Movies & Books

It seems that ever since the “Lord Of The Rings” and “Harry Potter” movies came out, everyone and their dog want’s to make their movie longer. This is, in my opinion, a problem because most movies are not nearly good enough to justify the extra “in theater seat” time. It would be a different story if we got to sit in our living rooms on our comfy couches and enjoy the big screen at the same time (my living room is just not quite large enough for a theater sized screen AND a good couch, it’s one or the other).

LOTR was so good that you barely noticed that you were in the (over) crowded theater sitting in an uncomfortable seat. You were so enthralled that all you could think about was what would happen next on the screen. That’s a good thing too, because every theater I have ever been in has seating that I can barely manage to sit in for one and a half hours, let alone three hours. LOTR was truly an epic movie.

I watched “Superman Returns” the other day. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie. It was pretty good. It was not an epic movie though, even though it was long. There were plenty of scenes that could have easily been shortened or removed entirely.

I guess the idea of an “epic” movie sells. People will go to see them with the “epic” idea in mind. Usually the movie does not seem to measure up.

I guess what I am saying is that one and a half hours is long enough for most movies. I am not interested in sitting in the theater any longer than that unless the movie is REALLY good.