I feel that I first have to point out the irony of writing about an app designed to improve a movie lover’s access to theater on a medium (iPad) that has been slowly leeching the focus of the masses away from movie theaters. But that’s a different article. That being said, the new app, Flixster, is another web-to-smartphone app designed to help streamline the movie-going experience. It’s taken a couple rounds of revisions to get it to its current incarnation, but I’m sure that many of you will be pleased with what you see.

Flixster is quite a nifty app for movie buffs, offering a bevy of features that will get any film geek’s blood pumping. I’ll touch on some of those a bit later. The majority of users will more than likely use the app to browse show times and local theaters.

Upon launching the app, users will be given the closest theater information, name of the theater and distance from your current location. Then, by clicking on a dropdown menu, you’ll get a full listing of the movies playing, show times, and the film’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with which Flixster is partnered. So if you would prefer to just completely bypass the show times and go directly to the reviews, you can do that. To the regular theater-goer, this can be a useful tool when you’re away from a computer or just on the go.

And if, during your search, you run across a film that you've either never heard of or don’t know much about, you can simply click "Watch Trailer" and turn your iPhone or iPad into your own personal screening theatre. Rarely, users will find that certain trailers are unavailable -- which is a pretty good indicator that the trailer just isn’t available, period.

Now for some other Flixster features. These will be options that you’ll find at the bottom of the screen.

Box Office is exactly what it sounds like, an up-to-date tally of box office figures broken out by Top Ten or by individual film. This is one of those previously mentioned features that may not appeal to the masses. 

Upcoming is another no-brainer. This feature provides a weekly listing of upcoming films. The farther out from the current date you look, the less information tends to be available, of course. However, you can go pretty far out; I’m talking 2012. As long as it's scheduled, tentatively or not, you can see what info Flixster has for it. **Geek Alert** The Dark Knight Rises, coming June 2012.

DVD shows that Flixster has completely covered its bases. If nothing seems to be out at the theater, then this feature will show you what new DVD releases are available, and the reviews for that particular title.

Now I think that all of this adds up to one pretty comprehensive app. So whether you’re a film aficionado or just a casual movie watcher, Flixster can turn the frustration of hunting down theater info into a breeze. From choosing a nearby theaetr, seeing a trailer, the reviews, show times and theaters within a 10 mile radius, this app get 4.5 out of 5 stars in my book. 

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