Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash
Ever logged on to Netflix only to find yourself scrolling through the list of movies unable to find one you like? We’ve all been there.
There was even a study about this problem in 2019, which found that the average US viewer spends 45 hours a year deciding what to watch next – just imagine what we could do with those two days if we had our next choice sorted!
Fortunately, there are several tools you can use to make this task easier. Here’s how to find the movie you most want to watch.
Pick a Movie for Me
This movie picker sprang up from reports of Netflix users endlessly scrolling through films. Its solution? Ask users a series of quiz questions and then use a search engine to pick out the best choice according to their answers.
You may have noticed we used the singular word ‘choice’ there. That’s because PAMFE presents you with just one option, removing the need to make another decision.
Other features include manual tags from other users which tell you what to look out for, plus special recommendations for occasions like a first date, hanging with friends, or just chilling at home with your partner.
The database currently contains around 750 flicks, but new ones are being added all the time, which is good news: the more movies there are, the more chance you have of finding that perfect movie!
Letterboxd
Described as the film version of Goodreads, Letterboxd calls itself ‘the social network for film lovers’, and you can see why: with thousands of titles in its database, each one containing peer reviews, comments and suggestions, this solution will make your decision much easier.
The Internet is great for lists. Nowadays, you can find playlists containing your favorite songs on Spotify or the best lottery sites according to your budget, and Letterboxd contributes to this field with its own Lists sections where you can collect and curate movie groups to share with fellow users.
There are also ‘Pro’ and ‘Patron’ upgrade options where you can browse through movies without ads, get extra filter options, and even a place on the site’s hall of fame for Patron payers.
Stayin
The appeal of Stayin lies in its super easy-to-use Tinder-style format which lets you choose ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to a series of simple questions. Here are a few examples:
- A golden oldie?
- Gangsta movie?
- Mainstream movie?
- I’m having a mid-life crisis, give me some motivation!
As you can see, some of the questions are a little strange, but they do a great job of quickly whittling down movies to just one solid choice. If you don’t like what they pick, or you’ve seen it before, you can simply start over.
It works as a browser-based app, so you’ll be able to use it just as well on your smartphone, making it ideal for picking out a movie choice on the way home from work, or even ahead of a long-haul flight or train journey.
Cringe MDB
Ever watched a seemingly innocent movie with your parents only for it to dive into a steamy sex scene 10 minutes in? Ouch.
Don’t worry, Cringe MDB has your back. It contains a varied database of movies that are safe to watch with the family and labels the ones with ‘cringe’ scenes just in case you want to watch them anyway (without the family).
Other options include ‘In Theaters’ and ‘Upcoming’ tabs so that you know which ones you can visit the local cinema for in the near future. But the site is mainly geared toward viewers who just want to sit back, relax, and not worry about watching awkward scenes with their mom.
LazyDay
As its name suggests, LazyDay is for those who really can’t be bothered to do much, especially think of that film their friend recommended them recently.
To help with this, it provides a sophisticated search engine that is excellent at picking out films based on a few words. Let’s say you can’t remember the name of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: the search words ‘popular Jackie Chan movie’ will probably be enough to lead you to it.
Once you have an option, you can decide whether it really is what you were thinking of by watching the trailer and reading a quick synopsis which are included next to the title. You can also check its IMDb rating to make double sure whether you want to see it.
There’s also a ‘Random Picks’ option, just in case you’re feeling extra lazy which, let’s face it, happens to us all from time to time.
If you are looking for a movie to relax in on weekends and have difficulty finding the right one, why not use an aquarium screensaver to relax? While these movies help you relax, they can sometimes be long and boring. On the other hand, an aquarium screensaver lets you enjoy underwater scenery with fish swimming and help you relax more easily.
