rom-com – The Toy Department

The Toy Department – Episode 401

In Episode 401, Madden and Kolsky discuss Derek’s work-cation and his exclusive property on Haven’t-Seen-Harry-Potter Island before locking in on:

The latest from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (7:00) including the rapid demise of Era 1 and whether or not strategy dictates finishing them off or shifting focus…
Netflix’s enthralling WWE docu-series Mr. McMahon (29:15) and how to reckon with the broader cultural impact of professional wrestling…
The ripped-from-Kolsky’s-heart rom-com Nobody Wants This (43:10) and how Netflix has constructed a show that’s hard to imagine not loving…
The film Killer Heat on Amazon Prime Video (48:00) and the comfort of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s face and propensity for voice-over…
A few random sports thoughts (52:25) as Kolsky eulogizes his baseball fandom…
Homework for next week (57:45), including: another episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the Pitt/Clooney movie Wolfs on Apple TV+, the Mark Duplass show Penelope on Netflix, the documentary Will & Harper (also on Netflix) and the new HBO comedy The Franchise…

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…

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)…

In Episode 241, Madden and Kolsky wish 2020 a very good riddance and discuss the odd new 2020 movie experience before jumping into:

The new superhero blockbuster Wonder Woman 1984 (4:30) and all the many and varied disappointments within…
The first film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe collection (17:50) — called Mangrove — and what a high-quality, artful production it is despite being a very tough hang…
The new Netflix movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (28:40) and how it feels very specifically like a play but also features tremendous performances from Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, among others…
Hulu’s holiday lesbian rom-com Happiest Season (38:45) and how it’s a perfectly good, if relatively standard-issue, romantic comedy…
Homework for of next Tuesday (43:35), including: the second of the five films in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe collection (called Lovers Rock), the new season of Cobra Kai on Netflix, the Charlie Brooker (of Black Mirror fame) mockumentary special Death to 2020 and the new film Sylvie’s Love, starring Tessa Thompson and former All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha… and DON’T MISS our coverage of The Challenge: Double Agents on Thursday!!!