The #1 movie on this here list inspired me to put together a list of the Top 19 Underrated Movies You Should See in 2008. Chances are, you’ve all seen a handful of these, but it always comes as a shock as to which movies people just do not give due credit to. Please note: The following list focuses on movies from 1980 and on, save for #19, which I could not help but including. Be sure to add your favorite underrated films in the comments!

19. The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. 4 Steps to Realizing that John Travolta’s Classic Film The Boy in the Plastic Bubble is one of the Best Movies Ever: Step 1: Gather a group of 5 or more people together. Step 2: Get high. Step 3: Pop in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble DVD (available for $3 at Wal-Mart, trust me.) Step 4: Turn the sound off. Step 5: Laugh for a million years. Let’s put it this way: Travolta wears short shorts and his girlfriend jumps his bubble with a horse. Read more of why this is the Most Underrated Movie Ever here.

18. An American Tail. One of my favorite animated movies from the 80s, primarily because the main character, a small Russian mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz, was the only animated Jewish person (or animal) I had come to know and love as a child (Gonzo not included.) And yet, you never hear about this movie! Clearly, an anti-semitical conspiracy. Somewhere out there, An American Tail Betamax tape is crying itself to sleep.

17. Wonder Boys. Based on the equally enjoyable novel by Michael Chabon, Wonder Boys is one of the most enjoyable comedies of the decade, and probably Tobey Maguire’s best movie ever. Keep in mind it was the only English-speaking movie playing in Hungary when I lived there during college, but still — that line about paprika on Errol Flynn’s shvanz? El Oh El. And while Robert Downey Jr. is amazing in this movie, it just can’t compare with his underrated performance in….

16. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It almost feels like nobody saw this hilarious movie written and directed by Shane Black, the mastermind behind the Lethal Weapon series. Robert Downey Jr. is as delectable as a Marzipan Robert Downey Jr., and Val Kilmer plays a hilaaaaarious gay detective. Must see!

15. Flirting with Disaster. If armpits make you uneasy, do NOT check out this hysterical comedy and dare I say best movie from the mind of David O. Russell. The movie features a pre-handsome and mega-hilare Ben Stiller, a gay Josh Brolin, and the comedic prowess of the legendary Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore, and George Segal. It’s also the only film that allowed Tea Leoni to flex her ingrained comedic talent. And yet, no one ever seems to remember this quirky and positively genius little piece of film. Not mentioned on this list but also a fantastic underrated film: The Daytrippers, an early film from the director of Superbad.

14. Terminator 3. Dare I say the best, if not handily most hilarious, of the entire Terminator Series? Schwarzenegger is totally in on the joke here, and it’s proof that that red robo eye of his does, in fact, wink.

13. My Blue Heaven. Truly a shame that this movie never got the recognition it deserved, as it’s only a little less funny than the best comedy of the 90s, My Cousin Vinny. Steve Martin butches it up as an ex-Mafia guy who is forced to join the witness protection program, only to discover a gaggle of his old Italian cronies living nearby. If that alone does not convince, let me continue listing cast members: Rick Moranis, Joan Cusack… not convinced? OK, I think the DVD costs, like 49 cents. So… (throat clear).

12. The Adventures of Milo & Otis. THE MOST ADORABLE CHILDREN’S MOVIE EVER MADE! R.I.P. Dudley Moore’s accent.

11. Gattaca. It’s Jude Law… on wheels. Plus, Gore Vidal is in it. As my officemate put it, “It’s a good Ethan Hawke movie for people that don’t like Ethan Hawke.” And what’s not to like about a man whose mouth served as the inspiration for Teeth?

After the jump, The Top 10 Most Underrated Movies to Catch in 08! Click ahead.

10. Empire of the Sun. OK, I’m about to say something sort of crazy, but bear with me. Empire of the Sun ranks as both my favorite Steven Spielberg AND Christian Bale movie ever made. Bale secures his position as “Hottest Young Male Actor in Hollywood” at the age of, like, 9, and delivers the kind of emotionally complicated performance he never has quite been able to top. One of my favorite movies ever made.

9. National Lampoon’s European Vacation. A comedy staple that was left out of the mainstream Swingline. One of the funniest movies ever made, right up until the last 30 minutes or so, where something I think called “plot” tries to take over and it loses some steam. Also, hands down the most underrated soundtrack EVER! Still, if you can forget for just a second that Chevy Chase is a selfish jerky alleged cokehead, you will love it.

8. Johnny Stecchino. Before Roberto Benigni became known as the monkey-like man who won on Oscar for his “hilarious” Holocaust movie Life is Beautiful, he actually was a hilarious guy, as Johnny Stecchino proves. If mistaken identity movies make you uncomfortable, you might want to avoid this one, but if laughing your ass off is something you don’t mind doing every now and again, add Stecchino to your life-queue.

7. Little Man Tate. “Clipper Ships” by Matt Montini. “Me and my dad make models of clipper ships. I like clipper ships because they are fast. Clipper ships sail the ocean. Clipper ships never sail on rivers or lakes. Clipper ships have lots of sails and are made out of wood.” What a movie!

6. Bottle Rocket. It’s Wes Anderson before he became “The” Wes Anderson. It’s Owen and Luke Wilson before they became “The Wilson Brothers.” It’s the same immigrant love story found in most of Wes Anderson’s movies, minus the pretentious race relations seen in, say, The Darjeeling Limited. OK, it’s not Rushmore, but we’re talking underrated people. And if you haven’t seen this, shame on you.

5. Die Hard Vengeance. Say what you will, the third installment to the Die Hard series remains to be my favorite Die Hard. Bruce Willis and Sam Jackson are on top of their comedic game, and if you thought Jeremy Irons was effable before (rent Damage to prove this point), you have no idea. Any Nazi fetishists out there? No? Moving on…

4. First Sunday. True, this movie hasn’t even been released yet. But something tells me the reviews are going Splatskies. You know and I know that the combination of Tracey Morgan, Ice Cube, and GOING TO CHURCH will equal some of the greatest laughs of the year. So allow us to preemptively add this movie to our list of Underrated Movies you NEED to see in 2008. Stalkers can find me at the Magic Johnson theater next Friday at 11 am, thankyouverymuch.

3. Six Degrees of Separation. To this day, my favorite Will Smith movie (after Independence Day, obviously), Six Degrees was really the first movie to say: “Hey, Fresh Prince! Yeah, we know you’re on a prime-time sitcom playing the comic foil to an uptight family. But something tells us you would also make a fantastic dramatic actor, in a role that requires you to be a stuck-up gay con artist.” The unbelievable Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland round out this fantastic ensemble drama, which also features a young J.J. Abrams in his funniest role to date.

2. The Talented Mr. Ripley. Hands down, the most Underrated Movie Ever. I’ve long said it’s the most beautiful movie ever made — the cast includes an adorkably murdery Matt Damon, a fresh off God’s heaven cloud Jude Law, and Gwynnie Paltrow; the locales include some of the most beautiful cities Italy has to offer. And while the world showered director Anthony Minghella’s other movie The English Patient with dozens of accolades, Ripley sort of fell off the map. For God’s sake, it’s the movie that proved both Law and Damon to be reputable actors. And if that hasn’t convinced you, I’m about to pull out the ultimate cast member trump card that will definitely do the trick: James Muthaf**king Rebhorn, ya’ll!

1. The Man Without a Face. The movie that inspired this list. There I am, the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, hanky round my head, cleaning up my abode. I have this tendency to clean my apartment while watching emotionally draining movies (See also: Dreamgirls, Terms of Endearment, and Benji). Man Without a Face starts on Starz, and I think: “Oh, Mel Gibson’s directorial debut will serve as a fantastic backdrop to my Swiffering ways!” Cut to me, 2 hours later, sitting in a pile of unfolded J. Crew cashmere onesies, hysterically sobbing while repeating out loud, to no one in particular, “He just loves his teacher so much!” Sure, Gibson would go on to receive numerous awards from the Academy and ACLU, but does anyone EVER talk about how amazing this movie is? No, no they don’t. So let this be a little Jewish olive branch from me to Mel, saying “Hey! I may have caused all the wars in the world. But you’ve caused all the tear stains on this here pillowcase.” And for that, sir, we are even.

Please note: TWO Nick Stahl movies made this list. How is he not supermegamega famie?

So… tell us your favorite underrated films.

Update: I forgot to put J. Lo’s Enough on this list, but fear not: She will definitely be waiting in the rafters of my apartment to kick my ass tonight for the oversight.