Did you really think we’d enter into a new year without hearing which 2019 movies former President of the United StatesBarack Obamaloved? In the latest installment of what’s quickly becoming a yearly tradition, Obama revealed the list of his favorite 2019 movies and it is packed with audience and awards season favorites, includingParasite,Marriage Story, andThe Irishman.
Obama’s tweet on his favorite 2019 movies came on the heels of a tweet earlier in the weekend revealing his favorite books of the year. Ever the Renaissance Man, Obama’s list of 2019 movies includes a diverse array of movies telling a diverse assortment of stories. As previously mentioned, the hottest picks areBong Joon-Ho’s Cannes-fêtedParasite,Noah Baumbach’s achingly beautifulMarriage Story, andMartin Scorsese’s elegiac and brusqueThe Irishman. But there are also plenty of fun and surprising picks on this list. Obama shows an equal amount of love for female directors on the list, includingGreta Gerwig’s deeply charmingLittle Women,Mati Diop’sAtlantics,Joanna Hogg’sThe Souvenir,Lulu Wang’sThe Farewell, andOlivia Wilde’sBooksmarton his roundup. There’s a great mix of international releases as well as domestic, spanning a good variety of genres. There are notably no big populist picks likeJokerorStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkereither, which isn’t necessarily a neg but is worth noting.
Never one to remain predictable, Obama also included a very brief list of 2019 TV shows he classifies as “A Quick List of TV Shows That I Considered As Powerful as Movies.” Those shows? Season 2 ofFleabag,Damon Lindelof’s incredible HBO seriesWatchmen, and the Golden Globe-nominated Netflix seriesUnbelievable.
Sadly, Obama did not provide lengthy and introspective commentary on each of this year’s picks. However, it’s good to see the former POTUS is staying on top of the biggest movies of the moment and keeping his pop culture diet as surprising as it is far-ranging. Even if he’s no longer in the Oval Office, it’s always good to hear from Obama and see what he’s loving these days.
If you’re curious to see what we pegged as the best TV shows of 2019 (there’s definitely overlap with Obama!), make sure you check out our round-upherebefore you go.
