Tag Archives: World War II

The Toy Department – Episode 408

  By toyAdmin | December 19, 2024 - 4:11 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 408, Madden and Kolsky catch up after a week off, including a brief description of Kolsky’s London Getaway, before locking in on:

  • The last pre-final episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras (5:45) and who’s in the best position to excel in the endgame on New Year’s Day…
  • Picking up the pieces on A Man on the Inside (37:45) because Kolsky has thoughts after finishing the series…
  • The brilliant stand-up of Anthony Jeselnik (39:50) and the remarkable density of his short-form comedy in his newest special Bones and All…
  • The WWII film Blitz (43:45) and how Steve McQueen is doing what every film director should be doing — telling engaging stories with compelling characters, no matter the setting…
  • The Amazon Prime detective show Cross (48:05) and whether the series’ attempt to pack in a lot of meaning makes it too tough to digest at once…
  • Homework for next time, two weeks from now (51:15), including: TJ’s Final on The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, the new Netflix spy series Black Doves, Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano in No Good Deed (also on Netflix), Hulu’s Jimmy O. Yang vehicle Interior Chinatown, and Landman (Taylor Sheridan’s latest for Paramount+)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 377

  By toyAdmin | February 15, 2024 - 11:51 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 377, Madden and Kolsky have an in-depth Kylian Mbappe discussion before pressing record, then address Kolsky’s terrible Valentine’s Day before locking in for:

  • The first episode of TJ’s Final on The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion (1:50) and the cathartic joy of seeing Jay sent home with nothing to show for his embarrassing display over the course of the season…
  • Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show (33:20) and whether it’s a worthy pursuit in the depressing chaos of 2024…
  • The new season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud, covering Truman Capote v. The Swans (45:35) and another chapter in the seemingly weekly serial Why Are We Doing This???
  • Apple TV+’s fashion/WWII show The New Look (53:00) and how it distinguishes itself in this current TV landscape simply by feeling like it has something worthwhile to say…
  • Some final thoughts on Super Bowl LVIII (57:45) and whether Kyle Shanahan bears the brunt of responsibility for another 49ers defeat on the biggest stage in sports…
  • Homework for next week (1:09:50), including: the (hopefully) thrilling conclusion of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, two Oscar-nominated films — Oppenheimer and Past Lives — and on a lighter note, the Taika Waititi film Next Goal Wins (now on Hulu)…

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The Toy Department – Episode 341

  By toyAdmin | April 21, 2023 - 3:54 pm | Uncategorized
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In Episode 341, Madden and Kolsky are trying to move quickly before Derek’s voice gives out to his cold, so it’s right into:

  • The return of HBO’s Barry (1:40) and how it continues to deliver an utterly unique, genre-bending experience in its fourth season…
  • Netflix’s WWII escape drama Transatlantic (9:05) and how it’s a surprisingly fun show given the subject matter…
  • The gloriously ridiculous Cocaine Bear (15:00) and how one of our hosts gets more mileage out of dumb stuff than the other does…
  • This week on The Challenge: World Championship (21:50) where strange strategy plays and bickering partners continue to dominate the landscape…
  • The latest from Top Chef Season 20 (40:15) where the competition is remarkably fierce and anyone could go home at any time… but usually it’s the chef that goes too far outside their comfort zone!
  • A few thoughts on the NBA Playoffs (51:50) as the first round rolls along…
  • Homework for next week (1:05:00), including: Peacock’s new show Mrs. Davis, The Diplomat on Netflix and the David Cronenberg show Dead Ringers on Amazon prime… PLUS another week of The Challenge: World Championship on Paramount+ AND Top Chef Season 20 (World All-Stars) on Bravo…

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The Toy Department – Episode 190

  By toyAdmin | November 14, 2019 - 11:39 am | Uncategorized
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In Episode 190, Derek Madden and Matt Kolsky are off to a late start, so waste no time getting into:

  • Kolsky’s investment in Disney+ (1:00) and how he feels about it, with plans to get Madden involved for next week…
  • The new Taika Waititi film Jojo Rabbit (5:35), how incredible the cast was and what an interesting, thoughtful movie it turned out to be…
  • The new cycle of Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act on Netflix (17:20) and the fundamental struggle for comedy/news programs in our bizarre and confusing times…
  • A deep dive on MTV’s The Challenge (25:55), the remarkable twists and turns of the War of the Worlds 2 season and some specific strategy points and player analysis…
  • Homework for next week (53:15), including: watching the first couple episodes of The Mandalorian on Disney+, back to the theaters for the movie Ford vs. Ferrari, the new Hulu show Dollface and the new Netflix film Earthquake Bird…

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