Movies that would be better if they were shorter

[PopcornBandit]

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

[Buscemi]

- Knocked Up could have lost 15-20 minutes (cut Jody, Kristen Wiig's entire role, the second nightclub scene and shorten many of the long conversation pieces and you have a tighter, much improved film).

- The Assassination of Jesse James... could have lost 30 minutes in the middle.

- Bridesmaids could have lost the entire subplot with the roommates (which were blatant Northern England stereotypes) and replaced it with more scenes with the underdeveloped bridesmaids (what the hell happened to Ellie Kemper's character in the third act?).

[spanky87]

Funny People

Skyfall

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by chris_sc77

That said there are about an hour's worth of insanely boring scenes of James Stewart driving in Vertigo.

I hate you.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

I've always felt that Inland Empire could've used a few cuts here and there.

That may be, but it puts me in such a trance that I do not notice. What a film!

[noddinoff]

End "Stripes" right after the Ceremony and lose entire 3rd act.

[seabterry]

Das Boot: Director's Cut. Who's with me?!?!?!

I wouldn't take an hour out, but there are too many scenes of people just looking at other people. I love the movie, but it didn't necessarily fly by.

[Monterey Jack]

Did the Karate Kid remake really need to be 140 minutes long?! It seemed like every other scene took place in another location for no other reason than as a "Tour Beautiful China!" reel.

[DisneyWorld]

Titanic
King Kong
Pearl Harbor
Man of Steel
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Iron Man 3

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by DisneyWorld

Titanic
King Kong
Pearl Harbor
Man of Steel
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Iron Man 3

Yup. That last hour is a big slog. I actually enjoy the first hour (some of it in an unintentional way, but it's okay).

[Dumbhuman]

Definitely another vote here for Peter Jackson's King Kong. I actually like it quite a bit for what it is, but it could easily be a film I love with some heavy editing. Kill the whole Jimmy/First Mate bit, show less of the dinosaurs/bugs, get to the island just a bit quicker, etc.

The Deer Hunter could probably stand to lose a good 20 minutes, probably half of that in the first act alone, but I understand the desire to linger in the memories of good times.

Apocalypse Now Redux. Just cut the plantation scene and I would love it with all my heart. As it stands I love it just the tiniest bit less than the theatrical cut.

2001: A Space Odyssey. Yeah, I know... it's space and there's no gravity and we're supposed to be in the splendor of the weightlessness or what have you and building atmosphere (in a vacuum), but those lingering shots of things unfolding so very slowly honestly don't present enough aesthetic qualities to hold my full attention the entire time. Though by contrast they do make me more fully appreciate the giant chunk of time taken out by that famous cut in the beginning.

Inland Empire I agree with as well, but it's been a while since my last viewing and I'd have to watch it again to get more specific. I really really hope if Lynch makes another feature film that he goes back to using celluloid film for better production values and a bit more of a focused approach.

The Tree of Life. Lose the 2001/Jurassic Park bit and I'd get closer to really liking it but like most Malick stuff I'd still hate the voiceovers enough to not be able to truly enjoy the film. Clearly that's getting into territory other than shortening the film a bit though so I'll stop there.

[KillerJuan77]

Only God Forgives - Remove the stares and you have a stunning looking action film with a decent plot.
Heaven's Gate - Remove the filler and you have a 2-3 hour long western that could be better than 90-95% of the westerns out there.

[Abdrewes]

Pirates of the Carribean 3: there's a solid 1:50 adventure flick there.

[Al_The_Strange]

1972's Solaris.

Was it really necessary to have, like, 20 minutes of driving? As good as the film is, I think it drags a lot.

[Dumbhuman]

Originally Posted by KillerJuan77

Heaven's Gate - Remove the filler and you have a 2-3 hour long western that could be better than 90-95% of the westerns out there.

I don't know. I'm still interested in seeing the 4 hour original cut. I'd like to see a bit more of the aftermath, really, though I don't know if that's what got cut out.

[Cocophone]

End "The American" just before the CGI butterfly.



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"Why am I me and why not you? Why am I here and why not there? When did time begin and where does space end?" - Wings of Desire

[vader4]

Kick-Ass 2 would be better if it was an hour and 43 minutes shorter.

In all seriousness I agree with the Ebert quote.

[Bonzi]

It'll probably end up being an unpopular opinion, but I say Vertigo. I think it would really benefit from omitting about 20 minutes from the first half of the movie. The second half is fine as it is, but the first one drags in comparison. The movie would become even better if the pace of the second half could be set from the beginning.

[Rich65]

King Kong (2005), the first hour in New York could have seriously been cut down.

[LegacyCosts]

The Tree of Life. Lose the 2001/Jurassic Park bit and I'd get closer to really liking it but like most Malick stuff I'd still hate the voiceovers enough to not be able to truly enjoy the film. Clearly that's getting into territory other than shortening the film a bit though so I'll stop there.[/QUOTE]

Those voice overs killed any enjoyment of that film for me. So bad