slow

[catbert]

I am looking for an expression describing something that is happening awfully slowly, or is developing at a maddeningly slow pace. Like a story line in a book or a movie.

Is there such an idiom?

[5jj]

At a snail's pace?

[catbert]

Would you say that about a book or a movie, though? It seems a little too literal to me (i.e., it can be used in regards to the actual speed of some moving object).

I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.

[billmcd]

I am looking for an expression describing something that is happening awfully slowly, or is developing at a maddeningly slow pace. Like a story line in a book or a movie.

Is there such an idiom?

Not an idiom, but you would often see/hear "painstakingly" for that purpose.

[JMurray]

I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.
How about "drip-feed/fed"?

"The movie was excruciatingly slow, I felt like we were being drip-fed the plot at long intervals".
"The book took ages to get going, as if the plot was on a slow drip-feed".

not a teacher

[billmcd]

I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.
How about "drip-feed/fed"?

"The movie was excruciatingly slow, I felt like we were being drip-fed the plot at long intervals".
"The book took ages to get going, as if the plot was on a slow drip-feed".

not a teacher

I would understand the analogy, but I have never heard it used.

[waflob]

what about 'piecemeal'?

[catbert]

Heard another one today: as slow as molasses in January.

[Skeptik]

Would you say that about a book or a movie, though? It seems a little too literal to me (i.e., it can be used in regards to the actual speed of some moving object).

I am, rather, talking about something that's being doled out very little at a time and at lengthy intervals.

It can be used in this way to describe a plot of a movie or book, and also literal.

Similar examples to explain that something is boring and slow:
"It's like watching paint dry." or "watching grass grow".

[catbert]

It can be used in this way to describe a plot of a movie or book, and also literal.

Similar examples to explain that something is boring and slow:
"It's like watching paint dry." or "watching grass grow".

Yeah, I know those, it's just not what I wanted to express. I was looking for an English equivalent to a particular Russian saying, but apparently there isn't one.