Cinema for iPad tries to bring movies to you

Here in the U.S. it's Memorial Day, when a lot of Americans spend the day outside. A dip in the pool, a barbecue, maybe some softball or tennis.

If you're in the northwest part of the country it's pretty overcast, so you might think about taking in a movie. Cinema for iPad could be a solution if you're not too particular. This U.S. $2.99 app has a clever idea. It attempts to simulate the experience of going to the movies. There's a big red curtain, and when it opens you've got a movie, but instead of video-on-demand, there is a schedule of movies just like your neighborhood Bijou. Open the app at the approximate right time, and the movie starts. You don't have to be exactly on time -- the movie is just streaming from YouTube. There is also a chat function so you can discuss the movie with others who just watched it. All in all, a clever idea.

The problem is, the movies are just freebies that are on YouTube. Such hits as old 1940s Dick Tracy Serials and a forgettable war movie. There are some things that are more current, like Supersize Me, but that's only because it is up there free on YouTube. Once the movie starts you can go full screen, and see clearly all the scratches and nicks on the print.

Worse, the movies never change. I've had the app sitting on my iPad for almost a month, and the movies are always the same. As a free app, this would have been a clever idea. If they changed the movies, or licensed some stuff that is not on YouTube, that would be a good idea as well.

I'm getting a kick out of using Netflix on the iPad. There is a vast selection of streaming movies. YouTube, as the developers of this app know, also has lots of flicks too. Of course, iTunes has some of the latest and the greatest. So there's plenty of room for a clever movie app that does what Cinema for iPad does, but executes a lot better. I might even be willing to pay for something really unique with a better selection of films. Sadly, this app provides just a wrapper for YouTube, and has only 12 movies. I do like the idea of the chat function, but I don't think enough people will buy the app to make chatting fun. The comments that are up there are mainly complaints.

For the record, the films include a documentary on the Grand Canyon, Buster Keaton's General, Hangmen, Super Size Me, The Hunt for Gollum, Home (another documentary), The Memphis Belle (documentary- not the 1990 Mathew Modine version), Meals on Wheels, Hell in Normandy, The Times of Harvey Milk, and The Jungle Book. There are a few movies listed as "coming soon," like Little Shop of Horrors (the original public domain version from 1960 -- which is, by the way, hilarious, but you don't need this app to watch it).

If you're staying in for the holiday, and you have an iPad, there are plenty of things to do. Unfortunately, this app probably isn't one of them.