emtalksfilm • 22nd April 2026

'Project Hail Mary' is So Punk Rock

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary has proved to the world that cinema is alive and well. In only two weeks, it passed $300 million at the global box office, becoming Amazon MGM’s highest grossing film of all time, has joined Letterboxd’s top 500 narrative features list, and has its IMAX run extended and digital release delayed due to such high demand to see it in theatres.All this is for a very good reason. Project Hail Mary is a beautifu...

emtalksfilm • 20th April 2026

'The Drama': Weaponised Morality and Lynchian Influence

This review will contain spoilers for The Drama.Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama has hit cinemas and taken the internet by storm, and for good reason. Aside from being wildly entertaining and doing a great job at making you squirm in your seat uncomfortably, The Drama presents an interesting, unfiltered debate on morality: who gets to police morality, how do we judge people by their thoughts versus their actions, what says more about us as people, and when does it become okay to judge others for th...

Reel Noise Magazine • 7th April 2026

Cannibalism in Horror: Love Has Never Tasted So Good

Written by Emma Guscott


With romance and horror so often intertwined, it feels only right to spotlight some of the genre’s most unsettling expressions of love. After all, what’s more romantic than loving someone to the point of physical consumption?


Cannibalism appears in many different forms across horror, almost always serving to represent something larger. As a genre built on metaphor and social commentary, horror repeatedly uses the act to explore desire, intimacy, power, and control....

South Wales Argus • 2nd April 2026

Rebecca Frecknall's Revival of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' Is What Theatre Is All About

For three weeks only this February, Rebecca Frecknall’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ iconic play, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ returned to the West End. 

 

In 2023, Frecknall’s production took the stage at The Phoenix Theatre in London for a six-week limited run and was the hit show of the season.  

 

This month, the standout show took over the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End for an even shorter run of just three weeks, to raving reviews and consecutive sold-out performances...

South Wales Argus • 2nd April 2026

'Glicked': Can the Success of 'Barbenheimer' be Recreated?

In the summer of 2023, hundreds of thousands of movie goers flooded to their local cinema for a back-to-back feature of the two biggest blockbusters of the year, ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie’. 

 

Both movies were released on July 21, 2023, earning critical acclaim and major box office success, resulting in a once in a lifetime cultural phenomenon known as ‘Barbenheimer’. 

 

The root of Barbenheimer’s success can be attributed to the fact that both films were already highly anticipat...

Reel Noise Magazine • 11th March 2026

The Letterboxd Four: Emma Guscott

Written by Emma Guscott


For as long as I can remember, cinema has been a part of my DNA. Growing up in a small town and feeling alienated from my peers, film became a form of escapism. This need for escapism was strengthened after I became bedridden following a life-changing spinal operation. With nothing else to do, I worked my way through as many films as I could find, and upon my return to school, film became a part of my education, from my GCSEs all the way through to my A Levels.


Desp...

emtalksfilm • 11th February 2026

‘Send Help’: A Loveletter To Your Weird Coworker, with a ‘Good For Her’ Stamp

This review will contain spoilers for Send Help.Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre after 15 years is here, with his desert island horror Send Help. In typical Raimi style, it’s unique and whacky in its style but also in its portrayal of a classic trope: being stuck on a desert island with someone you despise. The film follows Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), a survival enthusiast who is bullied and underestimated in her corporate workplace, until their work plane goes down on the way to a conf...

emtalksfilm • 1st February 2026

‘No Other Choice’: A Masterpiece of Anti-Capitalist Ecocinema

This review will contain spoilers for No Other Choice.Park Chan-wook’s latest directorial effort No Other Choice has finally hit cinemas in the UK, a hilariously bleak satire on capitalism and the rise of AI that has the potential to be hailed as a masterpiece of anti-capitalist cinema. Starring Lee Byung-hun as a paper mill worker fired from his job after being told machinery can do his job more effectively, No Other Choice is not subtle with its themes or messaging, but that’s why it works. Th...

emtalksfilm • 31st January 2026

‘Hamnet’: All The World’s A Stage in Chloé Zhao’s Latest Triumph

After her Best Picture winning Nomadland, Chloé Zhao’s work is back on our screens with a gut-wrenchingly raw period piece following William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes navigating the tragic loss of their young son, the titular Hamnet. An adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, Hamnet is beautiful in every possible way, and is well-deserving of being one of the most talked about films of the year.Hamnet is the type of film that does such a good job immersing you that you actu...

Reel Noise Magazine • 26th January 2026

Big Stories in Small Packages: Cardiff Mini Film Festival

Written by Eleanor Bate, Editor-in-Chief, and Emma Guscott


Reel Noise Magazine had the honour of attending the thirteenth annual Cardiff Mini Film Festival on 18 January, a celebration of short filmmaking that continues to champion emerging voices from Wales and beyond. Hosted for the second consecutive year at Cardiff’s historic Angel Hotel, situated opposite Cardiff Castle, the festival offered an immersive day of back-to-back screenings, bringing together filmmakers, students, and film lov...

Reel Noise Magazine • 11th January 2026

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein: A Heartbreakingly Human Tale of a Monster

Written by Emma Guscott


A classic gothic tale reimagined by the king of monsters and directing legend Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein has quickly become one of the most poignant and talked-about films in a year chock-full of legendary releases. Complete with an ensemble cast, gorgeous set pieces and costumes, and stunning cinematography, del Toro’s Frankenstein has rightfully earned its place in the 2025 film hall of fame.


Based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel of the same name, Frankenste...

Reel Noise Magazine • 5th January 2026

Reel Noise Presents: The Top 10 Films of 2025

A collaborative list by the Reel Noise team.


In a time when art, and the spaces we gather to experience it, feel increasingly under fire, 2025 reminded us of the power of cinema, and why it matters now more than ever.


From bold auteur swings and genre-bending horrors to blockbusters that truly earned their spectacle, this was a year defined by risk, discussion, and films that lingered long after the credits rolled. After compiling our writers’ lists and weighing both consensus and passion,...

emtalksfilm • 19th December 2025

‘Wake Up Dead Man’ & How To Write Religion

I’m not alone when I say I adore the first Knives Out movie. However, after the release of Glass Onion, I was of the opinion that the Knives Out films were mostly one-trick ponies: with all-star casts and a thrilling mystery, and not too much else going on outside of that.The newest addition to the Knives Out series takes everything the first two instalments gave us, and added complex characters and explorations of faith, set against the backdrop of an ornate small town church.The core element o...

Reel Noise Magazine • 27th November 2025

Regretting You or Regretting Watching This?

Written by Emma Guscott


Regretting You is the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation to hit cinemas — and it lands with exactly the level of quality anyone familiar with Hoover’s work might expect. In other words: it’s bad. Really bad. Hoover’s books have long been criticised for everything from romanticising abuse to glorifying cheating, all wrapped in dialogue so clunky it’s hard to believe it ever made it past an editor. Outside of a fiercely loyal teenage BookTok following, her work isn’t exact...

emtalksfilm • 12th November 2025

Bath Film Festival Roundup

For any film fan, the idea of being in a packed cinema surrounded by individuals who love the art of filmmaking as much as you do is a dream. All too often when it comes to releases we’ve been highly anticipating, we’re stuck in a cinema surrounded by yappers, glowing phone screens and people who are there to ruin the experience for others simply because they have nothing better to do. At film festivals, everyone is equally respectful and passionate for the universal art form that is cinema. Whi...

Reel Noise Magazine • 21st October 2025

“Jesus, If You’re There, Why Do I Feel Alone in This Room With You?” — Ethel Cain @ O2 Apollo Manchester

By Emma Guscott


I grew up in a small town. I attended an extremely devout Catholic school. As I grew into my own person, I found myself drifting further and further away from religion. Experience after experience taught me the same lesson: stop looking for God.


The reason we, as humans, connect so deeply with music is because it speaks directly to our souls. Sometimes we relate to the subject matter, sometimes the lyrics strike a personal chord, and other times it’s the melody alone that m...

emtalksfilm • 27th September 2025

What do 'Thunderbolts*' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Tell Us About the Future of the MCU?

‘Marvel fatigue’ has become a phenomenon among fans and non-fans alike ever since the MCU fell off post Endgame. Like a lot of fans, I grew up loving the MCU and its imperfect heroes, so to witness the massive dip in quality since 2019 and feel myself losing interest in the franchise was disheartening. The sense of community surrounding the Marvel films and the excitement of fans coming together for the next installment is something that truly hasn’t been replicated in cinema yet, at least in my...

emtalksfilm • 22nd September 2025

'Weapons' vs 'Longlegs': When Marketing Creates Unrealistic Expectations

Marketing can make or break a movie, and somehow, it did both for Zach Cregger’s Weapons and Oz Perkins’ Longlegs. Both were horror films of the summer, with Weapons coming out August 8th 2025, and Longlegs coming out July 12th 2024. Both were huge box office successes - Longlegs broke $100 million at the global box office and became the highest grossing R-rated horror film of 2024. Weapons surpassed $200 million globally and is currently the sixteenth highest grossing film of 2025. However, des...

emtalksfilm • 1st May 2025

‘Sinners’: Vampirism As A Metaphor For Oppression, Music & Freedom

Ryan Coogler’s newest directorial feature Sinners has hit cinemas and it is nothing short of an absolute cinematic spectacle. Sinners follows two twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who open up a juke joint in the American South to celebrate music and their culture, only to discover a sinister evil lurking in the shadows of their grand opening night. As an avid cinema goer, I saw the trailer for Sinners more times than I could count. Initially, I thought the film lo...

emtalksfilm • 23rd January 2025

2025 Oscar Nominations: The Horror Genre is Finally Getting its Flowers

Despite The Academy once again sparking controversy with their nominations for the 97th Oscars (Challengers being snubbed and Emilia Peréz receiving the most nominations, to name a few), there’s one demographic that their nominations this year have definitely pleased: the horror fans. Being a horror fan is tricky. You get some of the best movies of the year, incredible characters and performances, and new, fresh ideas every year from a genre that can sometimes feel dead on its feet. However, you...

emtalksfilm • 15th November 2024

My Honest Opinions On the 'Terrifier' Films As A Diehard Horror Fan

(Spoilers Ahead)If you’ve been on the internet for the past month, you’ve probably seen that silly black and white clown running around conventions pulling silly faces. You’ve probably seen him in a Santa outfit and you’ve probably heard the ‘clown cafe’ song. His name is Art the Clown, he’s (arguably) the main character of Terrifier, and the newest horror icon, up there amongst the ranks of Freddie Krueger, Michael Myers and Ghostface. The Terrifier films have been the subject of a lot of discu...

emtalksfilm • 9th October 2024

Let’s Talk About the 2024 Oscars

2023 was a year to be remembered in the history of films. The highly regarded and instantly iconic ‘Barbenheimer’ captured hearts universally, both blockbusters sweeping throughout every award show before the biggest of the year would finally decide which had the most acclaim.While the awards season seemed as though it was set to be a two-horse race between Christopher Nolan’s epic about the man who created the atomic bomb and Greta Gerwig’s heart-warming commentary on womanhood and the patriarc...