Yesterday, my wife and I watched a film that had received accolades from the entertainment industry. It was an odd story that was clearly metaphoric in nature and turned out to be more than two hours in length; in our opinion, it could (and should) have been half as long.
The history of fiction, including literature and film making, is replete with examples of unbearable monotony. Perhaps enamored with their own skill, the writers force their audience to endure tedious scripts that, in the end, detract from the basic story line. It is this behavior that has long fostered my enthusiasm for short stories and films, not sagas and five-pound novels.
No doubt, my personal preference plays into this criticism but good stories can deliver their message without excessive dialogue and repetitious "character development." Creativity requires a great deal of freedom but the audience need not be insulted or bored by the product.
