Year-End Lists

Jim DeRogatis: 40 Favorite Albums of 2015, as published by WBEZ and aired on Sound Opinions

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
   Courtney Barnett
2. Hi Honey
   Low Cut Connie
3. To Pimp A Butterfly
   Kendrick Lamar
4. Feels Like
   Bully
5. The Most Lamentable Tragedy
   Titus Andronicus
6. A Raw Youth
   Le Butcherettes
7. Wire
   Wire
8. Stuff Like That There
   Yo La Tengo
9. Sprinter
   TORRES
10. Visions
    Grimes
11. Star Wars
    Wilco
12. Sound & Color
    Alabama Shakes
13. Ratchet
    Shamir
14. Ones and Sixes
    Low
15. Surf
    Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
16. The Agent Intellect
    Protomartyr
17. Dodge and Burn
    The Dead Weather
18. Rose Mountain
    Screaming Females
19. Snooty Garbagemen
    Snooty Garbagemen
20. Still
    Richard Thompson
21. Wildheart
    Miguel
22. Summertime ’06
    Vince Staples
23. Hawkdope
    Black Rainbows
24. Instrumentals 2015
    Flying Saucer Attack
25. Currents
    Tame Impala
26. Our Toast
    The Sandwitches
27. The Fun Rises, the Fun Sets
    Van Hunt
28. Hey, Killer
    Local H
29. Show Us Your Mind
    Summer Cannibals
30. Tetsuo & Youth
    Lupe Fiasco
31. Incidental Hum
    Glenn Mercer
32. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World
    The Decemberists
33. Silver Bullets
    The Chills
34. Imani, Vol. 1
    Blackalicious
35. Gates of Gold
    Los Lobos
36. Universal Road
    Robin Guthrie & Mark Gardener
37. Viet Cong
    Viet Cong
38. The Magic Whip
    Blur
39. Kindred
    Passion Pit
40. Slow Gum
    Fraser A. Gorman

Amy Nicholson: Top 10 Films of 2015, as published by LA Weekly

1. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
2. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
3. The Hateful Eight
   Quentin Tarantino
4. American Ultra
   Nima Nourizadeh
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
6. Room
   Lenny Abrahamson
7. Victoria
   Sebastian Schipper
8. Spy
   Paul Feig
9. The Second Mother
   Anna Muylaert
10. Tangerine
    Sean Baker

Kitty Empire: Top 10 Albums of 2015, as published by The Observer

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2012 • 2011]

• To Pimp A Butterfly
  Kendrick Lamar
• Divers
  Joanna Newsom
• Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
  Courtney Barnett
• Carrie & Lowell
  Sufjan Stevens
• Sound & Color
  Alabama Shakes
• I Love You, Honeybear
  Father John Misty
• Ones and Sixes
  Low
• From Kinshasa
  Mbongwana Star
• Natalie Prass
  Natalie Prass
• Currents
  Tame Impala

Mark Kermode: Top 10 Films of 2015, as published by The Observer

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014]

• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
  Ana Lily Amirpour
• Girlhood
  Céline Sciamma
• Carol
  Todd Haynes
• The Falling
  Carol Morley
• Song of the Sea
  Tomm Moore
• Brooklyn
  John Crowley
• Sunset Song
  Terence Davies
• The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson
  Julien Temple
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  Isao Takahata

Les Inrockuptibles: Top 20 Films of 2015

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Cemetery of Splendor
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
3. My Golden Days
   Arnaud Desplechin
4. It Follows
   David Robert Mitchell
5. Arabian Nights
   Miguel Gomes
6. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
7. Jauja
   Lisandro Alonso
8. Hill of Freedom
   Hong Sang-soo
9. The Smell of Us
   Larry Clark
10. Mia Madre
    Nanni Moretti
11. Zanj Revolution
    Tariq Teguia
12. Portrait of the Artist
    Antoine Barraud
13. Foxcatcher
    Bennett Miller
14. Mountains May Depart
    Jia Zhang-ke
15. The Visit
    M. Night Shyamalan
16. La Sapienza
    Eugène Green
17. In the Shadow of Women
    Philippe Garrel
18. Vincent
    Thomas Salvador
19. Fatima
    Philippe Faucon
20. Blackhat
    Michael Mann

Hors concours

• restoration of Out 1 by Jacques Rivette

Richard Brody: 30 Best Movies of 2015, as published by The New Yorker

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
2. Li’l Quinquin
   Bruno Dumont
3. Queen of Earth
   Alex Ross Perry
4. Heaven Knows What
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
5. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
   Jafar Panahi
6. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
7. In Jackson Heights
   Frederick Wiseman
8. Mistress America
   Noah Baumbach
9. Stinking Heaven
   Nathan Silver
10. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
11. Carol
    Todd Haynes
12. Trainwreck
    Judd Apatow
13. Digging for Fire
    Joe Swanberg
14. Wild Canaries
    Lawrence Michael Levine
15. Results
    Andrew Bujalski
16. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
17. The Princess of France
    Matías Piñeiro
18. Field Niggas
    Khalik Allah
19. Iris
    Albert Maysles
20. Irrational Man
    Woody Allen
21. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
    Spike Lee
22. Uncertain Terms
    Nathan Silver
23. Young Bodies Heal Quickly
    Andrew T. Betzer
24. By the Sea
    Angelina Jolie
25. While We’re Young
    Noah Baumbach
26. Entertainment
    Rick Alverson
27. Approaching the Elephant
    Amanda Wilder
28. In the Name of My Daughter
    André Téchiné
29. Buzzard
    Joel Potrykus
30. Fifty Shades of Grey
    Sam Taylor-Johnson

Flood Magazine: Best Music of 2015

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014]

1. To Pimp A Butterfly
   Kendrick Lamar
2. Currents
   Tame Impala
3. Fresh Blood
   Matthew E. White
4. B’lieve I’m Goin Down…
   Kurt Vile
5. Carrie & Lowell
   Sufjan Stevens
6. Star Wars
   Wilco
7. Have You In My Wilderness
   Julia Holter
8. Multi-Love
   Unknown Mortal Orchestra
9. Divers
   Joanna Newsom
10. La Di Da Di
    Battles
11. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
    Courtney Barnett
12. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
    Panda Bear
13. Fading Frontier
    Deerhunter
14. FFS
    FFS
15. Vulnicura
    Björk
16. I Aubade
    Elvis Perkins
17. Policy
    Will Butler
18. I Love You, Honeybear
    Father John Misty
19. Mutilator Defeated At Last
    Thee Oh Sees
20. All Odds End
    The Mantles
21. Hypnophobia
    Jacco Gardner
22. Fated
    Nosaj Thing
23. Viet Cong
    Viet Cong
24. Coming Home
    Leon Bridges
25. Big Grams
    Big Grams

Les Inrockuptibles: 100 Best Albums of 2015

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Goon
   Tobias Jesso Jr.
2. Currents
   Tame Impala
3. Carrie & Lowell
   Sufjan Stevens
4. To Pimp A Butterfly
   Kendrick Lamar
5. Born Under Saturn
   Django Django
6. Holding Hands with Jamie
   Girl Band
7. Big Sun
   Chassol
8. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
   Courtney Barnett
9. Architect
   C Duncan
10. Léviathan
    Flavien Berger
11. From Sleep
    Max Richter
12. Barter 6
    Young Thug
13. Algiers
    Algiers
14. In Colour
    Jamie xx
15. What Went Down
    Foals
16. Honeymoon
    Lana Del Rey
17. B’lieve I’m Goin Down…
    Kurt Vile
18. Be Sensational
    Jeanne Added
19. Ego Death
    The Internet
20. Ratchet
    Shamir
21. Ici le jour
    Feu! Chatterton
22. Dolziger Str. 2
    Odezenne
23. Have You In My Wilderness
    Julia Holter
24. Another One
    Mac DeMarco
25. Art Angels
    Grimes
26. Stuff Like That There
    Yo La Tengo
27. Ibeyi
    Ibeyi
28. From Kinshasa
    Mbongwana Star
29. Natalie Prass
    Natalie Prass
30. The Magic Whip
    Blur
31. I Love You, Honeybear
    Father John Misty
32. FFS
    FFS
33. Chemicals
    The Shoes
34. Ones and Sixes
    Low
35. My Dreams Dictate My Reality
    Soko
36. At Least For Now
    Benjamin Clementine
37. Ghost Culture
    Ghost Culture
38. Hollow Meadows
    Richard Hawley
39. J.C. Satàn
    J.C. Satàn
40. Le monde Chico
    PNL
41. Vulnicura
    Björk
42. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
    Panda Bear
43. Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful
    Flo Morrissey
44. Sound & Color
    Alabama Shakes
45. White Men Are Black Men Too
    Young Fathers
46. Cap Waller
    Bertrand Belin
47. Highspeeds
    Elliot Moss
48. Jerk At the End of the Line
    Only Real
49. Feu
    Nekfeu
50. Half Free
    U.S. Girls
51. Fading Frontier
    Deerhunter
52. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
    Drake
53. MCIII
    Mikal Cronin
54. Beauty Behind the Madness
    The Weeknd
55. Anthems For Doomed Youth
    The Libertines
56. The Names
    Baio
57. Sur le thème des grandes découvertes
    Salut C’est Cool
58. Depression Cherry
    Beach House
59. Every Open Eye
    Chvrches
60. Darling Arithmetic
    Villagers
61. No No No
    Beirut
62. Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do
    Sons of Kemet
63. Very Aomby
    Damily
64. Inji
    LA Priest
65. Remerle
    Aurélien Merle
66. Tempo & Magma
    Tiganá Santana
67. Platform
    Holly Herndon
68. Sprinter
    TORRES
69. Saltos
    Perez
70. Hypnophobia
    Jacco Gardner
71. Corpo Inferno
    Mansfield.TYA
72. Musique de Nuit
    Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal
73. Himalaya
    Summer Fiction
74. Are You Alone?
    Majical Cloudz
75. Shedding Skin
    Ghostpoet
76. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album
    Earl Sweatshirt
77. Chrissybaby Forever
    Christopher Owens
78. Bahdeni Nami
    Omar Souleyman
79. Caracal
    Disclosure
80. Bad News Boys
    The King Khan & BBQ Show
81. Shores
    We Are Match
82. Key Markets
    Sleaford Mods
83. Who Is The Sender?
    Bill Fay
84. Kablammo!
    Ash
85. Rodeo
    Travis Scott
86. A Dream Outside
    Gengahr
87. Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon
    The Wave Pictures
88. Lay Low
    Lou Doillon
89. Viet Cong
    Viet Cong
90. La vie électrique
    Aline
91. Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
    John Grant
92. Many Moons
    Martin Courtney
93. Simple Songs
    Jim O’Rourke
94. Bones
    Son Lux
95. Leaving Florida
    Rhum For Pauline
96. Multi-Love
    Unknown Mortal Orchestra
97. Strange Dreams
    Alex Calder
98. Friend
    Rozi Plain
99. D.U.C.
    Booba
100. Golem
     Wand

Slant Magazine: 50 Best Films of 2015

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. In Jackson Heights
   Frederick Wiseman
3. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
4. Horse Money
   Pedro Costa
5. Magic Mike XXL
   Gregory Jacobs
6. Hard to Be a God
   Aleksey German
7. Heart of a Dog
   Laurie Anderson
8. Blackhat
   Michael Mann
9. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
10. Chi-Raq
    Spike Lee
11. Li’l Quinquin
    Bruno Dumont
12. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
    Jafar Panahi
13. Queen of Earth
    Alex Ross Perry
14. The Look of Silence
    Joshua Oppenheimer
15. Heaven Knows What
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
16. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
17. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
18. Phoenix
    Christian Petzold
19. Carol
    Todd Haynes
20. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
21. Mistress America
    Noah Baumbach
22. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
23. Of Men and War
    Laurent Bécue-Renard
24. Eastern Boys
    Robin Campillo
25. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh

Just missed making it into the top 25

26. About Elly
    Asghar Farhadi
27. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
28. Salvation Army
    Abdellah Taïa
29. The Kindergarten Teacher
    Nadav Lapid
30. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
31. Anomalisa
    Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
32. Welcome to New York
    Abel Ferrara
33. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    Roy Andersson
34. Girlhood
    Céline Sciamma
35. Buzzard
    Joel Potrykus
36. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
37. The Pearl Button
    Patricio Guzmán
38. Of Horses and Men
    Benedikt Erlingsson
39. Madam Phung’s Last Journey
    Nguyễn Thị Thấm
40. We Come as Friends
    Hubert Sauper
41. Entertainment
    Rick Alverson
42. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
43. The Fool
    Yuri Bykov
44. Maps to the Stars
    David Cronenberg
45. La Última Película
    Raya Martin and Mark Peranson
46. Inside Out
    Pete Docter
47. Gangs of Wasseypur
    Anurag Kashyap
48. Office
    Johnnie To
49. Coming Home
    Zhang Yimou
50. The Princess of France
    Matías Piñeiro

Kenneth Turan: 14 Best Films of 2015, as published by The Los Angeles Times

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012]

1. Brooklyn
   John Crowley

The rest presented alphabetically

• Amy
  Asif Kapadia
• The Big Short
  Adam McKay
• Bridge of Spies
  Steven Spielberg
• Carol
  Todd Haynes
• 45 Years
  Andrew Haigh
• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• Mad Max: Fury Road
  George Miller
• The Martian
  Ridley Scott
• Room
  Lenny Abrahamson
• Son of Saul
  László Nemes
• Spotlight
  Tom McCarthy
• Steve Jobs
  Danny Boyle
• Testament of Youth
  James Kent