Title: IMDb Movies & TV
Platform: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android (Android app is a little different, this review refers to the iPhone app)
Cost: Free
The Internet Movie Database is one of my most frequently used reference sources. I use it with my friends when we decide to admire obscure actors and need to remember which movies they’ve been in. ‘ I use it when I’m working with the public to find out what movie someone is trying remember (it’s easy to search by actor or director) or how many episodes are in a series. ‘ I use it with teens, mostly when we’re playing Apples to Apples and a card comes up with the name of an actor the teens don’t recognize. ‘ When I’m not working at a public desk and I don’t have a computer in front of me, the IMDb mobile app comes in particularly handy.
While it is not ‘ innovative, new or specific to teens and those who work with teens, IMDb is just an all around good app. ‘ With the Academy Awards coming up, I decided to celebrate this’ extremely useful resource.
When you open it up, you see an abbreviated version of the main page of the website with links to new trailers, and news at the top. ‘ If you click on a trailer you can watch it, and then it will take you back to the main page when it is done playing. There are also tabs for information about showtimes, movies, TV and celebrities. ‘ Each of these pages gives you helpful links. ‘ You can search for showtimes by your location, look at new releases in the movies tab, see what is on TV tonight, see the most viewed celebrity pages, and find out which celebrities are celebrating a birthday today (one of my favorite things). At the top of each page, regardless of where you navigate is a search box.
The pages for movies or actors are just like on the IMDb website, if you are on an actor’s page, you can click on any movie and go to that page, and vice versa.
This is an app for movie lovers of all ages. ‘ Talking about movies (and television and celebrities) is a social conversation that transcends age barriers. The visual and informational aid of having the Internet Movie Database in your pocket can enhance this conversation. Teens and adults alike can use it to learn more about their favorite movies, TV shows and actors, and use it to provide context as to who that favorite actor crush is, and what movie it was that they recently enjoyed. The app allows you to be social online as well, with an option to sign in and rate movies and TV shows.
Being able to access more information about movies is useful all year round, but especially so with the Academy Awards coming up at the end of the month. Why not use IMDb to read up on trivia for all the best picture nominees and then find out where you’ve seen that actress who is wearing the best or worst dress?
