The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page H01

MOVIES STAGE MUSIC SECTION SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2009 A SJ Wit iPfnlaMpftia ilnquirer WWW.PHILLY.COM THE YEAR IN BELLS CRAIG LaBAN What 2009 put on our tables The critic recaps the year's reviews, and revisits (and sometimes upgrades) a few underperformers. (Bolete in Bethlehem), Lee Styer (Fond), and Robert Halpern (Marigold Kitchen). Old favorites came back better than ever. The Fountain reaffirmed its four bells under its new exec chef, Rafael Gonzalez. Konstantinos Pitsillides payed homage to rustic Cypriot fare at Kanella.

New chef Terence Feury led Fork to three bells. A new generation of Minks lent their Oyster House a bright update. Melograno made a seamless move to a bigger space. And Brauhaus Schmitz brought a much-appreciated return of brats and great bier to a city that had nearly lost its German roots. See YEAR IN BELLS on H4 If a recession is the ultimate test of a restaurant scene's soul, 2009 proved that Philadelphia's virtue as an eater's paradise is growing as dynamically as ever.

Yes, revenues on the whole were off. And, yes, we witnessed the pillars of another era's glory days begin to tumble, as Walnut Street's Restaurant Row saw Brasserie Perrier, Susanna Foo, and Striped Bass close. But what filled the void aside from a mini-stampede of upscale new steak houses was heartening. We saw the promising rise of such new stars as Pierre Calmels (Bibou), Anne Coll (Meri-tage), David Katz (Meme), Lee Chizmar MICHAEL BRYANT Staff Photographer Checkerboard sashimi at Umai Umai in Fairmount. A drop-off with the cooked menu holds this gem of a sushi bistro shy of its potential.

The veal tenderloin entree at the four-bell Fountain. The Hurt Locker THE YEAR IN MOVIES Telling techniques Carrie Rickey's Top Ten Avatar The Beaches of Agnes Bright Star The Hurt Locker II Divo I Love You, Man Julie Julia Ponyo Up Up in the Air Steven Rea's Top Ten Avatar Bright Star An Education Fantastic Mr. Fox Goodbye Solo The Hurt Locker A Serious Man Sugar 35 Shots of Rum Up in the Air -fmrr Up in the Air An Education 3-D served art, and animation had a big year By Carrie Rickey INQUIRER MOVIE CRITIC As we rang in 2009, the buzz in Hollywood was that 3-D movies would be a game-changer (which was also the buzz back in 1952). And? Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D neither altered the course of cinema art nor palpably enhanced the movie-going experience.

Up was a fantastic film with or without 3-D glasses (though many felt that the specs dulled its vivid colors). But then came Avatar, in which James Cameron used the illusion of dimensionality to make palpable the planet Pandora thereby transforming a See RICKEY on H7 Year's best show storytelling still at heart of craft By Steven Rea INQUIRER MOVIE CRITIC Avatar and Fantastic Mr. Fox, two of 2009's most satisfying screen endeavors, couldn't be further apart, technology-wise. In vivid ways, they represent the future and the past of filmmaking the 21st and 20th centuries and demonstrate with resounding artistry that both innovation and a respect for tradition are essential storytelling components. James Cameron's $230 million-plus sci-fi eco-yarn, about an ex-Marine who joins a blue-skinned tribe on a faraway planet, deployed new 3-D cameras, sophisticat-See REA on H7 Avatar jBHHjBL jSBwv MnvHiil rJHKH 'Mali, ADVERTISEMENT FEB 2-6 FEB 9-14 FEB 26-28 K3H mm KIMMELCENTER.ORG 215.731.3333.