If you’re like me, by the time you decide to go to a movie, you’ve already seen the previews numerous times, the bus stop advertisements are beginning to peel, and your other friends are going back to the box office to watch it again. While movie reviews, box office information and celebrity news are all interesting, the information you need first is your movie’s location and time. Below is a list of useful services.

Showtime Fu: This service allows users to type in their zip code or address to receive basic information about the next movie in their area, the theater and beginning and end times. Users can use sliders to customize their time selection as well as omit movies. This approach is straightforward and easy-to-use. You can also share info with friends via Twitter.

Fandango iPhone App: While this service offers all the bells and whistles of a regular review site, it also lets you buy movie tickets through your phone. Users can search by location, time and “In the Spotlight” for the most popular shows.
MovieFinder iPhone App: Similar to Fandango’s iPhone app, this service also offers users a chance to search movies by location and time; however, if you’re looking for a more barebones experience, you may prefer MovieFinder over Fandango.
Mobile Movietickets.com or iPhone Movietickets.com: These sites offer times and tickets separately from other features such as new releases, reviews and box office info. This means that users can avoid the advertising and hype and just focus on the information they need.
Google Movies, Yahoo Movies Showtimes and Bing: While each of these are fine for listing the movies playing nearby, only Yahoo offers users a full list of show times and automatic ticket purchasing. Nevertheless, with an URL like movies.yahoo.com/showtimes-tickets it’s unlikely you’ll type this one into your mobile phone.
Photo Credit: Galfred