NorthBayMovies.com is the model of free-flow information exchange Al Gore envisioned when “invented” the Internet. The brainchild of Bert Towle, the site is an advertising-free listing of every flick playing in North Bay movie houses, updated weekly and made available to the public with nary a penny asked in return. Towle posts no reviews, makes no recommendations nor proffers editorial content — just what’s playing in a theater near you. Moreover, all films receive equal treatment, which is part of Towle’s goal to level the playing field for independent theaters, which have historically had trouble getting their listings seen in media glutted with megaplex ads.

“I grew up in the Midwest with small town theaters and I hated seeing them close,” he says. “I’m more a fan of having theaters available to the people, particularly the little ones in the heart of downtown areas where kids can ride their bikes to like I did a thousand years ago.”