Describe the vibe (story search)
Best when you know the mood or plot but not the title. Write a sentence — setting, conflict, tone — and open results that feel close.
User guide
Find the right movie or series — faster
WatchMind learns from what you explore, save, and react to. This guide shows the best ways to search, filter, and feedback so recommendations feel personal — not random trending lists.
We don't stream films here. You discover titles, watch trailers, read reviews, and jump to official stores to rent or buy.
Three ways to find something tonight
Browse with filters
Best when you want a genre, mood, runtime, or trending chart. Use Movies / TV hubs, genre dropdowns, mood feeds, or “90-minute movie” lists.
Let us pick (Surprise me & For You)
Best when you're tired of choosing. Surprise me jumps to one title; For You and today's pick on the home page refine as you use the site.
Story search — tips & tricks
Do this
- Include mood words: revenge, cozy, tense, bittersweet, mind-bending.
- Add setting or situation: small town, space station, heist crew, haunted house.
- Name the conflict: betrayal, survival, forbidden love, conspiracy.
- Say movie or series if you care — use the Movies / TV / All toggle on the results page.
- Open promising results and add good fits to your watch queue.
Skip this
- Single vague words ("good", "scary") — add one more detail.
- Exact title spelling only — use browse search on Movies/TV for name lookup.
- Over-long essays — 1–3 sentences beat a paragraph.
Example searches
Story search
Home hero bar & /search/story — plot, mood, themes. Example: “slow-burn sci-fi about memory and identity”.
Browse search
Movies or TV search box — title names, actor names, franchise keywords. Example: “Dune” or “Breaking Bad”.
Browse hubs, genres & filters
Movies & TV hubs
Switch Movies vs Series, pick Today or This week for trending, or choose a genre and Apply. When a genre is active, only that genre grid shows — trending mixes in only after you clear the filter.
Genre pages
Deep pages per genre (Action, Horror, Drama, …) with paginated discover lists. Good for binge planning in one lane.
Mood feeds
Pick a tone — cozy, tense, funny, mind-bending, heartwarming, and more. Save a mood feed from the page if you want to return to the same vibe later.
Time-budget feeds
Movies that fit how long you have: 60, 90, 120, or 150 minutes. Ranked for your taste when your profile is warm.
Story Hunt
Trope-based quests (heists, time loops, zero-to-hero, …) when you want a theme without writing a search sentence.
Surprise me
On the home page, Surprise me picks one title and opens it. If you're new, it's a strong popular pick. Once you've browsed a bit, it favours titles that fit your taste but aren't the same obvious top result you'd see first on For You — useful when you want permission to try something different.
- Use it when you're decision-fatigued — one click, one poster.
- If you dislike the pick, hit Not for me on the title page so we learn faster.
- If you love it, add to queue or thumbs up — that steers the next surprise.
What shapes your recommendations
WatchMind learns from your actions — not from spoilers in reviews you read. Below is how strongly each action nudges future picks. We never show internal scoring formulas; think of it as teaching the site your taste over time.
| Your action | Impact | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Vibe check (onboarding swipes) | High | Fast bootstrap: likes and skips seed genres and moods before you've opened many titles. |
| Thumbs up / Liked | High | Strong positive signal — similar genres, moods, and pacing rank higher. |
| Not for me (thumbs down) | High | Title is de-prioritised and hidden from your recommendations. |
| Add to watch queue | High | Tells us you intend to watch — boosts related titles and For You ordering. |
| Remove from queue | Medium | Soft negative — interest cooled off for that title. |
| Star rating (when available) | High | Fine-grained taste signal; 4–5★ pulls similar titles, low stars push away. |
| Time on title page | Medium | Reading overview, trailer, and reviews suggests real interest — better than a quick bounce. |
| Story search (with a real sentence) | Medium | Helps us understand themes you're hunting for tonight. |
| Mood feed visits | Medium | Reinforces tone preferences (cozy vs tense vs funny). |
| Genre filter on browse | Light | Useful context; less personal than queue or ratings. |
| Trailer play / Where to watch click | Light | High-intent hints — you're seriously considering the title. |
Watch queue & quick reactions
Watch queue
- Add from any title page — your stack lives at /queue.
- Reorder or remove items anytime; the top item surfaces as “Up next” on home.
- Queue is one of the strongest “I want this” signals for For You and match %.
Likes & dislikes on title pages
- Liked — you'll see more in that vein.
- Not for me — we hide it and down-rank similar picks.
- You can toggle off a reaction if you tapped by mistake.
- Guest: saved on this browser. Signed in: follows your Google account across devices.
Reviews, notes & AI Analysis
TMDb community reviews
Written reviews and scores from The Movie Database — great for spoiler-light opinions and critic-style takes. Reading them does not change your taste profile; opening the title page does.
Audience notes on title pages
Short comments from other WatchMind visitors — tips, hot takes, or “watch with subtitles”. Helpful for humans; your profile is shaped by your own actions, not by reading others' notes.
AI Analysis block
A readable summary of genres, pacing, mood, and audience fit from public metadata — not a chatbot. Use it to decide before you commit; no need to ask follow-up questions.
For You, match % & extra feeds
For You
Your main personalised rail. Cold start = strong editorial/trending picks. After a few views, queue items, or vibe check — match % badges and reasons appear.
Today's pick
One hero suggestion per day on the home page — stable for the day so you can share or sleep on it.
Match % on title pages
How well the title fits what you've enjoyed lately. Hidden when we're not confident yet — browse more or complete vibe check.
Hidden gems & Branching out
Underrated fits for you, plus titles outside your usual genres when your profile is warm.
Daily pick, Bingo, Story
Extra surfaces at /bingo and /me/story — fun loops that still respect your taste when signed in.
Power tips
Warm up in 60 seconds
Do the vibe check, then open 2–3 titles from story search or For You before expecting match %.
Be honest with Not for me
One dislike saves you from ten bad suggestions later.
Queue > bookmark in your head
If you'd watch it this week, queue it — the model treats that as intent, not idle curiosity.
Combine mood + time
Stuck between cozy and short? Open /mood/cozy then filter mentally with /feeds/time/90.
Sign in once you're hooked
Phone to laptop handoff keeps queue, ratings, and match scores aligned.
Clear genre filter when done
On Movies/TV, use Clear genre to get trending and popular rails back.
Common questions
- Does story search read my mind?
- It matches your description to plot and mood in our catalogue — best with a full sentence, not a single word. It won't know private details about you; only what you type.
- Why is For You still generic?
- New sessions need a few signals: vibe check, title views, or queue adds. Usually 3+ meaningful actions unlock personalised ordering and match %.
- Do TMDb reviews change my recommendations?
- No — only your own browsing, queue, ratings, and searches on WatchMind shape your picks.
- What's the difference between Surprise me and For You?
- For You is a whole feed ranked for you. Surprise me is one jump — often a slightly less obvious title that still fits your taste.
- Can I reset my taste?
- Sign out and clear site cookies for a fresh guest session, or remove queue items and Not-for-me titles over time. Signed-in users can start fresh on a new browser before linking accounts.
- Do you share my data?
- See our Privacy Policy. Taste data stays tied to your session or account for recommendations — not sold as a product.
Ready to try it?
Start with story search or the 60-second vibe check — then queue a title you'd actually watch tonight.