Tag Archives: NFL Playoffs

The Toy Department – Episode 331

  By toyAdmin | February 10, 2023 - 3:52 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 331, Madden and Kolsky do a quick debrief on their long time apart before shifting into gear to discuss:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (1:40) where we seem to be past the halfway point of TJ’s Final and there are LOTS of incidents and accidents to discuss…
  • A quick check-in on The Last of Us (33:40) to acknowledge the excellence of Episode 3…
  • Peacock’s new Natasha Lyonne vehicle Poker Face (35:10) and how her charm carries the viewer to an awful lot of fun…
  • Hulu’s superpower show Extraordinary (38:45) and how it really is extraordinarily enjoyable, with excellent writing and some delightful young unknown performers…
  • Apple TV+’s Bill Lawrence/Jason Segel joint Shrinking (44:05) and how the combination of its two creators makes for an oddly enjoyable cocktail, plus — Harrison Ford…
  • The Netflix rom-com You People (51:30) and how there’s not much Rom and Eddy Murphy is largely wasted but it’s not so terrible in the end…
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVII (1:00:55) and the recently passed NBA Trade Deadline (1:05:10)…
  • Homework for next week (1:16:25), including: four movies — TÁR (streaming on Peacock), Wakanda Forever (streaming on Disney+), Meet Me in the Bathroom (streaming on Showtime and Paramount+) and Somebody I Used to Know (streaming on Amazon)… and OF COURSE the last episode (we think) of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…

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The Toy Department – Episode 330

  By toyAdmin | January 26, 2023 - 3:18 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 330, Madden and Kolsky do a LITTLE bit of housekeeping before jumping right into:

  • The fact that Derek failed to complete his homework when he forgot about Treason (1:40) which is a nice little spy drama/thriller that Kolsky can still tell us a bit about…
  • The most recent episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies (5:40), including thoughts on elimination selection strategy, some great Burns of the Week and a preview of what looks to be a GRUELING final…
  • The new horror/satire/comedy film The Menu (39:55) and how it is carried along by a group of excellent acting performances…
  • The Billy Eichner/Judd Apatow-created rom com Bros (45:50) and how both hosts thought it hit all the Romantic Comedy pleasure spots…
  • Homework for TWO WEEKS from now (52:15), including: the new Netflix comedy You People, the new Peacock show Poker Face, Apple TV+’s new show Shrinking, Hulu’s British superpower show Extaordinary and OF COURSE the final of The Challenge: Ride or Dies…
  • A few quick thoughts on this weekend’s NFL Conference Championship games (56:35)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 328

  By toyAdmin | January 13, 2023 - 3:26 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 328, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s tough day at the office before getting into the pop culture content of the week:

  • The latest from The Challenge: Ride or Dies (2:50) as we have reached the doorstep of TJ’s Final and likely seen our final major twist of the season…
  • The new season of Last Chance U (35:55) on Netflix, which stays with East LA College and coach John Mosley as he rebuilds the program after COVID killed their previous season…
  • The film She Said (41:20), now available on Peacock, and how it takes a specific and successful angle on covering the reprehensible Harvey Weinstein, plus some thoughts on the excellent lead performances…
  • The new Netflix show Kaleidoscope (49:35) and how when its elaborate gimmick turns out to be nothing special, what’s left is a decidedly not special heist show…
  • A few thoughts on the impending Wild Card Weekend (59:45) and who the guys see ending up in the Super Bowl in February…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:09:40), including: HBO’s new show The Last of Us (), Netflix’s new tennis docu-series Break Point, the NBC reboot of Night Court and Netflix’s 70’s Show reboot That 90’s Show… plus, OF COURSE, the next episode of The Challenge: Ride or Dies!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 290

  By toyAdmin | February 11, 2022 - 11:47 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 290, Madden and Kolsky get straight into the content because Derek is having a tough day and Matt doesn’t want to make it worse:

  • Netflix’s new Aziz Ansari stand-up special Nightclub Comedian (2:50) and how it has it’s hilarious moments but isn’t particularly personal or essential…
  • Hulu’s new show Pam & Tommy (19:30) and how it is incredibly well-cast and highly entertaining but seems to be focused more on the specific story of the sex tape than the relationship in general…
  • The new Netflix series Murderville (35:35) and how mileage may vary but Marshawn Lynch is spectacular…
  • The Amazon series Reacher (45:25) and how it’s a hell of a good time…
  • Some NFL prop bets (49:30) to prepare you for Sunday’s big game…
  • Thoughts on the NBA trade deadline (1:06:35) especially the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade…
  • Homework for next Friday (1:24:00), including: getting into some Oscars content with The Power of the Dog on Netflix, plus the new HBO Max show The Girl Before, the new Soderbergh film Kimi (also on HBO Max) and the new Netflix series Inventing Anna (starring Julia Garner)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 288

  By toyAdmin | January 25, 2022 - 11:34 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 288, Madden and Kolsky have a little laugh about the sadness of missing The Challenge before getting networky with:

  • The underwhelming How I Met Your Father on Hulu (2:20) and how it’s super networky, despite being a streaming-only show, and mediocre-at-best…
  • The more enjoyable Abbott Elementary on ABC/Hulu (8:25) and where it succeeds, though mileage may vary person to person on really loving it…
  • Fox/Hulu’s Pivoting (13:15) and the irrepressible charm of its cast…
  • The new Duplass joint Somebody Somewhere on HBO (20:25) and how nice it is to have the brothers back in their sincere, heartwarming wheelhouse…
  • The beginning of the final season of Netflix’s Ozark (29:00) and how the stakes just keep getting higher on a really great TV program…
  • Some thoughts on arguably the greatest weekend of NFL playoff football ever (40:55) and where we’re headed now that it’s down to the final four…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (59:15), including: Single Drunk Female on Freeform/Hulu, the film The Last Duel (now on HBO Max), The Afterparty on Apple TV+ and Netflix’s new Kristen Bell show The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window… plus hopefully another great weekend of NFL Playoffs!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 287

  By toyAdmin | January 18, 2022 - 12:00 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 287, Madden and Kolsky are BACK (at long last!) to cover a MYRIAD of pop culture topics… and don’t worry, we cut out most of the COVID conversation so it’s basically straight into:

  • Aaron Sorkin’s Amazon Prime film Being the Ricardos (4:35) and how it’s a poorly cast, oddly framed and ultimately kind of pointless look at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz…
  • The Matrix Resurrections on HBO Max (8:35) and how it was a pretty enjoyable action flick but not really anything special or mind-blowing…
  • Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett (13:10) and how it doesn’t live up to The Mandalorian’s high standard in the first couple episodes, but it probably deserves some time to achieve that level…
  • The Apple TV+ film Swan Song (15:00) and how tremendous performances from Mahershala Ali, Glenn Close and Awkwafina bring an incredibly subtle but deeply moving film to life…
  • The HBO Max post-apocalyptic series Station 11 (21:30) and how it really came together beautifully and is, in the end, a hopeful and uplifting version of the world…
  • The return of HBO’s Euphoria (33:25) and how it delivers the same beautiful cinematography and fascinating storytelling that you may remember from its first season…
  • The end of Season 1 of Showtime’s Yellowjackets (40:50) and how thrilling and entertaining and well-acted it was, plus some excitement over the potential for Season 2…
  • The end of The Challenge All-Stars 2 (50:10) and the new level we expect the Challenge’s senior circuit to hit with the quickly-coming Season 3…
  • A few thoughts on the NFL Playoffs (1:10:00) after a largely boring “Super” Wild Card Weekend…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (1:16:40), including: Abbott Elementary on ABC/Hulu, Pivoting on Fox/Hulu, How I Met Your Father on JUST Hulu and HBO’s new Duplass show Somebody Somewhere, plus the new season of Netflix’s Ozark… (and don’t miss the post-show out-take, we say the F word a lot 🙂

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The Toy Department – Episode 246

  By toyAdmin | February 2, 2021 - 10:59 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 246, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss Kolsky’s persistent physical malady before focusing on the pop culture of the week:

  • The new Amazon Prime show Flack (4:10), its star Anna Paquin and a level of watchability that led both hosts to watch all six episodes this week…
  • The second special episode of Euphoria (9:30) and how wonderful and original that show feels heading into its second season…
  • The French show Lupin (19:40), which is enjoyable and charming in some ways but doesn’t totally come together…
  • The film The Little Things (27:45) and, among other things, whether it’s possible for Rami Malek to be convincing as a relatively normal human being…
  • A little Super Bowl LV chat (38:35) focused primarily on some good-value prop bets to make your party-less Super Sunday a little more entertaining…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (57:50), including: the new Sam Levinson/Zendaya/John David Washington film Malcom & Marie on Netflix, ESPN’s new 30 for 30 film Al Davis vs. The NFL, the Ted Danson network sitcom Mr. Mayor and the new Marvel series WandaVision on Disney+; plus a Super Bowl wrap-up and more NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 245

  By toyAdmin | January 26, 2021 - 10:52 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 245, Madden and Kolsky briefly discuss a mediocre basketball game they both watched last night before focusing in on:

  • Alex Wheatle (3:15), the fourth film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on Amazon Prime, and how the series has lost some momentum as it has gone on…
  • The new Netflix film White Tiger (10:00) and how it turns some very dark material into a pretty thrilling ride…
  • The new HBO Max film Locked Down (16:55) and why its weirdness appealed more to one of our hosts than the other…
  • Some NFL Playoff thoughts (25:40) on both Packers-Bucs and Bills-Chiefs, plus what the Brady v. Mahomes Super Bowl might look like…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (42:55), including: the new Denzel Washington film The Little Things, the new Amazon Prime show Flack, the second special episode of Euphoria (focusing on Jules) and the new French Netflix show Lupin; plus a little more Super Bowl preview and more NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 244

  By toyAdmin | January 19, 2021 - 10:54 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 244, Madden and Kolsky once again flirt with the concept of a short show before lengthy discussions about:

  • Sports!! Including some NFL postseason thoughts (1:15) and a brief chat about early-season NBA drama (4:20) after a big MLK Day of games…
  • The conclusion of HBO Max’s Tiger Woods documentary (9:00) and how fascinating the story of his rise and fall (and rise again) is…
  • The third film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series, called Red, White and Blue (20:15), and why it may have been the least satisfying of the movies so far…
  • The Amazon Prime film One Night in Miami (26:25) and the impressive debut directorial outing of Regina King…
  • The exciting new film Promising Young Woman (34:10) and all the things that make it so fantastic and unique…
  • Homework for next Tuesday (53:50), including: the new HBO Max film Locked Down, the next Small Axe film (called Alex Wheatle) and the new Netflix movie White Tiger; plus the NFL Conference Championship games and more NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

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The Toy Department – Episode 243

  By toyAdmin | January 12, 2021 - 11:03 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 243, Madden and Kolsky are (unsuccessfully, again) aiming for a short episode, so they dive right into:

  • The new Tiger Woods documentary on HBO (2:40) and how it spins a fascinating story around a rather uninteresting personality…
  • The too-widely-acclaimed How To with John Wilson (20:05) and how the odd but unexceptional HBO Max show fails to live up to its billing…
  • The Apple TV+ original Mythic Quest (27:00), where Kolsky stopped watching and why Madden thinks it’s worth sticking with it…
  • The Netflix docu-series History of Swear Words (33:25) and the enjoyable comedy of filthy language…
  • Some quick sports thoughts — on the NBA’s COVID issues (39:50) and the NFL’s first Super Wild Card Weekend (49:25)…
  • Homework for of next Tuesday (1:02:45), including: the second part of HBO’s Tiger documentary, the new film Promising Young Woman (available on VOD), the Amazon Prime film One Night in Miami (directed by Regina King) and the third film in the Small Axe Series — Red, White and Blue; plus MORE NFL playoffs and NBA basketball… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!

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