Ed’s Note: I’m in the middle of OJ: Made In America, so this Taco Break is totally bite size. Play with it all you want

Movies are usually bite size. You go in, they tell their story, 90-180 minutes later, you’re done. Bing bang boom, its over. But, epic-length movies have started making a comeback. Ever since the 2007 double feature Grindhouse, running 191 minutes, more directors have been starting to make their epics. Tarantino had the 187 roadshow edition of The Hateful Eight, Oliver Stone’s versions of Alexander have pushed over 200 bafflingly structured minutes, Steven Soderbergh made the 4.25 hour Che, Lars Von Trier had the 5.5-hour Nymphomaniac, and Ezra Edelman’s 7.5-hour documentary O.J. Made In America just won Best Documentary. Wim Wenders’ Until The End Of The World even got an expanded version that expands from 158 minutes to an epic 295 minutes (and Criterion still hasn’t announced the release date for that yet!!).

Don’t worry, I haven’t seen Hollywood threaten us with a 5-hour edition of Transformers…yet (Michael Bay, call me! I have notes!). These still are the exception to the rule. But, it does make me wonder about how we take in epic pieces of artistry. And, has binge watching television expanded our attention spans beyond the usual 3 hour format?

How do you watch epic movies? Do you try to prioritize them in theaters? Have longer movies always been worth the investment to you? Do you take taco breaks when needed? Do you find it hard to keep your attention on the film for that long when you’re at home? The directors of Out 1 and Shoah have stated they want you to watch all 10 hours of their film in a single sitting to grasp the immensity of their films, do you take their advice?

The one thing I kind of hope: more arthouse theaters dedicated to showing these pieces of art start getting the larger recliner seats.