Tag Archives: movies

The Toy Department – Episode 354

  By toyAdmin | August 18, 2023 - 9:28 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 354, Madden and Kolsky reflect once again on Kolsky’s family couch-surfing, plus the ultimate basement destination, before locking into:

  • This week’s two episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2 (2:55) and how the young guns are running the game so far, plus predictions of defection in next week’s episodes…
  • The Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone (36:20) and the delightfully over-the-top performances of Jamie Foxx and Teyonnah Paris…
  • Wes Anderson’s film Asteroid City (39:20) and the diminishing returns of an adult man playing with model houses…
  • Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football (44:30) and the insane journey of its subject, Johnny Manziel…
  • The weekly dose of Chelsea football (54:55) as Kolsky tries to rev himself up for the rebuilding project…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:01:35), including: FOUR more episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2, Tracy Morgan’s Max special Takin’ It Too Far, the new Star Wars series Ahsoka and the Ringer-produced Destination NBA: A G-League Odyssey…

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The Toy Department – Episode 352

  By toyAdmin | July 28, 2023 - 1:15 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 352, Madden and Kolsky talk about life getting in the way and the challenges of moving a family across the country before getting to the business of the day:

  • The return of Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval (3:30) and how great it is to see Timothy Olyphant doing his US Marshall thing again…
  • The BJ Novak movie Vengeance (7:50) and how it’s a great little indie flick hiding under the radar (but free on Amazon Prime Video right now!)…
  • The Netflix documentary Wham! (14:40) and the pretty remarkable story of how quickly everything happened for George Michael (and Andrew Ridgeley)…
  • Showtime/Paramount Plus’s documentary Goliath (31:50), the remarkable story of Wilt Chamberlain and how it has too often been reduced to a couple of ultimately meaningless media narratives…
  • The new Negro Leagues documentary The League (52:20) and how important it is for historical documents like this to exist and be seen…
  • A wrap-up discussion about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (59:00) after its truly marvelous final season…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:06:25), including: the return of THE CHALLENGE!! with The Challenge: USA Season 2, the Quarterback documentary series on Netflix, the Steven Soderbergh-directed series Full Circle on Max, the return of HBO’s Winning Time for Season 2 and Season 3 of Hulu’s Reservation Dogs…

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The Toy Department – Episode 349

  By toyAdmin | June 16, 2023 - 2:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky get into the difficulties of the moving process — especially for weird old semi-hoarders — before locking into the pop culture of the week:

  • The second episode of HBO’s Idol (6:50) and how at least one of our hosts is done with it, and neither think it’s working very well at all, largely due to the presence and mediocrity of Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd)…
  • The British drama Somewhere Boy (16:40) and how it creates some extra curiosity with its storytelling style, but still may not have enough to keep the guys interested…
  • Apple TV+’s new Tom Holland show The Crowded Room (19:20) and how it uses similar style of storytelling but to better effect…
  • The new Eva Longoria-directed film Flamin’ Hot (27:15) and how it tells an inspiring story in a fun way…
  • Peacock’s new show Based on a True Story (34:05) and the appeal of its lead actors — Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets (44:45) and their incredibly charming superstar Nikola Jokic…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (52:50), including: the return of Black Mirror on Netflix, the return of The Bear on Hulu, Boots Riley’s new show I’m A Virgo and Idris Elba’s Hijack on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 348

  By toyAdmin | June 10, 2023 - 3:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 348, Madden and Kolsky are working on a Saturday, one at home and one in a hotel suite with an old man and a toddler (sorry for any weird audio stuff) but it doesn’t deter them from discussing:

  • The season finalé of Top Chef: World All-Stars (2:30) and how it ended essentially where our hosts expected, with an awful lot of good cooking on the way there…
  • HBO’s new Sam Levinson series The Idol (20:10) and how it wasn’t necessarily as provocative as expected in the first episode, but does have some intense moments of sexuality and some interesting things to say about the life of a young, female pop star…
  • The big wave surfing docu-series 100-Foot Wave (28:05) and the pure insanity of the pursuits of its main character Garrett McNamara, along with the wonder of watching people ride a mountain of water…
  • ESPN’s The American Gladiator Documentary (32:35) and how director Ben Berman basically gives the viewer two fascinating and well-told documentaries for the price of one…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Finals (39:20), which appear to be headed to an early conclusion, but that does not mean the Miami Heat don’t deserve credit for their accomplishments…
  • Homework for next week (49:35), including: revisiting The Idol after Episode 2, the movie Flamin’ Hot on Hulu, the British drama Somewhere Boy (also on Hulu), the Peacock show Based on a True Story and the Tom Holland show The Crowded Room on Apple TV+… and perhaps some NBA Finals talk as well!

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The Toy Department – Episode 347

  By toyAdmin | June 4, 2023 - 3:09 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 347, Madden and Kolsky are working on a Sunday, JUST FOR YOU, chatting about:

  • The first Paris episode of Top Chef: World All-Stars (1:35) and what a wonderful episode of the series it was, plus the guys give their thoughts on Padma’s impending departure from the show…
  • The series finalé of Succession (25:45) and how rare it is for a show to be so consistently great throughout its entire run…
  • The Apple TV+ comedy Platonic (40:25) and the delightful chemistry between Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne…
  • Another Apple TV+ comedy — High Desert (43:20) and the powerhouse performance of Patricia Arquette…
  • The HBO/Max movie Reality (47:50) and how it left both of our hosts with more questions than answers; both about its subject Reality Winner and the choices of the filmmakers…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: the new HBO series The Idol, The American Gladiator Documentary on ESPN+, and the surfing docu-series 100-Foot Wave on Max… PLUS the finalé of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo… and some NBA Finals talk as well!

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The Toy Department – Episode 342

  By toyAdmin | April 28, 2023 - 3:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 342, Madden and Kolsky are working around Kolsky’s 20th college reunion, so it’s a quick attack of:

  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (2:00), the continuing drama of Danny and Sarah’s weird strategy and the hole in our hearts with some of the favorite characters absent…
  • A quick week of Top Chef Season 20 (17:25) and just how high-level the competition is at this point, plus thoughts on the classic mise en place challenge…
  • Peacock’s confounding new show Mrs. Davis (35:50) and whether or not Betty Gilpin can hold our hosts’ interest long enough to figure out what’s going on here…
  • The wildly intense Dead Ringers (40:00) and the remarkable acting job of Rachel Weisz…
  • Keri Russell’s new show The Diplomat (46:05) and what it says about Netflix’s approach to new television content… 
  • Homework for next week (52:40), including: two new HBO shows — Love & Death (with Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons) and White House Plumbers (about Watergate), and also Amazon’s new sci-fi show Citadel… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 341

  By toyAdmin | April 21, 2023 - 3:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 341, Madden and Kolsky are trying to move quickly before Derek’s voice gives out to his cold, so it’s right into:

  • The return of HBO’s Barry (1:40) and how it continues to deliver an utterly unique, genre-bending experience in its fourth season…
  • Netflix’s WWII escape drama Transatlantic (9:05) and how it’s a surprisingly fun show given the subject matter…
  • The gloriously ridiculous Cocaine Bear (15:00) and how one of our hosts gets more mileage out of dumb stuff than the other does…
  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (21:50) where strange strategy plays and bickering partners continue to dominate the landscape…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (40:15) where the competition is remarkably fierce and anyone could go home at any time… but usually it’s the chef that goes too far outside their comfort zone!
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:50) as the first round rolls along…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:00), including: Peacock’s new show Mrs. Davis, The Diplomat on Netflix and the David Cronenberg show Dead Ringers on Amazon prime… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 340

  By toyAdmin | April 14, 2023 - 3:34 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 340, Madden and Kolsky talk a little grilled cheese before locking in on:

  • This week’s monumental episode of Succession (2:50) and all the little pieces of brilliance that went into it…
  • Hulu’s NYT J Dilla documentary (13:55) which is reasonably interesting and relatively informative but feels like it leaves a lot on the table…
  • HBO’s Music Box documentary about Jason Isbell (23:45) and how it paints a really complete emotional picture of a pretty interesting man and musician…
  • Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things (30:35), the magnetism of Kathryn Hahn and how the series brings together a multi-generational story of moms and daughters…
  • Netflix’s Beef (34:40) and the intensity of watching people attempt to express their ultimately impotent rage…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (39:35) and a significant elimination…
  • An apparently easily-judged episode of Top Chef (58:05) and the incredibly high level of talent remaining on this season…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA (1:10:15) as we head into the playoff season…
  • Homework for next week (1:24:45), including: the return of Barry on HBO, Netflix’s new World War II show Transatlantic and Cocaine Bear (now available on Peacock)… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 339

  By toyAdmin | April 7, 2023 - 2:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 339, Madden and Kolsky revisit Derek’s mom’s letter to Matt (which you may remember being mentioned a couple weeks ago) before getting to the business of the day:

  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (9:25) and how a home cooking challenge put some of the top restaurant chefs on the bottom…
  • This week’s action on The Challenge: World Championship (24:45) and the critical strategy mistakes made by strategy master Wes…
  • Hulu’s delightful new sitcom Unprisoned (46:10) and the positive effects of a powerhouse cast…
  • The new Amazon Prime drama The Power (54:40) and whether this is a superpower show that Derek can stomach…
  • Apple TV+’s new film Tetris (58:55) and the incredible story behind the making of one of the most popular games of all time…
  • The return of FXX’s Dave (1:04:20) and how it seems to be peaking, in part because the show is understanding itself better than ever…
  • Homework for next week (1:11:40), including: Netflix’s new series Beef, Hulu’s new series Tiny Beautiful Things and two music documentaries – Music Box’s Jason Isbel doc on HBO Max and the Hulu/New York Times doc on J Dilla… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 337

  By toyAdmin | March 24, 2023 - 3:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 337, Madden and Kolsky recognize the longevity of American Dad and engage in a quick detour about British tv-watching habits before locking into today’s primary subjects:

  • Donald Glover’s new Amazon Prime Video horror show Swarm (6:30) and just how bizarre the first couple/few episodes are…
  • The new AMC/Bob Odenkirk show Lucky Hank (18:30) and how it seems to be a sort of meditation on middle age and mediocrity that happens to take place at a middling university, which both our hosts are on board for…
  • Disney+’s teen flick Chang Can Dunk (22:20) and how it’s a near-flawless execution of a high school basketball dramedy…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: World Championship (27:40) and the remarkable talent level of the remaining teams…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (48:15) and how even pub food turns into a beautiful thing in the hands of a remarkable group of chefs…
  • Homework for next week (1:03:45), including: the return of Succession on HBO & Yellowjackets on Showtime, the new Paramount+ spy thriller Rabbit Hole and Apple TV+’s The Big Door Prize… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…
  • A few thoughts on Major League Baseball (1:06:05) and the rule changes heading into the start of the 2023 regular season…

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