Tag Archives: Netflix

The Toy Department – Episode 229

  By toyAdmin | September 24, 2020 - 11:46 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 229, Madden and Kolsky are alive and employed, which means good in 2020, and ready to discuss:

  • The new season of PEN15 on Hulu (3:05) and how one of our hosts has really come around on the show…
  • The new Ryan Murphy show Ratched (10:35) and just what exactly he is doing with all of Netflix’s money…
  • Fox’s new show LA’s Finest (19:40) and how it follows a pretty successful formula to being exactly what you think it is…
  • A check-in on HBO’s Lovecraft Country (36:00) after a bottle episode starring an old veteran of The Challenge…
  • A brief NFL chat (48:50) about quick takeaways from the first two weeks of pro football…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:45) with particular focus on Tyler Herro’s tremendous performance…
  • Homework for our next show, on October 6 (1:07:35), including: the new Netflix show Sneakerheads, season four of Fargo on FX, Showtime’s new movie The Comey Rule and the new Amazon show Utopia… plus EVEN MOAR NBA Playoffs and Weeks 3 & 4 of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 228

  By toyAdmin | September 17, 2020 - 11:53 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 228, Madden and Kolsky steel themselves to work through arguably the weirdest content week in Toy Department history, featuring:

  • The exceedingly weird Netflix film I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2:05) from the mind of Charlie Kaufman…
  • The new HBO series We Are Who We Are (25:20) and what the guys make of some weird vibes and a lack of background or explication in the first episode…
  • The new HBO mini-series The Third Day (36:25) and what exactly is happening with both the airing of the show and the content…
  • Hulu’s new Lamorne Morris-starring show Woke (46:25) and how it’s a nice place to spend some time…
  • The topsy-turvy NBA Playoffs (52:10) and what the Nuggets’ big upset of the Clippers means…
  • A few thoughts on Week One of NFL action (1:19:35), featuring the San Francisco 49ers’ somewhat surprising loss to Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals…
  • Homework for next week (1:25:55), including: the probably terrible new Fox show LA’s Finest, the new season of PEN15 on Hulu and the new Netflix/Ryan Murphy show Ratched… plus MOAR NBA Playoffs and Week 2 of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 227

  By toyAdmin | September 10, 2020 - 11:56 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 227, Madden and Kolsky discuss the apocalypse weather in California and the movie Madden DIDN’T watch before sliding into:

  • The new Bill & Ted movie (5:25) and how it doesn’t give you much beyond a few laughs and a lot of references to the originals…
  • The new Netflix show Away (14:10) and how it’s less mission to Mars space show than it is interpersonal drama…
  • Amazon’s The Boys (23:40) and how the second season looks in the early going, plus thoughts on the three-per-week release schedule…
  • Amazon’s soccer docu-series All or Nothing (30:25), which focuses on Tottenham Hotspur and got very lucky with a mid-season coaching change…
  • A bit of NBA discussion (45:45) as the playoffs wind towards the conference finals…
  • Some NFL preview talk (1:02:50) on the eve of what should be a very strange season…
  • Homework for next week (1:19:55), including: the new Lamorne Morris series Woke on Hulu, Madden actually watching I’m Thinking of Ending Thigs, the new HBO series We Are Who We Are, the new HBO miniseries The Third Day and LOTS MORE sports action with the NBA Playoffs and the opening of the NFL season…

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The Toy Department – Episode 226

  By toyAdmin | September 3, 2020 - 11:58 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 226, Madden and Kolsky briefly get into the misery of the outside world before entering the toy department of life to discuss:

  • The new Netflix cartoon Hoops (3:50) and how absolutely awful it is…
  • The HBO Max reality dating series Singletown (9:20), which went over far better with one host than with the other…
  • The Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai (19:10) and what a good job the creators and writers have done with the source material…
  • The Amazon movie Get Duked (28:50) and how much fun it was to traipse through the Scottish Highlands with some weird teens…
  • A check-in on HBO’s Lovecraft Country (35:50) as the guys try to pin down exactly what is going on there…
  • The NBA Playoffs (42:30), with some thoughts on the Rockets’ Game 7 win and their prospects against the Lakers, the potential Celtics/Heat matchup in the Eastern Conference Finals, and a little bit of NBA draft chatter…
  • Homework for next week (1:12:20), including: the return of The Boys on Amazon, the new Netflix series Away (about a Mars mission), the new Charlie Kaufman movie I’m Thinking of Ending Things (also on Netflix), and LOTS MORE NBA Playoff action… plus the new Bill and Ted movie, which the hosts forgot to mention…
  • A few quick thoughts on baseball (1:15:20), especially the White Sox and Braves, both of whom are very exciting…

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The Toy Department – Episode 225

  By toyAdmin | August 20, 2020 - 11:37 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 225, Madden and Kolsky open another attempt at a short pod with an unnecessary detour into sparkling water v. still water before moving on to:

  • HBO’s new series Lovecraft Country (6:55) and the wild, occasionally disturbing ride of the first episode…
  • The new Netflix movie Project Power (19:40), which might be a B movie, and whether the tone fit the quality…
  • A few thoughts on baseball (29:50) and its stupid unwritten rules…
  • Some NBA Playoff chatter (36:25) with thoughts on what happens moving forward…
  • Homework for next week (57:25), including: the new Netflix cartoon Hoops, the new HBO Max reality dating series Singletown and LOTS MORE NBA Playoff action…

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The Toy Department – Episode 223

  By toyAdmin | August 6, 2020 - 12:04 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 223, Madden and Kolsky talk a bit about the busy return of sports before switching to pop culture for discussions on:

  • A quick revisiting of HBO’s Perry Mason (4:45) to set up a longer discussion after this coming Sunday’s finale…
  • The second season of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy (11:55) and why the second season is even better than the first…
  • The Go-Go’s documentary on Showtime (19:10) and how it is a little too cookie cutter to really stand out…
  • Season Five of the Netflix docu-series Last Chance U (27:10) and the fertile storytelling ground that is Oakland’s Laney College…
  • HBO’s docu-series I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (36:20) and how it deftly covers two converging storylines…
  • Beyoncé’s new visual album Black is King (44:10) and the greatness of the Queen…
  • Homework for next week (52:30), including: the season finale of HBO’s Perry Mason, the new HBO Max film An American Pickle and the return of Hard Knocks (also on HBO), plus LOTS of sports action and maybe a touch of Shark Week…

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The Toy Department – Episode 220

  By toyAdmin | July 16, 2020 - 11:25 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 220, Madden and Kolsky discuss the fact that one of them will be finishing a bottle of rosé (or is it rosado?) throughout the program before getting into:

  • This week’s season finale of The Challenge: Total Madness (2:30) and the anticlimax that was a one-episode, less-insanely-difficult-than-imagined final…
  • A turn to the world of movies (22:55) starting with the Charlize Theron action vehicle The Old Guard…
  • An examination of the Andy Samberg/Cristin Milioti film Palm Springs (30:40) and its unique take on a well-worn concept…
  • Eric Andre’s Netflix stand-up special Legalize Everything (43:35) and how both guys might appreciate a little more deep thinking from a talented comedian…
  • Homework for next week (50:20), including: the reunion episode of The Challenge, the new Peacock app show Brave New World, the new HBO documentary Showbiz Kids and Amy Schumer’s new HBO Max series Expecting Amy…
  • A detour into some return-of-sports discussion (53:20) with MLB set to start in a week…
  • Some more thoughts on The Challenge (1:01:05) and the upcoming reunion before saying goodbye…

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The Toy Department – Episode 219

  By toyAdmin | July 9, 2020 - 11:26 am | Uncategorized
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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…

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The Toy Department – Episode 218

  By toyAdmin | July 2, 2020 - 2:55 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 218, Kolsky gives Madden the scoop on a mildly disastrous start to his road trip vacation before discussing:

  • The new Netflix/Will Ferrell movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (7:05) and its star-powered cast…
  • The first episode of HBO’s I’ll Be Gone In the Dark (14:00) and its twin storylines of Michelle McNamara and her subject…
  • The first two episodes of HBO’s Perry Mason (21:20) and how few redeeming qualities the show has…
  • The third season of Search Party (26:55) now on HBO Max, and what remains appealing about this weird little show…
  • The return of The Chi on Showtime (31:35) and settling into a new season minus a couple of ostensibly major characters…
  • The last two weeks of action on The Challenge: Total Madness (41:05) and the departure of Aneesa and Josh…
  • Homework for next week (1:06:25), including: another episode of The Challenge, checking out Hamilton on Disney+, Cate Blanchett’s new show Stateless on Netflix, and probably some other stuff too…

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The Toy Department – Episode 217

  By toyAdmin | June 18, 2020 - 11:17 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 217, Madden and Kolsky somehow get into Frank Zappa’s Baby Snakes before focusing in on:

  • The Top Chef All-Stars LA finale (2:55) and its many moving moments…
  • An odd detour into the idea of the universal DH in baseball (13:15) before a return to Top Chef chatter…
  • ESPN’s 30 for 30 doc Long Gone Summer (24:40) and its perplexingly fluffy coverage of the Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa home run race of 1998…
  • Another episode of The Challenge: Total Madness (38:10), the awkwardness of the Dee edits and the (fast-approaching?) final…
  • The new Spike Lee joint Da 5 Bloods (50:00) and the greatness of Delroy Lindo…
  • Judd Apatow’s new movie The King of Staten Island (57:40) and the prospect of Pete Davidson as a leading man…
  • Dave Chappelle’s surprise special 8:46 (1:07:45) and the value of his voice at this time in America…
  • Homework for next week (1:17:35), including: another episode of The Challenge, the return of The Chi on Showtime, the debut of Perry Mason on HBO and the new season of Search Party on HBO Max…

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