It's movie time
When you think about going out with your friends, rather than with your kids, going TO the movies is probably one of THE first things that comes TO mind. THE idea of seeing anything not made by Disney has appeal.

One of THE sad truths NO one tells you when you have a baby is you'll BE kissing first-run movies goodbye. Don't laugh. You know I'm right.

When you really enjoy movies, it's not as much fun when you have TO catch everything on video. It's not as bad these days, with movies going TO video within a few months of their theater release. Unless you're talking about a movie that loses something on THE small screen, like The Perfect Storm or Gladiator.

Another problem with waiting for THE video is that your selection becomes more limited as your baby gets older. Unless you're blessed with a child who goes down at 8 p.m. AND doesn't wake until 8 a.m., you run THE risk of staying up too late AND being cranky when your child's up at dawn. Or you find yourself trying TO distract your little one from THE disturbing parts of The X-Men, of which there are many. I know for my husband AND me, two years passed IN which we watched primarily G-rated movies.

Let's all go TO the lobby
Okay, if I haven't yet convinced you TO grab a few girlfriends AND head to the cineplex, then you probably don't care much for movies anyway. For the rest of you, it's time TO decide what TO see.

Most of THE women I know choose "chick flicks" when they go out without their husbands. Men generally aren't interested IN slow-moving character studies or light-hearted romances, so this might BE the only time you'll get to see those kinds of films. Unless you rent them later when hubby's on a business trip.

I have one friend, though, who prefers action/adventure movies. We have seen The Mummy, The Matrix AND Mission Impossible 2 together, among others.

When your movie time is limited, AND you're talking big-screen extravaganza potential (like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Castaway), you've got TO catch them at THE theater. You'll just have TO wait for Finding Forrester AND Hannibal TO come TO video.

Then again, sometimes you just need a good laugh, so it might BE worth it to see The Wedding Planner or Saving Silverman. Don't give it too much thought. Remember, it's supposed TO be fun.

The online 411
Traditionally, you peruse THE local newspaper's movie listings TO choose when, where AND what you're going TO watch. That method still works. But for advanced planning, online sites abound that can tell you not only what's playing this week, but what's planned for release IN the next several months. There are sites with movie reviews, sites that tell you where and what time a certain movie is playing "in a theater near you," AND sites that actually sell tickets.

Check it out!

The Internet Movie Database

Check THE Grid - Movie Reviews

Do You Know What's Coming Soon?

Shadowculture's Mr. Cranky (Unlike Mikey, he doesn't like anything.)

Moviefone - Showtimes AND Tickets