Editors notes: This post is was written by Thorren Koopmans of AppBoy. This will be the 1st of a new monthly post covering apps of all platforms as they relate to movies and entertainment. We are very thankful to have Thorren contributing and providing his expert opinion here on Flickthis.tv.

• Sadly I don’t get to the movies as often as I would like. Life is busy, I’ve got a four year old with another on the way, I’m renovating a basement, I try to spend some time outside in the summer and I work a full time job. When I do get time to see a film, whether on DVD or in the Theatre, I want to be sure that it’s worth watching. A little bit of quick research can usually yield some good information that can make all the difference.

  This is my first post on flickthis.tv, and rather than diving into a pile of movie and film apps, of which there are a lot, I thought I’d put together something a little different. Here are four non-movie specific apps that can be great resources for movie lovers.

• Wikipedia – Free

  It’s a go-to source for information about just about everything else, so why not movies? Although Wikipedia articles don’t provide opinion (i.e. is a movie good or not?), the information provided about a movie can be extremely helpful in determining whether it might be one you’re interested in seeing. Everything from plot details and actor listings to director information and details of what went on in the making of the film could be available.

  One of the things I love about Wikipedia is the linkage between articles, you really could spend a lot of time just learning about the actors, directors, set locations, etc., associated with a flick. One minute you’re reading about Fight Club, the next you’re checking into details of a song from A Perfect Circle, who happened to have a video that was directed by David Fincher. What does this have to do with determining whether or not you should watch the film in question? Not a lot, but you can have a lot of fun and fill your head with some information that will probably never come in handy. Oh, and if you haven’t yet, you should watch Fight Club!

  Spoiler Alert! Wikipedia is a great resource, but be careful how much you read, as they don’t spare details of how things work out, if you go to deep, you will no longer have any need to watch the movie.

• YouTube – Free (and already on your phone)

  There are obvious uses for YouTube when it comes to movies. YouTube is a treasure trove of trailers and official reviews from well known critics, a great starting point for looking into a film.

  Don’t stop there, check out some of the spoof videos that people have made in response to a film. These can be not only quite entertaining, but give insight into people’s impressions of the actual movie. Did they create the spoof because the movie was terrible or is it their way of paying homage to a favorite?

  Mashups, amateur reviews and some totally unrelated videos. Sometimes just the sheer number of search results that return can be a good indicator of the quality of the film, most people won’t go through the effort of creating something for YouTube unless they really like or really dislike whatever it is they’re covering.

  Of course, not all videos will be relevant, but you’ll find some great stuff.

• Yelp- Free

  We spend all kinds of time thinking about what movie we’d like to see, and often neglect to focus on the facilities. Where are you going to watch the movie?

  Now if you’re around home, you might have a favorite cinema that you’re comfortable with. No problem. But what happens if you’re visiting a different city, new to town, or simply the theatre you’re familiar with isn’t showing the movie you want to see?

  Enter Yelp. The reviews found on Yelp can be a great guide to helping you find a facility that won’t let you down. The reviews are of courser user generated and always include helpful hints about the facility and it’s surrounding area.

  Not only that, but if you’re looking to plan dinner and a movie, use Yelp to find restaurants or pubs near the cinema that you can drop in to without having to drive across town. You’ll also find information about prices, parking and other related bits for each of the restaurants for those of you on a budget.

  You’ll surely be able to find something that will work for you and again, the reviews and ratings can make all the difference.

• Seesmic – Free

  Twitter is a great resource, and Seesmic provides a really nice interface for getting that information. Simply set-up one of the locations on your home screen for a search and you’re off and running. Here are a couple of ideas on how you can use Twitter search to help movie lovers.

  1. Create a search for the name of a particular movie to see what people are saying about it.
  2. Use search to find a movie to watch in a particular category, for example search for “Best Romantic Comedy”.
  3. Use search to simply get a random movie title, for example search “Best Movie Ever”.

  With Seesmic, the great thing is that your search is saved and will be available next time you load the app. In the two examples above where you’re not looking for a specific movie, you can simply load up the app and see any fresh Tweets that match your search. Who knows, this might become the way you pick a movie every time.

I hope these apps help you discover movies that you love. If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of Fight Club, so if nothing else, watch that.

• 

  Written by Thorren Koopmans
  Thorren works for Appboy, the premier social marketplace for mobile applications. Appboy is all about helping you find great new apps for your mobile devices, whatever platform and whatever your interests.