When I was younger, Friday nights meant getting together with friends and going to see the latest movie that hit the theaters. Back then, GI Joe was a cartoon, not a feature film, and when we wanted to find out what was playing, we called 777-FILM. That's when I was first introduced to The Voice. You know the one; he'd answer the phone with "Hello and welcome to Moviefone. If you know the name of the movie you wish to see, press 1..." Over the years, Mr. Moviefone became enshrined in popular culture with appearances on Seinfeld and burned into the minds of a generation of moviegoers like me. I even got offered a job by Mr. Moviefone once (Seriously. He called me and I half expected him to say, "If you want to work in software, press 1").

Now, of course, when I want to see a film, I whip out my iPhone, and with the Moviefone app, I can find a theater near me with GPS, view trailers, read plot summaries and actor bios, even get behind the scenes or movie premiere photos. It's all very high tech and wonderful and a luxury I couldn't have imagined all those years ago. But I can't help be nostalgic from time to time of the era when finding out what was at the movies meant picking up a phone... and actually dialing. I wonder if years from now, today's kids will look back and think fondly of the time when they used to flick through film listings on their iPhone.

Anyway, if you haven't tried it yet, check out the Moviefone app before you check out what's showing. And as always, let us know what you like and don't like about it. We always appreciate your comments.

See you at the movies!

Epilogue: Another icon of the silver screen when I was growing up was, of course, John Hughes. With films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to his credit, he helped to define a generation, not to mention made dozens of budding actors and actresses into household names. The movies - or at least my version of the movies - wouldn't be quite the same without Mr. Hughes, and so it seems appropriate to say thanks for making us laugh, for making us cry, and for being part of my life in those wonderful, scary formative years. Rest In Peace, John Hughes.