Directors Books

This book became a filmmaking Bible for me. The Kuchar Brothers make movies for very little money using a whole lot of their souls in lieu of pecuniary advancements. Their movies are intensely personal, funny and brilliant and they've been making 'em since they were preteens using their aunt's 8mm (well before Super 8) camera inspired by the melodramas of Douglas Sirk as well as any piece of cinema they could devour.

This book gives a little taste of what's behind it all and it's a lot like the Brothers' movies - funny, moving, and whimsical with their own personal dreams, obsessions and demons as fuel. If you're a fan of the Kuchars you'll love this book. If you've never heard of them the book will serve as a timely introduction to their vast ouevre containing unforgettable titles like Sins of the Fleshapoids, Hold Me While I'm Naked and the Wet Destruction of the Atlantic Empire. Whether you know them or not, you will find this book invaluable. Mike's chapter entitled the Metaphysics of moviemaking is one of the greatest pieces I've ever read about making movies.

Even though they're not household names like many of the people they've inspired (Andy Warhol, John Waters, David Lynch), the Kuchar Brothers continue to make movies their own way. Though not as famous as some of their contemporaries, their contribution to American cinema is just as grand. That's why you should read this book...

The Regulation of Corporate Disclosure, 3rd Edition. By J. Robert Brown, Jr., Aspen Publishers, Inc., New York, NY,  (1998), 750 pages. $110.00.

[Please note that this review reproduced below is on the 1990 1st Edition.]

Suppose you are a corporate securities lawyer and one of your clients, a publicly traded company, contacts you with information that the company has been approached about a possible merger by another company and that the same company has also been buying shares of the client's stock. Suppose you are in-house counsel for a publicly traded company and the chief executive officer informs you of the same scenario. You are asked what disclosure, if any, should be made and what should be included in such a disclosure. Until now, the securities lawyer would have to scurry through the federal securities laws or recent case law to be able to secure such information. The recently published book, The Regulation of Corporate Disclosure by J. Robert Brown, not only provides the necessary information to satisfy the situations presented but also suggests that publicly traded companies established a centralized corporate communications system. This book is a welcome addition to any securities law library since most literature in the area is concentrated only on disclosure issues confronted by counsel pertaining to formal disclosure communications (i.e., Forms 8-K, 10-K, and 10-Q), whereas Professor Brown has included, to a substantial degree, disclosure issues confronted by counsel when reviewing informal communications, such as press releases and share holder communications. Thus, The Regulation of Corporate Disclosure examines the impact of the Federal Securities laws on all corporate communications.

Brown, a professor of law at the University of Denver College of Law and of counsel to the law firm of Holland and Hart, has specialized in the corporate securities area for many years. He has written extensively on corporate securities matters, focusing primarily on disclosure issues confronted by publicly traded companies. His broad experience in this area includes a short stint with the SEC as legal assistant to Commissioner Grundfest. The Regulation of Corporate Disclosure was written from a vantage point familiar to few corporate securities practitioners. The book is an excellent reference guide to federal securities laws as they pertain to disclosure requirements as well as a practical guide for publicly traded companies when issues of disclosure arise.

The book begins with a historical overview of disclosure practice by publicly traded companies. The evaluation of disclosure or the lack thereof became prevalent after the turn of the century with the explosion of stock ownership. the disclosure process, as it is known today, came under federal auspices with the adoption of the federal securities laws. After the author discusses the reform of the securities market, using disclosure as the primary tool, he addresses the implications that the antifraud provisions, more specifically Rule 10b-5, have on disclosure. The discussion regarding the antifraud provisions provides the practitioner with useful tips and suggestions on avoiding antifraud liability. In Chapter 2, Brown defines the duty, to disclose, which, in effect, is that publicly traded companies have no duty to disclose Material corporate developments. As with most general rules, there are numerous exceptions to this rule discussed thoroughly and competently by the author. He also goes to painstaking detail to familiarize the reader with the current status of the duty to disclose. Issues relating to the need to disseminate the information, once a duty to disclose the information arises, are discussed in Chapter 3. The issues presented revolve around widespread disclosure requirements and what is considered an appropriate waiting period before investors are informed. Professor Brown treats these in a straightforward manner, as well they should be, supporting each response with supportive data.

In Chapter 4, the author discusses the materiality of the information as a measure of the likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider the information important to its investment decision. To this reviewer, the central theme of materiality, as presented by this book, relates to the importance or impact that the corporate information or development has on the earnings of the company. the probability/magnitude test discussion is one of the highlights of the book. Again, Brown has supported this discussion with qualitative analysis.

The information contained in Chapters 5-7, in this reviewers opinion, represents the heart of the issues pertaining to the regulation of corporate disclosure. The previous portion of the book discussed whether there was a duty to disclose corporate information and developments and how the disclosure should reach the market and investors; the later chapters discuss the particular issues pertaining to disclosure, the sensitive time periods for disclosure, and, most importantly, the proposed policies that a publicly traded company should initiate to avoid violations. Professor Brown informs the reader that dominant situations requiring disclosure are (1) the company confronted with bad news about earnings; (2) the company involved in merger negotiations, and finally, (3) the effects of projections or appraisals on company revenues. If companies failed to disclose any of these situations, antifraud liability would be likely. The discussion provides the practitioner with examples of various instances where companies failed to disclose these material developments. The following chapter identifies the four important time periods when full disclosure is essential: (1) public offerings, (2) proxy statements, (3) acquisition for control, and (4) discussions with analysts. The major theme continues to be that the antifraud provisions require full, accurate, and complete disclosure. The discussion of dealing with analysts should be mandatory reading for those individuals who represent a publicly traded company in discussions with securities analysts.

In Chapter 7, the author presents the possible solution to the disclosure problems faced by publicly traded companies. In his opinion, companies would give a high priority to developing an appropriate and complete communication policy. A cautious reading of this chapter leaves this reviewer with one option that is, only the most critical corporate information or developments should be subject to secrecy, and then only for a brief time. Ad conditionally, the author suggests that centralization of corporate communication process by a single person or department will ensure consistent, accurate, and complete disclosure. If readers were to read only this one chapter, they would walk away with a tremendous appreciation of Professor Brown's foresight.

The author, by his own admission, states that Chapters 8-10 deal with problems arising out of shareholder communications. Chapter 8 describes the evolution of the annual report, which the author states is the core of the communication process with shareholders. He then turns his discussion over to interim communications to the shareholders. The policies suggested in Chapter 7 are again mentioned with regard to interim communication; each communication should represent a single facet in a broader, more comprehensive strategy for conveying material information to the shareholder and the market itself. The summary annual report receives much attention in Chapter 9. The discussion of the G.MlMcKesson letters is another highlight of this book. For those readers who do not know what a summary annual report is or what the G.M.lMcKesson letters are all about, this chapter will answer all their questions.

The coverage of the final chapter "Communications with Beneficial Owners," is as innovative and resourceful as the information contained in Chapter 7. The discussion of the NOBO list was of particular interest to this reviewer. The predominant theme throughout this chapter is placing the relevant disclosure document into the hands of the actual beneficial owner-direct shareholder communications.

The Regulation of Corporate Disclosure is an extremely well-written and insightful book. There are extensive footnotes that enable readers to investigate further a particular troublesome area or position. Practicing securities lawyers, corporate press secretaries, and, hopefully, corporate communication specialists will find this book both resourceful and practical. Moreover the book can assist those uninitiated in securities laws or corporate disclosure who seek an understanding of this specialized area.

A future edition of this book might concentrate more on the centralization of the corporate communications system. Since this edition lays the groundwork, future editions should expand on the suggestions set forth therein. This reviewer believes that by the time the future edition is published, Professor Brown will be able to rely on SEC actions as well as court decisions regarding disclosure decisions made by corporate communication specialists.

This book is highl

REMEMBERING CHARLIE is mainly about the author Jerry Epstein's friendship between Chaplin and the production of Limelight, A King in New York, A Countess From Hong Kong and the never finished film The Freak.

It is simply excellent. Marlon Brando once said that "friends don't write books about their friends." I can see his point, but no worry about this one. This is a book written with a warm heart, an account from a friend attempting to tell the world about Charlie Chaplin the man as well as the artist; and his attempt is more than satisfying. Chaplin's periodical arrogance and self-consiousness was a part of him, and Epstein is honest with that, but always with understanding. He wasn't "an egotistical tyrant" as Brando wrote in his autobiography -- he was a human being with both human strenghts and human weaknesses and a remarkable talent.

Along with Chaplin's autobiography, David Robinson's book and his son Charlie Jr.'s, this is the most interesting book I've ever read about the man I consider to be the film medium's undisputed genius of all time. His last three movies and the joy and suffering behind them are described to last detail, plenty of the information has never been as much as mentioned previously.

REMEMBERING CHARLIE offers a unique portrait of Chaplin as a father and friend; he was charming and arrogant, openhearted and impossible to compromise with. The book also includes 280 pictures taken from both his movies and private life, many of whom have never been available in public.

Recommended to all Chaplin-fans and newcomers who simply are curious about him.

I highly recommend this book. It is very enjoyable and informative reading that is right on target for insight into the Black Urban Culture, the rise of Hip Hop and it's influence on Black produced American film. It was used as a main text for a Rap and Black Cinema university course successfully. Although very sociology based, it was understood by college students of other majors who appreciated the book's honesty of a much maligned topic.

This collection of interviews is a must have for anyone interested in horror/science fiction films and the people that helped create them. Tom Weaver does a typically excellent job of asking the right questions to a host of famous and lesser known contributors to the genre.

Dan Mufson quite masterfully brings together all of the elements required to provide real insight into the work of Reza Abdoh. It is a shame that more people have not been exposed to his work. My daughter enjoyed the book as well, and getting her to read anything of any length is usually a challenge.

This book is for the guitarist (or bassist, drummer, pianist) that needs to know what to play in a college jazz combo rhythm section. I've got the $9.95 guitar version plus the DVD. Fred Hamilton is the jazz guitar director for the famous North Texas jazz program and is your private teacher for these lessons. There are 7 songs: Swing, Bossa Nova, Rock, Shuffle, Samba, Funk, and Ballad. The songs are demonstrated on the CD. Also, Fred Hamilton explains and demonstrates on the DVD how to play the guitar parts that he personally felt fit the style.

The chord voicings are written out in the book and Fred explains (on the DVD) why he chose these voicings and explains the concept of voice leading. There is no TAB, as is the case in jazz combo charts, so you must learn to read the guitar parts in standard notation. In addition to the guitar parts, a separate lead sheet with chord names/strumming rhythms (only) is presented in order to familiarize the jazz guitarist with how a real book tune looks like when charted out with chord names and rhythm slashes.

The 4-piece rhythm section comprises the best of the best in Steve Houghton on drums and Shelly Berg on Piano. On the DVD each rhythm section member explains their role. One of the best books written for advancing jazz instrumentalists needing further instruction specifically in a combo setting.

Hugo Grotius was a brilliant man and tireless scholar of the Dutch Enlightenment. In these three volumes (very nicely translated and attractively priced) he does nothing less than discuss the history of war up to his times, but not just as history: he seeks to define the difference between just and unjust wars, the use of pretexts for war, the purposes of embassies, treaties, and alliances, and the ethics of waging war. He admits early that civilized nations can behave like common thieves, but makes the best case he can for suppressing savagery.
Most admirable is his thorough research: he explores the major authors of antiquity, Jewish tradition, and the Christian Church, quoting from them often and to the point. Some of his opinions are as shocking as anything in Machiavelli, but they are always supported by historical evidence. It is not important that he be always right: it is important that he tried to be, with untiring skill and diligence.

As gripping and moving a book as you will ever read.
A truly extraordinary and emotional work. I had to pinch myself when I finished reading the book to remind myself where I was.

This is the best book I have read in the U. of Mississippi series of interviews with filmmakers.

The first interview catches Aldrich just after the start of his career, so the interviews proceed with the career, as opposed to just having him reflect back on things from years later. We see what Aldrich is doing and hear him talk about projects that never come to pass.

A few fascinating things emerge. He apparently never got over getting fired from "The Garment Jungle." Even when he is a success after "The Dirty Dozen," he still is bitter/regretful about that. Also, his relationship with Burt Lancaster, which seemed okay on the outside (they made about four films together) is revealed as contentious and mistrustful.

If you like Aldrich's films, you need to read this book. It will tell you things you never knew and will add to your appreciation of this man.