Austin BurkeAustin Burke
Guest Contributor
This guest column reflects one contributor's perspective on what to watch and why. Posts are edited by the WeWatch team for clarity, sourcing, and consistency.
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Articles by Austin
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Musicals for people who think they hate musicals
If bursting into song makes you cringe, you might just be watching the wrong musicals. Here are the films that convert skeptics.
You can love a bad movie and hate a masterpiece
Personal enjoyment and artistic quality are different things. Understanding the distinction makes you a better viewer and helps recommendation systems work better for you.
The surprising connection between your music taste and movie preferences
What you listen to might predict what you want to watch. The link between music and film preferences runs deeper than you'd expect.
The 10-minute movie date rule: how to pick a film without the fight
Stop the endless scroll. A simple framework for couples to choose a movie in 10 minutes or less, without anyone feeling steamrolled.
Movie night with friends: how to pick something everyone will actually enjoy
Group movie selection doesn't have to be chaos. Here's a practical framework for choosing films when you're watching with three or more people.
Sick day movies: what to watch when you're unwell
Being sick changes what you want from a movie. Certain films work when you're under the weather for specific reasons, and picking the right one matters more than usual.
Comfort rewatches: the science behind why we watch the same movies over and over
That urge to rewatch your favorite film for the tenth time isn't laziness. Psychology explains why familiar stories feel so good.
Why we keep rewatching the same movies when life gets hard
Comfort movies have nothing to do with laziness or lack of taste. They're a sophisticated coping mechanism that taps into memory, predictability, and emotional regulation.
Why we abandon movies midway (and whether we should)
That movie you stopped watching thirty minutes in. Was it okay to quit, or should you have pushed through? Here's when abandoning makes sense.
Why your Netflix queue never gets shorter (and what to do about it)
Your watchlist has 200 titles and keeps growing. Here's the psychology behind infinite queues and practical ways to actually watch what you save.
Why picking a movie gets harder the more options you have
The science of decision fatigue explains why you spend 45 minutes browsing and end up watching nothing. What's happening in your brain, and seven ways to fix it.
Stop scrolling, start watching: a better way to choose what to watch
Decision fatigue is real. Here's a practical framework (and a tool) for picking something you'll actually enjoy.
The cold start problem: how recommendation systems handle new users
When you sign up for a streaming service, it knows nothing about you. Here's how recommendation algorithms try to figure out your taste from scratch.
Beyond the algorithm: why streaming recommendations miss the mark
Netflix knows a lot about what you've watched, but recommendations can still feel off. Here's why platform algorithms miss the mark and what actually helps.