I Have Some Notes

UNLOCKED! Side Notes: How to Watch Movie Good

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.

Shin Kamen Rider

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

The Brain That Wouldn’t Die

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 goal was to remake this classic for a modern audience.

So grab your headphones and listen in as we repitch The Brain That Wouldn't Die!

• 08:53 – Plot Summary
• 10:27 – Movie Discussion
• 19:05 – Remake Pitches
• 01:00:12 – Listener Comments
  
  

The Core

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!

This Changes Everything – A Conversation About Gender Disparity In Hollywood

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.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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

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.

Elysium

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

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 to us to have your support!

But that's not all, we have also started a new Discord Server! Let's face it, Twitter is a tire fire and not a great place to have fun, nuanced discussions about movies. Come join us where we'll be talking about all the latest Hollywood buzz and maybe holding rewriting some movies on the fly. It'll be a great time, so come join us!

Become an Armchair Screenwriter at www.patreon.com/ihavesomenotes!

Join our Discord Server!

Judge Dredd (1995)

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.