Barack Obama picks his favorite movies of the year: 'The Holdovers,' 'Oppenheimer,' others

Guess he hasn't seen "All of Us Strangers."

On Wednesday, Former President Barack Obama shared a list of his favorite movies of 2023, with plenty of noteworthy films that didn't make the cut. Awards heavyweights "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Poor Things" were all missing from his roundup, as were critics' favorites "The Zone of Interest," "May December" and "The Color Purple."

"Earlier this year, writers and actors went on strike to advocate for better working conditions and protections," Obama captioned his post on social media. "It led to important changes that will transform the industry for the better. Here are some films that reflect their hard work over the last year."

Among his picks for this year's best were "The Holdovers," a Christmas dramedy starring Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph; "Oppenheimer," Christopher Nolan's box-office phenomenon about the making of the atomic bomb; and "Anatomy of a Fall," a gripping courtroom drama starring Sandra Hüller.

Sundance sensations "Past Lives," "Polite Society" and "A Thousand and One" all made the list, as did the Japanese-language "Monster" from director Hirokazu Kore-eda ("Shoplifters").

In addition to his top 10, Obama gave special shout-outs to three Netflix movies from his Higher Ground production company: "Rustin," "American Symphony" and "Leave the World Behind."

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The full list of Barack Obama's favorite movies of 2023:

• "The Holdovers"
• "BlackBerry"
• "Oppenheimer"
• "American Fiction"
• "Anatomy of a Fall"
• "Monster"
• "Past Lives"
• "Air"
• "Polite Society"
• "A Thousand and One"