Tag Archives: Boots Riley

The Toy Department – Episode 460

  By toyAdmin | July 10, 2026 - 1:32 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 460, Madden and Kolsky get in a little earthquake talk before moving on to:

  • Boots Riley’s new film I Love Boosters (3:40), the particular madcap style that he works in, and whether it has diminishing returns…
  • The somewhat disappointing Eric Andre/John Cena Netflix comedy Little Brother (18:10) and how it simply doesn’t reach the necessary level of laughs-per-minute…
  • The rather disappointing Amazon’s Legally Blonde prequel series Elle (22:25) and whether our hosts are just too old for this shit…
  • The wildly disappointing HBO series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (29:10) and whether it might play better in an elementary school classroom…
  • The extremely exciting (and largely not disappointing) WORLD CUP (33:25), with our hosts’ thoughts on the tournament overall and the future of American soccer specifically…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (1:5:5), including: the Ryan Gosling movie Project Hail Mary (available on Amazon), the Soderbergh-directed, Olyphant-starring series Full Circle, the Apple TV+ crime thriller Lucky, and of course some more World Cup action…

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The Toy Department – Episode 350

  By toyAdmin | June 30, 2023 - 12:57 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 350, Madden and Kolsky discuss the moving process for Kolsky’s family and the generally unsettled nature of his life before zeroing in on:

  • Whether or not it’s worth slowing yourself down (3:50) and savoring the shows you love, even if they are available all at once…
  • Season 2 of Hulu’s The Bear (6:40) and how absolutely excellent it is, thanks to the incredible narrative tension and wonderful acting throughout…
  • The return of Black Mirror on Netflix (14:00) and how it’s not quite the Black Mirror you might remember, but remains quite effective…
  • Boots Riley’s new Amazon Prime show I’m A Virgo (23:15) and how it is pretty direct and even heavy-handed with some of its thematic messaging, but also fantastical and enjoyable and really very funny…
  • Idris Elba’s plane thriller Hijack on Apple TV+ (31:30) and the delight of high-quality popcorn programming…
  • The television industry’s need for better decision-making on which shows to make binge-able (35:20) and how our hosts are available to fill that need if necessary…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (40:20), including: finishing Black Mirror on Netflix and also The Bear on Hulu, the new Marvel show Secret Invasion on Disney+, the return of The Afterparty on Apple TV+ and the new Netflix film The Out-Laws…

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The Toy Department – Episode 126

  By toyAdmin | July 17, 2018 - 4:03 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 126, please excuse any audio issues AGAIN on the part of Matt Kolsky, as he joins Derek Madden live (to tape) from a DIFFERENT road trip, specifically on the road to Lake Tahoe, CA where he is scheduled to see the band Phish… The discussions cover:

  • Kolsky’s questionable life decisions…
  • The USA show Sinner (4:00) which is currently binge-able on Netflix — but is it worth binging??
  • The new Sacha Baron Cohen show Who Is America? (12:30) and how the same old Ali G schtick falls flat in 2018…
  • Hannah Gadsby’s standup special Nanette (26:55) and how she brilliantly crafts a show that is both hilarious and incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking…
  • Boots Riley’s triumphant directorial debut Sorry to Bother You (37:15) and how amazingly original and insane and beautiful it is…
  • Homework for next week (50:45), including: well, nothing — the hosts were woefully underprepared for this portion of the show…
  • Derek’s experience at The Pretenders’ show (53:55) and how you should probably go see legends of music whenever you can…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play/etc. you can just click on the link below the player (and don’t forget to leave us a review!!)… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com… or tweet us: @MaddenOnAir & @thekolsky.

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