How to follow curated film collections at home

Follow curated film collections with a clear viewing record, a routine for checking changes, and options for public IMDb lists or manual tracking.

By VLClean · 2026-11-08

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Start with a collection’s source page, record the films you want to follow, and decide how to check for changes while keeping your viewing notes separate.

Option	Following method	What to prepare
Watcharr	Paste a public IMDb list to get a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1]	A public IMDb watchlist or list. ^[1]
Collection note	Record the collection’s films and revisit its source when checking changes.	The source page and a document for titles and viewing notes.
Shared viewing list	Maintain a shared record of collection titles and household viewing choices.	A shared document and an agreement about who edits it.

What you need before you start

Have the collection’s source page ready, along with its name and any explanation of the selection. Save the source beside your notes so you can return to the same collection when checking a title or reviewing a change.

Decide what following means for this collection. The aim might be to keep a viewing shortlist, work through the complete selection, or pass film choices into a home library workflow. Write that aim down before choosing a method.

Prepare a place to record film titles, release years where needed, and viewing notes. Keep the curator’s selection separate from personal additions, so an extra recommendation does not quietly become part of the original collection.

If other people will use the record, agree who can change it and how to mark films already watched. Keep those rules simple enough to follow during an ordinary evening’s viewing.

Choose where to check current viewing availability. Before planning a film night, confirm the intended film and version in the place where it will be watched.

Step by step

Open the collection’s source and record its title, theme and explanation of the selection. Note whether the aim is to follow the complete collection or make a personal shortlist. Preserve the original collection name even if the viewing record uses a shorter label.

Choose where the collection record will live. A personal document, a shared viewing list or a list-based home library workflow can be considered. Pick a place that everyone involved can find, and explain where collection updates and viewing notes should be recorded.

Copy the film titles carefully. Include the release year when it helps distinguish films with similar names, and preserve any version or edition stated by the source. Keep uncertain matches marked for review instead of quietly replacing them with a likely-looking title.

Separate the source selection from viewing decisions. Record whether a film belongs to the collection independently of whether it has been watched, postponed or set aside. If following only part of the collection, leave a note explaining which part was selected and why.

Decide how changes will be checked. For a manually maintained record, choose a convenient point in the viewing routine to revisit the source. If considering an automated method, check its accepted source, update schedule and treatment of titles that cannot be matched.

Compare the collection record with the source when reviewing changes. Note additions and removals before editing the viewing plan. Preserve any viewing notes that still matter, and decide whether removed titles should stay in a personal shortlist with their original source recorded.

Before choosing the next film, check its current viewing availability and confirm the intended title or version. After watching, update the viewing record and add any useful notes. If the routine becomes difficult to maintain, simplify the record or revise who is responsible for keeping it current.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site, and its hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Paste a public IMDb list to get a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1] It accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site and IMDb’s other-language pages. ^[1]

Watcharr shows the list’s covers, with each cover opening the title’s plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. ^[1] The same IMDb list always gives the same Radarr and Sonarr links. ^[1] If a list read fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] Before choosing this route, check whether a public IMDb list represents the collection you intend to follow.

For a collection note, keep the collection’s name, source and selected films in a chosen document. Copy the source’s title wording and add any explanation that helps preserve the reason for the selection. Keep personal reactions beside the films rather than editing the collection’s original description. Return to the source when checking changes, and leave uncertain entries marked for review.

For a shared viewing list, agree where the record lives and who may edit it. Preserve the collection source beside each suggestion, particularly when combining selections from different curators. Decide how to record watched films and personal additions. Before changing another person’s notes, agree whether the record represents the source collection, the household’s viewing choices, or both.

Before choosing a tool, check how it handles collection updates, title matches and the way selected films reach the viewing workflow.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid mixing the original collection with personal recommendations without labeling the difference. Keep the source selection intact, and put extra suggestions beside it with a note explaining why they were added. Preserve the source description when it explains the collection’s theme.

Avoid accepting an uncertain title match just to finish copying the list. Return to the source and check the title, release year or stated version before adding it to the viewing plan.

Avoid treating a recorded title as confirmation that it can be watched in a particular place. Check current viewing availability before making plans around that film, and keep availability notes separate from collection membership.

Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what information a tool asks for and what access it uses before sharing it with other people.

Things to check before you choose: Who maintains the collection record? How are removed titles handled? Where will viewing history be recorded? Decide what answers are acceptable before committing the household to a method, and keep the agreed responsibilities beside the list.

Frequently asked questions

Can Watcharr follow a curated film collection?

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, phone site or IMDb’s other-language pages. ^[1] Pasting a public IMDb list gives a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1] Before choosing this method, check whether the collection has a public IMDb list and whether its titles match the selection you intend to follow.

Does Watcharr require an account or an installation?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Pasting, copying and browsing work from any screen in the web app. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list using that program’s access key without sending the key anywhere else. ^[1]

How often does Watcharr update Radarr and Sonarr?

Radarr checks a Watcharr link on a schedule of every 15 minutes, and Sonarr every 5 minutes. ^[1] Watcharr users who sign in also get list reads about every 15 minutes and a warning when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

Can Watcharr combine IMDb lists for a household?

Watcharr users who sign in can combine several IMDb lists into a Radarr link and a Sonarr link for the whole household. ^[1] A title appearing on more than one of those lists is added only once. ^[1] Agree which source lists belong in the household selection before combining them, and keep that agreement with the viewing notes.

What happens when Watcharr cannot read an IMDb list?

If a read fails, Watcharr’s links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] For users who sign in, Watcharr warns when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Use that warning as a prompt to compare the saved selection with the collection source before deciding what to watch next.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)