2008 is here. That means we are deep into the "Best Of" list season. Be it music, movies, books, or something entirely different, everyone is putting out lists of what they think was the best of the recently concluded year. I love checking out these lists; it's always interesting to get a glimpse into others' thoughts of the year's releases, and see how my favorites match up. However, as entertaining as these lists can be, there is something very important to remember.

As much as some of these writers would like to boast that they have chosen the best of the year, it is pretty unlikely that they truly have done so. Besides the fact that everyone has different, and valid, tastes, it is pretty unlikely that they have seen every possible film to be able to make that "best of" judgment. This applies to myself as well. Despite having a title boasting "Best of the Year," this is more of what I felt were the ten best based on my viewing sample, as well as being limited to theatrically screened films.

But you already know this. You are here to read about my experiences and choices for the year. You are in luck, as I have some thoughts on the year in movies that you will hopefully enjoy reading. As a side note, this is part one, be on the lookout for further recap lists covering the worst of the year, on-screen performances, and behind the scenes performances.

2007 was a very good year for movies. There were a lot of good to very good offerings, and even a few excellent films, that will be remembered for years to come. That said, putting together this list of top films was not an easy task.

First, unlike recent years, 2007 did not have that one killer flick that shot to the top. The past few years have each delivered films that I knew almost immediately were going right to the top, films like Children of Men (with competition from Pan's Labyrinth), Sin City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Kill Bill Vol. 1. At this point I can see many of you shaking your heads in one of two ways, disgust or agreement. This year became a three-way race to the finish, and on any given day those three could change their placements, but at this very moment the order below is the correct one.

As for the rest of the top ten list, it was a juggling act trying to find places for all of the films I wanted to get in there. Just like the top three spots, these could all change on a moment's notice, but are all accurate as of this writing. Just for good measure, and to give some attention to those that missed the cut, there will be another list below the top ten containing alternates. That should about cover the excellent films I had the chance to see.