474

474. That's the number of movies I watched in 2011. That’s well below my all-time record of 588 in 2004, which I hope I never equal. It’s up somewhat from last year, though being unemployed for the entirety of 2011 had a large effect on my total. The number also doesn’t include all the television series on DVD I’ve been digging through this year, including THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, NICHOLS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, as well as the current series I watch on the DVR.

Of the 474 movies I saw, I watched 255 of them for the first time. Here are my rules. As far as the count goes, only feature films count, no matter whether I saw them in a theater, DVD, VHS, or on TV.

• TV shows don't count, unless they were presented in a format resembling a feature film (for instance, the pilot episodes of MAN FROM ATLANTIS, which aired as full-length made-for-TV movies)
• Made-for-TV movies count
• Documentaries count
• I didn't count short subjects or feature-length making-of documentaries included as DVD extras
• Movie serials and TV miniseries count as one long feature
• Multiple viewings each count as a separate movie

These are my rules. Your mileage may vary.

DVD: 295
HDTV: 54
Theater: 32
TV: 10
Blu-ray: 40
VHS: 14
Netflix Instant Streaming: 29

First film of 2011: BEST IN SHOW
Last film of 2011: DRIVE (2011)

From the 1920s: 1 (THE UNKNOWN)
1930s: 1 (THE RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL)
1940s: 4 (HITLER’S CHILDREN, I ACCUSE MY PARENTS, BOWERY BUCKAROOS, BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND)
1950s: 30
1960s: 64
1970s: 120
1980s: 124
1990s: 62
2000–2010: 43
2011: 25

Genres:
Action/Adventure: 148
Comedy: 66
Crime Drama: 31
Documentary: 15
Drama: 21
Horror: 85
Mystery: 6
Science Fiction: 63
Thriller: 31
Western: 8

Countries of origin:
Argentina: 1 (HOUSE OF SHADOWS)
Australia: 5
Canada: 8
France: 2
Hong Kong: 7
Israel: 1 (TRUNK TO CAIRO)
Italy: 20
Japan: 16
Mexico: 4
Philippines: 10
Spain: 2
Thailand: 1 (H-BOMB)
United States of America: 384
Yugoslavia: 1 (PORTRAIT IN TERROR)

Even though I stopped going to theaters regularly a few years ago, I still managed to see 25 2011 releases, mostly on cable or on DVD. I saw only a handful of them theatrically: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, HALL PASS (bored in Cheyenne, Wyoming), DRIVE, and THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Most in one month:
January: 69
Least in one month:
April: 21

Films I saw more than once in 2011:
ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS
FIRECRACKER
THE LOST EMPIRE
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (both times in a theater)
TNT JACKSON

The most films in any one 24-hour period:
14, when I attended Northwestern University's annual B-Fest January 28–29

Some sequels:
4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
BEST OF THE BEST, BEST OF THE BEST II, and BEST OF THE BEST 4: WITHOUT WARNING
CLEOPATRA JONES and CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD
DEATH WISH 3, 4, and V
DYNAMITE JOHNSON: BIONIC BOY PART II
EXCESSIVE FORCE II: FORCE ON FORCE
THE EXORCIST 1–3
THE EXTERMINATOR and EXTERMINATOR 2
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3
FRIGHT NIGHT and FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2
GHOSTBUSTERS II
THE GREAT ESCAPE II: THE UNTOLD STORY
HALLOWEEN II (1981)
HATCHET II
LAKE PLACID 2 and 3
MAN FROM ATLANTIS 1–4
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
POLICE ACADEMY 1–7
RELENTLESS 1–4
RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II
SCREAM 4
STAR TREK 1–6 (all at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater over four nights)
THE SUBSTITUTE 1–4
TRANCERS 1–5

The original and its remake(s):
AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970) and AND SOON THE DARKNESS (2010)
THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1994) and FANTASTIC FOUR (2005)

5 Stars:
BURIED
CHAINED HEAT
DARK OF THE SUN
DEATH WISH 3
THE EXORCIST
FORBIDDEN WORLD
FREEBIE & THE BEAN
GONE WITH THE POPE
JFK
THE MAN FROM HONG KONG
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION!
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
RAW FORCE
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
STARCRASH
STUNT ROCK
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE
THE THING (1982)
USED CARS

1 Star:
976-EVIL
AS TIME RUNS OUT
BAD CHARLESTON CHARLIE
BLOOD SISTERS
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
THE COSMIC MONSTER
THE CURSE
DANCE OF THE DAMNED
FALL DOWN DEAD
GOOD MORNING, KILLER
HOUSE OF SHADOWS
IT’S ALIVE! (1968)
JUNGLE HELL
LOOSE CANNONS
MAMA DRACULA
THE MAN (2005)
MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID
THE MIGHTY GORGA
MOTHER’S BOYS
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ADAM & EVE
POLICE ACADEMY: MISSION TO MOSCOW
STAR HUNTER
STROKER ACE
UP FROM THE DEPTHS

Recent Direct-to-Video or Barely Released Films You Haven’t Heard Of, But You Should See:
BEST WORST MOVIE
BURIED (Ryan Reynolds)
BURN NOTICE: THE FALL OF SAM AXE
GONE WITH THE POPE
HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS: THE GODFATHER OF GORE
HUNTER PREY
METHOD TO THE MADNESS OF JERRY LEWIS
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION!
RUBBER
TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL
WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS?

Bowery Boys movies:
CRASHING LAS VEGAS
BOWERY BUCKAROOS

Godzilla movies:
GOJIRA
GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS!
GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN
GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER
GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
GODZILLA VS THE THING
MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA
INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER
GODZILLA’S REVENGE
GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
GODZILLA 1985
TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA

MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. movies:
THE HELICOPTER SPIES
HOW TO STEAL THE WORLD
THE SPY IN THE GREEN HAT
THE KARATE KILLERS
ONE SPY TOO MANY
ONE OF OUR SPIES IS MISSING
TO TRAP A SPY
THE SPY WITH MY FACE

They Exist, and I Watched Them:
4 DOLLARS OF REVENGE
BLACKENSTEIN
BRUCE’S NINJA SECRET
DARNA VS THE PLANET WOMEN
DOGORA THE SPACE MONSTER
DR. BLACK MR. HYDE
DYNAMITE JOHNSON: BIONIC BOY PART II
EXCESSIVE FORCE II: FORCE ON FORCE
GONE WITH THE POPE
GUNS, GIRLS AND GANGSTERS
H.O.T.S.
HAVE ROCKET—WILL TRAVEL
HELLISH SPIDERS
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!
MAMBA
MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID
MR. NO LEGS
MR. WALKIE TALKIE
THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL!
OTHELLO (THE BLACK COMMANDO)
PLEASE DON’T EAT MY MOTHER!
PREACHERMAN MEETS WIDDERWOMAN
SIX SHE’S AND A HE
SKIDOO
THE SPY WHO CAME
THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT

My Top Ten of 2011:
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
DRIVE ANGRY
RUBBER
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS: THE GODFATHER OF GORE
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED!
BURN NOTICE: THE FALL OF SAM AXE
METHOD TO THE MADNESS OF JERRY LEWIS
THE CAPTAINS

My Bottom Five of 2011:
MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID
GOOD MORNING, KILLER
SCREAM 4
HALL PASS
BATTLE LOS ANGELES

How many movies did you watch this year?

P.S. John Charles at By John Charles answers the above question here and William Wilson at Video Junkie Strikes Back from the Grave here.