'Milk,' 'River,' 'Frost,' 'Man' and more join AFI's '08 list

LOS ANGELES » Batman epic “;The Dark Knight,”; the political biopic “;Milk”; and the gritty drama “;The Wrestler”; were among critical favorites that landed on the American Film Institute's list of the year's 10 best movies.

Also on AFI's list, released yesterday, were the animated “;Wall-E,”; Clint Eastwood's ”;Gran Torino,”; the superhero blockbuster “;Iron Man,”; the indie dramas “;Frozen River”; and “;Wendy and Lucy,”; the adapted play “;Frost/Nixon”; and the Brad Pitt epic “;The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”;

Unlike other film honors, the institute does not rank films or pick one as the year's best. The filmmakers behind the choices will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 9.

Many of the films on the list picked up Golden Globe nominations last week and are expected to compete for Academy Awards. Oscar nominations are to be announced Jan. 22.

The AFI also released a 10 list of top TV shows for 2008, among them ABC's “;Lost,”; which is filmed in Hawaii. Also named were “;Breaking Bad,”; “;In Treatment,”; “;John Adams,”; “;Life,”; “;Mad Men,”; “;The Office,”; “;Recount,”; “;The Shield”; and “;The Wire.”;

The Top 10 lists were chosen by two 13-member panels, one each for movies and television. Members included writer Mark Harris, filmmaker Robert Towne and critics Leonard Maltin, Elvis Mitchell and Richard Schickel.