How do you find new movies and TV shows (or music) to enjoy

Cafe Society
1

I’m mostly asking about movies and TV, but music is also an option.

So one thing I do is I look for production companies that put out movies I like, the I go through their catalog. Companies like Blumhouse, A24 and Neon generally put out pretty good quality films, so I’ve been going through their catalogs. I also asked an AI program for production companies similar to A24 and Neon and it gave me a good list (IFC, Oscilloscope, Magnolia, etc).

Another thing that I do is I check who was nominated for or won awards. Certain awards like the academy awards are an ok start, but it seems like sometimes they pick movies based on how famous the actors and directors are, not how good quality the films are.

Some other awards like the critics choice awards seem to be more about quality rather than which movie had the most famous actor or director like the bigger awards seem to be about. I’d like to find more award groups for smaller, independent films based on quality so I can check out what they think is good. Stuff like the independent film awards.

Streaming sites like netflix, hulu, etc recommend things to you, but part of the problem is I believe part of their algorithm is to recommend movies and TV shows that have the lowest streaming royalty cost (so they can keep overhead low). So when a streaming site recommends something I don’t know if they’re recommending it because I’ll like it, or because its the cheapest thing to pay royalties on.

There is always word of mouth and talking to people. The problem is finding people with a similar taste isn’t always easy.

There are websites like tastedive, but the recommendations based on liked movies don’t always seem that accurate to me. I picked a movie I really like so it recommended a list of movies, including multiple ones I thought were terrible.

For music, swipefy is nice. Pandora radio isn’t bad, but I haven’t really used it since I got spotify. The problem is spotify’s weekly playlist seems to just be built on what it gave me in last weeks playlist.

2

There are always the algorithms from streaming sites which recommend shows. Not ideal but I try to up-vote things I like and downvote things I do not which helps some.

Otherwise it is word-of-mouth from friends/family and also an occasional article that suggests a given show is worth a watch.

And, last but not least, my fellow Dopers. I get some good recommendations here.

3

Actually, I’ve sometimes found stuff I like from those recommendations. In theory, they’re supposed to be based on suggesting something similar to other stuff I’ve liked. And sometimes they’re recommending the new big show on that service. i also rely on articles in The New York Times, the AV Club and other places recommending new streaming shows to look out for.

4

One of the best resources for me is this list, which has been ongoing for years.

5

I have found A Good Movie to Watch a reliable source for years. As they say, “Curated by humans not algorithms.”

I use the new release lists on Metacritic to find things that I wouldn’t otherwise hear about. The summary reviews are enough to let me know if I am interested.

I find lots of new music on TV and in movies. If I find someone that I haven’t heard I check them out and then go to Music Map to find similar artists. I don’t really keep anything that I am familiar with on my liked songs on Spotify - I just constantly cycle through new stuff that I find.

6

I will go to IMDB and put in a TV show I like. At the bottom there is a place for shows like that. Then I will look at those to see if they will interest me.

Yesterday, there was a show recommended by someone. I decided to check it out. I went to Netflix and it happened to have that particular show as the first one on the recommended show list.

7

The trick is finding friends who have similar tastes, AND the time to consume a lot of media.

For me, that’s my weekly poker game. Retired guys who seem to watch a ton of movies, keep up with a dozen streaming series, and go out to movie theaters, music venues, plays and symphonies.

I’m always taking notes while playing cards with them…

8

‘Not least’ for me as well. I regularly visit the ‘Series you’ve recently watched, are now watching or have given up on’ thread to get ideas for something new to watch.

I also go to AVClub.com. It has a history where the site was sold to a company that gutted most of the writing staff, so as a multimedia news site it’s kind of a shadow of its former self. But it still has plenty of useful “Best [shows / movies] on [streaming channel]” articles, “What shows are playing this week” articles and reviews of TV shows and movies.

New music, I got nuthin’. Never thought I’d get here, but I’m at the point in my life where my musical tastes have calcified. The most recent stuff I ever listen to is maybe just into the early 2000s, and I’m barely aware of who new musical artists are, let alone knowing their music.

9

We don’t watch all that much TV, but from time to time we’ll search through what’s available on the streaming services we subscribe to and find something, then watch the first episode. If that is good, it will keep us busy for a long time, especially if it is a 12 season show or something.
We also get email from the services, which sometimes points to something interesting.

10

Often, I use suggestions here on the SMDB. Also Slate.com is quite good at pointing out things to try to watch. The streaming service suggestions are also good, though not always recommending things I want to see.

11

For music: I follow a lot of music journalists whose tastes I’ve come to know, and when they mention an artist I never heard of, I take a listen. Similarly, I follow a lot of music venues and pay attention when they mention an artist doing a show who sounds interesting from the description.

12

The BBC news web site has a list of upcoming TV shows each month. E.g.

13

In addition to the usual lists and stuff, one thing I do is go to IMDb for actors’ other works. E.g., I thought Nicola Walker was good in some episodes of Scott & Bailey and I’ve watched several other things she’s done. That includes Last Tango in Halifax which also has another fave Sarah Lancashire.

If someone has done some quality work, it often means they’ve done other fine things. At least on the British side. (No one’s mentioned the BAFTAs yet? Reliable quality at least for dramas and movies.)

14

I do this too. In my experience some successful actors, after they become successful, start looking for independent films that are high quality but not blockbusters.

Actors I look for who are like this are:

Elijah Wood
Robert Pattinson
Daniel Radcliffe

15

I used to do this more. That’s how I discovered the weird shows The Amazing Gayl Pile with Jon Hamm as “C.A.M. (Condo Automation Module)” and The Guardians of Justice with RJ Mitte as “Mind Master”.