Review: Shiva Baby

by Ben Miller

Part cringe-comedy nightmare dripping with passive aggressiveness and part look at the complexity of modern sexuality and relationships, director Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby shows a unique perspective on attending a party from hell. Rachel Sennott stars as Danielle, a college senior who starts her day having sex with her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferarri) before heading off to a shiva with her parents Joel and Debbie (Fred Melamed and Polly Draper).  Danielle is a college senior with no real prospects after graduation and she knows this will be a frequent topic of conversation among the party-goers.  She trudges on, but sees Maya (Molly Gordon), her high school girlfriend as the belle of the ball being lauded over among the many guests.

Debbie wants Danielle to focus on her future and uses the party as an excuse to try to get her a job.  One of those outlets is Max, who used to work with Joel.  Max and Danielle play dumb and attempt to assuage any suspicions, but things get infinitely more complicated when Max's wife Kim (Dianna  Agron) shows up...

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Streaming: "Brawl in Cell Block 99"

by Ben Miller

Everything does not have to be filet mignon.  Sometimes, you just want a hamburger.  There is nothing wrong with a burger, and it can be really well made.  There’s a difference between the two and burgers will not be any good if you expect them to be filet mignon.

The new film from director S. Craig Zahler, Brawl in Cell Block 99, is a great burger.  And like any great burger, there are so many chances for it to go very wrong, very quickly...

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