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

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.

Script Doctor is a blog where I apply a screenwriter’s lens to the films I watch—offering a quick summary and one or two script-level fixes to help the story land. Years ago, I was a reader for Paramount, evaluating which books were worth adapting for the screen. Now I’m turning that critical eye on the screenplays themselves.

Does my diagnosis hold up—or need a second opinion?


October 05, 2025

"Golden Eighties": Remaking the Mall Musical

October 05, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"Golden Eighties": Remaking the Mall Musical

A contemporary remake of this shopping mall love story musical could highlight modern tensions around consumerism, feminism, and nationalism.

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October 05, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
script doctor, cultural criticism, women in film, character study, queer cinema, musical, european cinema
September 01, 2025

"King Kong": Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves

September 01, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"King Kong": Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves

A feminist reimagining sees the patriarchy as the real monster.

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September 01, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
character study, cultural criticism, film review, horror, script doctor, women in film, classic hollywood
June 02, 2025

"Indiscreet": Love Makes Fools of the Righteous

June 02, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"Indiscreet": Love Makes Fools of the Righteous

Lying in love isn’t funny—unless it’s absurd.

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June 02, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
script doctor, film review, character study, gay, queer cinema, cultural criticism, women in film
Indiscreet, romantic comedy, deception, self-betrayal, emotional repression, commitment issues, character study, missed opportunity, hypocrisy, visual storytelling, queer subtext, closeted characters, gay love story, LGBTQ+ film history, film criticism, representation on screen
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 collage credit: Michael Quinn

© 2018-2025 Michael Quinn