Good Grief AFI

Finally released, here is AFI's selection for the ten best American films of the year.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Gran Torino
Iron Man
Milk
WALL-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler

Not an entirely bad list (with the scorching exception of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, but I realize full well that I'm in the minority there). I'm also particularly keen on the fact that they're not turning a blind eye to the indies, some smaller (Frozen River) and some larger (The Wrestler) in scale. It's actually a fairly diverse meld. You've got blockbuster 4-quadrant fair there (Iron Man, TDK), smart indie cinema, an animated film, and engrossing Oscar-baity quality movies. 

I may not agree with their choices, but it's a heck of a list if you're looking for a taste of what 08 had to offer. In fact, my favorite film of the year made the list, which is very infrequent. 

My second and third favorites didn't, but I can live with that.

I only wish that AFI had included the other (*cough*superior*cough*) Robert Downey Jr. film of the year...

--DM