Like many pop culture consumers this week, President Barack Obama took stock of the films he’d seen this past year and released a list of his favorites; the list of 15 films included the top-grossing movie of the year: Black Panther.
Marvel’s comic book adaptation is no stranger to year-end best of lists. It was also named as one of the best films of the year by the American Film Institute and is even garnering serious awards buzz - most recently earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama in the motion picture category and 12 nominations from the Critic’s Choice Awards, which is no small feat for a superhero flick.
President Obama took to Instagram today to share his eclectic list of favorite 2018 films - listed alphabetically rather than ranked. Besides big-budget spectacles like Black Panther and Annihilation, he also listed a good mix of awards season favorites like BlackkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk and Roma. He also included some smaller, indie favorites like Eighth Grade, Leave No Trace, Support the Girls and The Rider; a few foreign language films, Burning and Shoplifters; and two documentaries, Won’t You Be Me Neighbor? and Minding the Gap.
This is the first year that the former president has listed his favorite films, but he has made a habit of sharing his favorite books and music in years past. This year, that list included music from The Carters, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monáe, Prince and Chance the Rapper. His most extensive list by far, however, was the list of his favorite books. His list wasn’t limited to books that came out in 2018, just his favorites that he read this year, however the book topping his list just came out in November - Becoming by Michelle Obama, which he called “obviously my favorite.”
Obama’s inclusion of Black Panther in his end of the year ruminations comes as no surprise, largely because Black Panther is an incredible film and one that will likely be remembered as a turning point in cinema history. While many critics have taken the same route as President Obama and named the film to their own year-end lists, there have been many steps taken to honor the film in more prestigious ways. Besides the aforementioned nominations and lists, Black Panther was also named one of the best of the year by the National Board of Review and is largely considered to be the catalyst for the short-lived, ill-advised Popular Film category at the Oscars. Even without its own special category, there is compelling reasons to believe Black Panther could break into the Best Picture race thanks to a strong campaign push from Marvel and significant critical, and now presidential, support.
More: Best Superhero Movie Moments of 2018
Source: Barack Obama
