The music and film worlds have a long history of overlapping with musicians taking roles in front of camera, and actors fronting their own bands. So thus, it’s not so surprising that some of the medium’s biggest fans are indeed, musicians. Obsessively and minutely digging into the details of a film requires just as much grit as memorizing songwriter names and producing credits on your favorite albums. So with that in mind, Canadian identical twin-sister indie rock duo Tegan & Sara have kindly each emailed their individual lists of their top 10 films of the year. The talented duo’s latest effort, Sainthood was shortlisted for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize and we recommend giving it a spin.
You can check out each of their lists below as they offer up a great mix of critical favorites and films that were just enjoyed with great company and made for a great time at the movies. In case you missed it, here’s director Louis Leterrier‘s list of faves, and stay tuned for lists from some more notable folks in the next little while.
Sara Quin
“Winter’s Bone“
absolutely stunned by this incredible film. saw it twice in the theater, truly gripping and captivating.
“I Am Love”
loved it. went through a strange obsessive tilda swinton google phase and returned to theater twice more. every corner is filled with a detail or moment that i adored.
“Fish Tank“
loved that so many great strong female roles were standouts in almost every film i put on my list this year!
“The Social Network“
i am not on facebook, and i resisted seeing this…but i was surprised at how much i enjoyed the story. the acting and pacing were both really impressive too. i really noticed the score for the first time in a movie in a long time. thought it was all done very well.
“Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work”
loved this so much. laughed, cried…told everyone i know to see it.
“The Ghost Writer“
a great story and i thought the cinematography was beautiful.
“A Prophet“
excellent acting and story.
“Please Give”
found this movie extremely touching. wish more people had gone to see it.
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse“
seriously. i never read the books, but these films are perfect for a night off in a country where no one speaks english, or over the holidays with your family, or on an airplane, or today: when its raining and you want to order something from your hotel tv. this is that movie. team jacob.
“Knight And Day”
this is EXACTLY the kind of movie that my step dad loves to see in the theater with an XL popcorn between us. and i enjoyed every second of it.
Tegan Quin
“I Am Love“
Sara suggested we see this one night. She had already seen it and so the fact that she wanted to see it a second time bode well for us all. tilda swinton is a lioness. it was beautiful and moving and flew by in a second.”
“Winters Bone“
Another sara pick. she’d already seen this one too. it was depressing as shit but beautifully shot, acted, written, directed. nice to see such a strong female lead.
“The Kids Are All Right“
i wanted to like this one more than i eventually did but I’ll take what i can get when it comes to gay content. thankfully this movie was much more about parenting and alternative families than being gay. it could have been because i saw it on a plane but there was no sex. seriously?
“Chloe”
We were in Denver and it was raining and i decided to go see this alone. im glad. i think it would have been weird to see this movie with anyone. liam neeson, amanda seyfriend (woah) and julianne moore are all PERFECT in this movie. i have always really enjoyed atom egoyan films and this didn’t disappoint in anyway. i thought it was equal parts haunting and beautiful. it stayed with me for weeks. i literally went home and googled amanda seyfriend a thousand times.
“Inception“
Anything that makes my brain lock up from confusion and wonderment is an A in my books.
“Exit Through the Gift Shop“
Totally had no idea what to expect when i went to see this. i laughed and oooh and ahhed in the theater. brilliant. fascinating.
“Please Give“
Catherine keener is perfect. anything she does is perfect therefore.
“Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work“
I started following joan rivers on twitter after I saw this movie. i laughed, i cried, i cringed, i googled post viewing. its fascinating even if you’ve never had any interest in joan rivers. there are some pretty fantastic moments in this movie. touching and reality at its best.
“The American“
Saw this the other day. they show movies months later than they are released in america in new zealand. it was beautiful. i like beautiful. i like George Clooney. a few times i felt distracted by him. i loved his love interest. she was distracting too. i wished he talked more. otherwise. i liked it.
So there you have it. A look at Tegan & Sara’s favorite films of the year. We thank them again for their cooperation, we had a blast reading through their comments. Stay tuned for more in our Top 2010 of the year lists. Wanna participate in our top 10s of the year? You know where to find us.