Zach Galifianakis

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The stretch of Hollywood Boulevard in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard was decked to the nines Thursday in red, white and blue stars and stripes fit for an all-American political campaign. But the crowd wasn't waiting for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney -- this was all about Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and"The Campaign. " If anyone from the movie's cast had to vote for congressional candidates Cam Brady or Marty Huggins, played by Ferrell and Galifianakis, respectively, they would pick neither, they said.

Filmmaker Todd Phillips, who directed "The Hangover" and its upcoming sequel, "The Hangover Part II" (which he also cowrote), has succeeded where any number of comic filmmakers have floundered: He brings cinematic gags to the very edge of acceptability, makes sure (through test screenings) that no one is overly insulted, and then takes the jokes one step further. "The audience inevitably tells me where the line is, and I end up two inches past it," he says. Other than a recent flap with the Motion Picture Assn.

The Brooklyn-based writer Jonathan Ames was in Southern California not long ago, not long before the third-season premiere of "Bored to Death," a lovely and good-hearted detective comedy about a Brooklyn-based writer named Jonathan Ames. Ames, who created and writes or co-writes every episode, had come west to appear on Craig Ferguson's talk show, where the two would discuss hair and masturbation. The writer is not shy about airing what for most people would remain hidden desires: "What's Not to Love?

"The Hangover Part III" trailer promises plenty of mayhem as we see the return of Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Ken Jeong for the final installment of Todd Phillips' trilogy. The latest trailer includes very few lines of dialogue and only hints at the plot: Revenge on Sin City. The teaser dramatically opens with Cooper and Helms' characters -- Phil and Stu, respectively -- attending a funeral, which showcases a moving "Ave Maria" solo from Galifianakis' Alan. "My God. He's got the voice of an angel," Phil says.

It was kind of a sad story for the biggest specialty film at the box office this weekend. The Zach Galifianakis dramatic comedy "It's Kind of a Funny Story," which distributor Focus Features launched in a small nationwide run at 742 theaters, took in a disappointing $2.1 million. Focus, Universal Pictures' specialty label, had hoped to end up with closer to $4 million for the well-reviewed picture. "Funny Story," from "Half Nelson" and "Sugar" directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, played in a number of college towns, and its sparsely populated audiences consisted mostly of people under 25. "We're disappointed it didn't do more business because it's such an enjoyable and entertaining film," said Focus domestic distribution president Jack Foley.

Just weeks before the national political conventions get underway, a crucial figure has yet to commit to the presidential race. Jason Sudeikis, who plays "Saturday Night Live's" Mitt Romney as a cheerfully button-down, out-of-touch, Ward Cleaver-like figure, said he has not yet decided whether to return to the sketch show when it resumes this fall. After nine years at "SNL" - the last few as the show's most valuable straight man - Sudeikis has been spending recent months focusing on his movie career.

Rude, rowdy and raunchy,"The Campaign"gleefully skewers the current sad state of American politics. With a target that tempting, it's not surprising that this cynical and funny film hits more often than it misses. Starring practiced comics Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as two politicians who do not hesitate to stoop as low as it takes to claim victory, "The Campaign" allows Jay Roach to nicely reconcile the divergent strands of his directing career. Roach has become known to HBO audiences in recent years as the director of a pair of smart, trenchant political dramas, the Sarah Palin-focused "Game Change" and "Recount," a look at the Bush-Gore Florida standoff, which won him a directing Emmy.

"It's Kind of a Funny Story" is kind of a perfect coming-of-age comedy, with its bittersweet fun set loose in the adult psych ward of a Brooklyn hospital where this clever case of teenage depression, identity and self-esteem is examined. But then there's nothing like being surrounded by serious craziness to put your own in perspective, which is exactly what happens to bright, success-obsessed, 16-year-old Craig Gilner, a bundle of complicated charm thanks to Keir Gilchrist ( "United States of Tara")

“Saturday Night Live” host Vince Vaughn seemed to favor bizarre sketches (“How about a scene where a rich man comes down from a hill and dances with all the boys at the prom ?” “What if there was a play where all the actors had short-term memory los s?”) over topical, but last night's episode did feature a Fred Armisen-led current events sketch that touched on that particular cast member's strengths: musical parody , crude British accents and subverting the stereotype of the angry young man characte r. In the week since Margaret Thatcher passed away, much has been written about the pop culture created in angry response to her politics, which was a topic “SNL” turned on its head.