Woody Allen

Pe la finalul lunii august, Quiver Films au anuntat lansarea unui nou boxset cu filme Blu-ray, "The Woody Allen Collection". Acesta era disponibil pentru precomanda pe site-urile Target, Barnes & Noble si altele. Singura imagine disponibila era cea de mai jos.

Bucurie si mirare in randul fanilor, care au remarcat mai multe greseli si discrepante in vizualul promovat:

• titlul filmului "Sweet and Lowdown" nu era scris corect. Din cauza lipsei totale de profesionalism din partea tuturor celor implicati, titlul acestui film a fost trecut "Sweet and Lockdown". Pandemie, nu?
• pe cutie sunt trecute 10 filme, desi colectia a fost anuntata "9 Blu-ray set"...

Printre cele 10 titluri se regaseau doua filme foarte asteptate. Lista completa continea "Bullets Over Broadway", "Mighty Aphrodite", "Everyone Says I Love You", "Deconstructing Harry", "Celebrity", "Sweet And Lowdown", "Small Time Crooks", "The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion", "Hollywood Ending" si "Anything Else". Fanii s-au bucurat sa vada ca "Deconstructing Harry" e pe aceasta lista, fiind disponibil pana acum, la calitate HD, numai pe serviciile de streaming. De asemenea, la "Sweet And Lowdown" circula pe internet o captura HDTV, iar "Anything Else" se gasea pe piata sub forma unui disc produs in Germania, care suferea de overcropping.

Precum in povestea scrisa de Agatha Christie, au plecat la drum 10 filme mititele, au ajuns 9 pe afis si 8 la vanzare... pentru ca la raft, cutia arata foarte diferit:

Ati zice ca de data asta au fost mai atenti, mai ales ca titlul filmelor este scris in intregime. Din pacate, grafica apartine acelorasi profesionanisti, care au trunchiat titlul filmului "The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion". Bataia de joc e mai evidenta in imaginea urmatoare, unde se poate observa ca spatierile si alinierile au fost facute la ochi, fara nici o noima.

Asadar, lista finala de filme publicate cuprinde "Bullets Over Broadway", "Mighty Aphrodite", "Everyone Says I Love You", "Celebrity", "Small Time Crooks", "The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion", "Hollywood Ending" si "Anything Else".

In situatia asta, singurul titlu de interes a ramas "Anything Else", speranta fiind pentru o imagine completa (2.35:1), nu trunchiata (1.85:1) precum pe Blu-ray-ul nemtesc. S-a spulberat si aceasta ultima licarire cand au aparut primele recenzii, care au confirmat ca "Anything Else" este identic cu varianta existenta, astfel ca intregul pachet a devenit complet neinteresant.

Cand scoti astfel de colectii de tip 'boxset' in 2021, dedicate colectionarilor (cine altcineva sa le cumpere?), cum e posibil sa iasa o asemenea varza? Nu s-a gandit nimeni la Quiver ca n-ar trebui sa faca chestia asta pe genunchi? De la contracte la filme si de la grafica la promovare, tot acest efort duhneste de amatorism si incompetenta.

Am vorbit de promovare si grafica, am vorbit si de imaginea filmelor, dar trebuie detaliata putin si partea legala, contractuala, care e tot un mare ghiveci. Pe langa imaginea cu care au anuntat colectia, cei de la Quiver au transmis catre magazinele partenere informatii despre colectie, iar cea mai interesanta a fost legata de durata totala a filmelor din pachet: 16 ore si 55 de minute, informatie preluata de pe site-ul Barnes & Noble.

Cineva a facut un calcul simplu: cele 8 filme lansate in setul final au o durata totala de 13 ore si 45 de minute. Daca se adauga "Sweet and Lowdown" si "Deconstructing Harry", durata insumata devine 16 ore si 56 de minute. Interesanta 'coincidenta'! De aici putem deduce ca initial s-a dorit lansarea unei colectii de 10 filme. Departamentul juridic se zbatea pentru aprobari si graficianul robotea la vizual. Pana sa anunte surpriza, cei de la Quiver s-au impiedicat o data si au eliminat unul dintre filme, astfel ca pe vizual a fost scris, alb pe verde, "9 Blu-ray set". Evident, la coperta nu s-a mai lucrat, ca merge si-asa. Iar pana la lansare a mai disparut un film, astfel ca au ramas fix cele mai putin interesante titluri - din punctul de vedere al unui colectionar.

Din intreaga lista de filme scrise, regizate sau in care a jucat Woody Allen, numai cateva nu sunt disponibile pe Blu-ray. Dintre acestea, jumatate exista in format digital:

• "What's Up, Tiger Lily?"
• "Play It Again, Sam" (disponibil digital)
• "King Lear"
• "Don't Drink the Water"
• "The Sunshine Boys"
• "Deconstructing Harry" (disponibil digital)
• "The Impostors" (disponibil digital)
• "Sweet and Lowdown"
• "Company Man" (disponibil digital)
• "Picking Up the Pieces"
• "Sounds from a Town I Love"
• "Melinda and Melinda" (disponibil digital)
• "Crisis in Six Scenes" (disponibil digital UHD)

Quiver Films/Distribution sunt o adunatura de ageamii. Am fost si eu martor la destule momente in care lucrurile nu se intampla asa cum iti doresti, se mai anuleaza intelegeri si nu functioneaza totul perfect. Dar modul in care au ales sa procedeze diletantii de la Quiver demonstreaza faptul ca nu au habar nici de piata si nici de produsul pe care il vand. In plus, pe langa faptul ca probabil n-au vazut nici macar un film din cele incluse in aceasta colectie, au demonstrat din plin ca ei nu vin, in fiecare zi, la "servici", ci la "scarbici".

I'm a Woody Allen fan and I've noticed some of his works are not available in any physical form. Lack of demand, most probably. Thanks to the boom of streaming sites, almost all can be found online.

Of course, each streaming site has its own geo-restrictions, so they may not be available in your region.

What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) - only on DVD.

Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1971) - fortunately for Allen fans, a copy of this movie is now available online. Previously, you could only watch it at the The Paley Center for Media in New York City. This is a VHS rip, don't expect HD quality.

Play It Again, Sam (1972) - available in 1080p on Amazon Prime Video, better quality than iTunes.

King Lear (1987) - only on DVD.

Don't Drink the Water (1994) - only on DVD.

The Sunshine Boys (1995) - only on DVD.

Deconstructing Harry (1997) - was available in HD, but there's no streaming source for it at the moment.

The Impostors (1998) - available at 1080p on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and others, but the picture looks upscaled.

Sweet and Lowdown (1999) - broadcasted in HD, but not available anywhere online at the moment.

Company Man (2000) - Woody Allen acting only. Available in HD on Amazon.

Picking Up the Pieces (2000) - on DVD or Amazon in SD quality.

"Sounds from a Town I Love" from The Concert for New York City (2001) - only on DVD. The HD broadcast version was upscaled to 1080i.

Melinda and Melinda (2004) - available in HD. Amazon Prime quality much better than iTunes'.

Crisis in Six Scenes (2016) - available in HD and 4K, but only on Amazon.

Wonder Wheel (2017) - this movie is available on Blu-ray, but you can find it in 4K on Amazon.

Rifkin's Festival (2020) - there have been some files floating on underground sites, but no official release yet.

That's about it for now. Looking forward to some good news about Allen's 2021 film that's supposed to start shooting in Paris this august!

"I don’t think of political or social movements. I’m not equipped mentally to have insights into those things. I deal in human relations and comedy. I think I’ll probably never retire and die in the midst of setting up a film shot on a set making a movie." - Woody Allen

Woody Allen e un personaj unic in lumea cinematografiei. M-am bucurat sa aud ca problemele din relatia cu cei de la Amazon nu l-au afectat in munca lui. Dupa ce a scos filmul "A Rainy Day in New York" din ghearele corporatiste si a reusit sa-l aduca publicului, Woody Allen s-a apucat de urmatorul lui film, intitulat "Rifkin's Festival". Filmarile au inceput pe 10 iulie in orasul San Sebastian din Spain, iar subiectul este unul clasic: un cuplu casatorit din SUA ia parte la festivalul de film din San Sebastian, unde fiecare dintre soti are o aventura. Ea se indragosteste de un regizor francez, in timp ce e l se indragosteste de o localnica.

Dupa scandalul cu Amazon, Allen s-a indreptat spre producatorii spanioli de la The Mediapro Studio, cu care a mai lucrat in trecut la capodopere precum "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" si "Midnight in Paris".Alaturi de Mediapro vor fi coproducatori cei de la Gravier Productions, care au produs "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" pentru Allen.

Pentru acest film, Woody Allen a cooptat actori exceptionali:

• Elena Anaya ("La piel que habito", "Lucía y el sexo")
• Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained", "Inglourious Basterds")
• Gina Gershon ("Palmetto", "Bound")
• Wallace Shawn ("Melinda and Melinda", "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion", "Clueless")
• Louis Garrel ("The Dreamers")
• Sergi Lopez ("El laberinto del fauno", "Decalage horaire")
• Douglas McGrath ("Crisis in Six Scenes", "Cafe Society", "Hollywood Ending", "Small Time Crooks", "Company Man", "Sweet and Lowdown", "Celebrity")

Astept cu interes acest film in 2020 si sunt convins ca nu va mai intampina probleme la difuzare, cel putin in Europa.

Mare veste mare! Nu stiu cum se face, dar Italia reuseste sa aduca publicului larg filme despre care nu se stia ca vor mai aparea vreodata pe piata. Daca in ianuarie au adus in cinematografe "City of Lies", iar acum in scot si in format fizic, iata ca italienii mai au o surpriza: vor aduce in cinema cel mai nou film al lui Woody Allen, "A Rainy Day in New York"!

Dupa toate scandalurile, ma bucur sa aflu ca s-a ajuns la o intelegere si filmul va rula in cinematografele din Italia incepand cu 3 octombrie, urmand ca ulterior sa apara in Franta, Belgia si Olanda. Din pacate, in toate tarile astea va fi dublat, asa ca trebuie sa-l astept pana ajunge la noi.

Intre timp, fanii lui Woody Allen il pot vedea live cu trupa de jazz, The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, in cadrul turneului european: Bilbao (16 iunie), Barcelona (18 iunie), Madrid (20 iunie), Bruxelles (22 iunie), Amsterdam (24 iunie), Munchen (26 iunie), Milano (28 iunie) si Florenta (30 iunie).

UPDATE: Au aparut pe IMDB cateva date pentru premiera filmului: Franta - 18 septembrie, Italia - 3 octombrie, Spania - 4 octombrie, Portugalia - 24 octombrie, Argentina - 21 noiembrie.

Trailer:

Pana sa ajunga in Romania, "Wonder Wheel" a ajuns pe net copiat dupa un DVD screener trimis celor care voteaza pentru premiile Oscar. Stiam destule informatii despre film si am vazut cateva clipuri, deci eram in tema cu povestea si atmosfera. Sunt un mare fan al lui Woody Allen, poate de-aia mi-a placut filmul, desi nu se ridica in primele 5-10 ale regizorului. Mi-a dat acelasi vibe ca "Blue Jasmine" si mi s-a parut mai bun decat "Magic in the Moonlight" sau "Irrational Man".

Sunt convins ca "Wonder Wheel" e si mai misto vazut pe un ecran de cinema. O sa-l vizionez si intr-o sala de cinema cand ajunge filmul in Romania. Dar gandul meu deja a zburat catre "A Rainy Day in New York", urmatorul film al lui Woody!

Dupa concertul din Spania de pe 8 iulie, iata ca s-au mai anuntat cateva concerte pe care Woody Allen si trupa sa de jazz le vor avea in Europa:

Anglia - 2 iulie

Portugalia - 4 iulie

Germania - 11, 12 iulie

Se pare ca vor mai fi si alte date, probabil nu si in Romania

La 81 de ani, Woody Allen nu se resemneaza, nu dezarmeaza in fata batranetii. Pe 5 septembrie, genialul regizor si scenarist incepe lucrul la urmatorul sau film. Intre timp, astept cu interes "Wonder Wheel", care va avea premiera in Romania candva la inceputul toamnei.

Intr-un interviu recent, Woody a spus cateva lucruri despre felul de a lucra si multe alte chestii foarte interesante...

On working with studios:

When I make a film, I like the people backing the film, sometimes the studios, to put the money in a brown paper bag and then go away. And then six months later I give them the film. That's the way I've always been able to work, having complete control of every aspect of the film. I wouldn't work in the film business in any other way. I would stop working in films if I didn't have that. So it came to a point where the studios would say to me, "Look, we're not banks. If you're asking us for $12 million, we want to read your script, we want to know who you're casting, and we want to have some input. We're not just bankers." I, on the other hand regard them as at best bankers, if not criminals, and I said, "No, you can't read my script and I'm not interested in your input." I said this politely… And they said nicely, "Get lost."

On making films outside the U.S. after "Match Point":

I went to England and they said, "We'll give you the money and we're bankers. We don't care about input. That's all for the studios."…And then I found they wanted me to come back and do another one. And then I got a call from France and Spain and Italy and different countries and they said, "We'll give you what you want. Make a film here." So I was riding high. I was going to the great capitals of the world, taking my family — we would spend the summer there living high off the hog — and I'd be making the films I wanted to make. Then we found some suckers in the United States who were willing to play ball with me and put up the money and let me make the films exactly as I've always made them, and so I came back to the United States and I've been bankrolled the proper way now.

On losing distributors' money:

I've survived through many, many years without every getting into that hit-flop syndrome. I could make three or four films in a row that don't make any money and still go on to make my next film because I'm working inexpensively, so nobody gets crippled by the amount of money I lose for them. Maybe they lose a few bucks, but usually they break even or make a few dollars. They don't get rich, either. It doesn't matter if I have a hit or a flop. I'm not in that game. I make films for a different reason, so I've been very lucky.

On working with Amazon Studios:

Amazon is a perfect example of a company that's so successful that someone like me is peanuts and chump change. These guys make billions. They're worth billions and billions. So I come along and I make films for a pittance. So they can reach in their pocket and say, "Give it to him and shut him up," and I make my film, and if it makes a few dollars you don't even notice it on an Amazon ledger. And if it loses a few bucks they couldn't care less. And the people up there like the quality of my work. They like the films. Not everybody does, but they do. So they feel no pain with me and they're happy to give me the money and let me do my thing, and maybe I'll give them a nice film… A company like Amazon, that falls under the rich, patron-of-the-arts sucker group.

On his track record as a director:

If you had bet on me from "Take the Money and Run" until now, and bet on each of my films, you would have made money. You would not be rich, but you would have made money over the years because most of them in one way or another have eked out a profit. Some have not, but those that have not have not been devastating.

On "Annie Hall" being overrated:

For some reason, that film is very likable. I've made better films than that. "Match Point" is a better film. "The Purple Rose of Cairo" is a better film. "Midnight in Paris" is a better film. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is as good. For some reason ["Annie Hall"] has some charismatic inexplicable hold on people. That, and "Manhattan." All over the world "Manhattan" plays all the time… Through sheer surprise to me, ones that I think are perfectly delightful nobody is interested in, and another one that I think is fine, they're ultra interested in.

Orchestra Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, din care face parte si Woody Allen, va avea un concert in Spania, pe 8 iulie, in cadrul Cap Roig Festival din Girona. Biletele se pun in vanzare pe 5 mai si vor costa intre 45 si 147 euro.

Nu stiu daca ofera autografe sau daca sta la o cafea dupa concert, dar daca sunteti prin zona puteti sa-l abordati

La putine ore dupa lansarea oficiala pe Amazon, au ajuns si la cei fara abonament (la saraci, adica) episoadele din serialul "Crisis In Six Scenes" facut de Woody Allen. Sase episoade de 21-22 de minute fiecare, plus genericele, adica echivalentul unui film mai lung.

Povestea este originala si are poante misto, dar nu m-a dat pe spate. Adevarul e ca nu mi-au placut unii actori, precum Elaine May (pe care n-a mai vazut-o nimeni de 16 ani, de la "Small Time Crooks") sau Miley Cyrus... no comment.

O sa ajung sa mai revad acest serial peste vreun an-doi si poate-l privesc cu alti ochi. Deocamdata l-as nota cu 4, maximum 5 din 10.

Am mai scris despre fontul folosit de Woody Allen, insa acel articol este gresit.

Mea culpa ca nu am aprofundat, la vremea respectiva, si m-am ghidat mai mult dupa alte articole de pe net. Odata cu "Café Society", insa, lucrurile s-au schimbat: a aparut un mare accent care clarifica lucrurile.

Deunazi m-am apucat sa studiez mai bine problema acestui font. Am luat-o de la inceputuri, pornind de la certitudinea ca fontul folosit de Woody Allen face parte din familia Windsor:

Windsor is a serif typeface created by Eleisha Pechey (1831-1902) and released by the Stephenson Blake type foundry.

Wikipedia ne povesteste, in fraza de mai sus, despre originile analogice ale fontului. Cand vine vorba de digitizarea lui, lucrurile se complica:

Various foundries have released versions, including Linotype, Elsner+Flake, URW++ and Mecanorma.

In articolul de care va spuneam am numit varianta Elsner+Flake ca fiind cea utilizata de Woody, insa m-am inselat. Accentul acut din limbra franceza lamureste acest aspect:

Cei de la URW++ nu au nici o varianta 'light condensed' si la fel cei de la Mecanorma, asa ca nici ei nu sunt autorii fontului cautat.

Am ajuns la Linotype, pe care i-am lasat intentionat la urma. Ei au varianta de mai jos, care nu este ce cautam:

Totusi, mai e ceva de spus cand vorbim de Linotype. In 2012, Monotype Group, proprietarii Linotype, au cumparat Bitstream. Iar varianta de Windsor Light Condensed de la Bitstream arata asa:

Pare sa fie ceea ce cautam. Am facut mai multe teste si este, intr-adevar, (aproape) identic cu ce foloseste Woody. As spune identic, dar m-am mai inselat in trecut, asa ca o sa fiu mai precaut Textul cu verde este scris in Photoshop, cu galben avem textul de pe afis, iar dedesupt le-am suprapus pentru edificare:

Concluzia este ca fontul folosit de Woody Allen este Bitstream Windsor Light Condensed. Pe net exista mai multe variante ale acestui font, eu o folosesc pe aceasta. Ce e mai trist e ca site-ul oficial foloseste o varianta gresita, luata de pe net:

http://www.cafesocietymovie.com/assets/site/fonts/ufonts.com_windsor-light-condensed.woff

Cam atat pe subiectul asta. Mai scriu daca apuc sa ma vad vreodata cu Woody Allen pentru a-l intreba despre font

Download high-res "Café Society" movie poster.