Having just finished The Midnight Sky, which was apparently intended to be released in IMAX (filmed in 65mm) and ended up being released on Netflix because 2020…
The movie was half an hour longer than it had any particular reason to be (2h running length), and I really, really enjoyed the result. It had room to breathe, space and time for things to just… exist. The movie wouldn’t have lost a thing, plot-wise, with half an hour chopped out of it, but the extra time they used made it stand out. It feels a bit like some of the 70s movie pacing I’ve seen, where the (for lack of better description) room echo has time to subside before the scene moves on.
As theaters are increasingly looking like they’re just not going to be a thing as much in the future, I wonder if there will be a change in story telling style - a return to longer movies that aren’t “Ok, cram the movie into as short as possible so we can get one more showing on opening night.” I certainly wouldn’t complain.
… then would love to see some of the longer movies in theaters, with a proper intermission.
As would my daughter. She’s been to a theater about twice before Covid hit, and while I mostly entertain myself on our hill, I occasionally get reminded that what’s boring for me is far worse for kids. We literally spent 20 minutes today exploring the gravel and mulch piles at the local farm supply store. She just wanted to go see them and touch something that wasn’t on the hill. 