With all the incredible movies available to watch today, keeping track of everything you want to watch quickly gets complicated! But have no fear! An easy way to revolutionize your movie-watching experience with a well-organized watchlist. Perfect for cinephiles, a movie watchlist ensures you never miss out on cinematic gems. Watchlists are your go-to guides for keeping track of intriguing titles, thrilling films, and all the worlds you want to immerse yourself in. It’s a smart way to remember all those eye-catching movies, ensuring a ready list of options for your next movie night.
We at Zealist take seamless watching experiences seriously and are excited to offer an intuitive solution that enhances your movie discovery journey. We’re not here to talk about how Zealist is the perfect tool for organizing your next watchlist – so let’s dive into our ultimate guide for curating your movie watchlist!
Step 1. Decide How to Organize Your List
When creating your movie watchlist, first think about how you want to organize the list. Here are some common methods:
By Genre
Organizing your list by genre allows you to easily find movies when you’re in the mood for a certain type of film or seeking out a specific vibe. Make separate lists for genres like comedy, drama, action, horror, sci-fi, romance, etc. then add movies to each list!
By Release Year
Sorting chronologically by release year helps surface older classic films you want to watch, and it allows you to focus on specific decades you’re interested in exploring further! When organizing by release year, try creating separate lists by decade! For example, one list for the 1980s, one for the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s!
By Director
Building lists based on directors you want to check out makes it easy to go deep into their filmographies. Make a section for renowned directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, or Wes Anderson and explore all the stories they’ve brought to life!
By Actor
Curating by actors allows you to work through their iconic roles and top films. Devote individual lists to talented actors like Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Viola Davis, and others. This way you’ll be sure to see tons of your on-screen faves.
By Source/Inspiration
Lists based on inspiration sources like awards nominees, best-of-decade lists, film festival standouts, critic top 10s, Zealist recommendations, and more can expose you to great options!
The key to organizing your watchlist is to understand which approach(es) will work best for you. You may even want multiple lists organized in different ways, or a new unmentioned strategy altogether! So long as your watchlist is in a format that makes sense and is easy for you to use, you’ll be golden.
Step 2: Keep Track of Movies You Want to See
Searching online, checking award nominees, and asking friends for recommendations are all great ways to discover movies to add to your watchlist.
- Search online – There are many websites and apps dedicated to cataloging and recommending movies. Search by genre, director, actor, or theme to find interesting titles. Reading movie blogs and following film critics on social media are also good ways to find recommendations.
- Check award nominees – Keep an eye on major award shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes. The nominated films are often high-quality movies that are worth watching. Create a list of the nominees in categories like Best Picture and Best Director.
- Ask friends for recommendations – Your friends likely have great suggestions for movies you’d enjoy. Ask them for their favorites or movies they think you’d like based on your tastes. Social media is also a good place to crowd-sourced recommendations. You can even keep track of all of them in Zealist, where you’ll even get personalized recommendations picked just for you!
Keeping an ongoing list gives you a place to easily track movies you want to eventually watch. This way interesting titles stay on your radar.
Step 3: Consider Movies Outside Your Comfort Zone
It’s easy to fall into the habit of only watching certain genres or types of movies that you’re familiar with. However, one of the best parts of curating a movie watchlist is having the chance to expand your horizons. Here are some tips:
- Try exploring classic films or foreign films. Look up lists of the most influential or highly-rated older movies you haven’t gotten around to yet. You may find some hidden gems.
- Don’t dismiss entire genres. You never know when an acclaimed comedy, horror movie, documentary, or other genre might turn out to be your new favorite.
- Look up directors and writers you’re unfamiliar with. Discover what projects they’ve worked on and see if their other films appeal to you. You can also start with directors you know you love and see who they’ve worked with!
- Pick a decade and decide to watch more iconic films from that era. Look at what came out in the 70s, 80s, 90s, etc., and add influential movies you haven’t watched.
- Step out of your comfort zone with thought-provoking or avant-garde films. You won’t always love them, but it’s good to challenge your perspectives.
- Try international films to get a glimpse into other cultures. Look for award-winning foreign films with high ratings. Turn on subtitles if needed.
Step 4: Manage Your Watchlist
Keeping your movie watchlist organized is key to actually watching the films you want to see! There are a few options for managing your list:
- Use an app: Apps like Zealist allow you to log, rate, and organize the movies you want to watch. You can mark titles as watched, add watching priorities, get reminders, and more. Apps make it easy to access your list from multiple devices!
- Use a spreadsheet: For spreadsheet lovers, make a Google Sheet or Excel spreadsheet to list movie titles, genres, where they are available to watch, priority levels, and any other fields you want to track. Color code or sort to stay organized.
- Use a notebook: There is nothing wrong with old school! Dedicate a notebook just for logging movies you want to watch. Date your entries and cross off titles as you view them. This may appeal if you prefer analog methods.
The key is to pick a system you’ll use consistently. An app like Zealist makes the list accessible anywhere and helps you build it out to be perfect for you, while paper and spreadsheet options work if you prefer writing by hand!
Step 5: Set Aside Time for Watching
Finding time to watch the movies on your list can be a challenge. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to keep pushing off those at-home movie nights. Here are some tips for making sure you find a way to set aside time for watching movies:
- Schedule regular movie nights. For example, make every (or every other) Friday night a movie night. Put it on your calendar so you don’t book other plans. Make some popcorn and turn it into an event.
- Watch a movie as a reward after finishing a book. Permit yourself to watch the movie adaptation after completing a novel and you’ll have something to look forward to!
- Attach movie-watching to another activity! For example, watch something new while on an airplane or while exercising on a cardio machine at the gym.
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier on weekends to watch a movie with your breakfast. It’s a relaxing way to start your morning.
- Have family movie nights where you take turns picking a movie to watch together. Make some fun snacks to go along with it.
- When you have a spare evening with no plans, use that time to finally watch one of the movies on your list. Don’t default to mindlessly scrolling through channels.
The key is being intentional about carving out time rather than waiting for the perfect spare moment. Put those movie nights in your calendar and then protect that time. You’ll finally be able to start crossing films off your list.
Step 6: Don’t Let Your List Get Too Long
It can be easy to constantly add new movies to your watchlist as you hear about films or see previews, but make sure your list doesn’t get too long and daunting. We all know how quickly that “list” of yours can grow! If you have dozens or even hundreds of movies “saved for later,” it’s unlikely you’ll ever get around to watching most of them.
Aim to watch movies within 3-6 months of adding them to your list. Any older than that, and you’ll likely lose interest as the hype around the movie fades. You don’t want your list to become an overwhelming burden.
Periodically go through your watchlist and re-evaluate if you still want to see the older films you had added. It’s fine to remove some – your interests likely change over time. Keep your list fresh and current with movies you’re genuinely excited about now. An up-to-date curated list will make picking your next movie to watch an enjoyable process.
Step 7: Write Reviews After Watching
After watching each movie on your list, take some time to write a review, even if it’s just a few sentences. Writing down your thoughts will help you solidify your opinions and impressions of the movie while it’s still fresh in your mind.
Some things to include in your review:
- What did you like or dislike about the movie?
- How did it make you feel? Did it impact you emotionally?
- Would you recommend it to others?
- Rate the movie on a scale, such as 1-5 stars.
- Make note of any standout elements – acting, cinematography, music, etc.
- Jot down quick one-liners of your impressions so you can remember the essence of the movie later on.
Putting your reactions into words will help crystallize what aspects resonated with you. It will also provide recommendations you can give to friends when suggesting movies to watch together. And it will remind you down the road if a movie is worth a repeat viewing or not.
The Power of Curation
Curating a movie watchlist allows you to track all of the films you want to see so you remember them. Having an organized list makes it easy to decide what to watch next based on your mood or interest at the time. It also encourages you to watch movies outside of your typical genres, directors, or actors. Overall, a well-curated movie watchlist helps you expand your cinematic horizons, providing you with a constant source of movie inspiration at your fingertips.
These tips can also be applied to any curation! For more inspiration, check out our guides for books, music, and travel!
As you explore creating watchlists and discovering new favorites, we invite you to take your watching experience to the next level with Zealist, available on both the App Store and Google Play Store. With Zealist, you can create, share, and explore recommendations tailored to every mood and moment!
Happy watching!
