Tag Archives: Ethan Hawke

The Toy Department – Episode 319

  By toyAdmin | October 28, 2022 - 3:30 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 319, Madden and Kolsky have a few not-so-spooky Halloween thoughts before they circle back to pop culture and get into:

  • The new Apple TV+ film Raymond and Ray (7:50) and how enjoyable it is to watch a fun, quirky movie for adults (particularly when it features such enjoyable performances)…
  • The limited Netflix series From Scratch (17:45) and how it’s a perfectly good romance novel on screen if that’s the sort of thing that you’re into…
  • Netflix’s The Watcher (23:00), complete with explosive acting and very creepy vibes…
  • Kolsky’s experience with Top Gun: Maverick (27:45), whether it’s a “good movie” and whether that even matters in this case…
  • The week’s episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (38:55), featuring some rookie upstarts, Messy Fessy (whether he likes it or not) and an epic elimination…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:14:30), including: the movie The Stranger on Netflix, the return of The White Lotus on HBO, the BBC series Inside Man (now on Netflix) and the film The Good Nurse (alo on Netflix!!), plus OF COURSE the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies… and maybe a quick check-back on House of the Dragon for Kolsky to be upset about it again 🙂

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The Toy Department – Episode 296

  By toyAdmin | April 8, 2022 - 11:19 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 296, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s hangover and potential parody songs about it before getting their act together to talk about:

  • The completely watchable but generally unimpressive Moonshot (2:50), a middle-of-the-road-to-the-moon romantic comedy that’s nothing special but not awful, though it does threaten to pigeonhole Lana Condor into a remarkably small niche…
  • The utterly awful Netflix movie The Bubble (9:20) and just how bafflingly bad it is, particularly given the often funny and definitely talented people involved…
  • The new Disney+ entry to the MCU — Moon Knight (16:40) and how it definitely leaves a lot of unanswered questions through two episodes, led by Oscar Isaac’s madcap performance as the central character…
  • This week’s episode of Top Chef: Houston (30:20), the new leaderboard, the remarkably high level of competition and a very cool challenge honoring trailblazing women from Texas…
  • Homework for TWO Fridays from now (51:10), including: more Top Chef: Houston, along with the return of Better Call Saul, the new Apple TV+ series Roar, the new season of Netflix’s Natasha Lyonne vehicle Russian Doll, Hulu’s second season of Woke (starring Lamorne Morris) and the new HBO Max joint Tokyo Vice…

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The Toy Department – Episode 236

  By toyAdmin | November 17, 2020 - 11:28 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 236, Madden and Kolsky do some show housekeeping and discuss Netflix’s shiftiness before diving into:

  • The madness of this season of The Bachelorette (8:35) and how it compares to other love reality shows…
  • A check-in on pod favorite Fargo (30:30) and the beautiful oddities of Noah Hawley’s work throughout the show…
  • The start of Season 4 of The Crown (37:30) and whether the British royal family is worth engaging with for entertainment…
  • A wrap-up of The Good Lord Bird (44:20) and the hosts’ differing opinions on the strange John Brown bio-series…
  • A final chat about everyone’s new favorite Netflix show, The Queen’s Gambit (51:25), and the allure of lead actress Anya Taylor-Joy…
  • Some NBA thoughts (59:30) with the draft and free agency on our doorstep specifically on what Minnesota and Golden State are likely to do with the first two picks…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:12:45), including: I Hate Suzie and Two Weeks To Live (both on HBO Max), Showtime’s John Belushi documentary, the resurrected Saved By The Bell, Kevin Hart’s new Netflix comedy special and the sword-making reality show Forged in Fire… plus Weeks 11 & 12 of the NFL season and the NBA offseason…

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The Toy Department – Episode 231

  By toyAdmin | October 13, 2020 - 11:55 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 231, Madden and Kolsky dally briefly over Madden’s new family member and his failure to complete the homework assignment before getting into:

  • The new AMC series Soulmates (2:20) and whether its premise is enough to carry a whole anthology series…
  • HBO Max’s original movie Charm City Kings (14:20) and how a good script and quality acting aren’t enough to make it stand out much…
  • The new Showtime series The Good Lord Bird (21:30) and its explosive and complicated portrayal of abolitionist John Brown…
  • The Netflix indie movie The 40-Year-Old Version (32:25) and what writer/director/star Radha Blank is saying with a very personal film…
  • A few thoughts on the conclusion of the NBA Finals (43:20) and LeBron James’ greatness…
  • Some brief NFL discussion (1:03:05) as the season teeters on the edge of viability…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:20), including: Madden actually getting to The Comedy Store docu-series on Showtime, the season finale of Lovecraft Country, the Netflix/Aaron Sorkin film The Trial of the Chicago 7, David Byrne’s American Utopia (directed by Spike Lee) on HBO and the show Ted Lasso on Apple TV+… plus more MLB playoffs and Week 6 of the NFL season…

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