"I used to love Woody Allen but feel he's become a hack as a director. 'Bullets Over Broadway' is the only film of his I've enjoyed in the last 10 years"

Douglas Wood’s statement reflects a personal evolution in his appreciation for Woody Allen’s work, revealing both admiration and disappointment. Initially, Wood confesses a former love for Allen’s creative output, implying that Allen once stood as a major influence or source of enjoyment. There is an emotional charge to the use of “used to love,” suggesting that the filmmaker’s earlier movies held a compelling artistic power or freshness that Wood no longer finds present.

The pivotal part of the quote is the suggestion that Allen has “become a hack” as a director. Calling someone a “hack” in the creative realm suggests that they are coasting on past successes, recycling ideas, or working with less originality and passion. It implies a decline in quality or innovation, that Allen’s newer projects lack the spark, depth, or meticulousness that characterized his earlier ones. This is noteworthy coming from a former admirer; the disappointment is palpable, coming not from someone indifferent, but from someone who once held the artist in high regard.

Wood’s singling out of “Bullets Over Broadway” as the only film he has enjoyed in the past decade shows a critical but nuanced perspective. Rather than entirely dismissing all of Allen’s recent works, he acknowledges that at least one film from the period managed to capture his interest. This exception adds credibility to his critique, he is not entirely closed to Allen’s later efforts, but he finds them mostly lacking compared to the director’s earlier achievements. There is an implication that, for Wood, Allen’s later films fail to recapture either the storytelling prowess, wit, or emotional resonance that made his earlier works appealing. The quote, therefore, expresses a sense of loss, as well as the difficulty of watching an admired artist’s work no longer live up to their own established standards.