don’t underestimate the power of the Web. Movie lovers are flocking to movie-related Internet sites for everything from pre-release excitement to movie listings and information.

One of the Web sites that I find the most useful is The Internet Movie Database. Besides having a ton of movie-related information, this Web site allows you to keep a list of the movies you want to see. You can also see when each movie is showing at the theatres, and can find out if it is available on DVD or playing on television. These features are available on the My Movie tab of this Web site. You must register to use this feature, but the Internet Movie Database only requires a valid e-mail address for registration. The Internet Movie Database will also help you find a film to see. It categorizes movies by genre, decade, and also lists the top movies as rated by its visitors.

Speaking of evaluating movies, another Web site called Metacritic will effectively help you decide which movies are worth the rental fee or admission price. You no longer have to read each newspaper reviewers comments separately. Metacritic puts the ratings of all the critics together to reach a Metascore for each movie. Each critic’s main comments and score are listed in case you happen to be more in line with the taste of one or two particular critics. Also each critic’s full review is just a click away. This Web site is quite well done.

Critics are always well, so critical. For a younger and sometime freer viewpoint visit the IGN Filmforce Area. IGN also reviews games, and entertainment apparatus, and posts interesting interviews with actors, directors, and the like. As with other movie review sites, if you find a reviewer with compatible views, you can follow his or her picks.

If you just want to check out what is playing at your local theatre, check out Yahoo!Movies. Put in your zip code and it will give you a list of movie theatres, the movies currently playing and the show times. Click on the movie listed on your local theatre’s Internet marquis and a brief synopsis along with all the pertinent information will appear. This site also gives user ratings, and you can rate each movie yourself, write a review, or read reviews of others. Moviefone.com is another Web site like Yahoo! where you can find out what’s playing at your local theatre.

Don’t forget to enter the name of your local theatre into a search engine to see if they have their own Web site. Most of today’s movie theatres have an Internet presence where you can find additional information like what movies will be playing next week and which are expected in the next few weeks.

For an interesting array of photo galleries, trailers, and movie clips visit Hollywood.com.  For additional information about movies, be sure to check out the Web sites of the production studios. These sites will give you a synopsis, cast, producer, director, and projected release dates for movies currently in production. As the movies come closer to release, they also give you short clips and other information to whet your movie appetite. A few of these to check out are Universal Pictures, 20^th Century Fox, and Paramount. For a listing of studio links, visit the MovieWeb.

Some movie theatres even allow you to purchase tickets online.   Yahoo!Movies, Fandango, and MovieTickets.com, all take credit cards to pay for your tickets. To pick up your tickets you must bring the credit card that you used and, in some cases, the ticket confirmation number to the theatre with you. Not all theatres are equipped to accept tickets purchased online, but it seems to be a growing trend. Some theatres are installing kiosks where you can simply swipe your credit card for confirmation of tickets purchase online, helping you avoid lines and payment hassles.

Whether you purchase your tickets online or simply check out what’s currently playing, these Internet movie site are sure to make your movie-going a little easier.