Since I've watched a movie vs. Since I watched a movie

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

Which one is better?

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a movie. or It’s been a long time since I watched a movie.?

Thank you in advance.

haihao

2

Hi,

It’s not really a question of which is better since the expressions show different notions of time. This one

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a movie suggests you are watching it now.

This one

It’s been a long time since I watched a movie is merely a statement indicating that it’s a long time since that time when you watched a movie, without reference to now.

A