The Toy Department – Episode 396

  By toyAdmin | August 15, 2024 - 12:29 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 396, Madden and Kolsky don’t bother with small talk because somebody is UPSET as they get into:

  • The opening episode of The Challenge’s 40th season (1:05) and how the opening salvo (or lack thereof) in the Battle of the Eras left one of our hosts quite upset…
  • The Matt Damon/Casey Affleck film The Instigators (43:15) and whether it qualifies for the much-discussed (on this pod, anyway) “gourmet cheeseburger” designation…
  • Steph Curry as Steph Curry in Mr. Throwback (48:45) and whether or not Steph Curry should quit his day job 🙂 …
  • A few thoughts on Steph Curry at his day job (56:35) or whatever you would call what he did at the Olympics…
  • Some distinctly non-expert opinions on Olympic Breaking (1:09:05) and the apparent controversy around it…
  • Probably more talk about USMNT soccer and Chelsea Football Club (1:12:10) than anyone asked for…
  • Homework for a light show next week (1:28:30), including: another episode of The Challenge Season 40 and the new Apple TV+ show Bad Monkey…

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The Toy Department – Episode 395

  By toyAdmin | August 8, 2024 - 9:12 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 395, Madden and Kolsky talk a little Lollapalooza before homing in on:

  • Apple TV+’s comedic entry Time Bandits (7:10) and Derek Madden’s distaste for the rather specific Monty Python vibe…
  • The new Apple TV+ drama Lady in the Lake (14:15) and whether it qualifies as a “gourmet cheeseburger…”
  • A few thoughts on the idea of the gourmet cheeseburger (22:10) and shows enjoying second life via the algorithm…
  • The Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (24:40) and how and where it falls flat…
  • A brief Olympics discussion (31:50) as the games have dominated our hosts’ attention for the last couple weeks…
  • Homework for next week (40:25), including: the return of The Challenge for a (hopefully) epic Season 40, the Matt Damon/Casey Affleck movie The Instigators (on Apple TV+) and the Steph Curry mockumentary Mr. Throwback on Peacock…

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The Toy Department – Episode 394

  By toyAdmin | July 18, 2024 - 9:53 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 394, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s new fitness challenge and a radio contest involving Fred Durst before jumping into:

  • Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (7:40) and how both our hosts would prefer that he did something more interesting…
  • The equally unnecessary but significantly funnier Sausage Party: Foodtopia (17:20) and how a little bit of cleverness and thoughtfulness can go a long way…
  • The WTF sensation of Apple TV+’s Rashida Jones vehicle Sunny (24:15) and how both hosts are all in despite not really knowing what’s going on…
  • The Julio Torres movie Problemista (30:20) and how it’s a quirky good time…
  • Homework for a few weeks from now (4:05), including: the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black (available to rent), the two new Apple TV+ series(es) Lady in the Lake and Time Bandits, plus whatever else Madden and Kolsky come up with in the meantime…

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The Toy Department – Episode 393

  By toyAdmin | July 12, 2024 - 1:38 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 393, Madden and Kolsky discuss their canned-champagne problems (including Kolsky’s urgent need of a plumber) before conversations about:

  • The third season of Hulu’s flagship dramedy The Bear (4:35) and whether it stands up to the incredibly high standard set by its first two seasons…
  • The Dakota Johnson film Am I Ok? (19:15) and the text message Derek sent to Kolsky while he was watching it…
  • The sickle-cell-superhero show Supacell on Netflix (33:15) and the cultural value of message-driven shows in this particular genre…
  • The stand-up comedy of Ali Siddiq (39:50) and his recent four-special series about his life…
  • A few thoughts on the state of USA Men’s soccer (48:25) as they seek to replace Gregg Berhalter…
  • Homework for next week (1:13:05), including: the Rashida Jones show Sunny on Apple TV+, the new film Problemista on Max, Eddie Murphy’s return in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix and the new Sausage Party show on Amazon Prime Video…

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The Toy Department – Episode 392

  By toyAdmin | June 27, 2024 - 9:39 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 392, Madden and Kolsky nail down what day it is and what city Derek is in, talk a little about Soul Coughing and concerts, and then get into:

  • The return of The Boys on Amazon Prime (4:40) and some how an even darker tone that finally gave some morons a wake-up call about the themes…
  • Hacks star Hannah Einbinder’s stand-up special (14:45) and comparing her stage persona to her television character…
  • The Andrew McCarthy-led documentary Brats (18:10), all the feels of the Brat Pack Era and some interesting filmmaking choices…
  • The new AMC series Orphan Black: Echoes (42:05) and how it appears to stand up to the original Orphan Black series after just one episode…
  • Apple TV+’s sexed up thriller Presumed Innocent (45:25) and Jake Gyllenhaal’s fascinating career…
  • The Dev Patel feature Monkey Man (57:45) and the industry’s commitment to the revenge tour action flick…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:25), including: THE BEAR is back on Hulu, the Dakota Johnson film Am I Ok? on Max, the British superpowers show Supacell on Netflix and Ali Siddiq’s stand-up specials on YouTube…

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The Toy Department – Episode 391

  By toyAdmin | June 20, 2024 - 11:21 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 391, Madden and Kolsky are back from an unplanned hiatus (thanks to Derek’s unnamed coworkers) to dive deep into:

  • The last two episodes of Top Chef (2:05) including a cheese-and-fishy quickfire, great chefs cooking scared in the pre-final and a final cook that saw three great chefs do their thing…
  • The the end of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:40) including a purge, a rad paintball shooting challenge to kick off TJ’s Final, a friend-ly twist to end it and a big win for a bigger legend…
  • The HBO docu-series Ren Faire (36:05) and whether the Succession comparisons go deeper than the obvious surface narrative…
  • The intense and emotional Godzilla Minus One (44:00) and whether it transcends the standard monster-flick label…
  • Bob Marley: One Love (49:15) and the life and legacy of reggae music’s GOAT…
  • The Glen Powell/Richard Linklater team-up Hit Man (55:45) and what a winning rom-com it ends up being…
  • A few thoughts on the end of the NBA season (1:00:30) and the championship-winning Boston Celtics…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:55), including: Hannah Einbinder’s stand-up special (on Max), the documentary Brats on Hulu, Ophan Black: Echoes on AMC, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, the Dev Patel feature Monkey Man (now on Peacock) and the return of The Boys on Amazon Prime Video…

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The Toy Department – Episode 390

  By toyAdmin | June 6, 2024 - 9:07 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 390, Madden and Kolsky talk a TEENSY bit about the NBA Finals matchup before moving out of the sports world and into:

  • The last Wisconsin episode of the current season of Top Chef (7:35), the chefs who made it to the final four and the interesting choice for the location of the season’s end…
  • A topsy turvy week of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (22:05) that saw a strong competitor head home and leaves a lot of questions as TJ continues to threaten a final…
  • Hulu’s new Donald Sterling/V Stiviano show Clipped (39:10) and whether the fall from “grace” of a racist piece of garbage makes worthy television entertainment…
  • Netflix’s bizarre Benedict Cumberbatch drama Eric (52:10) and what on Earth it’s trying to do…
  • The triumphant return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts (57:15) where the only reasonably complaint is there’s not enough of this show!!!
  • Disney+’s new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (59:35) and what it says about what the studio’s approach to one of the biggest intellectual properties in entertainment…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:45), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, a few movies — Hit Man (on Netflix), Godzilla Minus One (also on Netflix) and Bob Marley: One Love (on Paramount+) — and the HBO docu-series Ren Faire…

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The Toy Department – Episode 389

  By toyAdmin | May 31, 2024 - 9:52 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 389, Madden and Kolsky talk about Derek’s travels in the name of ROCK before attempting to swiftly get through:

  • A triumphant return on Top Chef Wisconsin (6:30) and how the chef’s stack up as we head towards the final few episodes and a likely imminent location change…
  • The departure of a heavy hitter on The Challenge All-Stars 4 (27:35) and where it leaves the leaderboard of the competition…
  • Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy (40:25) and Kolsky’s love for the action-rom-com genre…
  • Another swing at American history from Apple TV+ with The Big Cigar (48:00) and the performance of show favorite Andre Holland as Huey P Newton…
  • Homework for next week (53:50), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, the new Donald Sterling Clipper show Clipped on Hulu, the return of Peacock’s We Are Lady Parts, the new Star Wars adventure The Acolyte (on Disney+) and Netflix’s Benedict Cumberbatch vehicle Eric…

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The Toy Department – Episode 388

  By toyAdmin | May 23, 2024 - 4:19 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 388, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s busy schedule before locking right into:

  • The latest from The Challenge: All-Stars 4 (2:45) where Killa Queen Kam is making moves and dominating political gameplay (not to mention a bouncy elimination challenge) as the show heads into the home stretch…
  • This week’s Savannah roller coaster on Top Chef Wisconsin (24:00) plus the dominance of Danny and what to expect from the second Last Chance Kitchen winner…
  • The utterly bizarre (and possibly sneaky Christian?) The Book of Clarence (39:50) and what exactly the cast and crew set out to do when they started this film…
  • The feels-inducing delight of Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza (47:30) and the incredible musical legacy of Perry Farrell…
  • A quick chat about the end of the Premier League season (1:07:10) and Chelsea FC’s Commitment to ChaosTM…
  • Some thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (1:13:30) with the conference finals in progress…
  • Homework for next week (1:23:10), including: new episodes of Top Chef Wisconsin and The Challenge All-Stars 4, the now-rentable The Fall Guy and The Big Cigar on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 387

  By toyAdmin | May 16, 2024 - 10:17 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 387, Madden and Kolsky are meeting up late night for some Toy Department After Dark to get into:

  • A new episode of The Challenge All-Stars 4 (3:35) that saw a very messy Brad season come to an end and a theatrical turn for Ace…
  • This week’s episode of Top Chef Wisconsin (23:05) where a competitive final eight had to deal with more changes to the game format in addition to a fascinating native foods challenge…
  • Apple TV+’s multi-versal Dark Matter (36:10) and whether it tells its story quickly enough to draw in its viewers…
  • Netflix’s Will Forte true-crime-pod-mock-umentary Bodkin (43:50) and whether it connects with its bizarre small-town mystery vibe…
  • The third season of HBO’s Hacks (47:30) and the brilliance of Jean Smart…
  • Some English Premiere League thoughts (51:15) as we head into the final weekend of the season…
  • Our weekly NBA check-in (1:02:10) mere hours after Minnesota’s utter dismantling of the Nuggets to force a Game 7 in Denver on Sunday…
  • Homework for next week (1:14:45), including: another episode of Top Chef Wisconsin, more of The Challenge All-Stars 4, the newly-on-Netflix movie The Book of Clarence, the Amazon Prime Video Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black and the Paramounnt+ documentary Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza…

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