Adam larson broder biography of michael


DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS

1998

Directed by Alan Cohn

Written by Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder, Michael Traeger, and Mike White

Spoilers: moderate


"MTV Films," I daresay, conjures few memories, fond or otherwise, and while they're still a going concern (as a largely-meaningless imprint within the wider matrix of Viacom/Paramount's doomed attempt to secure what sectors of the market they can from Gog and Magog, that is, Disney and Warners), their shot at any particular historical relevancy or coherent identity was expended early on.  Of their initial batch of films, pretty much all were bombs; the ones that weren't, were mostly movie editions of Viacom's animation programming, namely Beavis & Butthead Do America and, due to corporate synergizing, I guess, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.  They struggled through a lot of failures with intermittent successes, and, leaving aside the persevering popularity of Jackass, at a certain point those successes began to stop looking like anything you might associate with MTV.  My impression is that its corporate personality has never entirely died; I'm informed that their very latest direct-to-streaming effort, Three Months, still retains some of the hallmarks of an "MTV Film."  But for a little while, there was something more like a mission and a style, or at least an approach: hip comedies for teens and young adults with the kind of edge that would make their parents quail.  Yet the late 90s are separated from us by almost a quarter of a century and a cultural sea change, so what they are, now, are nostalgic comedies for middle-aged adults with the kind of edge that would make their kidsquail.

Case in point, Dead Man On Campus, which is kind of the platonic ideal of "the film that couldn't be made today."  Usually when we say that, we mean something actively vile, or at least fraught and uncomfy, as regards the two major avenues of offense, race

Film Review: Spivak on Netflix

Spivak (dir. Anthony Abrams & Adam Larson Broder) is a charming, heart-warming film following Wally Spivak, a struggling writer, and how his life changes after meeting Jeanine and Chuck, an engaged couple who he forms a friendship with over the course of the film.

Spivak’s strengths lie in its characters and their on-screen relationships. Nearly all of the characters in the film are supportive of Wally and want him to succeed, even if that means pushing him out of his comfort zone. Both Wally’s slacker flatmates and his new friends Jeanine and Chuck display a positive relationship with Wally, demonstrating goodwill between social classes that is rare and refreshing. The relationship between classes, one of the underlying themes in Spivak, is handled excellently, with both parties looking to help the other where possible. The friendship that develops between Wally and Chuck and Jeanine is authentic and engaging, thus driving Wally’s personal growth.

The use of music in Spivak is also excellent, with both diegetic and non-diegetic music being employed to great effect. The nightclub scene at the start of the film stands out to me, with the intense juxtaposition providing both a comedic aspect and adding to the awkwardness and discomfort of the scene. Music was also used brilliantly to emphasise scene and location changes, with a sudden shift in the soundtrack providing more than just a geographical change for both the audience and characters.

Spivak is also a comedic film, with excellent humourous performances from Elden Henson and Mark Webber, as well as scintillating dialogue and well-constructed running jokes. It won’t have you rolling out of your seat with laughter, but it is a clever and witty film.

Overall, Spivak is an antidote to many tropes and portrayals that are common in modern romance films. Although it is not the most ground-breaking piece of cinema I’ve ever seen, it provided a fresh take on what I find to

  • Adam Larson Broder. Writer: Pumpkin. Adam

    • Dead Man on Campus

    1998 American comedy film by Alan Cohn

    For the episode of "The Vampire Diaries", see Dead Man on Campus (The Vampire Diaries).

    Dead Man on Campus is a 1998 black comedy film starring Tom Everett Scott and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. It centers on the urban legend that a student gets straight As if their roommate commits suicide (seepass by catastrophe). Two failing friends attempt to find a depressed roommate to push him over the edge and receive As.

    To boost ticket sales, the film's U.S. release was timed with the start of the new college school year in late August 1998. It was the first film by MTV Films to have an R rating. The film was shot at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

    Plot

    Josh gets into college on a scholarship, and Cooper is assigned as his roommate. Cooper does little work and instead spends all the time partying and consistently fails his courses, but his father continues to pay his tuition. The normally studious Josh is led astray by Cooper's lifestyle, and spends the first half of his first year partying instead of studying, and consequently fails all of his midterm exams.

    To his horror, Josh learns that a condition of his scholarship is a passing mark average each year, and that with his poor midterm score, he needs an A+++ in all of his courses or he will lose his scholarship. Meanwhile, Cooper's father finally realizes Cooper is not trying to pass his courses at all, and threatens to pull his funding if he does not get a passing mark this year, leaving him in a similar position.

    Cooper and Josh find out about an obscure academic rule that states that if a student's roommate commits suicide, then the roommates get perfect marks for that year, regardless of any previous academic standing. They set out to find roommates who are likely to commit suicide; however, they soon realize that their first potential roommate, Cliff O'Malley, is more likely to get himself (and anyone with him) killed or a

  • Pumpkin is a 2002 satirical

    • Pumpkin (film)

    2002 film by Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder

    Pumpkin is a 2002 satiricaldarkromantic comedy film directed by Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder and written by Broder. It is a story of forbidden love between a young man with a developmental disability and a sorority girl. It stars Christina Ricci (who also co-produced the movie) and Hank Harris.

    Plot

    Carolyn McDuffy is a college senior beginning her last year of studies at a Southern California university. To help her sorority win a coveted award that has eluded them in past years, she joins them in training some handicapped young adults for the Challenged Games (a fictional version of the Special Olympics).

    Carolyn is paired with Jesse "Pumpkin" Romanoff, and is horrified as she has never been around challenged people. He is kind towards her and soon she finds herself developing affection towards him as he is genuine, unlike her boyfriend Kent Woodlands, and her sorority sisters, as led by Julie Thurber.

    Carolyn experiences backlash and disdain about the relationship from her friends and family, including Pumpkin's own mother, Judy, despite the fact that her love has inspired him to get out of his wheelchair and become the best athlete on the team. Judy later walks into her son's room, discovering that Carolyn and Pumpkin have been sexually involved.

    Pumpkin's mother accuses Carolyn of raping her son, saying she "has no idea what she has done" to him. Then she calls Carolyn's college, causing her to be kicked out of both her sorority and expelled from the university. Carolyn makes a suicide attempt by taking most of the pills and solutions from her medicine cabinet, but vomits them up.

    Hearing of Carolyn's suicide attempt, the sorority convinces the university to allow her back in, and she is encouraged to attend the sorority ball with Kent; Julie feels their attendance will help the sorority secure their award. At the ball, Pumpkin and his friends crash the party to a

  • Mark-Paul Gosselaar.