Top 9 Apps for the Summer Blockbuster Season
’Tis the season for movies with obscenely large budgets, and often obscenely larger explosions. There are a lot of big films that have just come out, are coming out, or will be out soon - to the point where it can be difficult to keep up. But don’t fret! 148Apps has got you covered with our list of nine apps to make your moviegoing experiences easier.
What to Watch?
One of the most immediate problems movie-goers run into is figuring out what they want to go and see. It’s not all that tough if there’s one specific film you’ve been waiting months for, but otherwise it can be a bit of a pain to pick something if you don’t have a plan of action.
IMDb
IMDb the website is a major source of movie-related info (past, present, and future). IMDb the app is pretty much the same thing, only a phone app and not a website. It won’t tell you what you should be watching, but it will tell you just about anything you want to know about your various choices once you’re at the theater.
IMDb: Movies & TV Shows
FREE!
iTunes Movie Trailers
Sure some movies sound awesome, but do they look awesome? If you’ve managed to narrow down your options a little, but you’re still not entirely decided, then iTunes Movie Trailers can help by giving you access to a bunch of HD movie previews.
iTunes Movie Trailers
FREE!
Movies by Flixster
Movies by Flixster adds more outside opinions to the mix by way of reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. It also lets you set up a sort of wishlist for the movies you’d like to see, so if you’re randomly browsing one day and happen to see something that looks interesting you can add it to your list so you won’t forget later. Then once the movie is out, you can even use the app to find showtimes and locations.
Flixster - Showtimes + Tickets
FREE!
Kids in Mind
For those with little ones in their group, Kids in Mind is almost a must. The app provides reviews and ratings, much like the others, but it also breaks down each films’ content to better help you decide if it’s appropriate for the various age groups that will be accompanying you. This includes detailed descriptions of scenes that might be questionable, which won’t make the young ones any happier when you tell them they can’t see “Friday the 13th - Part 19,” but it will give you peace of mind.
Kids In Mind - Movie Reviews for Families
FREE!
Times and Tickets
Once you figure out what you want to see, it’s time to work out the logistics of actually going to see it. You’ll need to know locations, times, ticket prices, and so on. Thankfully there are a bunch of apps for that.
MovieLaLa
MovieLaLa is a sort of social network for movies. You can discuss how much you enjoyed “Wayne’s World” with kindred spirits, create a personal feed for films/actors/directors, and help you meet up with friends. It can also be set to send you notifications for times and locations whenever a movie you’re interested in releases in theaters.
MovieLaLa - Movie Trailers, Showtimes with Fandango Tickets, IMDB Reviews & Ratings
FREE!
Fandango
Then there’s Fandango, which is all about movie tickets. It’ll help you figure out which theater to go to and when to show up of course, but the real draw is that you can use it to purchase tickets ahead of time and potentially avoid getting shut out of a sold out show. And if for whatever reason you can’t make it, Worry-Free Tickets can be refunded for credit or exchanged.
Fandango - Get Movie Tickets
FREE!
Showtimes
Showtimes uses your location to pull up information about all the nearby theaters and film showings it can find; and if you have a particular theater you prefer to use, you can mark it as a favorite so that it’ll always show up at the top of your list (assuming the movie you want to see is playing there). The app also offers ticket sales through Fandango.
Showtimes - Movie Tickets
FREE!
Movies by Moviefone
The Moviefone app is sort of an amalgamation that allows you to search for nearby shows, mark favorite theaters, view trailers, get maps and directions, and search for movies based on things like specific actors or what’s appropriate for different preferences. And as with Showtimes and Fandango, it also lets you buy tickets right from within the app.
Moviefone - Movies, Trailers, Showtimes & Tickets
FREE!
When Plans Fall Through
Despite taking every precaution, sometimes movie plans fall through. Maybe you couldn't get a ride. Maybe someone fell ill. Or maybe everythong was sold out. Regardless, it's important to have a backup plan.
Netflix
Should unforseen circumstances arrise, you can always fall back on Netflix for streaming some less current but still extensive movie options. Or TV shows if you'd rather watch something in 20 minute to hour-long chunks. Just don’t do it in the theater - they kind of frown on that.
