Be Smart

If your holidays are likely to include visits to real movie theaters to view films the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen and accompanied by amazingly expensive popcorn, make sure your investment is worthwhile. Check out the reviews first the easy way - online.

Of course we couldn't do without the venerable encyclopedia of films that began years ago as a labor of love and these days has a lot to interest movie professionals too: the Internet Movie Database. To find reviews, search the movie of your choice. When you get to the movie's main page, scroll down the links in the left-hand window and click on External Reviews. Presto, a list--sometimes a very long list--of reviews. Sources include newspapers, magazines, and lots of websites.