A sampling of what Hulu.com has to offer

In modern times, when the term "pirate" more often refers to a guy sitting at home on his computer than a swashbuckler at sea, the line between what is legal online and what is not is very blurred. It doesn't always help that money is tighter than ever and people aren't willing to pay the upwards of twenty bucks a trip to the movie theater can cost them. However, there are tons of free and legal ways to see great films without having to get up from your computer chair. Everything from recent blockbusters to forgotten age old films can be found with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Many sites that host free movies also host free television episodes, music videos, and other media for viewers to enjoy, though these postings are usually very recent and do not stay on the site long. Recently, the biggest player in the free film and tv market has become Hulu.com, which features everything from last night's episode of Family Guy to recent film trailers and full length features, like Dawn of the Dead or classics like His Girl Friday. The site watch-movies-links.net also shows full length feature films, including recent theater releases like Ponyo to classic films like Hitchcock's Vertigo. You don't have to be a member to watch movies on the site, but to interact with other users and to leave comments or feedback, you have to register.

Vertigo is just one of many films offered for free online

Momomesh.com is another great free and legal site, which allows users to request films they would like to watch on the site for the site owners to track down. Like Hulu, Fancast.com allows users to watch full length feature films along with TV episodes. Fancast is a fanbased site, which faciliates conversation and gossip between fans about what is being viewed and what is coming up in new episodes and to theaters next. Theonlydevice.com is another site where users can submit videos but site monitors make sure they ahve the legal go-ahead before posting. When using sites like these to watch current free movies online, you can be guaranteed a few recent releases and a lot of great indie films you might not otherwise have gotten a chance to see in your local theater.

For those who are big fans of old movies, there are three sites you can turn to that specialize in getting old film buffs their free fix. Archive.org is by far one of the best old movie sites online. Part free movie theater, part site for research and education, Archive has a lot of classic films, foreign language films, and educational resources. The watch-movies-links.net site I mentioned earlier is also great with old films, though they are combined with newer ones. Emol.org also provides classic movies, TV shows, and cartoons for your viewing pleasures. Their list of free movies spans the 1903 silent Alice in Wonderland film to 1939's Zorro.

The classic Nosferatu is a public domain film

Public Domain films are another great resource you can find online. Public domain films legally belong to the public since their copyright or ownership rights have passed into the public sphere. Basically, this means that public domain films can be posted and viewed by any one who has a copy for free anywhere. Publicdomaintorrents.com is a great resource for finding public domain films to watch on your home computer. Openflix.com and publicdomainflicks.com are two other public domain film archives. 

For an academically and legally minded site, check out the Public Domain Movie Database, which allows you to research public domain films as well as view them. Another great place to see films is the National Archives website, which hosts public domain films and films owned by the US government or people. A lot of times, public domain films show up on YouTube or Google Video as well because they are publicly owned. The site Youtube.com/movies offers access to full length feature films on YouTube. If you scroll through and don't recognize a lot of the public domain titles, don't worry. Some films you may never expect to have see for free are public domain and you might also come across a new film you wouldn't have seen otherwise