Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time

Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Rating Principles
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Patreon
  • Blog
Cast : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver Screenplay : James Cameron Release : December 10, 2009 Director : James Cameron Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Avatar

Posted by Tim Brayton Posted on Feb - 2 - 2010 0 Comments
“IF I RAN THE OSCARS”, 2010 EDITION

Tomorrow, the Oscar nominations are announced, and it would seem that I’m somewhat in the minority in expecting to find them hellishly uninteresting across the board. I am not perhaps so intense as this gentleman in checking out of the awards season, but it’s been a pleasure to respond to the constant love accruing to movies I loved with guilt, liked without loving, or flat-out hated with a hearty, “what the hell do I care?” and moving on to more important things, like flossing.

Still, it’s not going to keep me from posting what now becomes an annual list of the awards that I would give out in the perfect fantasy world where I ran the Academy like a petty dictatorship. Or maybe let’s call them the “Antagonists”, a trophy in which a little gold French director is beating a little gold Michael Bay in the face with a little gold blackjack. I shall announce my winners the night before the Oscar ceremony, WHICH I STILL DO NOT INTEND TO WATCH, though ask me if my resolve holds in a few more weeks.

In a better world, there would be a little essay with each of these lists, but I’m feeling too lousy for that right now. Maybe when I do the winners.

Best Feature
Coraline
In the Loop
The Limits of Control
A Serious Man
You, the Living

Best Director
Roy Andersson, You, the Living
Olivier Assayas, Summer Hours
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Henry Selick, Coraline
Agnès Varda, The Beaches of Agnès

Best Actor
Nicolas Cage, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans
Sam Rockwell, Moon
Souleymane Sy Savane, Goodbye Solo
Toni Servillo, Il divo
Ben Whishaw, Bright Star

Best Actress
Hiam Abbass, Lemon Tree
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
Yolande Moreau, Séraphine
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Tilda Swinton, Julia

Best Supporting Actor
Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover
Paul Schneider, Bright Star
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Red West, Goodbye Solo

Best Supporting Actress
Rona Lipaz-Michael, Lemon Tree
Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Marife Necesito, Mammoth
Maribel Verdú, Tetro

Best Cast
In the Loop
Inglourious Basterds
The Limits of Control
A Serious Man
Summer Hours

Best Original Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer, by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Duplicity, by Tony Gilroy
A Serious Man, by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Summer Hours, by Olivier Assayas
Up, by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter

Best Adapted Screenplay
Coraline, by Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by Steve Kloves
In the Loop, by Jesse Armstrong & Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci & Ian Martin & Tony Roche
The Informant!, by Scott Z. Burns

Best Animated Feature
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
A Town Called Panic
Up

Best Foreign-Language Feature
35 Shots of Rum
Il divo
Police, Adjective
Summer Hours
You, the Living

Best Documentary Feature
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
The Beaches of Agnès
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
Food, Inc.
Of Time and the City

Best Cinematography
Coraline (Peter Kozachik)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Bruno Delbonnel)
Nine (Dion Beebe)
A Serious Man (Roger Deakins)
Where the Wild Things Are (Lance Acord)

Best Editing
Duplicity (John Gilroy)
Goodbye Solo (Ramin Bahrani)
The Limits of Control (Jay Rabinowitz)
Of Time and the City (Liza Ryan-Carter)
A Serious Man (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen AKA “Roderick Jaynes”)

Best Production Design
Avatar (Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg)
Bright Star (Janet Patterson)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Nelson Lowry)
Moon (Tony Noble)
Where the Wild Things Are (K.K. Barrett)

Best Costume Design
Bright Star (Janet Patterson)
The Brothers Bloom (Beatrix Aruna Pasztor)
An Education (Odile Dicks-Mireaux)
The Limits of Control (Bina Daigeler)
Star Trek (Michael Kaplan)

Best Makeup
Dead Snow
Inglourious Basterds
The Road

Best Score
Coraline (Bruno Coulais & They Might Be Giants)
Duplicity (James Newton Howard)
The Informant! (Marvin Hamlisch)
Inkheart (Javier Navarrete)
Up (Michael Giacchino)

Best Sound Mixing
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Public Enemies
Up

Best Sound Editing
Avatar
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
Moon
Where the Wild Things Are

Categories:
Edge of Darkness
B-FEST 2010
  • Subscribe

  • Connect With Us

    To see the Instagram feed you need to add your own API Token to the Instagram Options page of our plugin.
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Monday, April 12th, 2021 at 1:52pm
    On this week's TAKE 2 episode @itsrainingbrens double-clicks on @RobJarosinski's thoughts of the 2008 vamp-love story #Twilight!

    There's so much to cringe at: obsessions with the male physique, failings at high school dating & so much more.

    🎧Tune in ▶ https://t.co/8YooZHThlR https://t.co/wmm0f1CVs1
    View on Twitter
    0
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Tuesday, April 6th, 2021 at 1:12pm
    New episode! 🗣

    If you've listened to AE for awhile, you know we love keeping it competitive. So, our TOP 5 RIVALRIES episode is primed for some good jabs.

    In WM: #GodzillavKong #WeWorkDoc & Assassin 33 A.D.
    Giveaway winner: @farwell3d 🥳

    🎧Tune in ▶️ https://t.co/VyyGycEDss https://t.co/LQXghlX35A
    View on Twitter
    0
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 at 7:22pm
    Movie #Giveaway!🥳

    What Is Your Favorite Movie Rivalry?

    With #GodzillaVsKong coming this weekend, we're looking at the best rivals in film - antagonism, fighting & lifelong grudges... we look at them all!

    Share your picks in the comments for a chance at Amazon movie rental! https://t.co/Xlt0Gfe5d4
    View on Twitter
    0
    0
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Friday, March 26th, 2021 at 8:27pm
    🌟MOVIE CLUB TRIVIA TONIGHT at 8pm cst! 🌟

    Take on @timbrayton, @RobJarosinski & the casual moviegoer to see how your movie knowledge stacks up!

    Not a member of the AE Movie Club? Just use our Patreon site to sign-up and access the link to join!
    🎟 https://t.co/HgRweqQFln https://t.co/W8etPJCiaU
    View on Twitter
    0
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 at 6:30pm
    . @timbrayton and his most recent affair...great stuff, check it out! https://t.co/nvfj00ePrI
    View on Twitter
    1
    1
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate Ending @AlternateEndng
    Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021 at 2:20pm
    As wearisomely heavy as all this probably ought to be, it's all breathtakingly watchable.
    📝 @timbrayton

    #ZackSnyderJusticeLeague #ZackSnyder

    https://t.co/gmKM9JyEmY
    View on Twitter
    1
    3

    Alternate Ending

    Alternate Ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid. What makes Alternate Ending different from other film sites and podcasts? Well, we’re not 5 dudes in a room talking about our passion for Fight Club and Braveheart. We’re two dudes, and a lady, of which our tastes are quite varied. Rob, the film-school dropout, has seen an absurd amount of movies, and if we’re being honest, rounds out our Fight Club fan-base. Tim Brayton, our seasoned film critic, shares a more critical view of film, an appreciation for vintage cinema and perhaps limited-release movies that we might otherwise miss. Carrie, our casual movie-goer, reminds us all that cinema is in fact supposed to be fun and entertaining and that sometimes, just sometimes, happy endings are good. Too many film sites cater to the same kind of audience, with one overwhelming voice in the writing, but what we treasure at Alternate Ending is diversity: diversity of opinion, diversity in belief about what film should do and how it should do it. We want to celebrate our different opinions, and celebrate yours as well. This isn't a site for people who just want to talk about the latest hot new movies in theaters right this minute. This is a place for people who can't get to the theater until the third week a film is out; a place for people who just want to find something great to stream online after the kids have gone to sleep, a place for people whose favorite pastime is to grab a bunch of classic films on DVD from the library and watch them all weekend. It's a place that believes that every great movie is a wonderful new treasure, whether you see it the night of its premiere or fifty years later. It's a site about discovering good movies... one bad movie at a time. Join us for our weekly review of movies worth seeing, worth avoiding and our Top 5 lists – and don’t forget to play along at www.alternateending.com.
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingMonday, April 12th, 2021 at 4:49pm
    We're so glad you've been loving our newish episode series TAKE 2! This week you're in for a real treat, as Brennan double-clicks on Rob's thoughts of the 2008 vamp-love story Twilight!

    There's so much to cringe at: Rob's obsession with the male physique, his failings at high school dating and so much more.

    🎧Tune in! ▶ apple.co/3dbaCZR
       View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingTuesday, April 6th, 2021 at 4:04pm
    New episode! 🗣

    If you've listened to Alternate Ending for awhile, you know we're all hell bent on making film-loving competitive. So, this episode as we sit down to talk about our TOP 5 RIVALRIES, its primed for some good old jabs.

    In worth mentioning we review Godzilla: King of the Monsters, WeWork documentary and Assassin 33 A.D.

    This week's giveaway winner: Brian Fowler 🥳

    🎧Tune in ▶️ apple.co/3wxGuj2
    2    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingWednesday, March 31st, 2021 at 10:17pm
    Movie giveaway! 🥳

    What Is Your Favorite Movie Rivalry?

    With #GodzillaVsKong coming this weekend (for the second time!), we’ve turned our attention to some of the best versus-es in cinema history - antagonism, fighting and lifelong grudges we look at them all!

    While we prepare for a clash for the ages, we invite all of you to share your own picks for the best rivalries for a chance to win a free Amazon movie rental!
    1 1    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingFriday, March 26th, 2021 at 11:23pm
    🌟MOVIE CLUB TRIVIA TONIGHT at 8pm cst! 🌟

    Take on the film critic, the film school drop out and the casual moviegoer to see how your movie knowledge stacks up!

    Not a member of the AE Movie Club? It's easy to join, just use our Patreon site to sign-up and access the link to join the virtual trivia night!
    🎟 patreon.com/alternateending
    1 2    View on Facebook
    Alternate Ending
    Alternate EndingTuesday, March 23rd, 2021 at 5:21pm
    As wearisomely heavy as all this probably ought to be, it's all breathtakingly watchable.
    📝 @timbrayton

    #ZackSnyderJusticeLeague
    Alternate Ending
    Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) - Movie Review
    Indulgent as it can be, but it's also a terrific love letter to over-the-top superheroics. Read our review of Zack Snyder's Justice League!
    alternateending.com
    8    View on Facebook
  • Support The Show

    Rent the Looks, Own the Style - The Mr. & Ms. Collection

    Rent the Looks, Own the Style - The Mr. & Ms. Collection

  • Copyright © 2021 Alternate Ending - Discovering good movies, one bad movie at a time.
    WordPress Development by Gibson Web Development
    This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.