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.

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.

Read More
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
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.

Read More
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 04, 2025

"The Leather Boys": A Gay Love Story Rides the Brakes

May 04, 2025/ Michael Quinn
"The Leather Boys": A Gay Love Story Rides the Brakes

The film hints at something deeper between Reggie and Pete but never allows it to take center stage.

Read More
May 04, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
script doctor, film review, character study, gay, queer cinema
gay love story, closeted characters, gay subtext, queer longing, queer cinema, LGBTQ+ film history, LGBTQ+, gay, The Leather Boys, British film, 1960s cinema, kitchen sink drama, working-class realism, romantic drama, repressed desire, Colin Campbell, Dudley Sutton, Rita Tushingham, Sidney J. Furie, film criticism, character study, missed opportunity, visual storytelling, male intimacy, emotional repression, motorcycle film, film review
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.

Read More
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