Tag Archives: Amazon Prime Video

The Toy Department – Episode 374

  By toyAdmin | January 25, 2024 - 11:21 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 374, Madden and Kolsky sort through the topics and decide it’s important to get right into:

  • The exploit’s of The Challenge’s Ravyn Rochelle in Seal of Desire (2:40), a mediocre erotic thriller…
  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (7:35) and how the Conquest phase seems to be taking this season in a much better direction…
  • The Martin Scorcese epic Killers of the Flower Moon (31:25) which both of our hosts enjoyed tremendously, despite the extreme running time…
  • A few thoughts on the Oscar nominations (42:25) and the kerfuffle surrounding Barbie’s nominations (or lack thereof)…
  • The Hulu mystery series Death and Other Details (50:55) and how it’s yet another middling murder mystery, but at least it’s fun!
  • The Kaley Cuoco/David Oyelowo film Role Play (53:40) and how it’s not the film you expect, in part because it doesn’t seem to totally know what it is…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:05), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, finishing Fargo on Hulu/FX and Beef on Netflix, the television series version of Sexy Beast, and the movie American Fiction (currently in theaters)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 373

  By toyAdmin | January 18, 2024 - 12:39 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 373, Madden and Kolsky are finally excited about something that happened on their favorite show so it’s RIGHT into:

  • This week’s action on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (1:30) and whether the appearance of an undisputed Mount Rushmore champion helped pull this season out of its previous doldrums…
  • The new season of HBO’s True Detective (36:05) and an exciting cast in the dark of Alaska…
  • The new film Foe (40:35) and whether our hosts were able to enjoy a slow, dark exploration of humanity in the age of AI…
  • David Oyelowo’s passion project Lawmen: Bass Reeves (48:20) and how the actor/producer’s love for his subject plays out on screen…
  • Peacock’s new TV version of Ted (51:35) and whether the strange heart of this deliberately offensive show is enough to redeem it…
  • Homework for next week (56:25), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, the Hulu mystery series Death and Other Details, the Martin Scorcese epic Killers of the Flower Moon (now available on Apple TV+) and for a lighter time the Amazon rom-com Role Play, PLUS Derek will watch Ravyn Rochelle’s erotic thriller…

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The Toy Department – Episode 360

  By toyAdmin | October 6, 2023 - 11:13 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 360, Madden and Kolsky talk a little bit of Chicago Bears football and Wrexham soccer before getting down to business with last week’s homework:

  • This week’s episode of The Challenge: USA Season 2 (8:25), including the antics of Michaela and the Michele-tdown that ended with elimination…
  • The incredibly disappointing film Heist 88 (28:05) and how seemingly every choice made by the producers and director fell flat…
  • Wes Anderson’s new Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (34:10) and how Anderson’s signature nonsense has officially pushed one of our hosts over the edge…
  • The wildly enjoyable Gen V (39:40) and all the things that make it a welcome addition to The Boys’ universe…
  • Homework for next week’s short show (46:20), including: another episode of The Challenge: USA Season 2, and … … THAT’S IT, THAT’S THE HOMEWORK…

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The Toy Department – Episode 359

  By toyAdmin | September 29, 2023 - 10:58 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 358, Madden and Kolsky celebrate a (relatively) problem-free recording environment before getting right into:

  • Kolsky’s misadventures with the National (1:25) and the development of an understanding of why he struggles so much to listen to them…
  • The high school comedy Bottoms (7:05) and why one of our hosts HATED it and the other really quite enjoyed it…
  • The underwhelming film Cassandro (21:45) and how both hosts were left feeling unsatisfied and wishing they knew more about the movie’s subject…
  • The crown jewel of this week’s culture, Apple TV+’s British rom-com Still Up (27:25) and the undeniable charm of the relationship at its center…
  • Another week of action from The Challenge USA: Season 2 (32:00) which continues to deliver excellent daily and elimination challenges and has no shortage of drama as we careen towards the TJ’s Final…
  • Homework for next week (58:35), including: another episode of The Challenge: USA Season 2, the new show Gen V (a spinoff of The Boys) on Amazon Prime Video, the Paramount+/Showtime movie Heist 88 and the Wes Anderson-directed Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 346

  By toyAdmin | May 25, 2023 - 11:24 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 346, Madden and Kolsky convene early for a late-night-Thursday episode, giving you the goods on:

  • The final London week of Top Chef: World All-Stars (1:25), a microwaved sponge cake, tricks of the eye and what to look for in the upcoming trip to Paris…
  • Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s new movie Air (17:55) and how it manages to create tension, suspense and drama out of a true story that everyone knows the ending of…
  • Hulu’s Jack Harlow-starring White Men Can’t Jump (24:55), watchable mediocrity and the remake-obsessed world we are all living in…
  • The Shea Serrano-penned series Primo (30:10) and the delight of a family comedy written with love…
  • A few NBA playoff thoughts as we sit on the doorstep of the Finals (34:55), whether the Heat can finish off the Celtics and whether either of them have a shot against the Nuggets…
  • Homework for next week (43:15), including: the series finale of Succession, the new Apple TV+ shows Platonic and High Desert and the HBO movie Reality… PLUS the first episode of the Paris Portion of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 343

  By toyAdmin | May 5, 2023 - 11:37 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 343, Madden and Kolsky open with a quick detour about Derek’s friend Steven Hyden and the Seattle grunge scene of the ’90s before focusing on:

  • The latest from The Challenge: World Championships (4:45) and how Sarah was saved from outing herself as a snake by Yes and Emily’s daily win, plus whether our hosts have underestimated her strategic game thus far…
  • A twisty restaurant wars on Top Chef World All-Stars (20:20) and how it didn’t stop Top Chef’s top chef from distinguishing himself as the favorite in the competition…
  • The deeply emotional HBO series Love & Death (35:35) and the heavy lifting its actors are doing over the first few episodes…
  • The Watergate comedy White House Plumbers (40:20) and how the buffoonish nature of conservative operatives…
  • The new Amazon Prime Video thriller/spy drama Citadel (45:05) and the role of action entertainment in our TV landscape…
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (52:05) and just how wide open the field is with eight teams still remaining…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:05), including: Apple TV+’s new show Silo and the FX/Hulu show Class of ’09, with a healthy portion of NBA Playoffs on the side… 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 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 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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The Toy Department – Episode 336

  By toyAdmin | March 17, 2023 - 3:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 336, Madden and Kolsky chat about Kolsky’s crowded house before distracting him with:

  • A few thoughts on the Oscars (1:50) and what was a largely satisfying — if unremarkable — experience…
  • The return of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso (8:40), the heel turn of Nate the Great and what is in store for the final season…
  • A wrap-up of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us (16:20) and what an excellent season of television it turned out to be…
  • Netflix’s Luther film (26:30) and how it is essentially just a longer episode of Luther, which is perfectly good!
  • The second week of Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo (30:55), the rise of May and the fall of Dawn…
  • A rather lackluster episode of The Challenge: World Championship (51:15) and the impending (and insane) Wrath of KellyAnne…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:15), including: Amazon Prime Video’s new Donald Glover comedy/drama/thriller/horror show Swarm, Bob Odenkirk’s new AMC show Lucky Hank and the Disney movie Chang Can Dunk… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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