Alexander Payne thinks that modern films are too long and has called on directors to be economical with storytelling.
Alexander Payne has criticised "damn long" modern movies.
The Oscar-winning director took aim at films that have overly long runtimes amid debate about the 206-minute length of Martin Scorsese's new picture 'Killers of the Flower Moon'.
Speaking at the Middleburg Film Festival, Alexander said: "You want your movie to be as short as possible. There are too many damn long movies these days."
The 62-year-old director does feel that some movies can justify marathon runtimes but says that stories need to be told tightly to make the films a success.
Payne said: "If your movie's three and a half hours at least let it be the shortest possible version of a three and a half hour movie. Like 'The Godfather Part II' and 'Seven Samurai' are super tight three and a half hour and they go by like that. So there's no ipso facto judgement about length."
The 'Downsizing' director explained that he puts "economy" at the centre of his approach to filmmaking.
He said: "Film is a constant search for economy. You want the screenplay as short as possible. You want the acting as brisk as possible, given whatever the basic rhythm of the film is. And then in the editing you want it to be as short as it can possibly be, but no shorter."
Payne explained that he even wanted to trim down his acclaimed new movie 'The Holdovers'.
He said: "It's still a little long. We started screening it, and (at) the first couple festivals I was looking at the programme, and it said 133 minutes. I had to call up the studio and go, 'I don't think it's 133 minutes'. I thought we had gotten it down to around 124. 'No, it's 133 after the credits roll'."
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...
Everyone is aware of the nation of Lilliput in Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels', but what...
Woody Grant is an alcohol-swigging old man who's never had much in the way of...
As with Sideways and About Schmidt, Payne finds clever ways to blend sharp comedy and...
Matt King is a Hawaiian land baron who has never had time for his two...
We were barely getting over 300, and now this: a movie about two straight firemen...
Z Channel was one of the first pay cable stations ever. It's "magnificent obsession" was...