It may have just turned to spring, but as far as the movie year goes, we are officially in the summer. Furious 7 earned an estimated $143.6 million at the box office, placing it in as the 9th biggest opening of all time. Since this is proof that you were at the theater this weekend watching the latest installment in the crazy action franchise, here are some news items you may have missed:

Manoel de Oliveira 1908–2015

As announced on April 2, legendary Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira passed at the age of 106. Most known for I’m Going Home, the man made films all the way to the end, with 8 shorts and features released after his 100th birthday. de Oliveira got his start in the 1930s with documentary shorts, with this first feature released in 1941. It really wasn’t until the 2000s, though, that he really hit his stride with films like I’m Going Home, Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl and The Strange Case of Angelica. He is an inspirational case that shows you are never too old to make amazing art. Richard Brody has a great remembrance of the filmmaker at the New Yorker.

Bob Odenkirk and David Cross Return to Sketch Comedy on Netflix

The biggest news for Netflix this weekend is the season 4 announcement of House of Cards, the weirdest news is the possibility of a Full House renewal, but the best news is the pseudo-Mr. Show reunion, first reported by Deadline. With Bob and David will get four, half-hour episodes and an “making of” feature. Odenkirk went on to star in a hit cable program, Cross directed his first feature this year, but the duo was better together with hilarious sketches like “Titannica,” “The Teardrop Awards” and “Mustmayostardayonnaise.”

Groundhog Day Is the Next Hollywood Hit Set for Broadway

It used to be that the biggest plays and musicals on Broadway would be adapted for big-screen Hollywood success, but recently the trend has reversed. The Evil Dead, Rocky, The Silence of the Lambs and Heathers have all made surprising turns to the stage. According to the Hollywood Reporter, cult comedy Groundhog Day will make the jump in 2017. A musical version of the Harold Ramis-Bill Murray collaboration may just work, though it is hard to see how you can present the quick-cutting jokes and intricate time loop without the use of editing. We do need a definitive song about that pesky Punxsutawney Phil, though, so that may be worth it.

Japan Rebooting Godzilla, Too

At the end of last year, Japanese production legends Toho announced that they were also working on a Godzilla reboot. Gareth Edwards’s film was met with mixed praise, but the film no doubt showed how much power the giant lizard monster still has on-screen. No plot details are set for the new Japanese version, but we now know that it will be directed by anime filmmakers Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, who are best known for films in the popular Evangelion and Titan series. A crazy, anime style action flick might be a great counter to the dower, character-based American film. The 29th version of Godzilla is set for 2016 and is expected to be released theatrically in the U.S.

Machete Will Kill Again… In Space

All good exploitation film franchises end up in space. Robert Rodriguez’s blood-soaked actioner Machete should be no different. The film that started as a spoof trailer in Grindhouse opened solidly before a sub-par sequel – taking Danny Trejo to kick ass in orbit may be the only thing that can save the franchise. In an interview with the Halloween Daily News, the immortal character actor confirmed that Machete Kills in Space will begin shooting this year. The film will be directed by its creator, Robert Rodriguez, and is rumored to co-star Mel Gibson and Lady Gaga, which makes sense given the setting.

Trailer of the Week: Amy

From the director of the amazing found-footage documentary Senna, the life and death of singer Amy Winehouse will be explored in Amy. Winehouse’s rise came quickly and was met with both popular and critical praise, but was marred by drug abuse and ultimately tragedy. The story of an unlikely star is set for a U.K. release on July 3. Check out the film’s first trailer below.

Considering James Ponsoldt’s first two films (Off the Black, Smashed) deal with alcoholism, it comes as no surprise that the subject is also baked into his third film, The Spectacular Now. This time around the theme is buried underneath the surface of a high school coming-of-age film that demonstrates there is more to life than living in the spectacular now. There is more to appreciate than to despise in The Spectacular Now, largely due to the outstanding performances from the two leads that transcend the film beyond just an ordinary young adult drama.

The Spectacular Now begins not unlike other of high school dramas, with an 18-year-old named Sutter (Miles Teller) recalling how the love of his life Cassidy (Brie Larson) recently broke up with him. Everyone in the school thought they were the perfect couple and together they were the life of every party. After a long night of partying in an attempt to free his mind from his recent breakup, Sutter wakes up on a random lawn to the sound of a timid girl named Aimee (Shailene Woodley) calling his name. Aimee recognizes Sutter from school, but the familiarity is not mutual. As with most high school stories the popular student is completely unaware the quiet nerdy student even exists. However, instead of viewing her as solely a rebound girl (like what typically happens before realizing they are good together) he takes a genuine interest in her from the very beginning.

Sutter is known as the sarcastic class clown at school and the person everyone wants to be around at parties. He subscribes to the ‘living in the now’ philosophy, though to a punishing fault. His literal interpretation of this viewpoint means that he takes absolutely nothing seriously. Slowly he begins to realize that his classmates not only think he is the class joker, but also someone who is destined to go nowhere in life. The ultimate eye-opener for him is when he meets his father for the first time since he was a child only to discover he does not want to windup like him.

When you first see Sutter drinking alcoholic beverages at parties you do not think much of it. After all, it is a somewhat socially acceptable occurrence regardless of the fact he is underage. It is when he busts out his flask seemingly everywhere (including his job!) that we begin to notice a much larger issue at hand. And so does he. Because of Aimee he begins to think about consequences for the first time.

Both of the main character’s weaknesses stem from their strengths. Sutter’s flaws are easily seen in plain sight, living in the moment without ever thinking about his actions. But his shortcomings are not as exasperating as Aimee’s are because he is a troubled teen who is smarter than he appears; whereas Aimee seems to contradict her intelligence by repeatedly making poor decisions. While her unconditional affection towards Sutter is inspiring most of the time, her willingness to always look the other way, turn the other cheek, and to forgive everything he does can be frustrating to watch. Specifically, there is an incident late in the film that would have been a wake up call for most people, or at the very least a chance for her character to stand up for herself for once. In the grand scheme of things however these are admittedly only minor complaints to otherwise enjoyable characters.

Because the story has so much depth to it—much more than your typical teenage drama—it is easy to tell The Spectacular Now is based on a novel. Each character in the film has a specific purpose not only to the story, but meaningfully intricate to one another as well. For these reasons it is easy to compare this production to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, another come-of-age story that successfully transitioned from novel to film.

Credit the writing for creating a redeeming character that makes you want to reach out to stop him from ruining his life, but also for allowing the character to be smart enough to so himself. You must also give credit to the two main leads who help make some of the familiar plot devices feel fresh again. Far too many teenage dramas are content with staying within the boundaries of the schoolyard, in this case placing all the focus on Sutter’s temptations with getting back together with his ex. Fortunately, The Spectacular Now introduces a darker side of the film that helps separate it from its competition.

The Spectacular Now trailer

Sometimes a film can be so bad its existence is baffling. Ass Backwards, a comedy co-written by stars June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson, is a perfect example of that kind of movie. With a script so painfully unfunny it’s hard to imagine that Raphael and Wilson (who got some of their funding for the film through Kickstarter) never had anyone tell them they were working with absolute dreck. Part road movie and part pageant send-up, Ass Backwards is a slog of one perplexing, humorless scene after another.

Kate (Raphael) and Chloe (Wilson) are childhood friends living together in New York City. Chloe works as a dancer at a nightclub, while Kate sells her eggs to couples on Craigslist. A series of flashbacks reveal the origin of their friendship: they both came in dead last at a child pageant after Kate bombed the Q&A portion and Chloe screamed her way through “Stand By Your Man.” They receive an invite from the pageant to come back and compete for the contest’s 50^th anniversary, and with nowhere else to go (it doesn’t take long for them to get evicted from their apartment) they set off on a road trip to try and win the crown again.

Like most road trip movies, things begin to go sour. After driving in the wrong direction for hours, the two end up visiting Chloe’s father (Vincent D’Onofrio, one of the many wasted cameos in the film). This scene, where the main joke is how D’Onofrio is in a financial situation just as bad as Kate & Chloe, falls so flat the thud is deafening. Things only go downhill from there when they detour to a feminist camp. The camp, filled with old women who look more like a biker gang, is so ignorant and regressive it feels straight out of a bad 80s film. It only gets worse later on when Kate, suggesting a way the woman’s group can bring in more members, ends up describing slavery. In case viewers don’t get the joke, the camera helpfully cuts to the only black member’s horrified face several times during the whole thing.

Raphael and Wilson write their characters as complete nitwits, but it’s hard to laugh at Kate and Chloe’s stupidity when the writing is on par with their intelligence. Large chunks of the film go by where it feels like no jokes were written, and the ones that do appear could have been written by grade-schoolers. The film’s big repeated gag, where Kate and Chloe bare their asses and urinate in public, would only be raunchy to 10 year olds (unfortunately the film’s R rating will mean its target audience will miss out).

The pageant itself brings one of the film’s only funny moments (thanks to a cameo by Bob Odenkirk), but other than that the laughs are nonexistent. Raphael and Wilson have shown themselves to be excellent comedic actresses through their respective work on Burning Love, NTSF:SD:SUV:: and Saturday Night Live. Sadly their comedic writing skills aren’t as strong (their other major writing credit is Bride Wars). From now on it might be best if both of them stick to working with other people’s material.

Alexander Payne’s Nebraska is a light and warmhearted film about a son who wants to bond with his father, no matter how obtuse his thoughts are or off-putting his attitude is. Being both determined and naive is a dangerous combination, but that perfectly describes David’s (Will Forte) father Woody (Bruce Dern) in a nutshell. One of Woody’s biggest faults was that he has always believed what people have told him. So when Woody receives a sweepstakes certificate in the mail saying that he has won a million dollars he actually believes it, despite everyone around him telling him it is a scam.

Woody is determined to leave his home town of Billings, Montana and beeline it to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his winnings. Even if that means walking the 750 miles to get there. David has recently split with his girlfriend of two years and is looking for an excuse to get out of town for a few days. He knows that his father is delusional about the money, but he agrees to drive his father to Lincoln anyways. At least he knows his father will be safe in his hands.

On their way to Lincoln, they stop to visit the a small hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska where his father grew up. This is where the film really flourishes. Because I am familiar with the locations of where the film takes place, I can assure that much of what is depicted is genuine, only adding just a touch of exaggeration to keep things interesting. Many of the residences of this small Midwest town have few words to say about themselves and are generally more interested at what is on the television than talking. Word tends to spread quickly in small towns, so it is not long before the entire town knows about the windfall Woody is supposedly going to receive. Of course, the news also attracts the attention of decade-old “friends” who are for money they claim he owes them.

What makes the film such a delight to watch are the individuality of its characters. Each one is fun to watch in their own right; the father’s relentless determination, the mother’s hilarious outbursts, and the son’s sympathy and desire to bond with his father. On this journey he finds out a lot about his father. By the end it is revealed why he is so strong-minded to get the money. Prepare for the “awwws”.

Will Forte is typically known for his comedic roles (Saturday Night Live) but goes a different direction here with a much more reserved role. Bruce Dern’s performance stands out the most, making a boozed and beat up pessimistic father somehow sympathetic. Bob Odenkirk (of Breaking Bad) is also good here though he has much more of a supporting role, which is good because he dominates the scenes with his energy.

In order for Payne to receive funding from the studio to make a black and white film, he had to settle for a smaller budget. Payne is a Nebraska native who felt strongly that the film needed to be colorless to capture the mood of the old American heartland. Personally, I think it was a wise decision as it enhances the portrait of its characters and locations. Perhaps he should always consider making smaller budget films.

There is not a whole lot that goes on in Nebraska, similar to the small towns that are featured in it, but this is a road trip/family bonding film that is extremely entertaining. Nebraska is not perfect, but it may just end up being the year’s best road trip film. Payne keeps the camera rolling a bit too long in the final scenes, resulting in an ending that should have been shortened by about five minutes or so. Nonetheless, Nebraska is finally a Payne film that I can confidently stand behind.