Disney+ – Page 2 – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 253

In Episode 253, Madden and Kolsky hit the ground running with a short show in mind, covering:

The new Marvel show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (1:45) and how it is essentially exactly what you would expect it to be, however far that gets you…
Netflix’s Operation Varsity Blues documentary (6:10) and some of the interesting choices they made to tell the story of the country’s biggest college admissions scandal…
The Steven Yeun-starring Minari (21:50) and how it’s a quiet family drama but a very good one, despite both hosts finding Yeun’s Oscar nomination a little curious…
The also Oscar-nominated Another Round (28:35) and the fascinating ride it takes the viewer on…
Homework for next Tuesday (36:25), including: the HBO Max show Beartown out of Sweden, Nate Bargatze special The Greatest Average American, the new Tina Turner documentary on HBO and the Netflix documentary The Last Blockbuster… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

In Episode 251, Madden and Kolsky’s show-opening distraction turned into such a big conversation that it gets its own bullet point below, along with:

A contentious conversation about WandaVision (1:20) and the broader contents and implications of the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
Disney’s new animated film Raya and the Last Dragon (22:10) and how it’s great, but will probably be equally great in a few months when it’s not an extra $30…
The Eddie Murphy sequel Coming 2 America (31:15) and just how far enjoyable nostalgia will get you…
Netflix’s Notorious B.I.G. documentary Biggie: I Got A Story to Tell (44:25) and some of its more interesting and enlightening moments…
Paramount+’s big new Real World Reunion show (54:55) and how it hit differently for our two hosts based on their age and memories…
Homework for next Tuesday (1:08:20), including: the new high school flick Moxie! on Netflix, finishing up The Morning Show on Apple TV+ and the new season of Last Chance U on Netflix (covering a basketball team for the first time)… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

In Episode 247, Madden and Kolsky once again confront Kolsky’s infirmity before attempting an elusive short episode covering:

ESPN’s embarrassing 30 for 30 film Al Davis vs. the NFL (2:45) and how a goofy gimmick torpedoed what could have been a tremendous documentary…
Marvel’s new TV series WandaVision (9:45) and whether a creative approach is enough to soften Madden’s distaste for superhero content…
The new Netflix film Malcom & Marie (18:30) and what exactly director Sam Levinson and star Zendaya (who reportedly had significant input) are going for…
Some thoughts on the new NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor (27:10) and what makes it funnier than the average network fare…
A few quick thoughts on the Super Bowl (32:40) and what an unpleasant experience it was…
Homework for next Tuesday (35:35), including: the NYT-made documentary Framing Britney Spears, the third To All The Boys movie (which drops Friday on Netflix) and the new film Judas & the Black Messiah (available Friday on HBO Max)… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

In Episode 234, Madden and Kolsky dance around the big non-toy-department event of the day before diving into frivolous pop culture to discuss:

Sarah Cooper’s Netflix sketch comedy special Everything’s Fine (2:30) and the hosts’ differing opinions on its successfulness…
The Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher (9:30) and how the incredible visual experience wasn’t quite enough for one of our hosts…
Season 2 of The Mandalorian (20:50) and how it dives right back in to deliver more space cowboy fun…
Amazon’s new series Truth Seekers (27:45) and how Simon Pegg and Nick Frost seem to be building another good horror-comedy…
Some binging ideas for the masses (31:40) in the event that one needs to spend the next several days in bed watching television…
Homework for next week, assuming we still exist (43:50), including: the new HBO show Industry, a check-in on HBO’s The Undoing, Showtime’s new space comedy Moonbase 8 and Netflix’s new Song Exploder show… plus Week 9 of the NFL season…

In Episode 219, Madden and Kolsky discuss their relative levels of exhaustion and coronafear before excitedly discussing:

This week’s epic, EXCELLENT episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (5:40), the elimination of Dee and an unprecedented moment of friendship…
Kolsky’s list of the Top Ten Bay Area Athletes (30:20) and the methodology that went into his selections…
The musical Hamilton (49:55), which is now available on Disney+ and is clearly an impressive achievement if not especially appealing to either host…
The new Cate Blanchett-produced Netflix show Stateless (1:03:50) and how it doesn’t generate as much excitement as depression…
Homework for next week (1:10:45), including: another episode of The Challenge, the Charlize Theron superhero movie Old Guard on Netflix, the new Hulu film Palm Springs (starring Andy Samberg), Eric Andre’s new standup special Legalize Everything and an attempt at watching the new Peacock app show Brave New World…