How to pick a movie fast

Most apps answer "what should we watch?" with more. Lights Down answers with less, on purpose.

Two ways to get stuck

Some nights are lost to scrolling. Row after row, trailer after trailer, until it is too late to start anything long.

Other nights never get that far. Lights Down started with a couple who had that problem. One of them wanted to see every option. The other found a wall of choices overwhelming, trusted a few favorites, and was rarely in the same mood. They did not know where to start, so the night usually went to the safe pick. The film was never the point. A good night together was.

Both kinds of stuck have the same fix: start with fewer, better options.

Start with a short list

• One film per row. Each pick is big enough to judge at a glance, with no tapping into tiny tiles to find out what it is.
• Ten picks to begin. Want more? Tap "Find more picks."
• A shortlist of five. Once Lights Down knows your taste, "Start with 5" lines up five films for tonight.
• Tonight's mood steers. Your taste is the base. Pick a mood for the night, or skip it and your taste still decides. Here’s how picking by mood works.
• Or just say it. With a free account, Ask Ray lets you describe what you want in your own words. "A Korean thriller. Or something slow and beautiful."

Only what you can press play on

Tell Lights Down which streaming services you pay for, once. Every pick then comes from them. Open the filters to widen it: "free with ads" or "to rent or buy." Look titles up on JustWatch? Lights Down works as a JustWatch alternative for the picking, and the two work fine side by side.

How often is a film on none of yours? See which streaming service has it.

Watching with someone

Link with your partner and tonight works a little differently.

• Each of you picks up to three. The shared list never runs past six.
• Then you vote. Either of you can call it. Mark each film In, Maybe, or Out.
• A tie has a way out. The final two, a house pick, or a coin flip. The night ends with a film.
• When your tastes pull apart, Lights Down asks a question aimed at the gap between you.

Watching together needs a free account for each of you. Tastes far apart? Here’s what to do when you and your partner can’t agree on a movie.

How long it takes

These times run to your short list. Choosing from it is up to you.

• First visit, on your own: about two minutes. Fifteen swipes in the “what movie should I watch?” quiz find your Cinematic Archetype™, then a mood, then your picks. No account needed.
• Every visit after: about a minute.
• Together: longer the first night, while your partner takes the quiz too. After that, a few minutes.

Sharper every night

The quiz is a starting point. Add three favorites and your picks sharpen. The more you tell Lights Down, the better it knows your taste. Here’s everything the movie recommendation app learns from.

Already log films on Letterboxd? A Letterboxd import brings that history with you. Watch on Netflix? A Netflix import does the same with your viewing history. Rate on IMDb? An IMDb import brings your scores too. Brought over a watchlist with hundreds of films on it? Here’s what to do when your watchlist is too big to pick from.

A few from the catalog

• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Captain Marvel
• Black Panther
• Deadpool

Know your taste in 60 seconds

Lights Down turns 60 seconds of swiping into the movie you're watching tonight. It's already matched to the streaming services you have.

Lights Down is free. It will stay that way. Works on your own or with someone else watching.

Related

what to watch tonight, and what to watch when you can't decide, and movies to watch when you're bored, and the app for couples to decide what to watch.