I Have Some Notes

We have an absolutely MASSIVE year-end wrap-up show for you, but I promise we didn't plan it that way. The intention was for the first section of the episode to be a rapid-fire list of movies we loved and wanted to mention, but we just couldn't help but discuss each of them at length. Hey, give us a break. This is the one episode of the year we get to talk about actual good movies, we're understandably a little over-eager. Below are the timecodes if you'd like to jump around to the movies you really want to hear us talk about: "Rapid Fire" 2023 Movies: 00:04:56 – Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse 00:07:25 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 00:08:47 – Super Mario Bros. 00:11:03 – The Creator 00:13:04 – Dream Scenario 00:15:18 – Leo 00:17:32 – Talk to Me 00:19:50 – Reality 00:21:25 – Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 00:23:31 – No One Will Save You 00:25:12 – Barbie 00:28:43 – Asteroid City 00:33:06 – Lebanese Burger Mafia 00:36:08 – Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark 00:37:32 – The Holdovers Most Disap

Zack Snyder may be this podcast's most prolific source of content. Whenever a Snyder joint drops we know it will be ripe for pitching rewrites. While Rebel Moon kicks off with surprising promise, the saga quickly develops into empty action and even emptier characters. Scott and Gregg try their best to restructure the plot and add more intrigue to the large cast of characters, while Liam takes a big swing at making this a much more challenging artistic affair. 00:08:08 – Plot Summary 00:09:23 – Movie Discussion 00:29:45 – Rewrites 00:48:43 – Listener Comments

The legend of Indiana Jones ends in an unfortunate snoozefest that fails to live up to the vaunted films of the 80s. Fortunately, that leaves us all kinds of relics to rearrange in the museum of Indy. Scott, Liam, and Gregg look to bring Indiana Jones to a close by interrogating the nature of the character and his history of looting. In addition, we add a fan-favourite character while conversely trying to make the audience feel as uncomfortable as possible. 06:42 - Plot Summary 08:27 - Movie Discussion 30:10 - Punch-up 01:02:17 - Listener Comments

The Flash is another in a long line of troubled DC movies. Although the core is simple and smart, director Andy Muschietti loses the handle to blockbuster bloat. Fortunately, Scott has a simple, yet brilliant change that takes the drama to a whole new level and opens up the opportunity to keep the scope smaller and more focused. 00:14:43 - Plot Summary 00:17:06 - Movie Discussion 00:41:00 - Movie Punch-up 00:58:35 - Listener Comments  

Ducan Jones' follow-up to Moon dropped, it barely made a sound. It remains one of the many Netflix original misses that have been scarcely seen – must less heard – by anyone. But hey, we were looking for a noir cyberpunk movie, and this one fits the bill! Laena Anderson of Quantum Kickflip fame joins us to give a stronger voice to Mute. They deftly adjust the challenges the protagonist's disability would present in an ableist future, while Scott looks to change the film's protagonist altogether. Gregg tweaks a single scene, again, and Liam…well Liam may not have even watched this one. 15:57 – Plot Summary 18:07 – Movie Discussion 41:44 – Rewrites 01:06:44 – Listner Comments

This week we pitch modern remakes for the O.G. horror flick: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. A classic of the Weimar Germany era of expressionist films, Dr. Caligari left an indelible mark on the horror genre with its haunting score, trippy hand-painted lettering and sets, and unique film tinting. I can say with confidence I've never seen a movie like it. You can watch it for free here. Liam and Gregg propose remakes that are essentially artistic love letters to a classic, while Scott zags in the other direction creating a techno horror/thriller that pays homage to the original. If you are interested in checking out the short films that inspired Liam's remake, here is a list of links: The Periwig Maker – Stop motion short from 1999, based on Daniel Defoe's novel A Journal of the Plague Year (1722), narrated by Kenneth Branagh. https://vimeo.com/94166448 Flying Sailor – Canadian short by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis https://www.nfb.ca/film/flying-sailor-the/ Behind Closed Doors https://youtu.be/H9InaUJm0A8

Ti West's X is honestly a pretty great horror/slasher movie, but would we let a quality film from A24 get in the way of our Monday morning screenwriting? Hell no! The question for us was whether X took its themes all the way to the finish line. We propose a couple of character moments for Maxime that might done just that, while also making the deaths of certain members of the film crew more tragic. 10:46 - Film Discussion 37:34 - Rewrites for X 1:00:16 - Listner Comments

Originally a Patreon exclusive, we've unlocked this special Side Notes episode for all to enjoy: How to Watch Movie Good. Making I Have Some Notes over the last eight years has really pushed us to become better cinephiles and media critics. Punching up movies week after week isn't easy, particularly if we hope to create interesting pitches that meaningfully move these screenplays in a better direction. So we thought it would be good to share with you our individual journeys from average moviegoers to seasoned cinephiles. The result was a great conversation that traces our roots from working at video stores, to writing about movies, to developing a love for film theory and artistic philosophy.

As mentioned in our last episode, we intend to ride out the Hollywood strikes in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, so we may not be punching up American superhero movies for a while. Fortunately, this presents a perfect excuse to hit the road and explore imaginative superhero movies abroad, like Shin Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider is a storied Japanese hero who is as much a cultural touchstone in Japan as Superman is in North America. The franchise spans hundreds of hours of television and a dizzying number of feature films. It is also responsible for the popularization of the "transformation" scene that became of hallmark of anime shows like Sailor Moon. We try work rework the break-neck speed of Shin Kamen Rider to something that is admittedly more accessible to us Canadians who have yet to ride with the masked grasshopper hero before. 09:00 - Plot Summary 11:08 - Film Discussion 25:04 - Punch Up 58:03 - Listener Comments

Did you miss us? Cause we definitely missed you! We're stoked to be back for another season of punching up movies, although this season will be slightly different. As you know, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild are currently on strike due to unfair pay and poor working conditions. To show our solitary, I Have Some Notes has chosen not to promote any struck work from movie studios that are unwilling to sign a fair deal with artists. They are the lifeblood of the industry and for the countless hours of entertainment they have given us, writers and actors deserve the opportunity to earn a comfortable living. So the question is: what movies can we review? Enter The Brain That Wouldn't Die, a 1962 sci-fi/horror B-movie that just happens to be in the public domain. No fat cat executive is profiting from this one, baby! But instead of our usual punch-up routine, we decided to have some extra fun and violate our one single rule. That's right, we're doing page one rewrites! Specifically, our goa

For our season finalé, we really felt we wanted to get to the center of a science fiction film. You know, really drill down, bore out all the flaws, and mine some truly creative solutions. Additional core puns. Robin Taylor (Cinematological) joins us for the conclusion to Season 8 of I Have Some Notes aiming to rewrite 2003's THE CORE. The crew struggles a bit with this one but ultimately pitches multiple fixes including throwing an Adam-McKay-esque satirical blanket around the entire plot.  Thank you to all our listeners and Patreon supporters this season. Because of your support, the show is now completely independent and self-sustaining. This show is a blast to make, and we're so grateful to be able to keep recording into Season 9 and beyond. We'll be back in September, but if you're a Patreon supporter keep an eye out for some bonus content in July and August. Have a great summer, armchair screenwriters!

Hollywood has a long dark history of discriminating against and abusing women, an issue thoroughly analyzed by the revealing 2018 documentary THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. When Anita recently watched this doc, it affected her so completely she was compelled to bring a panel of women together to discuss it. As such a panel is no place for three white dudes, Anita, Glenna, Danica and Erin take over the show for an insightful conversation about gender disparity in Hollywood. Take it from the man who edited it together, there are plenty of things said in this episode that are tough, but necessary to hear.

It's fair to say the consensus amongst critics is that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness needed more verses and madness, and that's a given in all of our notes. However, where MoM really struggles is in its character development, particularly of its villain. We work our way through the multiverse punching up Wanda's arc while sprinkling in some Marvel lore that could have made jumping from dimension to dimension much more fun. After you've listened to the episode come check out our Discord Server for more great movie discussion in a safe space.

Bullet Train was not well received critically. When it sits at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes you can understand why we would look at it and say "Hey, the perfect movie for our podcast." And yet, this movie is mostly rad, leaving us a bit stunned and at a loss for how to go about our usual repitching shtick. We soldier on, of course, but the rewrites are of a very minor variety. Still, it was fun to talk about a pretty good movie this time around.

When we think of director Neill Blomkamp we think of District 9 and not a lot else. While the once up-and-coming director may be short on execution, he's never short on ideas. Elysium is the kind of film tailor-made for this podcast: tons of fun, interesting ideas that don't quite come together. The result? An absolute banger of a show! As we mention in the listener comments section, Sean McKnight sent us a fully realized repitch of Elysium, you can read it here.

Barbarian is a very good movie and we talk about it. Okay, now on to the important stuff. For the last six years, I Have Some Notes has been privileged to be part of the Alberta Podcast Network, the brain-baby of founder Karen Unland. Karen's love for local art built a platform for so many of us to stand on and gave us the opportunity to fund our passion projects. Although the APN ended its operation in March, will be forever grateful to Karen as well as Fawnda Mithrush and Breanne Byrne for their tireless work promoting ours and so many other great Alberta-grown shows. We're also thankful to all our dedicated sponsors whose contributions were crucial to keeping the lights on. But as we say goodbye to the network, a new chapter begins for I Have Some Notes. Today we are excited to announce our show is now sponsored…by YOU! Yes, we have started a Patreon to keep the armchair screenwriting going for many seasons to come. So, if you are able, we humbly ask for a tiny sum of $4 per month. It would mean the world

As 90's action schlock goes, Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd is probably better than you remember. The money is all on the screen with great sci-fi sets and a badass animatronic robot. However, we wouldn't be reviewing it on this podcast if it were perfect. The plot is derivative, the villain is boring, and the satire the comic is known for is completely missing. Listen in as we (mostly Liam) add contemporary social commentary and introduce a new criminal element as the backbone for Dredd's wrongful conviction.

John Dies at the End is a delightfully absurd horror comedy, or at least it would be if it had been better produced. Writer and Ph.D. candidate in Media and Cultural Studies, Pete Morley, joins us to relive this beloved web serial turned cult-classic novel turned mediocre movie in a collective effort to punch it up.

Bless the entertainment conglomerate Disney for churning out mediocre movie after middling movie that will keep this podcast well-supplied into the next decade. Perhaps century. What film has Disney brought to the Gods of Rewrites as its next sacrifice? Thor: Love and Thunder. Joining us to reimagine Taika Waittit's second crack at making Marvel magic is comic expert and fellow podcaster Josh Skaar, host of Talking SMAC (Superheroes Movies Animation Comics). Together we seek to eliminate some of the cringe subplots while taking Mjonir-sized swings at a film that is more Mighty Thor than Thor.

Some movies are just made for our podcast. Don't Worry Darling is a beautiful, well-made movie that takes aim at misogyny and the patriarchy in interesting ways but juuuuuuuuust can't quite bring it home. Liam, Gregg and Scott differ on the level of mess Oliva Wilde's film is, but none can deny how engaging it was to watch. And hey, we're glad we did because it was a lot of fun to reimagine some of the twists and character arcs in a way that could've made for a stronger film.