Nicholas Laskin, Author at The Playlist

Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

August 30, 2021 1:30 pm

Trust us when we say we hope there’s a day when the words pandemic and COVID-19 are never written on the pages of this website again, specifically in any intros to any features. However, the reality is that th...

The 12 Most Ridiculous Moments In The ‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise

Nicholas Laskin

June 23, 2021 3:44 pm

Features, News

Last year, action megastar Vin Diesel made headlines when he insisted that the release of the hotly anticipated ninth “Fast and Furious” installment – that ever-beloved media franchise that officially cemented...

Summer TV Preview: Over 40 Series To Watch

Nicholas Laskin

May 6, 2021 3:24 pm

Features, News, Television

With the advent of Peak TV and the silver era of the Streaming Age, it’s really crazy to consider just how much television has essentially closed and ended the gap between itself and the perceived quality of “...

Ethan Hawke: The Essential Performances

Nicholas Laskin

September 29, 2020 2:36 pm

Features, News, Television

Certain movie stars go their entire careers without ever truly getting the kudos they deserve. Sure, everybody and their mother is fond of Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Meryl Streep, and Brad Pitt; they’ve gi...

The Essentials: The Surreal Films Of Charlie Kaufman

Nicholas Laskin

September 2, 2020 2:00 pm

Features, News

The list of American screenwriters who have attained name-brand status in the last thirty years is a relatively short one. It used to be that the writer was king in Hollywood; the advent of the so-called auteu...

22 Films About Rebellion, Protests & Civil Unrest

Nicholas Laskin

June 4, 2020 1:43 pm

Features, News

America is not okay. Maybe America has never been okay. Maybe certain members of our society are just now starting to realize this fact. In any case, the Band-Aid of civility has been ripped from our flesh,...

Depth Of Field: The Essential Films Of Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond

Nicholas Laskin

May 29, 2020 12:00 pm

Features, News

Vilmos Zsigmond is a name that belongs on a very short list when it comes to cinematographers whose work came to define a certain kind of film made in America during the 1960’s and 1970’s. When we think of thi...

The Essentials: Robert Pattinson’s 10 Best Performances

Nicholas Laskin

October 16, 2019 12:46 pm

Features, News

For a long time, Robert Pattinson was known to most as moody, sparkly vampire Edward Cullen from the enduringly lucrative“Twilight” series. Since his initial ascent, the prodigiously talented London-born actor ...

The Essentials: Joaquin Phoenix’s 12 Best Performances

Nicholas Laskin

October 1, 2019 12:52 pm

Features, News

To dust off a tried-and-true turn of phrase that’s been employed since the early days of Hollywood: goddamnit, there’s just something special about Joaquin Phoenix. Since the beginning of his career, Phoenix ha...

‘3 From Hell’: Rob Zombie Gives Fans Exactly What They Want In This Brutal, Offensive Finale [Review]

Nicholas Laskin

September 17, 2019 2:31 pm

News, Reviews

Do Rob Zombie movies have a place in our current era of arthouse horror? It’s tough to say, as Zombie is a director who has willfully chosen to stay in the grade-Z grindhouse lane. The filmmaker has his support...