Somehow Woody Allen got the reputation of constantly populating his films with characters that are intelligent, elitist and wealthy. He has been criticized for not seeing how his characters are annoyingly pretentious and self-absorbed. They speak of their romantic melodramas and artistic failings as if they are the first to experience them. Allen’s characters experienced the malaise of the wealthy, tone-deaf to the “real problems” of the world.
BREWSTER McCLOUD
Imagine that you’re an American director who – after ten years of helming popular television shows and working on the occasional film-for-hire – has become an overnight sensation. Your third feature, a sardonic war comedy with blood-drenched sequences and a passel of irreverent characters, has struck a chord with audiences who see the film over and over again. Critics hail you as an innovative force, breaking new cinematic ground with your observational style and inscrutable, yet perfect, new techniques. You’re nominated for the Oscar. What do you do to follow up?