Les Miserables ties us to our seats for over two and half hours - not too appealing.
And most of the movies I've seen over the last few years have stretched to two hours and over. Can it take that long to communicate a story? I think not.
It's a relief then to know I'm not alone in thinking that movies are being stretched beyond human endurance. The National Association of Theatre Owners, which represents 28,000 cinemas in America, calls for reduction in "film bloat" and wants to get back to the Alfred Hitchcock dictum:
"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder."
I couldn't agree more.
With all this in mind, Parental Guidance
starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler
was the choice for a New Year's Day family trip (today) and while it was fun - mostly thanks to Mr Crystal's rapid, deadpan one-liners, but ultimately forgetteable, the best bit was the neat 105 mins.
Happy New Year!
