The Alties

Bowling for Columbine battles it out with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The recently announced results of the first-ever online alternative movie awards run by Alternet show, as you might expect, a strong streak of reaction against the Oscars...

Most Inspirational Movie

The movie that moved you to be a better human being, to make your country more just, to embrace the world with heart and warmth: the right kind of feel-good movie. Bowling for Columbine

Best Political Movie

The system buster: the flick that spoke truth to power, confronted evil and told it like it really is. Bowling for Columbine

New World Order Award

Films whose atmosphere/subject matter portrays or feeds off of the post-9/11 paranoia of our times, with its uber-patriotism, anxiety and fear. Minority Report

Guilty Pleasure Award

The critics panned it, but you loved it anyway. Guilty pleasures aren't about lasting relevance or redeeming value, just a rollicking good time. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Scenes From the Class Struggle

Movie screens tend to be peopled by the rich and the middle class. This category honors films that present an unvarnished portrayal of working class life. Y Tu Mama Tambien

The Unbridled Desire Award

Truly sexy movies are elusive. The best are made up not just of sexy characters but a collection of sexy moments that raises our temperature to the boiling point. Y Tu Mama Tambien

The Doobie Award

Movies that most realistically portray the role drugs play in many of our lives: be it good or bad or providing pleasure or pain. Adaptation

Best Soundscape

The best soundtracks are inseparable elements of the plot, nearly characters unto themselves. This is music that stays with you long after you've left the theater. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

All You Need Is Love Award

Cookie-cutter romances are a fact of life, but this year saw some remarkable, eccentric breaks from the boy-meets/loses/gets-girl formula. Punch Drunk Love

Best Damn Documentary

The nonfiction movie of the year that inspired, educated or provoked. Bowling for Columbine

Best "Feel Bad" Movie

Some movies are so relentlessly depressing that you leave the theater feeling worse than when you arrived. But admit it: sometimes it feels good to feel so bad. The Pianist

Reinvention of the Chick Flick

2002 saw a crop of films that turned the tired concept of the Chick Flick on its head with intelligent and artistic depictions of women's inner lives. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Smart AND Funny Movie

Let's face it, this is a rare combination. Think vintage Woody Allen or early Coen Brothers movies like Raising Arizona. Adaptation

The Big Award

When you think back over all the movies you saw in 2002, inevitably one, a true favorite, stands out. This is the King Altie. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Check out how the winners were arrived at. Visit the site to get a downloadable PDF and to join in the conversation in the Movie Madness Forum at www.alternet.org/alties/winners.html

The Alties

Alternet's awards for the best alternative movies of the year, chosen through an online poll. See our page or go to www.alternet.org/alties/winners.html