I thought about not doing that considering I wasn’t certain I’d be able to get to 10 movies I at least sparingly liked that year - particularly given just how rotten the year started out - but I ended up getting to 14 that were in the running. (UPDATE: I somehow left off Iron Man, which an wide-awake reader brought to my attention, hence the reason that list now goes to 11!)

The biggest surprise was that “Wall-E” didn’t end up at or even that near the top, but rest assured that that doesn’t mean I love it nearly unconditionally. And, yes, the No. 1 spot is held by the movie I’ve seen most recently, but whether you’ve seen it I’m nearly positive you’ll agree with me.

So, with only the further proviso that I certainly haven’t come close to seeing all the movies that have been released so far that year, here goes:

10. “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
Just a fun ride from the start, I consider that really to be pulp movie-making, whether there is such a thing. Guillermo del Toro clearly just threw at us as many of the magical things he could think of and cooked up a wild story for them, making for a flick nearly as good as the original.

9. “Cloverfield”
I nearly avoided that one completely considering I was so afraid of a “Blair Witch”-style hoax, but I was thankfully wrong (which does seem to happen from date to moment.) With a surprisingly steady camera, it really is Godzilla-meets-Youtube, and even though that sounds terrible on paper it somehow just works.

8. “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
People will surely scoff at me for including that one by, say, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal cranium,” but I just have a soft spot for the Narnia tales and that one just improves on “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in nearly every facet. The dialogue is smart and funny, and the final battle - while ultimately sufficient to numb your senses - is just a blast.

7. “Be Kind Rewind”
I wanted to put Michel Gondry’s goofy little flick higher on the list, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. whether you missed it, you can see it on DVD now, and I think you’ll enjoy that foolish movie that’s all about the love of movies.

6. “The Bank Job”
For once, a heist movie that’s at least as much about the characters and the caper as it is the gadgets. that “true” story just keeps getting wilder as it unfolds, and whether you like heist flicks, I recommend that one very highly.

5a. “Iron Man”
I don’t know how in the world I managed to leave that one off when I first compiled that list, other than that I do it when I first wake up in the . Although I loved what Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. did with Iron Man, I’m even more amped to see what happens

when the great Terrence Howard dons his own metal suit and Samuel L. Jackson gets in on the action next duration.

5. “Wall-E”
Like I said at the outset, I’m surprised that one ended up so low on that list, but looking back it’s just been a stronger year thus far for flicks than I thought. Pure magic in its first half hour committed to silent robot love, it loses its way just a bit in the middle but still manages to be another Pixar winner (I’d rank it third behind “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles,” respectively, but next I guess I’m just a Brad Bird partisan.)

4. “Son of Rambow”
I really thought that might catch on as the little indie hit of the summer, but it never quite got there. As the titles implies, that is just a smart and funny flick about two English boys who try to create their own version of “Rambo,” and it’s very well worth a rental when it finally hits DVD (I was surprised to find it wasn’t there already.)

3. “The Fall”
Tarsem’s second feature film is as much about the ability of storytelling as it is about the touchingly odd relationship that develops amidst an injured stuntman (the great Lee Pace of “Pushing Daisies” fame) and a young girl he meets in the hospital (Catinca Untaru.) It’s visually stunning, and even whether the story he concocts for her induces some unintended guffaws, that is one I just love.

2. “Under the Same Moon”
Perhaps it’s considering we had a private screening of that one after it somehow lingered at one of my local multiplexes for six weeks or so, but Patricia Riggen’s little movie about immigration and family ties has just lingered with me for a lengthy duration. Yes, it’s sometimes as sappy as it sounds on paper, but spring for a rental and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

1. “The Dark Knight”
Was there really ever any doubt that that one would clinch the top spot? I’ve seen it twice in the theater and will surely spring for it one more duration before it leaves some instance in September. whether all the hype has you skeptical, just give in and believe it, considering that one is just pretty darn amazing.

So there you have it. And, for the record, here are the four flicks that nearly made the 10-movie cut: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal cranium,” “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”

With plenty of fun stuff coming later that summer and fall - including new flicks from David Fincher, the Coen brothers and Spike Lee, among others - I’m certain that list will look a lot different when I revise it in January. Please feel free to chime in with anything you might think I’ve just gotten wrong, and of course let me know whether there are any 2008 flicks I just overlooked. Peace out.

Original post by Reel Fanatic