Random Rambling: 90-Minute Media
Last Saturday, I went to see "Six" at Shea's. It is a musical where the six ex-wives of Henry the Eighth form a music group, each singing one song about why they had it the worst. The winner will become the lead singer of the group. It was a ton of fun. And it was 90 minutes long. This is my third season as a subscriber, and most of the performances I have seen have been over two and a half hours. The only other short one was "Come From Away," one of my favorite musicals.
"Six" got me thinking about 90-minute media. This is my sweet spot for the movies I watch, so much so that one of the categories Netflix has made for me is 90-minute movies. If I am looking for something to watch after a long day at work, it will be under two hours.
Too many movies I see are well over two hours. The biggest hurdle I had to overcome to see "Avatar: The Way of Water" was three hours and 12 minutes. Director James Cameron responded to the criticism of that length by saying, "I don't want anybody whining about length when they sit and binge-watch [television] for eight hours." I 100 percent disagree. Yes, I have spent that much time binge-watching TV. Still, it is an entirely different experience than watching a three-hour movie in the theater(that is a random rambling for another day.)
I like quick, 90-minute movies. If it is terrible, you haven't wasted that much time. When a three-hour movie is bad, it makes the movie worse. Not only was the movie terrible, but it was three hours of bad. I have watched a ton of bad 90-minute movies, but I have never regretted watching one.