DANNY BOYLE - DARK KNIGHT AND BENJAMIN BUTTON NAMED IN AFI TOP TEN

DARK KNIGHT AND BENJAMIN BUTTON NAMED IN AFI TOP TEN

The American Film Institute (AFI) has included box office hits and critics' favourites in its annual list of the top ten films of the year.

Comic book films The Dark Knight and Iron Man are included, while Golden Globes favourites Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also made the list.

Despite significant critical praise, Slumdog Millionaire was left off the list, though Danny Boyle's film is likely to have been neglected as the AFI states that the ten films named on the list must have "significant creative and/or production elements from the United States."

Though they satisfy that criterion, Revolutionary Road, The Reader and Doubt were also left off the AFI's list.

The institute also revealed its top ten television programmes of the year, again revealing a marked difference to the Golden Globe nominations.

Breaking Bad, John Adams, Mad Men and The Office were all included but comedies 30 Rock, Entourage and Weeds all missed out.

The AFI lists are selected by a 13-person jury with Entertainment Tonight film critic Leonard Maltin heading the film jury and AFI Trustee Emeritus Richard Frank chairing the TV jury.

The AFI's top ten films of the year, in alphabetical order, are:

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

The AFI's top ten TV shows of the year, in alphabetical order, are:

Breaking Bad
In Treatment
John Adams
Life
Lost
Mad Men
The Office
Recount
The Shield
The Wire