Michael Quinn
  • About
  • Book Reviews Quinn on Books Gay Sensibility
  • Critical Influences
  • Script Doctor
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Michael Quinn

  • About/
  • Cultural Criticism/
    • Book Reviews
    • Quinn on Books
    • Gay Sensibility
  • Critical Influences/
  • Script Doctor/
  • Personal & Reported Essays/
  • Interviews/
  • Contact/
Hollywood Collage Photo Credit Michael Quinn.jpeg

Michael Quinn

Script Doctor

Michael Quinn

  • About/
  • Cultural Criticism/
    • Book Reviews
    • Quinn on Books
    • Gay Sensibility
  • Critical Influences/
  • Script Doctor/
  • Personal & Reported Essays/
  • Interviews/
  • Contact/

One film. 100 words.

A sharp diagnosis and a prescription to fix it.

Years ago, I was a reader for Paramount, evaluating which books were worth adapting for the screen. I’m bringing that same lens to the movies I watch now—offering a quick summary and one or two script-level fixes to help the story land.


July 07, 2025

"Phantom of the Paradise": Haunted by Its Source Material

July 07, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"Phantom of the Paradise": Haunted by Its Source Material

Campy, chaotic, and in need of one clear story to satire through song.

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July 07, 2025/ Michael Quinn/ Comment
script doctor, film review, character study, cultural criticism, queer cinema, horror
Phantom of the Paradise, cult film, musical satire, rock opera, horror comedy, film criticism, character study, missed opportunity, queer cinema, LGBTQ+, parody, source material overload, Faust, Dorian Gray, The Phantom of the Opera, emotional repression, Jessica Harper, Paul Williams, William Finley, Brian De Palma
May 03, 2025

"Watcher" Didn't Need a Killer

May 03, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"Watcher" Didn't Need a Killer

The real horror here is Julia’s unraveling sense of self.

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May 03, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
script doctor, film review, character study, women in film, horror
Maika Monroe, Chloe Okuno, psychological thriller, male gaze, isolation, film criticism, character study, missed opportunity, visual storytelling, women in film, horror

Contact the Script Doctor to give a second opinion.

 

Script Doctor photo credit: Rainer Schulze

© 2018-2025 Michael Quinn