Tag Archives: Amazon Prime Video

The Toy Department – Episode 445

  By toyAdmin | February 6, 2026 - 11:18 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 445, Madden and Kolsky briefly address the results of the Toy Department Derby (if it can be so called) before moving into:

  • Kolsky’s dad’s recommendation, the Bert Kreischer show Free Bert on Netflix (4:15), which neither of our hosts disliked, per se, but nobody here can exactly recommend…
  • This week’s Oscar film Sentimental Value (11:25) and how Madden and Kolsky’s differing expectations may have contributed to their differing experiences with the film…
  • The good-time action flick The Wrecking Crew (24:25) and the value of having some fun at the movies…
  • The return of Shrinking (33:05), the emotional journey that makes it one of the best shows out right now, and the work of creator/showrunner Bill Lawrence…
  • Some sports thoughts (40:00) with the Super Bowl on deck and the NBA’s trade deadline just passed…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (53:10), including: the Richard Linklater film Blue Moon (with Oscar-nominated Ethan Hawke), the Best Picture-nominated Brazilian film The Secret Agent, the new-to-Netflix Ethan Coen movie Honey Don’t, and the new Netflix series How To Get To Heaven From Belfast…

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The Toy Department -Episode 444

  By toyAdmin | January 30, 2026 - 10:32 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 444, Madden and Kolsky have a breezy chat about whether or not they’ll have a breezy chat about some not-so-breezy content (does that make sense?) before having an [arguably breezy] chat about:

  • The Oscar-nominated Train Dreams (1:35) and how it does a lot of things right, even if it ultimately is more of a tone poem than a narrative film…
  • The distinctly not-a-tone-poem Netflix film The Rip (20:10) and the value of the Damon/Affleck let’s-have-a-good-time-at-the-theater attempt…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s crime thriller series Steal (28:05) and how it has all the pieces to be a good show but somehow isn’t quite coming together…
  • The new Marvel series Wonder Man (32:25), the enjoyability of a different sort of show within the context of the broader universe, and Derek’s continued distaste for MCU content…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Toy Department Derby (41:05) and the prospects of Chelsea and Arsenal…
  • Homework for next week (46:05), including: the third season of Shrinking on Apple TV+, the new Bert Kreischer sitcom Free Bert on Netflix (recommended by Kolsky’s father), the Amazon Prime Video action flick The Wrecking Crew and the Oscar contender Sentimental Value…

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The Toy Department – Episode 436

  By toyAdmin | October 24, 2025 - 11:41 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 436, Madden and Kolsky must address Derek’s continued truancy at the movie theater before they can get deeper into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (4:35) where there are increasingly fewer vets (especially on the men’s side) but plenty of threats all over…
  • The Shane Black film Play Dirty (20:50) and the joys of watching Lakeith Stanfield, plus a spoiler that we forgot to pre-alert, so look alive 😂…
  • The Hulu documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (26:15) and the importance of the festival, in retrospect, plus Kolsky’s irrational distaste for Sarah McLachlan…
  • Colin Hanks’ documentary John Candy: I Like Me (36:10) and the relative ambitions of a bio-doc versus an event doc…
  • The new Naked Gun movie on Paramount+ (43:45) and how Liam Neeson & Co. did well to capture the essence of the franchise but could have provided a few more laughs…
  • A handful of sports thoughts (48:20) from gambling in the NBA to Arsenal’s spot atop the EPL favorites…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:00), including: another episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, actually making Derek get to the theater to see One Battle After Another, plus Season 2 of Nobody Wants This and the new Kathryn Bigelow movie A House of Dynamite, both on Netflix…

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The Toy Department – Episode 433

  By toyAdmin | September 19, 2025 - 1:04 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 433, Madden and Kolsky literally discuss the weather before they finally get into it with:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (3:35) after the demise of the Justice for Leka movement…
  • The new Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest (24:40) and whether Denzel is too old for this sh*t…
  • Prime Video’s new thriller The Girlfriend (35:50) and how (and why) it doesn’t quite rise to the level of must-watch…
  • The return of Gen V (43:20) and further thoughts on The Boys cinematic universe…
  • Homework for next week (we forgot to actually mention it in the episode 😬), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, Netflix’s new show Black Rabbit and Sterlin Harjo’s new series The Lowdown on FX…

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The Toy Department – Episode 432

  By toyAdmin | September 12, 2025 - 10:26 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 432, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s imminent vacation to Vegas, and general Vegas strategy, before diving into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (5:00) where, as so often happens, the rookies are flailing and failing at forming a working alliance to oppose the vets…
  • Peacock’s Office spin-off The Paper (22:00) and the potential pitfalls of trying to re-capture the magic…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s teen band dramedy The Runarounds (25:55) and how one of our hosts (bet you can guess which) is an instant Stan…
  • HBO’s new Sunday night offering Task (34:00) and the mysteries that abound in the first episode of the new show from the creator of Mare of Easttown…
  • Homework for next week (47:55), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the new Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest on Apple TV+, and two Amazon Prime Video shows: Season 2 of Gen V and the new show The Girlfriend…

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The Toy Department – Episode 431

  By toyAdmin | September 5, 2025 - 11:30 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 431, Madden and Kolsky discuss their IRL meet-up between podcasts before getting down to brass tacks on:

  • The last two weeks of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (7:00) and the thrilling elimination that crowned the most recent episode…
  • The baffling and distinctly not funny comedy The Pickup (22:50) and how exactly we end up making things that make no sense…
  • The disappointing film The Phoenician Scheme (28:40) and whether the career of Wes Anderson has ceased to be a source of interest…
  • The excellent Freaky Tales (34:30) and its love affair with Oakland…
  • A revisiting of Apple TV+’s insane show Smoke (43:05) and how the not-especially-good-but-totally-ridiculous blueprint seems to be working for them…
  • Homework for next week (51:45), including: the next episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats, the Office spin-off The Paper, HBO’s new crime drama Task and the Amazon Prime teen band show The Runarounds…

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The Toy Department – Episode 427

  By toyAdmin | July 25, 2025 - 10:51 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 427, Madden and Kolsky chat a bit about Kolsky’s new recording setup (which did not work as well as hoped) and recent oral surgery before homing in on:

  • Netflix’s Charlize Theron action sequel The Old Guard 2 (3:40) and whether it deserves a Part 3, plus thoughts on Netflix’s ouevre…
  • Michael C. Hall’s return to old haunts on Dexter: Resurrection (10:25) and streamer’s looking for mileage on friendly, well-worn trails…
  • Amazon Prime Video’s Bosch spin-off Ballard (17:40) and how it landed with two dudes who never watched Bosch…
  • Lena Dunham’s new Netflix show Too Much (22:50) and the goofy fun of Meg Stalter, plus the difference between Netflix and HBO…
  • A few pre-season comments on The Challenge (28:15) and what our hosts are looking for in Season 41…
  • Homework for next week (38:15), including: the return of The Challenge for Season 41, the new Happy Gilmore sequel on Netflix, the British show Assassin on Amazon Prime and the Sterling K. Brown show Washington Black on Hulu…
  • Some English Premier League thoughts (40:40) before preseason gets fully underway…

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The Toy Department – Episode 424

  By toyAdmin | June 13, 2025 - 11:32 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 424, Madden and Kolsky are aiming for a short show, so it’s more or less right into:

  • A predictable but nevertheless emotional finalé for Top Chef: Destination Canada (1:30) and the remarkable run of Tristen Epps…
  • The Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17 (15:35) and how it just never totally comes together or manages to live up to a very appealing trailer…
  • Amazon Prime’s new thriller The Better Sister (23:05) and streamers’ new obsession with the family-drama-murder-thriller niche…
  • A couple quick NBA thoughts on the way out (31:10) as the Pacers-Thunder Finals has been thrilling and surprising…
  • Homework for next week (38:45), including: the Amazon Prime film Deep Cover, the Netflix series Tires in its second season and the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin (also on Netflix)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 421

  By toyAdmin | May 16, 2025 - 11:38 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 421, Madden and Kolsky return after too long of a break to get into a wealth of pop culture, some of it very excellent, at least whatever they can remember of:

  • The last few weeks of action on Top Chef: Destination Canada (2:55), where a top dog almost fell and the competition is fierce heading into the semi-finals…
  • The first of the week’s two mediocre action flicks, Havoc (16:25) and how it succeeds in little other than being extremely overly self-serious…
  • The second MAF, Viola Davis’s G20 (20:05) and how it at least understands what it is and wins within its limits…
  • Episodes 3 and 4 of the new Black Mirror season (24:00) and how they better fit the brief of the show than the first two did, much to Kolsky’s delight…
  • The second season of Andor (33:10), which places it among the best works in the entire Star Wars canon…
  • A check-in on The Last of Us (39:35), which has taken a couple of pretty dramatic turns over the course of the season…
  • The new season of Natasha Lyonne’s Poker Face (46:05) and what a joy it is to have her (and the guest stars) in our lives again…
  • The new Netflix series The Four Seasons (48:55) and how it made two aging men laugh and also think a lot about their lives and decisions…
  • Homework for next week (57:15), including: the semifinals on Top Chef: Destination Canada, the last two episodes of Black Mirror’s new season, the new JJ Abrams show Duster on (HBO) Max, the new Guy Ritchie movie Fountain of Youth on Apple TV+, the Steven Soderbergh film Black Bag on Peacock and the new Apple TV+ series Murderbot…

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The Toy Department – Episode 412

  By toyAdmin | January 24, 2025 - 10:18 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 412, Madden and Kolsky have a quick chat about vacations and the city of New Orleans before focusing in on:

  • The conclusion of a lackluster reunion for The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (4:20) and a look ahead to the hopefully much more entertaining All-Stars 5…
  • The Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (16:30), some big-time acting performances and the impact of Dylan going electric…
  • The Amazon Prime film Unstoppable (27:50) and what a classic high-quality true-story drama looks like…
  • The return of Apple TV+ sensation Severance (35:05) and what Ben Stiller & Co. are driving at with this bizarre and stylized show…
  • Peacock’s goofy new comedy Laid (44:25), the irrepressible charm of Stephanie Hsu and the absolute wheelhouse of Zosia Mamet…
  • A touch of sports talk (49:30) as we careen towards the end of both the NFL season and the soccer transfer window…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:04:05), including: the first two episodes of The Challenge All-Stars: Rivals, the new Hulu show Paradise, the return of Netflix’s The Night Agent and Oscar contenders Anora and A Real Pain…

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