free movies online

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “free movies online”? Is it suspicion of copyright infringement, shady-looking download sites, or excitement over tremendous viewing possibilities? While the checkered past of free movies online has some people wary, let’s set the record straight on the right places to watch free movies online.

Some of the new players are Crackle, EPIX, Fancast and SlashControl. Crackle is backed by Sony Pictures and has hundreds of free movies like Ghostbusters, Godzilla, and St. Elmo’s Fire. EPIX is the new movie site from Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate and is the perfect place to watch Ironman, Raiders of the Lost Ark and many other popular movies. Fancast is backed by cable giant Comcast and has hundreds more movies including Chaplin, Captain America and Naked Gun 2.5.

SlashControl was started by AOL TimeWarner and has many more movies like Sparticus, Ronin, and the classic western Hang ’em High. Those sites join the other mainstays of free movies, including Hulu, Veoh and Joost. Even YouTube has jumped on the bandwagon and legally hosts free movies online, like classic Shirley Temple movies like The Little Princess and Heidi.

Several television sites also have movies online, including American Movie Classics (AMC), Syfy, ABC Family, and TNT. If you have a Netflix subscription, Instant Watch is free for the owner’s account. The best movies to watch online include Wall-E, Bolt, The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as STARZ’s extensive list of works. So if you’re going to watch a movie on a computer, here are some quick tips:

1. Change the screen saver and power saving functions to more than the length of the movie.
2. If you watch through a low-cost wireless router, like the ones AT&T U-Verse offers for free, make sure the router is well ventilated, as prolonged viewing could cause a little overheating, causing the the router to reboot and therefore the movie to take an unexpected intermission.
3. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy.