https://www.emtalksfilm.comRSS Feed for Emma GuscottenWed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://substack.com/@emtalksfilm/note/p-195045841?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4j9zl1Phil 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...Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://substack.com/@emtalksfilm/note/p-195045841?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4j9zl1https://substack.com/@emtalksfilm/note/p-194826995?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4j9zl1This 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...Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://substack.com/@emtalksfilm/note/p-194826995?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4j9zl1https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/04/07/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....Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/04/07/cannibalism-in-horror-love-has-never-tasted-so-good/https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/32642/The death of David Lynch, on January 16th, 2025, hit members of the film-loving community worldwide, harder than anyone would have expected.    Lynch, 78, passed away from complications of emphysema after being evacuated from his home in Southern California because of the LA Wildfires.    Often referred to as a ‘visionary’, Lynch was known for his work directing the cult-classic Twin Peaks (1989), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mullholland Drive (2001).    A three-time Academy A...Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/32642/https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/31814/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...Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/31814/https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/30049/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...Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/young-reporter/30049/https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/lightning-round-reviewsI’ve had a pretty busy few weeks, which has unfortunately meant I haven’t been able to post on Substack as frequently as I told myself I would this year. I had a pretty good streak going of posting a review of all the new releases I’ve caught so far this year, which was broken by me going abroad, commuting between two houses, and getting in my last few shifts at my job before I left. But now, I see the light, and the light is my return to Substack with a quick review of each 2026 release I’ve se...Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/lightning-round-reviewshttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/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...Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/03/11/the-letterboxd-four-emma-guscott/https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/send-help-a-loveletter-to-your-weirdThis 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...Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/send-help-a-loveletter-to-your-weirdhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/primate-is-all-monkey-businessThis review will contain spoilers for Primate.Primate, directed by Johannes Roberts, is your average paint-by-numbers horror film. Gory, campy, with a teen cast that are just reduced to meatbags for us to watch die. The film follows college student Lucy (Johnny Seqouyah) returning home with a few friends to her sister, her father, and the family pet Ben, a chimp who quickly turns rabid and begins to violently take out every cast member one by one. A pretty terrifying concept especially for someb...Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/primate-is-all-monkey-businesshttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/no-other-choice-a-masterpiece-ofThis 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...Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/no-other-choice-a-masterpiece-ofhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/hamnet-all-the-worlds-a-stage-inAfter 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...Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/hamnet-all-the-worlds-a-stage-inhttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/big-stories-in-small-packages-cardiff-mini-film-festival/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnB-WBsve7CEAwPU3tPf0m_4Qfo4UzNeMFffXaAIB-g6xskAWjnK10XAusPn8_aem_dYvPOTOIq1J833UUO9FOvwWritten 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...Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/big-stories-in-small-packages-cardiff-mini-film-festival/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnB-WBsve7CEAwPU3tPf0m_4Qfo4UzNeMFffXaAIB-g6xskAWjnK10XAusPn8_aem_dYvPOTOIq1J833UUO9FOvwhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-howzat(Mild Spoilers Ahead)Just over half a year after the release of Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later, Nia DaCosta brings Spike, Dr Kelson and Samson back to the big screen with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. While it has its fans, 28 Years Later was highly divisive amongst general audiences, due to mainly being a fantasy hero’s journey story rather than a horror, a fable-like tale told in three structures - a tale about the father (Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Jamie), a tale about the mother (Jodie Comer’s...Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/28-years-later-the-bone-temple-howzathttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/11/guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGndT5azM84z7B6SmnXC7FK7GWIJZNoY12UwbWmN6az9fhTvAGnAy9g5nGBErg_aem_hE_MIIwWSskBjkgvWizDrgWritten 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...Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/11/guillermo-del-toros-frankenstein/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGndT5azM84z7B6SmnXC7FK7GWIJZNoY12UwbWmN6az9fhTvAGnAy9g5nGBErg_aem_hE_MIIwWSskBjkgvWizDrghttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/reel-noise-presents-the-top-10-films-of-2025/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnATE7_abzOEjyrGx93PrJKay1XdNYoe0C-KSymX6kmbG1cmKd53i9a3_n42k_aem_fnIKMHwrVx3_bzCn1m3iEwA 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,...Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2026/01/05/reel-noise-presents-the-top-10-films-of-2025/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnATE7_abzOEjyrGx93PrJKay1XdNYoe0C-KSymX6kmbG1cmKd53i9a3_n42k_aem_fnIKMHwrVx3_bzCn1m3iEwhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/wake-up-dead-man-and-how-to-writeI’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...Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/wake-up-dead-man-and-how-to-writehttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/wicked-and-wicked-for-good-i-couldntAs a lifelong theatre kid, Lord knows that stage to screen adaptations can be hit or miss. After being forced to endure the soulless mess that was Dear Evan Hansen (2021) and the divisive Les Misérables(2012), Lin Manuel-Miranda (theatre Jesus) came to our rescue with tick, tick… Boom! (2021), followed by the 2021 adaptation of Miranda’s first musical, In The Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu. Chu proved himself to have a good eye for adapting musicals, as after his vibrant, colourful joyride that...Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/wicked-and-wicked-for-good-i-couldnthttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/five-nights-at-freddys-2-is-not-veryThe sequel to the box office breaking Five Nights at Freddy’s has hit our screens 2 years after its original release. Based on the game of the same name, it’s no wonder to me that many fans of the original source material have been slating this thing, since it’s painfully obvious that this isn’t a passion project from anyone involved and simply another way for Blumhouse to make money.I was a FNAF kid through and through in my formative years. You could not drag me away from that game, and when I...Sun, 14 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/five-nights-at-freddys-2-is-not-veryhttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2025/11/27/regretting-you-or-regretting-watching-this/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnWmq6sbFLJg1sMTZiNthfeVbgvSQ2TlVdgmNr58uBZmHALR63ZZ-rvwQtPxU_aem_-WeSmXTwj-n8BqxaRr10kgWritten 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...Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2025/11/27/regretting-you-or-regretting-watching-this/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnWmq6sbFLJg1sMTZiNthfeVbgvSQ2TlVdgmNr58uBZmHALR63ZZ-rvwQtPxU_aem_-WeSmXTwj-n8BqxaRr10kghttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/bath-film-festival-roundupFor 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...Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/bath-film-festival-rounduphttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/black-phone-2-dont-answer-this-callThe long-awaited yet long-doubted sequel to 2021’s ‘The Black Phone’ hit theatres on October 17th, 2025 (my 20th birthday!) It was not, however, a happy birthday to me, because this film is completely forgettable.‘Black Phone 2’ follows Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) and Finney Blake (Mason Thames) a few nondescript years after the events of the first film, in which Finney was kidnapped and held hostage by the serial killer The Grabber. While the core elements of the titular black phone are undeniably...Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/black-phone-2-dont-answer-this-callhttps://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/ethel-cain-o2-apollo-manchester/?fbclid=PAVERFWANkzJJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp9oUGah02PEuJ5ZmJt_7tGlDEUvfLJu9ZED4BAU1OGSoaqsW4aYqaceL198Y_aem_ydKIoQZh0THi6PpzKj9tngBy 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...Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://reelnoisemagazine.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/ethel-cain-o2-apollo-manchester/?fbclid=PAVERFWANkzJJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp9oUGah02PEuJ5ZmJt_7tGlDEUvfLJu9ZED4BAU1OGSoaqsW4aYqaceL198Y_aem_ydKIoQZh0THi6PpzKj9tnghttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/what-do-thunderbolts-and-the-fantastic‘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...Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/what-do-thunderbolts-and-the-fantastichttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/materialists-an-unapologetic-explorationCeline Song’s sophomore feature Materialists is similar to her previous effort, Past Lives, in the sense that it’s an unrelenting exploration of what love truly is, from the perspective of very complex characters. Love can be tragic, complicated, beautiful, and is often all three at once. This is a common theme in both of Celine Song’s films, and while many are of the belief that Past Lives remains Song’s masterpiece, I’m riding the Materialists train and I’m not getting off any time soon.Materi...Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/materialists-an-unapologetic-explorationhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/weapons-vs-longlegs-when-marketingMarketing 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...Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/weapons-vs-longlegs-when-marketinghttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/how-squid-game-became-its-own-worstI’ve never written about a TV show on my Substack before, so what might be a lesser known fact about me is that I’m an absolute TV fanatic. But, ‘EmTalksFilmAndTV’ didn’t quite have the same ring to it, so I let it be. And to be perfectly honest, I can’t think of a better show to write my first Substack TV article on. Sure, I have my favourite shows such as The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul or Midnight Mass, but Squid Game is undoubtedly the most influential, instantly iconic and, dare I say it...Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/how-squid-game-became-its-own-worsthttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/28-years-later-a-worthy-wacky-successorAfter almost the exact amount of years in the title, Danny Boyle has returned to direct the highly anticipated ‘threequel’ to his iconic 2002 film 28 Days Later.Following a trailer that took the internet by storm and rumours of a zombified Cillian Murphy returning, my hopes for this film skyrocketed, and it quickly became one of my most highly anticipated of the year. When reviews began pouring in, they were some of the most divisive of any film I’ve seen this year. So, I went into this film wit...Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/28-years-later-a-worthy-wacky-successorhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/sinners-vampirism-as-a-metaphor-forRyan 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...Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/sinners-vampirism-as-a-metaphor-forhttps://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/2025-oscar-nominations-the-horrorDespite 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...Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://emlovesfilm.substack.com/p/2025-oscar-nominations-the-horror