The best movies of 2009, so far...

Now that we’re a few weeks past the midpoint of 2009, it’s a good time to assess the movie year to date. Four of my 10 early- to mid-’09 favorites come from animation. Some appeared in art houses, others in wide release.

Feel free -- as a bird, as the wind -- to deliver your own favorites so far this year via e-mail or the preferred, 21st Century method: the comments board at the Talking Pictures blog.

I also will accept are-you-crazy? correctives to these alphabetically-ordered titles.

-- Michael Phillips