Long movies

Over break I've relaxed by watching several movies. Lover's Concerto (that was weird), A World Without Thieves (yes, again. It's that good), about 95% of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and today I watched Sleepers. I thought Sleepers was excellent. The film was spliced so well, I don't recall the last movie that held my attention that well. Then I realized that I had only played the B-side of the DVD, watching only the last 48 minutes of the movie. I decided to not go back and watch the initial half of the movie because the part I watched painted such a moving picture that I didn't want to muddy it up. Which makes me wonder...how much could movies be condensed? I like eye candy in movies, but some of it could easily be cut out. The last few Harry Potter films I've had to struggle to stay awake. Even Lord of the Rings, majestic as it was, is a movie that could have benefited from a little condensation. And as for the new King Kong (which I haven't seen yet), who wants to watch 3 hours of a story that's already been told and is no longer inventive? So how to make longer movies shorter without cutting out content? I remember speech coach/demigod Brandon Cosby when working with Interp performers would always stress the power of silence. Silence at the right moments can say more than minutes of speech. Like the ending of The Graduate, which, one of my friends noted, leaves so much unsaid. However, silence shouldn't be spammed throughout any serious movie. It's gotta be at the right places, with the total amount of silence varying according to tone and subject matter. Similarly, repition is a valuable tool but is overused in many movies (and anime series)! Cut the crap, condense the content, and make the DVDs cheaper or free!