I'm looking for movies or TV shows to watch that I may like. Use the ratings below to learn my tastes and recommend movies and TV shows that are likely to appeal to me.
I want to watch content without paying anything beyond the services/accounts I already have.
Please prioritize acceptable streaming sources in this order:
Free without ads — legally available at no cost without ads.
Amazon Prime — included at no additional cost with my Amazon Prime subscription, including titles available through Prime Video's free-with-ads offering.
Other legitimate free-with-ads services — such as Tubi, Pluto TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Freevee, Kanopy, etc.
I do not want recommendations that require:
Renting the movie/show
Purchasing the movie/show
Paying for an additional streaming subscription
Subscribing to an add-on Prime Video channel
Paying for a premium upgrade to an otherwise free service
Please check current U.S. availability because streaming availability changes frequently.
Do not assume that because a title appears on Amazon or Prime Video that it is included with Prime. Verify that it can actually be watched without an additional rental, purchase, subscription, or channel fee.
The ratings are shown as a number from 1 to 5 where they mean the following:
5 = love
4 = like
3 = like & dislike
2 = dislike
1 = hate
Give greater weight to stronger ratings.
Use both positive and negative ratings to infer what characteristics predict whether I will enjoy something.
Don't simply recommend things that are similar in genre. Pay attention to characteristics such as:
Story style and quality
Pacing
Humor
Adventure
Mystery and problem-solving
Characters and relationships
Moral themes and values
Emotional tone
Optimism vs. depressing themes
Music
Fantasy and science-fiction elements
Action
Romance
Whether episodes or movies have satisfying conclusions
Whether the characters are people I am likely to enjoy spending time with
In particular, don't assume that I will like something simply because it is science fiction, fantasy, action, or highly rated. My ratings include both strong likes and strong dislikes within those genres.
I generally prefer entertainment that is enjoyable and satisfying rather than depressing. For example, I rated Life Is Beautiful --- specifically because I found it depressing.
First, analyze my ratings and form a taste profile. Identify the strongest recurring characteristics among things I like, as well as characteristics that appear to predict things I dislike. Look for deeper patterns rather than simply identifying my favorite genres.
Then generate candidate recommendations based primarily on taste fit before considering streaming availability.
Only after identifying promising candidates should you check their current streaming availability. Discard candidates that don't meet my streaming requirements.
This is important: don't start with a list of whatever happens to be free and then try to find titles I might like. Start with what I am most likely to enjoy, then determine which of those titles I can currently watch.
Recommend the 5 strongest matches, ordered by expected fit with my tastes, not by popularity or critical acclaim.
Do not recommend anything already included in my ratings.
For every recommendation, provide:
Title and year
Whether it is a movie or TV series
Match confidence: High, Medium, or Speculative
A concise explanation of why I am likely to enjoy it, connecting the recommendation to specific patterns in my ratings
Any significant reason I might not like it, particularly involving tone, pacing, depressing subject matter, unsatisfying endings, or other characteristics reflected negatively in my ratings
Exactly where I can currently watch it
Whether the access is free without ads, included with Amazon Prime, free with ads, or Kanopy
If it is available from multiple acceptable sources, list them in my preferred priority order
Don't recommend something merely because it is critically acclaimed if it doesn't appear to fit my demonstrated preferences.
Avoid shows and movies likely to have characteristics similar to things I rated negatively.
If you're uncertain whether I would like something, say so rather than presenting it as a strong match.
Older and lesser-known movies and TV shows are welcome. Don't limit recommendations to titles that are currently popular.
Search the web before making recommendations and verify current U.S. streaming availability. Do not rely on remembered or old streaming information.
Prefer first-party streaming-service pages as evidence when available.
For Amazon Prime specifically, distinguish among:
Included with Prime
Free with ads
Requires another subscription/channel
Rental
Purchase
Only the first two are acceptable.
If you cannot confidently verify that a title is currently available through one of my acceptable options, say so and do not count it among the 5 verified recommendations.
If necessary, search through more candidates until you have 5 recommendations that both fit my tastes and have verified acceptable availability.
After the recommendations, briefly summarize what you inferred about my tastes.
When I give you additional ratings in the future, update this taste profile using the new information together with all of my existing ratings, rather than treating each new rating independently.
Pay particular attention when I dislike something that superficially appears similar to things I normally enjoy; these ratings are especially useful for understanding what actually predicts whether I will like something.
5 Monk
5 The Waltons (1972–1981) — TV Series
5 The Ultimate Gift (2007)
5 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993–1998) — TV Series
5 Amazing Grace (2006)
5 Good Witch (2015-2021)
5 Stargate SG1, my favorite series - I like some humor, meaningful dilemna's, but not too dark
5 Lord of the Rings Trilogy
5 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
5 Mummy (1999)
5 Moana - love the music
5 Mulan - love the music
5 Star Trek: Into Darkness
5 Star Wars Trilogy
5 Raiders of the Lost Ark
5 The Princess Bride
5 The Martian
5 National Treasure
5 It's a Wonderful Life
5 The Sound of Music
5 The Chronicles of Narnia
5 The Note
5 Merlin (2008–2012) — TV Series
Johnny English
4 Warehouse 13 (2009–2014)
4 Timeless (2016–2018)
4 The Librarians
4 Sue Thomas: F. B. Eye
4 When Calls the Heart (2014– )
4 Person of Interest
4 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
4 White Collar
4 Alias
4 Arrow
4 Revolution
4 Once Upon a Time
4 Haven
4 House
4 Ghost Whisperer
4 Bones
4 Battlestar Galactica
4 Continuum
4 The Man Who Invented Christmas (movie)
4 Forest Gump
4 The Greatest Showman
4 Ben Hur
4 The Mummy Returns
4 The Patriot
4 Safe Haven
4 Mazerunner
4 The Giver
4 Words and Pictures
4 The Hunger Games
4 Catching Fire
4 The Hunt for Red October
4 Titanic
4 The Little Mermaid, love the music
4 Startrek Voyager
4 Stargate Atlantis
4 Startrek: First Contact
4 IQ
4 The 10 Commandments
4 Back to the Future
4 World War Z
4 Robot and Frank
3 The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)
3 Helix
3 Lost Girl
3 Tin Man
3 The 100
3 Leverage
3 Goundhog Day
3 The Hobbit Trilogy
3 Swiss Family Robinson
3 Maleficent
3 Elf
3 Alien movies
3 Preditor movies
2 Psych - primary character is immoral
2 Alphas
2 The Christmas Candle (2013) — Movie
2 Moana 2
2 Hatari!
2 The Croods
2 The Saratov Approach
1 The Colony
1 Time Changer (movie) I disagreed with the basic principle taught
1 The Chosen (2017– )
1 Much Ado About Nothing
1 Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
1 Life is Beautiful - depressing
1 Red Dog
1 The Persuit of Happyness - too dark and real
1 Fight Club
It can be hard to find shows for both my wife and I to watch together. I'll add some ratings from her and would like perhaps 5 recommendations for that purpose in addition for shows for me to watch alone based on my ratings above. My wife especially likes English movies such as Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I generally dislike the class bias shown in English shows. She prefers movies to a series. I tend to prefer a series if I can find one I like. We both have found success with redemption plots including Christian.
Here are some ratings for my wife Beverly:
5 The Man who Invented Christmas (movie)
5 The Note
5 Johnny English
5 Jane Eyre
5 Pride and Prejudice
4 Life or Something Like It
4 The Christmas Candle (2013) — Movie
4 Cross Creek
4 Music from the Heart
4 Penelope
4 Time Changer (movie)