Tag Archives: Apple TV+

The Toy Department – Episode 404

  By toyAdmin | November 1, 2024 - 10:09 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 404, Madden and Kolsky hit the ground running after an off-air election conversation with a little Halloween recap before getting into:

  • The twists and turns on this week of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (5:20) and how sides are being taken as the season careens towards what promises to be an incredibly competitive final…
  • The new documentary Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (26:40) and the deeply disturbing violations of the singers’ privacy that continue to this day…
  • The new film Woman of the Hour (38:30), an impressive directorial debut from Anna Kendrick and the spin-shiver-inducing true story it’s based on…
  • Apple TV+’s new drama/thriller Before (46:25) and Billy Crystal taking on a big dramatic role…
  • Homework for next week (50:50), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the new film Emilia Perez on Netflix, the return of Lioness on Paramount+ and the new Seth Myers stand-up special Dad Man Walking…

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The Toy Department – Episode 403

  By toyAdmin | October 25, 2024 - 11:45 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 403, Madden and Kolsky briefly address their respective levels of exhaustion before jumping right into:

  • A big-time Bananas episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (1:10) and what the “activation” of the ‘Nanaman means for the game moving forward…
  • Ali Wong’s new stand-up special Single Lady (31:30) and the talent to turn a divorce into an hour of comedy…
  • The return of Apple TV+ pod favorite Shrinking (37:40) and where season two seems to be taking our beloved cast of characters…
  • A smorgasbord of sports as the WNBA season ends (46:10), the NBA season begins (54:05) and the inevitable clash of Madden & Kolsky’s Premier League teams draws closer (57:50)…
  • Homework for next week (59:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara on Hulu and the new Billy Crystal drama Before on Apple TV+…

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The Toy Department – Episode 402

  By toyAdmin | October 17, 2024 - 7:53 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 402, Madden and Kolsky discuss their great lost episode, and attempt to recreate some of the magic you missed last week as they cover:

  • The last two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (2:00), including the gladiatorial greatness of Derrick Kosinski and the age-defying dominance of Rachel Robinson…
  • A sprint through the un-aired conversations from last week about: the Pitt/Clooney film Wolfs (26:05), the new HBO comedy The Franchise (27:10) and Mark Duplass’ quietly impactful Penelope (30:15)…
  • The Netflix documentary Will & Harper (32:25) and how it walks a fine line between laughs and love to produce a tremendous study of America and friendship…
  • The NBA-focused docu-series Starting 5 on Netflix (38:55) and how it delivers watchability and entertainment even if it doesn’t deliver much basketball…
  • Apple TV+’s new big-ticket drama Disclaimer (54:50) and how it’s all twisted around and structured in a way that makes it difficult to process…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:30), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the second season of Shrinking on Apple TV+, the new Ali Wong stand-up special Single Lady on Netflix and watching Game 4 of the WNBA Finals so you can try to find Derek Madden in the crowd…

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The Toy Department – Episode 398

  By toyAdmin | September 5, 2024 - 10:25 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 398, Madden and Kolsky are doing it after dark again, with LOTS to catch up on, beginning with a recap of their IRL meetup for a Pearl Jam concert, but moving on to:

  • Two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:50) and dealing with the fact that heavy hitters (or at least major characters) will be headed home on a weekly basis…
  • Jeff Goldblum & Co.’s interpretation of Greek mythology in the Netflix show KAOS (41:15) and whether our hosts could deal with the chaotic nature of the show’s storytelling…
  • FX’s new comedy English Teacher (46:05) and what a high-quality sitcom looks like in 2024…
  • The return of the undeniable Slow Horses (51:35) and the many joys of Jackson Lamb…
  • Homework for next week (57:50), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Peacock show Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, Nicole Kidman’s new Netflix effort The Perfect Couple and checking out the film Challengers, now available on Amazon Prime…

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The Toy Department – Episode 397

  By toyAdmin | August 21, 2024 - 10:04 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 397, Madden and Kolsky are staying up late again, so it’s right on into:

  • An absolute banger of an episode in Season 40 of The Challenge (1:05) with wall-to-wall physical eliminations that delivered some classic battles and some intriguing upsets…
  • Vince Vaughn’s new Bill Lawrence-created show Bad Monkey (43:20) and whether we finally have an official “gourmet cheeseburger”…
  • A few thoughts on Chelsea and the English Premier League (51:30) after Derek drags Kolsky into the conversation…
  • Homework for two weeks from now (1:00:05), including: two more episodes of The Challenge Season 40, Netflix’s new Greek mythology dark comedy KAOS, the return of Slow Horses on Apple TV+ and the new FX show English Teacher…

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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 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 383

  By toyAdmin | April 18, 2024 - 10:13 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 383, Madden and Kolsky bicker about who bears more responsibility for their bizarre technical difficulties before jumping into:

  • This week on The Challenge All-Stars 4 (2:10) and old heads showing their muscles…
  • The latest from Top Chef Wisconsin (24:35) with a rough week for some good chefs and some badly cooked meat…
  • Michael Douglas’s turn as Ben Franklin for Apple TV+ (45:10) and whether the resulting Franklin makes enough of statecraft to have a worthwhile show…
  • Colin Farrell’s turn as a noir-style private detective (52:40) and what exactly seems to be going on in a broader sense on the Apple TV+ show Sugar…
  • The documentary Steve! (57:15) and the wild and crazy (and suddenly serene) life of Steve Martin…
  • Netflix’s new film Scoop (1:04:45) and the choice to tell a story the Prince Andrew story through the lens of “journalism”…
  • Homework for next week (1:10:20), including: more Top Chef Wisconsin, more of The Challenge All-Stars 4, HBO’s new Sunday night centerpiece The Sympathizer and Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout adaptation…

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