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Long films try fans' patience, studios' bank accounts

Does this scenario sound familiar? We go to catch a flick at the local cinema, make a nice evening or afternoon out of the excursion, but the little trip turns out to last forever. Whatever happened to "short and sweet?"

Perhaps filmmakers are thinking that we can't get enough of a good thing. Well, the fact of life is that all good things must come to an end, even the best of movies.

A recent trend in Hollywood productions is to make films that are long and exhaustive. Now, granted, some flicks are just the right length. Take "Mr. Holland's Opus," for example. It lasted for nearly three hours, but the plot did capture my attention; as a bonus, the pain in the posterior part of our body from the theater seats was barely noticeable.

In the latest Richard Dreyfuss hit, the extensive plot was required to expand on the characters and highlight the true nature of their relationships. If the film were any shorter, the story would have had loose ends and the plot would have been immensely thin. It would have felt rushed and the audience would hardly have been able to experience the actors' emotions.

Similarly, in all 172 minutes of "Heat," the parallel plots just barely make it under the three-hour mark. Many complain that in all this time, superstars Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino only have a five to six minute confrontation. To some, this lack of confrontation keeps the audience in suspense, but to others the fact that it took the duo more than 2 1/2 hours to meet makes the flick unbearable (the film was a box-office flop).

DeNiro appeared in another extensive film -- the action-packed "Casino." With him and fellow top-quality actors Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci, a drawn-out plot is hardly necessary. The "less is more" theory has great importance. This gangster flick has a plethora of unnecessary killings that have audiences wondering when the credits will start to roll. Even with the rough and rugged society of today, how many times can we watch a murder and really enjoy it?

Not all of the great films of the recent day need to have a running time of more than two hours. Another exception to this problem was when Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo co-starred in the thriller "Outbreak." They managed to discover a problem and find a solution in just over two hours: Perfect timing for people who need to use the washroom frequently.

The best thing about movies like the orangutan comedy "Dunston Checks In" and slap-stick "Biodome" is that both were short. Sadly enough, however, they both had no point.

Do these screenwriters think critics will take a movie seriously only if it lasts longer than two hours? Perhaps -- Oscar-winning films like "Schindler's List" and "Dances with Wolves" both lasted 185 minutes.

Maybe the solution lies in making more comfortable theater seats -- ones that recline and give audiences the comforts of home, with the pleasures of the big screen. Then, theaters would probably have to raise their prices to cover refurbishing costs; maybe, therefore, this idea would not work.

Perhaps the time has come for theaters to host intermission again. This seems like it could be a profitable move. They could sell more concessions and then they could make some of those cute little cartoons with the singing sodas and popcorn boxes.

This move could also benefit moviegoers. If a film barely holds audience members' interest, they could leave at the break without disrupting anyone else. Or if people desperately have to go to the bathroom, they could leave without making a ruckus in the middle of the best part of the flick. But that wouldn't work either; people would complain that the intermission disrupts the whole flow of the film, ultimately ruining the beauty of the movie-going experience.

We really cannot complain too much though. More and more theaters have added those reclining seats and even little cups to hold beverages. At least there's been an attempt.

And they are maximizing our money too. With the prices of movies so high, the industry must create films in which the production covers the cost of a ticket.

At any rate, the industry has found a trend that has reproduced its share of winners and losers. Every year some epic tends to steal the limelight, but it also takes away our ability to sit comfortably in theaters.