars and interfering with production.

After the set explosives guy (Danny McBride) mistakes one of the director's tantrums for the go-ahead on a series of expensive explosions and thus loses the production both time and money (not to mention some of their set and location), Cockburn decides (upon Four Leaf's suggestion) to take his actors deep into the jungle and film the movie guerilla-style. Cockburn doesn't last too long out there, leaving his cast on their own. To make things more difficult, the men are immediately mistaken for DEA agents by the Flaming Dragons, a heroin-producing gang. However, the actors are so unaware of reality and a world in which cell phones and personal assistants don't exist that they fail to realize that they're no longer making a movie. 

Written by Justin Theroux, Stiller, and Etan Cohen (not Ethan), "Tropic Thunder" makes use of first-hand knowledge of shooting on location, taking the liberty of spinning situations wildly out of control for maximum comic effect that entertains without going too far (well, at least not all the time). Just look at the way director Cockburn exits, which I'm sure illustrates how some actors feel about their directors, even if the way Speedman handles it turns your stomach. This scene, one of many, plays off of the writers' near-perfect blend of raunch and clever satire, showing Stiller's devil-may-care attitude that may result in the film offending the people who would most appreciate it. Out in the jungle, no one is safe, not even the mentally-challenged.

Matthew McConaughey makes an appearance as Rick "the Pecker" Peck, Speedman's agent, a man more concerned with getting his client hooked up with TiVo in the jungle than anything else, and an overweight and balding Tom Cruise nearly steals the show as sleezy and insane Hollywood producer Lee Grossman, who swigs Diet Coke and screams obscenities at his poor assistant and is prepared to let actors die if it means the movie will make more money. When the final product wins multiple Oscars, Grossman performs a hip-hop dance that more than compensates for Cruise's previous couch-hopping tendencies. He's still crazy, but at least he's found a way to mold his insanity into something both watchable and commercially successful.

The real show-stopper here is Downey Jr, who is on double-duty here with both Lazarus' Australian twang and Oscar count that nod to Russell Crowe and Osiris' dark skin and ghetto mannerisms that ridicule the extent to which some actors will go to get into character. One of the funniest and most memorable sequences of the film finds Lazarus (as Osiris) explaining the pitfalls of an actor going "full retard" for a role to a downtrodden Speedman, who tried for an Oscar nom with an "I Am Sam"-style film "Simple Jack" that only added to his count of box office failures. It's been a great year for Downey Jr so far with both "Tropic Thunder" and this summer's earlier box-office smash hit "Iron Man" proving that the actor is back, and in a big way. 

Audiences going into "Tropic Thunder" must be prepared for anything. But then again, would you expect any less from throwing Stiller, Black, and Downey Jr into the jungle together? There's no way around it, the film is offensive. But it seems that in today's world, the most popular humor comes from the most offensive material. Perhaps one day, Hollywood will drift back towards the intellectual comedy, but it certainly won't be this summer.

More casting decisions for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming "Inglorious Bastards" have been announced: German actress Diane Kruger ("Troy" and "National Treasure") will play German actress (this will be a stretch) Bridget Von Hammersmark who is involved in a plot to sabotage the Nazis. Christoph Waltz, best known in Germany for his television work since the late 1970s, will play Col. Hans Landa, the primary antagonist in the drama. Paul Rust has also been cast.

Production on "Inglorious Bastards" begins in Germany on October 13th.

Here's a look at the final trailer for "Max Payne," John Moore's adaptation of the popular video game starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, and Chris O'Donnell. 

From a stylistic standpoint, the movie looks pretty cool. Wahlberg looks to be enjoying the role of quasi-super hero; hopefully he's abandoned the tendencies of his "The Happening" science teacher. The trailer, set to a Marilyn Manson song, gives explanation for the Valkyrie/Angel of Death creatures flying around, but also makes the film look like it's just going to be a bunch of shooting guns, smashing glass, and blowing stuff up. 

"Max Payne" hits theaters October 17.

The "Harry Potter" effect has struck again! 20th Century Fox has announced that Baz Luhrmann's epic "Australia" will now open November 26th instead of November 14th. 

When "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was, to the horror of many a fifth-grader, moved from November 21st to next summer by Warner Bros., Sony moved "Quantum of Solace" to November 14th. "Australia" will now go up against "Transporter 3," "Four Christmases," "The Road," "Bolt" and "The Time Traveler's Wife."

The later release date gives "Australia" more time in the editing room; word on the range is that Luhrmann is currently in the midst of shooting pickup shots.

"The Accidental Husband" (8/22)

Uma Thurman plays talk radio show host Emma Lloyd who tells one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The ex then sets about getting his revenge. "The Accidental Husband" also stars Colin Firth.

"Death Race" (8/22)

It's the year 2020, but Jason Statham is still kicking ass. A three-time speedway champion (Statham) has been framed and jailed for murder at Terminal Island. This penitentiary has spawned the world's newest brutal sporting event: Death Race. Statham's character is forced to participate in the race in an attempt to win his freedom. The race is an insane three-day challenge, a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in the country's toughest prison, but he's driving a monster car outfitted with flamethrowers, machine guns, and grenade launchers. "Death Race" also stars Tyrese Gibson, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, and Natalie Martinez.

"Hamlet 2" (8/22)

A failed actor-turned-high-school-drama teacher rallies his Tucson, AZ students to create and stage a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. "Hamlet 2," the gross-out comedy smash hit of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, was written by the co-writer of the "South Park Movie" and "Team America."

"Traitor" (8/27)

Starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce, "Traitor" is an international thriller set against a mass of covert counter-espionage operations. FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy, and all clues seem to lead back to former US Special Ops Officer Samir Horn (Cheadle), who had a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation went down. Obsessed with uncovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as Horn burrows deeper into a world of mystery and intrigue.

"Babylon AD" (8/29)

Vin Diesel plays a veteran-turned-mercenary who agrees to escort a woman from Russia to Germany. What he doesn't realize is that the woman is a host for an organism that a cult wants to harvest into a genetically-modified Messiah. 

"Year of the Fish" (8/29)

A modern day adaptation of Cinderella, "Year of the Fish" translates the story into a massage parlor in New York's Chinatown specializing in "happy endings." An optimistic young girl travels to New York City hoping to earn money to send back to her ailing father. She expects to work in a beauty salon but instead learns that her father's distant cousin in fact runs a seedy massage parlor. She refuses to do sexual work and is thus relegated to servant work. Her only solace is a magical goldfish given to her by a sidewalk fortuneteller.

A new voice has been cast in the upcoming "Toy Story 3," adding one more piece to the puzzle this new Disney/Pixar creation has spawned.

Michael Keaton, who, let's face it, hasn't had a decent role since he played Batman in Burton's imagining of the Gotham world, will voice Ken (yes, as in Barbie and Ken). This will be his second appearance in a Pixar film; he provided the voice for Chick Hicks in "Cars."

To refresh what we have learned so far about "Toy Story 3," the film will be released in digital Disney 3D (probably a mistake) on June 18, 2010. Lee Unkrich, who edited the previous films and co-directed "Toy Story 2," will be directing a script proposed by Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo," "Wall-E") and written by Michael Arndt ("Little Miss Sunshine"). Voice talent including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, John Ratzenberger, and Jodi Benson (Barbie), will be returning for the third installment, and Pixar regular Randy Newman will provide the score. 

As for the story, all we know is that "Toy Story 3" picks up with the toys when they are given to a day-care center after Andy leaves for college.

"Son of Rambow"

Directed by: Garth Jennings

Starring: Neil Dudgeon, Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Stevenson, Jules Sitruk

Plot: In 1980s Britain, Will Proudfoot is raised in isolation among a puritanical religious sect called The Brethren. TV and music are strictly forbidden, so when Will sees his first movie, "Rambo: First Blood," his imagination takes off. Along with the school bully, Lee, Will sets out to make his own action movie.

"The Brotherhood of the Wolf"

Directed by: Christophe Gans,, Pascal Laugier, William Gereghty

Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Emilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Jeremie Renier

Plot: Based on a well-known French legend, "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" takes place in 1765, during the reign of Louis XV. A mysterious creature is roaming through rural France, leaving behind a trail of mutilated corpses. This beast, which has brought death to countless women and children, has eluded capture for years. Determined to end the growing unrest of the people, the King sends a scientist and his Iroquois blood brother to track down and kill the beast.

Just as any "Lord of the Rings" fan hoped, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro have ended the eight-month-long search for writers for the "Hobbit" films and hired themselves. 

Del Toro, the writer of "Hellboy" and "Pan's Labyrinth," will team up with "Lord of the Rings" director and writer Peter Jackson. In addition, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, Jackson's collaborators on the iconic trilogy, will join the team. 

When Jackson originally signed on to be the executive producer of the upcoming "Hobbit" films, he said he would not write the script due to schedule conflicts. When a director, del Toro, was decided upon, the two began to search for writers. However, during the almost-year-long process, the two discovered that their overwhelming love for the material and Jackson's intimate relationship with the realm of Middle Earth made them the ideal candidates for the job. Additionally, Jackson's understanding of Tolkien's world and work will also make the process go more smoothly and will allow the films to make their scheduled release dates. 

Principal photography is currently set for late 2009. The films, co-produced, co-financed, and co-distributed by New Line and MGM, will shoot at the same time. "Hobbit" is scheduled for release in 2011 with the sequel following the next year.

"Deal"

Directed by: Gil Cates, Jr.

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison, Shannon Elizabeth

Plot: Alex, a senior at Yale University, dreams of becoming a professional Texas Hold'em poker player but does not yet have the skill to rule the table. By chance, he meets Tommy Vinson, a retired poker legend who gave up the game long ago but now realizes that teaching Alex is a chance to regain confidence and pride. Tommy and Alex pair up and win every game they enter, but the team is torn apart by a Las Vegas call girl. Both men prepare for the World Poker Tour separately, but only one can win.

"The Life Before Her Eyes"

Directed by: Vadim Perelman

Starring: Uma Therman, Evan Rachel Wood, Gabrielle Brennan

Plot: On the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting that took the life of her best friend, suburban wife and mother Diana begins to question her seemingly perfect life. Through flashbacks, "The Life Before Her Eyes" shows Diana and her shy best friend Maureen. The relationship was strained as the day of the shooting approached, a fact that now haunts the adult Diana and disrupts the quiet life she's now leading. The mystery unravels as the flashback Diana approaches the timeline of today's Diana.

"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"

Directed by: Bharat Nalluri

Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Shirley Henderson, Lee Pace

Plot: Set in 1939, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" follows the antics of a middle-aged governess who finds herself dismissed from yet another job. After a lifetime of playing by the rules, Miss Pettigrew realizes that it is time for her to seize the day, which she does by intercepting a job assignment as a "social secretary." Hired by actress and singer Delysia Lafosse, Miss Pettigrew is ushered into the world of high-society. She tries to help her new boss by navigating her love life and career, a task made complex by three men: a junior impresario Phil, devoted pianist Michael, and intimidating nightclub owner Nick. Miss Pettigrew herself is drawn to Joe, a successful designer, and she begins to rely on Delysia just as Delysia relies on her for strength to discover her romantic destiny.

"Prom Night"

Directed by: Nelson McCormick 

Starring: Brittany Snow, Johnathon Schaech, Brianne Davis, Kelly Blatz

Plot: If you thought your prom was bad... A dark secret amongst a group of children comes back to haunt them in the form of a vengeful murderer on their prom night.

"Street Kings"

Directed by: David Ayer

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans

Plot: A veteran LAPD Vice Detective sets out on a quest to find the killers of his former partner. He teams up with a young Robbery Homicide Detective to track the killers through the communities in Los Angeles. 

The New York Film Festival lineup has been announced, and for anyone who was paying attention to the films shown in the south of France this past May in a little old thing called the Cannes Film Festival, it may look a bit familiar.

The festival will open with "Entre les Murs (The Class)" the winner of the Palme d'Or this past May. Directed by Laurent Cantet of France, "The Class" is a tough and lively look inside a high school classroom filled with real teachers and students.

The centerpiece film of the festival will be Clint Eastwood's latest "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie as a single mother who becomes part of a mass-murder case when her young son goes missing in 1928.

Closing the festival will be "The Wrestler," Darren Aronofsky's new film starring Mickey Rourke.

Other films include: 

"24 City," Jia Zhangke (China/Hong Kong/Japan)

"Afterschool," Antonio Campos (USA)

"Ashes of Time Redux," Wong Kar Wai (Hong Kong)

"Bullet in the Head," Jaime Rosales (Spain/France)

"Che," Steven Soderbergh (France/Spain)

"Chouga," Darezhan Omirbaev (France/Kazakhstan)

"Un conte de Noel (A Christmas Tale)," Arnaud Desplechin (France)

"Four Nights With Anna," Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland/France)

"Gomorrah," Matteo Garrone (Italy)

"Happy-Go-Lucky," Mike Leigh (UK)

"The Headless Woman," Lucrecia Martel (Argentina/France/Italy/Spain)

"Hunger," Steve McQueen (UK)

"I'm Going to Explode," Gerardo Naranjo (Mexico)

"Let it Rain," Agnes Jaoui (France)

"Lola Montes," Max Ophuls, (France/West Germany)

"Night and Day," Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)

"The Northern Land," Joao Botelho (Portugal)

"Serbis," Brillante Mendoza (Philippines/France)

"Summer Hours," Olivier Assayas (France)

"Tokyo Sonata," Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Japan/Netherlands)

"Tony Manero," Pablo Larrain (Chile/Brazil)

"Tulpan," Sergey Dvortsevoy (Germany/Kazakhstan/Poland/Russia/Switzerland)

"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman (Israel/Germany/France)

"Wendy and Lucy," Kelly Reichardt (USA)

"The Windmill Movie," Alexander Olch (USA)

The New York Film Festival runs from September 26 to October 12.

Mega-star Brad Pitt has signed on to work with director Quentin Tarantino on his next project "Inglorious Bastards," a WWII-era film that will begin shooting in October. Pitt will play Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a band of soldiers seeking vengeance on Nazis in German-occupied France. 

Mike Myers has also signed onto the project. He will play British General Ed Fenech, a military mastermind partly responsible for coming up with a plan to wipe out Nazi leaders. Tarantino was originally courting Adam Sandler for the part. Don't worry, Myers's role is one of the smaller cameos of "Inglorious Bastards."

Simon Pegg and Nastassja Kinski are also in talks to join the cast. "Inglorious Bastards," inspired by Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 movie of the same name, is set to debut at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009.

To no great surprise, "The Dark Knight" broke another record to become the second highest domestic grosser behind only "Titanic." As of Friday, the film's 30th day of release, "The Dark Knight'"s North American total stood at $459,608,000. "Titanic" is still No. 1 with $600,788,188. It must be noted that these numbers have not been adjusted for inflation (remember back when the average ticket was $5?).

"Tropic Thunder," the film that was supposed to knock "The Dark Knight" from its box office throne, opened quietly on Wednesday with $6.5 million nationwide. This is half of what "Pineapple Express," another R-rated comedy, opened with last Wednesday. 

Box office analysts estimated that "Thunder" would bring in a figure in the "high teens" over the five-day weekend, but even that's extremely low for a big-budget summer comedy with A-list actors including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and even Tom Cruise! 

Some factors that led to such a small opening have been identified: Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations claimed that the marketing campaign sold the film as a war movie instead of a spoof on Hollywood actors; he also said that a lot of moviegoers probably didn't realize that the release date had been moved up from Friday to Wednesday. 

By the end of the weekend, however, "Tropic Thunder" has pulled ahead to bring in a total of an estimated $37 since its opening on Wednesday ($26 million on the weekend days only). Though "Thunder" met expectations and pushed "The Dark Knight" to the No. 2 slot, $37 million still isn't that impressive for a film that cost $135+ million to make. 

"The Dark Knight" brought in a still-impressive $16.7 million for the weekend after enjoying four straight weeks at the No. 1 slot. 

In third place for the weekend was the LucasFilm/Warner Bros. animated feature "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" with $15.5 million. 

On Thursday, Warner Bros. moved the release of the sixth Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," to July 2009 from its original slot in November 2008. Millions of young adults are outraged, as it has been over a year since the release of the fifth installment in the series. 

With trailers for "Half-Blood Prince" already running and announcing the November release, why push the film back? Warner Bros. claims that the move is a result of wanting to make the film a big summer release instead of a holiday release. They must not have a lot lined up for the summer, a period that can represent as much as 40% of Hollywood's annual box office. 

In case you're already worried about the two-part finale, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the studio says that the later release of "Half-Blood Prince" will not change plans for "Hallows." The release date for the first part of the seventh film is set for November 2010. 

Taking "Half-Blood Prince"'s place this November will be Disney's computer animated film "Bolt," featuring the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus. "Bolt" will now open the weekend of November 21st.

In other news, the Tom Cruise starrer "Valkyrie" has once again been moved, but this time to an earlier date. The WWII-set movie, moved twice already in less than a year (the last time to February 2009) will now be released on December 26 of this year in hopes of catching the buzz of the holiday season. Perhaps the rumors of the film not being good enough to be released during awards season made the studios think they had something to prove. 

The film was originally set for a June 2008 release, was changed to October to allow the director to reshoot an important battle sequence, was then changed to February 2009 to supposedly take advantage of the President's Day weekend at the box office, and has now been moved back to a release this year.