Cinema Scope: Top Ten Films of 2016

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

1. Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade
2. Sieranevada — Cristi Puiu
3. Nocturama — Bertrand Bonello
4. Elle — Paul Verhoeven
5. The Death of Louis XIV — Albert Serra
6. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
7. The Dreamed Path — Angela Schanelec
8. The Human Surge — Eduardo Williams
9. Aquarius — Kleber Mendonça Filho
10. Silence — Martin Scorsese

Special mentions

• All the Cities of the North — Dane Komljen
• Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
• Hermia & Helena — Matías Piñeiro
• Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
• The Ornithologist — João Pedro Rodrigues

Peter Labuza: 15 Favorite Films of 2016 (as posted to Letterboxd and discussed on The Cinephiliacs)

[see also 2017]

1. Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
2. O.J.: Made in America — Ezra Edelman
3. Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade
4. Mountains May Depart — Jia Zhang-ke
5. Creepy — Kiyoshi Kurosawa
6. Kill Zone 2 — Soi Cheang
7. Love & Friendship — Whit Stillman
8. Sixty Six — Lewis Klahr
9. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
10. Allied — Robert Zemeckis
11. Sully — Clint Eastwood
12. Hell or High Water — David Mackenzie
13. Sunset Song — Terence Davies
14. 20th Century Women — Mike Mills
15. On Football — Sergio Oksman

Keith Uhlich: 15 Favorite Films of 2016 (as published at his site and discussed on The Cinephiliacs)

[see also 2019, 2018, 2017, 2012, 2011]

1. Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids — Jonathan Demme
2. A Quiet Passion — Terence Davies
3. Knight of Cups — Terrence Malick
3. The Neon Demon — Nicolas Winding Refn
4. The Lost City of Z — James Gray
5. Ten Mornings, Ten Evenings and One Horizon — Tomonari Nishikawa
6. The Girlfriend Experience
7. The BFG — Steven Spielberg
7. Silence — Martin Scorsese
8. 31 — Rob Zombie
8. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
9. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
9. Things to Come — Mia Hansen-Løve
10. Nocturama — Bertrand Bonello
10. The X-Files: Episode “Babylon” — Chris Carter

Nictate: Top 11 Films of 2016, as posted to Letterboxd

[see also 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015]

1. Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
2. The Lobster — Yorgos Lanthimos
3. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
4. Things to Come — Mia Hansen-Løve
5. Knight of Cups — Terrence Malick
6. A Bigger Splash — Luca Guadagnino
7. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
8. Café Society — Woody Allen
9. Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan
10. The Handmaiden — Park Chan-wook
11. Elle — Paul Verhoeven

Brian Darr: Top Ten Feature Films of 2016, as submitted to the Senses of Cinema World Poll. See also his list of undistributed and first-screened-in-San Francisco films and a list of 19 short films.

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

1. Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
2. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
3. No Home Movie — Chantal Akerman
4. The Shallows — Jaume Collet-Serra
5. The Salesman — Asghar Farhadi
6. The Love Witch — Anna Biller
7. Things to Come — Mia Hansen-Løve
8. Elle — Paul Verhoeven
9. Silence — Martin Scorsese
10. Nuts! — Penny Lane

Reverse Shot: 12 Best Movies of 2016

[see also 2010s, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2012, 2011]

1. No Home Movie — Chantal Akerman
2. Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade
3. Cemetery of Splendor — Apichatpong Weerasethakul
4. Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
5. Aquarius — Kleber Mendonça Filho
6. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
7. Right Now, Wrong Then — Hong Sang-soo
7. Sunset Song — Terence Davies
8. Silence — Martin Scorsese
9. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
9. Knight of Cups — Terrence Malick
10. The Illinois Parables — Deborah Stratman

Miriam Bale: Top 14 Films of 2016, as submitted to Village Voice Film Poll and posted to Twitter (14 films in total)

[see also 2010s, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012]

1. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
2. The Love Witch — Anna Biller
3. Lemonade — Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
4. Love & Friendship — Whit Stillman
5. No Home Movie — Chantal Akerman
6. Elle — Paul Verhoeven
7. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
8. Cemetery of Splendor — Apichatpong Weerasethakul
9. Cameraperson — Kirsten Johnson
10. Dirty Grandpa — Dan Mazer

As listed on Twitter

• Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
• Sully — Clint Eastwood
• The Love Witch — Anna Biller
• Lemonade — Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
• Personal Shopper — Olivier Assayas
• Love & Friendship — Whit Stillman
• Elle — Paul Verhoeven
• The Dreamed Path — Angela Schanelec
• No Home Movie — Chantal Akerman
• The Dreamed Ones — Ruth Beckermann

Ben Kenigsberg: 10 Best Films of 2016, as submitted to The Village Voice Film poll, Indiewire poll, and the survey at RogerEbert.com

[see also 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

1. Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan
2. Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade
3. O.J.: Made in America — Ezra Edelman
4. Silence — Martin Scorsese
5. Elle — Paul Verhoeven
6. Hell or High Water — David Mackenzie
7. Everybody Wants Some!! — Richard Linklater
8. Kate Plays Christine — Robert Greene
9. The Other Side — Roberto Minervini
10. Hogtown — Daniel Nearing

Uproxx: 20 Best Films of 2016

[see also 2020, 2018, 2017]

1. La La Land — Damien Chazelle
2. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
3. Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan
4. Everybody Wants Some!! — Richard Linklater
5. Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade
6. 20th Century Women — Mike Mills
7. Jackie — Pablo Larraín
8. O.J.: Made in America — Ezra Edelman
9. Zootopia — Byron Howard and Rich Moore
10. Paterson — Jim Jarmusch
11. Don’t Think Twice — Mike Birbiglia
12. Arrival — Denis Villeneuve
13. Sing Street — John Carney
14. American Honey — Andrea Arnold
15. Hunt for the Wilderpeople — Taika Waititi
16. Weiner — Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
17. Silence — Martin Scorsese
18. Hidden Figures — Theodore Melfi
19. Little Men — Ira Sachs
20. Rogue One — Gareth Edwards

Noel Murray: 15 Best Films of 2016, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2019, 2018, 2017, 2014, 2012, 2011]

1. Manchester by the Sea — Kenneth Lonergan
2. The Handmaiden — Park Chan-wook
3. La La Land — Damien Chazelle
4. Moonlight — Barry Jenkins
5. Green Room — Jeremy Saulnier
6. Jackie — Pablo Larraín
7. The Eyes of My Mother — Nicolas Pesce
8. Paterson — Jim Jarmusch
9. The Fits — Anna Rose Holmer
10. Hell or High Water — David Mackenzie
11. I Am Not Your Negro — Raoul Peck
12. Under the Shadow — Babak Anvari
13. Arrival — Denis Villeneuve
14. Certain Women — Kelly Reichardt
15. Elle — Paul Verhoeven