At least one good movie is always playing on a local screen, but sometimes you have to do a little research to find it. Movie Web sites such as RottenTomatoes.com and metacritic.com can offer quick glances at how large numbers of critics (often including Todd Jorgenson and me) rate a certain movie.

So, even though 2008 may look like a subpar year for movies, jewels can be found where many moviegoers might not normally look. For instance, for gripping tension and dizzying effects, it’s hard to beat the tightrope-walker documentary Man on Wire. Or, for narrative heft and dazzling color, the clever animated feature WALL-E ranks supreme. And those not afraid of subtitles can be rewarded by intricate whodunits (Tell No One, from France) and intense dramas (I’ve Loved You So Long, also French).

That said, here’s a look at some of my favorites for this year.

1. The Visitor Intimate drama with a powerful story and an impeccable performance from Richard Jenkins.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button This near-three hour epic sees Brad Pitt getting younger and younger, as if we didn’t hate him enough already.

3. I’ve Loved You So Long In an intense drama about a troubled woman recently released from prison for committing an unspeakable crime, Kristin Scott Thomas turns in an Oscar-worthy performance.

4. Milk Sean Penn shines as Harvey Milk, a ground-breaking San Francisco politician, in Gus Van Sant’s insightful profile.

5. Frost/Nixon Ron Howard directs from Peter Morgan’s play and screenplay, and Michael Sheen and Frank Langella star, respectively, as the British talk-show host who tries, and succeeds, to get the ex-president to talk.

6. Happy-Go-Lucky British director Mike Leigh goes against his usual grain with his portrait of a charming young woman (Sally Hawkins) who brightens up the day of all around her (without becoming totally annoying).

7. Elegy Ben Kingsley stars in this adaptation of Philip Roth’s novel about a college professor who becomes hopelessly entangled with a much younger former student (Penelope Cruz).

8. The Wrestler Darren Aronofsky elicits a career performance from Mickey Rourke as the title character, a washed-up, over-the-hill pro wrestler. Corny and predictable yet strangely touching.

9. Che Steven Soderbergh’s epic, two-part, five-hour biopic on the revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, with a knock-out performance by Benicio Del Toro as Che.

10. Smart People A group of Pittsburgh know-it-alls, including Ellen Page, Thomas Haden Church, Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker, comes to grips with their faltering lives.

Also of note: The Bank Job, Dark Knight, The Duchess, Frozen River, Hunger, Slumdog Millionaire, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, When Did You Last See Your Father?

BOO ALLEN’S 2008 PICKS

Best Actor: Sean Penn in Milk, Richard Jenkins in The Visitor, Ben Kingsley in Elegy, Benicio Del Toro in Che, Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon

Best Actress: Kristin Scott Thomas in I’ve Loved You so Long, Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky, Melissa Leo in Frozen River, Keira Knightley in The Duchess, Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road

Best supporting actor: Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading, Ralph Fiennes in The Duchess, Thomas Haden Church in Smart People, Dennis Hopper in Elegy, Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Alison Pill in Milk, Patricia Clarkson in Elegy

Best Documentary: Man on Wire, IOUSA, Gonzo, Encounters at the End of the World

Best Animated Film: WALL-E

Best Director: David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Screenplay: Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight

Best Foreign Language: I’ve Loved You So Long, Tell No One, Reprise, Edge of Heaven, Gomorra

Guilty pleasures: In Bruges, Ghost Town, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Role Models, RocknRolla, Tropical Thunder, 27 Dresses, and anything with Judd Apatow’s name attached to it