Tag Archives: Jeffrey Wright

The Toy Department – Episode 375

  By toyAdmin | February 1, 2024 - 12:00 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 375, Madden and Kolsky address Derek’s road location and failure to shower — with a weird detour to the film Wonka — before splashing into:

  • A thrilling and dramatic episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (3:05) that leaves the show in an unfortunate place moving forward towards the final…
  • The fifth and final season of Fargo (35:30) and what a spectacular show it was throughout its run…
  • Netflix’s Emmy Award-Winning limited series Beef (42:05), which both hosts only returned to recently and ended up really enjoying…
  • The new series Sexy Beast (50:50) and the fundamental but still-unanswered question of why??
  • The excellent Best Picture nominee American Fiction (57:10) and some thoughts on the upcoming Oscar race…
  • Homework for next week (1:07:40), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, Apple TV+’s new World War II show Masters of the Air, Donald Glover’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon, Netflix’s dour comedy Loudermilk and the film Self Reliance on Hulu (written/directed/starring Jake Johnson)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 367

  By toyAdmin | November 24, 2023 - 2:51 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 367, Madden and Kolsky discuss the arrival of really cold weather in the Midwest and lament their life choices before diving in to:

  • This week on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (2:50), a victorious Big T and the dangling mystery of the third pole in the draw…
  • Hulu’s Nathan Fielder/Emma Stone HGTV spoof The Curse (36:45) and whether it’s more than just an awkward parody…
  • The return of FX/Hulu’s Fargo for its fifth and final season (45:10) and the excitement brewing in both of our hosts after two great episodes to start things off…
  • The Brit Marling-created A Murder at the End of the World (50:45) and whether our hosts are on board for its Gen Z-amateur-sleuth vibe…
  • The biopic Rustin (57:00) and the incredible performance from leading man Colman Domingo that makes it go…
  • Homework for next week (1:02:00), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, the Fisher Stevens-directed Netflix documentary Beckham, and the movie Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain from SNL’s video short team…

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The Toy Department – Episode 354

  By toyAdmin | August 18, 2023 - 9:28 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 354, Madden and Kolsky reflect once again on Kolsky’s family couch-surfing, plus the ultimate basement destination, before locking into:

  • This week’s two episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2 (2:55) and how the young guns are running the game so far, plus predictions of defection in next week’s episodes…
  • The Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone (36:20) and the delightfully over-the-top performances of Jamie Foxx and Teyonnah Paris…
  • Wes Anderson’s film Asteroid City (39:20) and the diminishing returns of an adult man playing with model houses…
  • Netflix’s Untold: Johnny Football (44:30) and the insane journey of its subject, Johnny Manziel…
  • The weekly dose of Chelsea football (54:55) as Kolsky tries to rev himself up for the rebuilding project…
  • Homework for TWO weeks from now (1:01:35), including: FOUR more episodes of The Challenge: USA Season 2, Tracy Morgan’s Max special Takin’ It Too Far, the new Star Wars series Ahsoka and the Ringer-produced Destination NBA: A G-League Odyssey…

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The Toy Department – Episode 157

  By toyAdmin | March 6, 2019 - 10:56 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 157, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky tempt fate with the prediction of a short show (spoiler alert — it actually came true!!) before breaking down:

  • The return of FX’s Better Things (1:25), a pod favorite, and how its brilliance appears intact after the departure of co-creator Louis C.K…
  • The Netflix film Paddleton (8:45), how it manages to be enjoyable and distinctly Duplass-y despite a persistent sadness and what it says about the movie industry’s changing status quo…
  • The HBO film O.G. (25:05), featuring a typically tour de force performance performance from Jeffrey Wright in a clinical look at incarceration…
  • Gary Clark, Jr.’s new album This Land (34:10) and how its eclectic mix of blues-tinged genre-jumping makes for a really good album that may not do much for his popularity…
  • Homework for next week (45:10), including: The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO, Losers and Workin’ Moms on Netflix and check-ins on HBO’s The Shop and FX’s You’re the Worst…

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The Toy Department – Episode 41

  By toyAdmin | October 6, 2016 - 12:26 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 41, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky open with a brief digression into Peaches & Herb before diving headlong into TONS of topics, including:

  • Recently-retired future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett (1:45) and how Derek Madden (wrongly) hates him with a passion and Matthew J. Kolsky (with great taste and even better judgment) rightly respects him as the all-time great that he is… (Bonus points if you can figure out who writes these descriptions…)
  • The quarter-pole of the NFL season, particularly the impressive start of the Minnesota Vikings (17:45)… This is really little more than Madden’s attempt to re-ingratiate himself to the Minneapolis community after his KG slander…
  • This past Saturday’s college football MADNESS (27:45) and Kolsky’s continued lack of interest despite the wild excitement of the finishes…
  • HBO’s new series Westworld (41:30) and how the guys feel about it after its complex and thought-provoking premiere episode…
  • Noname’s album Telefone (49:20) which Madden FINALLY listened to after being assigned it as homework… The boys discuss the album itself, their differing tastes and music in general…
  • A quick pop-in on FX’s Atlanta (58:45) and the [SPOILER ALERT] Black Justin Bieber episode…
  • Some thoughts on future homework assignments (1:04:15) and some assigned homework for next week on the way out the door…

By the way, if you like this podcast, TELL A FRIEND!! And if you want to subscribe via iTunes you can just click on the link below the player… Some other links down there as well… And if you want to contact the Toy Department, it’s easy — find us at ToyDepartmentPod (at) gmail.com.

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