Year-End Lists

The New York Times Book Review: 10 Best Books of 2016

[see also The 10 Best Books of 2023 • 100 Notable Books of 2023 • The 10 Best Books of 2022 • 100 Notable Books of 2022 • The 10 Best Books of 2021 • 100 Notable Books of 2021 • The 10 Best Books of 2020 • 100 Notable Books of 2020 • 100 Notable Books of 2019 • The 10 Best Books of 2019 • 10 Best Books of 2018 • 100 Notable Books of 2018 • 100 Notable Books of 2017 • 10 Best Books of 2017 • 10 Best Books of 2015 • The 10 Best Books of 2014 • The 10 Best Books of 2013 • 100 Notable Books of 2012 • 10 Best Books of 2012 • 100 Notable Books of 2011 • Ten Best Books of 2011]

Fiction

• The Association of Small Bombs
  Karan Mahajan
• The North Water
  Ian McGuire
• The Underground Railroad
  Colson Whitehead
• The Vegetarian
  Han Kang. Translated by Deborah Smith
• War and Turpentine
  Stefan Hertmans. Translated by David McKay

Nonfiction

• At the Existentialist Café

  Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
  Sarah Bakewell
• Dark Money

  The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
  Jane Mayer
• Evicted

  Poverty and Profit in the American City
  Matthew Desmond
• In the Darkroom
  Susan Faludi
• The Return

  Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between
  Hisham Matar

Alison Herman: 10 Best TV Shows of 2016, as published by The Ringer

[see also 2023 • 2017]

• Atlanta
• The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• BoJack Horseman
• Transparent
• High Maintenance
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
• Halt and Catch Fire
• The Girlfriend Experience
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Ann Powers: 10 Favorite Albums of 2016, as posted by NPR

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2011]

• Beyond the Bloodhounds
  Adia Victoria
• My Piece Of Land
  Amanda Shires
• Atrocity Exhibition
  Danny Brown
• HEAVN
  Jamila Woods
• Skeleton Tree
  Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
• Upland Stories
  Robbie Fulks
• blackSUMMERS’night
  Maxwell
• Goodnight City
  Martha Wainwright
• Robert Ellis
  Robert Ellis
• This Is Where I Live
  William Bell

A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2016, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
4. Green Room
   Jeremy Saulnier
5. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
6. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
7. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
8. Louder Than Bombs
   Joachim Trier
9. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
10. Don’t Breathe
    Fede Alvarez
11. Krisha
    Trey Edward Shults
12. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
13. Weiner
    Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
14. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
15. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2016

Mike D’Angelo: The Best Films of 2016, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Right Now, Wrong Then
   Hong Sang-soo
3. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
4. Tower
   Keith Maitland
5. The Witch
   Robert Eggers
6. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
7. Author: The JT LeRoy Story
   Jeff Feuerzeig
8. Indignation
   James Schamus
9. London Road
   Rufus Norris
10. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
11. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
12. Divines
    Houda Benyamina
13. A Monster with a Thousand Heads
    Rodrigo Plá
14. Weiner
    Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
15. Arrival
    Denis Villeneuve

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2016

The A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2016

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Green Room
   Jeremy Saulnier
4. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
5. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
6. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
7. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
8. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
9. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
10. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
11. Elle
    Paul Verhoeven
12. American Honey
    Andrea Arnold
13. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
14. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
15. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
16. The Witch
    Robert Eggers
17. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
18. Midnight Special
    Jeff Nichols
19. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín
20. Louder Than Bombs
    Joachim Trier

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• A.V. Club: A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2016
• A.V. Club: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky: The Best Films of 2016
• A.V. Club: Jesse Hassenger: The Best Films of 2016
• A.V. Club: Katie Rife: The Best Films of 2016
• A.V. Club: Mike D’Angelo: The Best Films of 2016
• A.V. Club: Noel Murray: The Best Films of 2016

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky: The Best Films of 2016, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
2. The Lobster
   Yorgos Lanthimos
3. Midnight Special
   Jeff Nichols
4. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
5. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
6. Sully
   Clint Eastwood
7. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
8. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
9. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
10. Three
    Johnnie To
11. Kill Zone 2
    Soi Cheang
12. High-Rise
    Ben Wheatley
13. Paterson
    Jim Jarmusch
14. Louder Than Bombs
    Joachim Trier
15. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2016

No Depression: Favorite Albums of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

• Little Seeds
  Shovels and Rope
• Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad
  Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
• Stranger to Stranger
  Paul Simon
• The Bird & the Rifle
  Lori McKenna
• The Very Last Day
  Parker Millsap
• In the Magic Hour
  Aoife O'Donovan
• Emotions and Math
  Margaret Glaspy
• When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired
  Mothers
• Real
  Lydia Loveless
• Heart Like a Levee
  Hiss Golden Messenger
• Dori Freeman
  Dori Freeman
• Young in All the Wrong Ways
  Sara Watkins
• American Band
  Drive-By Truckers
• You're Dreaming
  The Cactus Blossoms
• For Better, or Worse
  John Prine
• Made in Brooklyn
  John McEuen
• This Is Where I Live
  William Bell
• Big Day in a Small Town
  Brandy Clark
• Ain't Who I Was
  Bonnie Bishop
• Honey for the Biscuit
  Tasha Taylor
• Undercurrent
  Sarah Jarosz
• Weighted Mind
  Sierra Hull

Other albums we loved

• Blindfaller
  Mandolin Orange
• Beyond the Rain
  Quiles & Cloud
• The Country Blues
  Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
• Nine Pin
  Kaia Kater
• Introducing Karl Blau
  Karl Blau
• Upland Stories
  Robbie Fulks
• Lovers And Leavers
  Hayes Carll

IndieWire Poll: Top 50 Films of 2016 (as voted by 200 critics)

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
4. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
5. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
6. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
7. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
8. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
9. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
10. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín
11. Elle
    Paul Verhoeven
12. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt
13. Cameraperson
    Kirsten Johnson
14. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
15. Cemetery of Splendor
    Apichatpong Weerasethakul
16. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
17. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
18. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
19. American Honey
    Andrea Arnold
19. The Witch
    Robert Eggers
21. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
22. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
23. Green Room
    Jeremy Saulnier
23. No Home Movie
    Chantal Akerman
25. Sing Street
    John Carney
26. 20th Century Women
    Mike Mills
27. Things to Come
    Mia Hansen-Løve
28. Loving
    Jeff Nichols
29. Nocturnal Animals
    Tom Ford
30. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
31. I Am Not Your Negro
    Raoul Peck
32. A Bigger Splash
    Luca Guadagnino
32. Knight of Cups
    Terrence Malick
34. Kubo and the Two Strings
    Travis Knight
35. Happy Hour
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
36. Krisha
    Trey Edward Shults
37. Chevalier
    Athina Rachel Tsangari
37. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
37. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
    Taika Waititi
40. Swiss Army Man
    Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
41. I, Daniel Blake
    Ken Loach
42. 13th
    Ava DuVernay
43. Sunset Song
    Terence Davies
43. Weiner
    Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
45. Fire at Sea
    Gianfranco Rosi
46. Embrace of the Serpent
    Ciro Guerra
47. Neruda
    Pablo Larraín
48. Captain Fantastic
    Matt Ross
49. The Neon Demon
    Nicolas Winding Refn
50. Christine
    Antonio Campos

Nick Schager: The 25 Best Movies of 2016, as published by Esquire

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
2. The Lobster
   Yorgos Lanthimos
3. Green Room
   Jeremy Saulnier
4. Gleason
   Clay Tweel
5. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
6. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
7. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
8. The Fits
   Anna Rose Holmer
9. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
10. Moonlight
    Barry Jenkins
11. Mountains May Depart
    Jia Zhang-ke
12. Paterson
    Jim Jarmusch
13. Manchester by the Sea
    Kenneth Lonergan
14. Embrace of the Serpent
    Ciro Guerra
15. Chevalier
    Athina Rachel Tsangari
16. The Nice Guys
    Shane Black
17. Hush
    Mike Flanagan
18. The Invitation
    Karyn Kusama
19. Louder Than Bombs
    Joachim Trier
20. The Handmaiden
    Park Chan-wook
21. Don’t Breathe
    Fede Alvarez
22. Kaili Blues
    Bi Gan
23. Ouija: Origin of Evil
    Mike Flanagan
24. Kill Zone 2
    Soi Cheang
25. Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids
    Jonathan Demme