There was a time not too long ago when I loved watching three hour movies. I got excited when I saw movies that reached at least two and half hours in length. “Alas! A movie chock full of story!” I would proclaim (or something like it). Not content with the original cuts of The Lord of the Rings, I immediately bought the extended editions that added, 30, 40, and 50 minutes to each of the movies respectively. But the problem is, I never watch them. They’re just too long! And when I get a Netflix these days, I immediately turn it over and look at the runtime, getting slightly excited when I see that they are under two hours. What happened to me? I don’t think it has anything to do with my attention span, because I still loved going to the theater and seeing The Dark Knight and Australia which were each two hours and forty-five minutes. But I think that’s because it’s kinda like going out and doing something (yes, even if it’s just sitting in a theater). However when I’m home, I just can’t seem to dedicate that kind of time to sitting in front of the television. Wait, no. That was a lie. I can sit in front of the television watching entire seasons of television without batting an eye. So why can’t I do it with movies? I think it’s because if you watch three hours of television, it’s like getting three movies for the price of one. You get a lot more out of your time watching a bunch of episodes of television rather than one movie. What do you think?
I’m kinda over long movies
Filed under Movies
I’m totally with you on this! The difference for me — and I recently planted myself in front of the TV for Torchwood Series 1 (just about to start Series 2) — is that you can stop watching whenever the heck you want. You can watch as many episodes as you want, but by golly, if you get that craving to hit the coffee shop next door or the Dairy Queen down the way or even visit the neighbors’ new baby, you can finish up that episode and move on with your daily life.
With a three+ hour movie, you’re stuck. Pausing an involved movie in the middle is the equivalent of standing up in the middle of a wedding, stretching with a big yawn, and walking out before the nuptials. And expecting them to wait until you feel like rejoining them. You just don’t feel right doing it. And it’s kind of anti-climactic. I can’t imagine pausing Death Race before Race 3. Or Cloverfield when their traveling down the dark subway tunnel. Or even Titanic just as the ship hits that prophetic iceburg.
But a series? Just wait until that 48 minutes is over and you have your life back.
And a small sense of accomplishment.
I think Dave has a point. I don’t even like long movies in the theatre *cough* Australia *cough*. Or maybe you just don’t like to think too hard when you are home. With a movie you have to keep the whole story in your brain the whole 3+ hours, thinking about what happened 2 hours ago and how it connects to what’s going on right now. With most series you can just focus on that hour (less without commercials) and you don’t really have to think too hard about what happened 3 episodes ago because while it might have some bearing on what’s happening now, its not usually integral to the current plot line. Also at home there are other things trying to grab your attention, laundry, other people in the house, pets, chores, its hard to just FOCUS and shut out that other stuff like in a theatre.
Tam has an excellent point. The distraction thing is a big deal. (Well, except for laundry. My signal for needing to do laundry is when I run out of underwear. And I have a *lot* of underwear…). In a theater you can be focused and enjoy yourself — at home, not so much.
It depends on my interest in the movie. I loved Dark Knight and didn’t sense the time, but when it comes to seeing Australia, the time is a deterrent for me. I think Tam and Dave S. make good points. (except using being out of underwear as a signal to do laundry…).
I just watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and although it was long *2hrs 20min, I was still entertained. Even though I do prefer a movie to last under an hour and a half, as long as a movie is entertaining enough to sit through, I dont have too much a problem.
Long movies? I barely have time to read all of the comments Dave S. posts everyday!
I really do not have a problem with long movies…IF they are good and I want to see them. I went to see The English Patient 5 times in the movie theater, and I went to see Kenneth Brannagh’s four hour cut of Hamlet.
And I haven’t watched the short versions of LOTR once since I got the extended editions.
You’re all just commitment-phobes lol
I’m worse than that — I’ve found I can hardly watch movies at all at home. Possibly I’ve just been looking at really bad movies (Semi-Pro, anyone?), but mostly I feel like it’s a huge commitment of time and then it’s over. TV has the advantage of being both short and really long: if it’s bad you’re out 22 or 43 minutes and you’ve given it a good shot, and if it’s good then you can sit down and watch 20 hours of it.
Plus there’s that whole denial thing: with a 3 hour movie you’re admitting straight off that you’re not going to do a thing for the next 3 hours. With a shorter one, you’re leaving open the possibility in another hour or two you’re going to stop and do those dishes or create world peace or something.
I’m dying to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!
I think you guys make good points. I think being at home surrounded by your chores adds a bit also, whereas I’d go out and see a 5 hour movie if I wanted to, as long as I wasn’t home thinking of all the stuff I should or could be doing.
I think the time of day also factors into it as well. If it’s 9 at night and I know I’ve got nothing else to do, a long movie is more appealing, but during the day, episodes of television add a bit more freedom to go about my business in 48 minutes if need be.
I have rarely been able to sit through a movie at home, short or long. That’s why I don’t rent them or have a Netflix queue. I don’t even have the stamina to watch them on cable or regular TV.
I want to see that, too.
In December, I went to see Role Models, Twilight, and Quantum of Solace back-to-back-to-back (I may or may not have paid for all of them), and I didn’t feel any worse off for it. Plus, I got caught up on movies I wanted to see all in one day
I wanted to see Benjamin Button too, but then I heard from friends that it was Forrest Gump-like and I *despise* that movie.
Jonah: A-ha! So you admit to reading my comments! I knew you couldn’t resist my banal lack of wit!
Craig: Time of day is crucial! I despise watching any theater-movie as a matinee — there’s just something wrong with it. And I’m the same with DVDs — I much prefer them at night. When it comes to TV series though — I can watch them on DVD anytime.
Jonah: Hey, are you reading my comments again?! ::sigh::
Dave S: much like a car crash, I can’t seem to stop from looking….
Well, Buttons is written by the same screenwriter that adapted Forrest Gump, but I think it is only Gump-like inasmuch as Benjamin ends up in some historically dramatic contexts, not that it is insipid treacle meant as an opiate to the masses. Yes, I said it…
I wanted to disagree vehemently, because I love long movies (as long as they are good) but looking at my movie and TV consumption over the last couple of years, that is exactly what happened. I hardly watch all the movies on dvds I bought years ago anymore and it’s difficult to watch movies I recorded via Tivo. But at least with them, I delete them without hesitation if I’m not entertained after a few minutes. I wasted 30 min on 300 last weekend and cut my losses.
When I was still doing laundry, I used to fold and iron in front of the TV, but mostly watching movies I’d seen before or soap-operas where I didn’t need to look at the screen all the time. It’s fab to iron your shirts to the soundtrack of a James Bond movie, you should see the turns I could do with the iron
My daughter went to Benjamin Button on the weekend. I didn’t allow her to drag me this time, I learned my lesson after Australia. She thought it was way long and didn’t lilke the way it was told, figured they could have cut it significantly and made it better. But then she’s 13 so who knows if she’s a good barometer of a movie’s quality, but she did like Australia more than I did. Anyway, I took great relish in telling her “I told you so” which is really mean of me.
Nick: What was your opinion of Twilight? We didn’t even go, too much hype and I know I’d have to listen to rants of “that wasn’t in the book”.
Bernd: “When I was still doing laundry”. Ummm, do you just buy those disposable paper suits to wear now or what? Or do you make your BF slave over the laundry? If so, can I borrow him?
Since I got my first VCR, 100 years ago, I noticed something interesting. No matter how much I loved a movie, once I had it available to watch anytime I wanted, I never watched it again. I agree with Heather, when you can watch something anytime you want, there always seems to be something more important to do, “I can always watch it tomorrow”.
I can only handle long movies if there’s a robot exploding every 30 minutes or aliens coming out of the center of the earth. I am like a child. I have NO attention span so you have to keep me entertained. If it’s historical fiction….you might as well just shoot me in the face.
Tam: I actually watched Twilight before I read the book, and I have to say I feel the movie did a much better job telling the story than Stephenie Meyer did writing it. I would actually recommend the movie if you like frothy romances with a hint of menace.
From my point of view, the vampires are much more interesting than the humans, and since Bella is such an annoying narrator in the book, I’m going to cop a wait and see attitude on whether I read the rest of the books or just watch the movies.
Bottom line: I’ve seen it twice, and I’d probably see it again.
I have trouble with long movies as well, my mind starts to wander and I begin thinking about doing other things. When I saw the 1st LOTR I remember thinking they could have done away with all that slo-mo to speed things up a bit, that is the only think I remember about that movie is Sean Astin yelling “Frodooooooo” in slo-mo, at this point I don’t even know if it even happened in the movie, but it’s still all I remember. Then again King Kong was awesome and I didn’t want it to end!
Jonah: “Long movies? I barely have time to read all of the comments Dave S. posts everyday!” FTW!
Bernd: I iron to music *all* the time. It is the only way I can get through it. Turning with an iron sounds dangerous, I’d get all caught up in the cord and burn myself.
I have to admit, I rewatch some movies pretty often. Not that I pay full attention (I have seen them before after all) but they are on so I can watch the good parts. Stardust, Kung Fu Hustle, Clueless (it’s funny, shut up!) Batman Begins and Ratatouille make frequent trips to the dvd player/computer while I am working at home.
john: Okay, I give up — what does FTW stand for? Fuck The Weasel? Fart To Wisconsin? Funny Tomfoolery Woman? Oh, I know: Fan The Witty…
Nick: Twilight is soooo not to my taste. A little too frothy for me, I prefer my vampires a little more menacing and a lot more naked. (oops, sorry) My daughter is (was?) totally into the books but I’ve never even picked them up. I also hate first person narrative in books as a rule so won’t touch them for that reason alone. She’ll probably watch it when its on PPV or something.
John: I loved Stardust, I thought it was cute. Don’t own it though. Have seen iRobot and Van Helsing more times than is healthy probably.
I don’t rewatch movies hardly ever. I can watch Star Wars over and over again, but that’s kinda fun just cuz I have the thing memorized. And I can watch Fight Club, Snatch, 28 Days Later, and Cloverfield again and again. Just don’t ask me to watch a comedy more than once.
Though I did want to see Tropic Thunder a second time (not that I ever did), but that’s an exception.
Tam: I generally don’t like first-person narrative either, but it was used incredibly effectively in the novel “Hero” which I finished last week. Great story (though a bit predictable) with nice character development. And the cover of the book was designed by Chip Kidd, thre greatest book cover designer of our time.
Which, speaking of movies, isn’t “Hero” supposed to be hitting the silver screen at some point?
Dave: Aw crap, I wanted to read Hero after everyone here said how great it was. First person? Arrrrgghhh. Maybe. Some I can handle but most just grates on my nerves.
Dave S.: FTW = For the win. No weasels were hurt in the creation of my last comment.
Tam: I’ve watched iRobot a number of times too. There are some good action sequences that are fun to watch when I need a little break.
Dave S, Hero is being developed as a series for Showtime, no silver-screen in its future.
Tam, yep, the BF is doing the laundry and no, he’s not taking outside orders.
John, I used to race with the iron over the shirts to James Bond soundtracks, not do disco-dancing behind the board (not to James Bond soundtracks
)
If I like the movie, the length doesn’t matter (geez, never thought I’d say that last part!).
Goldfinger is not only THE definitive Bond movie, but it’s THE definitive Bond theme as well.
I thought FTW stood for Fuck The What? Meaning it was even wilder than a WTF moment. Hey, I like that…might start a new trend….
HUGS…
haha, i totally flip my netflix over right away too, exclaiming something of joy when i get one that clocks in somewhere in the double digit mark.
i agree with everyone else. it’s a lot easier to end when you want with a TV series. less commitment.
however, i don’t really have a problem with long movies in the theaters.
I love ironing. I know that makes me weird……..er than i already was. But I love it. It is my zen. I can iron a shirt in less than a minute.
jomosexual: A shirt in less than a minute? Do you crease the sleeves or no?
My only requirement for a wife was that she would iron for me (not because I’m a chauvinist, but because I hate it that much). She doesn’t iron for me.
Perhaps I was barking up the wrong tree….
I love watching TV series marathons too. Doesn’t it seem like many shows now have continuing storylines than they used to? Lost, Prison Break, 24 are practically one long episode. Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Angel have stand alone episodes but there’s also an ongoing season arc. When every show ends in a cliffhanger it’s near imposssible to stop watching.
I just bought Mary Poppins for my daughter a few months ago. I can’t believe how long that movie is. It’s about 45 minutes longer than it needs to be, especially for little kids! I don’t remember it being that long as a kid, but for me as an adult, I can’t take it!
I am the opposite. If I’m at home I have no problem with long movies but in the theater I can’t do anything over 2 hours. I just get so antsy, and its usually cold in their as well, and my legs get cramped.
I have found that my video gaming has severely impacted my movie watching; ever since I got Fallout 3 my NetFlix queue has not budged an inch.
I have no problem with long movies, if it has a good story line I don’t even notice the time fly by!
Tam: I LOVE Stardust! They did such a good job of bringing the humor of the book to the big screen (and I don’t say that lightly as I usually loathe movies made from my favorite books, and Neil Gaimen is a literary god IMHO)
Nico: Ummm, I didn’t know it was a book.
Probably for the best, although if you say it was a good interpretation I’ll trust you.
Kimi: I LOVE Mary Poppins. Argh, now I have “Spoon Full of Sugar” roaming through my head. Maybe I don’t love it so much.
Tam: Well… they did Hollywoodize (yeah, that’s totally a word) the ending but other than that it was a good interpretation. And I just found out that “they” are making a movie from Neil’s book Coraline! I am so excited!
Kimi: Oh, Mary Poppins is nothing compared the the dry, long, boring Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Worst movie I have ever seen. Awful awful awful.
John: I most definitely crease the sleaves.
Dave S: Worst movie ever? Try Cool World. It’s the ONLY movie I have ever left the theater 15 minutes into, and trust you me, I have sat through some awful movies.
I loved the movie Stardust! I read the book and enjoyed it thoroughly except I totally missed the movie ending
I was ready to declare Neil Gaimen a literary god, but then I saw Mirrormask and now I hate him.
I was in a porn straight to video movie a few years ago and looking back at it now I realize that it was much, much too long….
Oh god in a Vicodin induced haze my fiancé decided to watch “The Women”……
he said that it was were entertainment goes to die and that the only bright side was Debra Messing. I think any movie where she does the best job acting….is not worth seeing.
Craig: I haven’t seen the movie Mirrormask, or Neverwhere (both from Gaimen books) ’cause I heard they were crappy, which is why I try to stay away from movies based on books I like. However, I do still love his written works. I got his book of short stories and poems, Fragile Things, for my birthday and his off-center way of looking at everyday things constantly surprises and captivates me.