Why are movies so LOOOOONG? - Page 2

I don't think I've ever not liked a film because it was too long. It's either good or bad (or somewhere along that continuum.) If it's good I'll never even notice how long it is. Pretyt much everything in a movie is there for a reason. Every scene, every prop in the background, even the ones out of focus. Nothing is done for no reason in a movie, when every scene is costing from tens of thousands up to a million bucks or more. You may not appreciate the film maker's reasons for them, but it's pretty much guaranteed that there's a reason for everything.

The Godfather wedding scene too long? Jesus! I refuse to further contemplate the, er, opinion you quoted, for this way lies madness.

It definitely is.

yea, i know... i didn't even bother to attempt to engage the holder of that opinion, as anything i presented to them would likely have been dismissed...

Don't be too quick to judge them.




We always need people to run the fry station at McDonald's.

I actually just finished re-reading The Godfather. It also opens with the wedding scene. It does, indeed, set the stage for the entire book/film....

^^^

lol... as my old man used to say, "son, there's always a need for people who clean toilets"...

of course, that was when he was trying to get me to find a job...

We have enough people who hold a PhD in Philosophy for those types of service-oriented jobs.

The people you're referring to become modern day movie directors and producers.

That would be YOUR opinion just like the OP is YOUR opinion. Don't expect all to agree with YOUR opinion.

yea... plus in the movie, it's particularly effective because of how it is visually presented by the filmmaker... subconsciously, it makes future events "work" better....

going to the end of the movie, some could easily argue that after michael lies to kay, you could just end it... however, those last few minutes where she sees michael acknowldeged as the don and then door is shut are POWERFUL in their meaning...

sorry to the op for getting off topic... this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine... too many movies these days forget about the "small stuff", like those seemingly needless 5 minute interludes that give the viewer a certain mindset for other things in the film...

but then again, i loved "the good shepherd" (to pick an example of a movie that many found "too slow" and drawn out).... and to be honest, i'm not overly fond of bombastic "action" movies... so my opinion here is definitely colored by preference... while a decent "popcorn" flick is ok every now and then, i'd prefer to be a bit mentally engaged as well when watching a movie...

I've reread The Godfather in the last few weeks too and loved it as much as I did when I first read it in 1969. I continue to believe that the best critical estimate of Puzo's masterpiece was that "It's the best bad book ever written." Literature it's not but if there was a better piece of popular fiction ever written I can't say what it might have been.

+1

Wouldn't argue that.

Have you seen Shoah?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090015/

This documentary is perhaps the greatest ever done, and it's 554 minutes (9 1/2 hrs.) long.

BTW, does anyone know where I can find the best video source?
I have to add it to my collection....

^^^

that would be something i would buy as well....

Shoah...

http://www.amazon.com/Shoah-History-Holocaust-Import-Regions/dp/B000AS4L16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347320095&sr=8-1&keywords=shoah+dvd

I watched Shoah on PBS many years ago. It's a pretty brutal ride, but good.

List of longest films by running time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_films_by_running_time

Maybe, and now I think the 90 mins movie is so short after several loooong movies. That's why I used to stop drinking half an hour before the movie on.

I'm sure that I'm only adding to the chorus, but the movies that the OP references aren't "too long"... they're just bad movies. If you want to see loud explosions or action, perhaps you'd be more suited to watching a fireworks display or attending a demolition derby. Movies (for the most part) tell a story; some writers/directors are better at that than others.

crap scenes according to who? There are people who loved John Carter as it is.

“No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.”
- Roger Ebert

Says it all.

I disagree with good ole Rog. Good movies can be too long.

It depends on what the cutting does. It could be that some of those scenes were needed for some type of transition, they just failed in the execution. But cutting it out could leave a big gaping hole that is noticeable, leaving the audience going "WTF?" And then you shattered their suspension of disbelief and lost them for the rest of the movie.

What you're talking about is treating a symptom. The problem is that some (many?) filmmakers just can't make a consistently good movie.

I'm sure there are examples. I'm just saying taking scissors to a film isn't always going to solve the problem.

You know what would? Planning out a better film in the first place.