Year-End Lists

Cahiers du Cinéma: Top Ten Films of 2016

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
3. The Neon Demon
   Nicolas Winding Refn
4. Aquarius
   Kleber Mendonça Filho
5. Slack Bay
   Bruno Dumont
6. Julieta
   Pedro Almodóvar
7. Staying Vertical
   Alain Guiraudie
8. Struggle for Life
   Antonin Peretjatko
9. Carol
   Todd Haynes
10. Le Bois dont les rêves sont faits
    Claire Simon

Darren Hughes: 10 Favorite Films of 2016 (as posted on Twitter along with a list of films yet to be released in America)

[see also 2021 • 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012]

1. My Golden Days
   Arnaud Desplechin
2. Aquarius
   Kleber Mendonça Filho
3. No Home Movie
   Chantal Akerman
4. Cemetery of Splendor
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. In the Shadow of Women
   Philippe Garrel
6. Mountains May Depart
   Jia Zhang-ke
7. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
8. The Fits
   Anna Rose Holmer
9. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
10. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt

Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2016 (as published by The Village Voice, comprised of votes from 124 critics)

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
4. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
5. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
6. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
7. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
10. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt
11. Cemetery of Splendor
    Apichatpong Weerasethakul
12. No Home Movie
    Chantal Akerman
13. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
14. Arrival
    Denis Villeneuve
15. Hell or High Water
    David Mackenzie
16. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
17. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín
18. American Honey
    Andrea Arnold
19. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
20. Things to Come
    Mia Hansen-Løve
21. I Am Not Your Negro
    Raoul Peck
22. Happy Hour
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
23. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
24. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
25. 13th
    Ava DuVernay
26. 20th Century Women
    Mike Mills
27. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
28. The Love Witch
    Anna Biller
29. Green Room
    Jeremy Saulnier
30. Fire at Sea
    Gianfranco Rosi
31. Loving
    Jeff Nichols
32. The Neon Demon
    Nicolas Winding Refn
33. The Witch
    Robert Eggers
34. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
35. Sing Street
    John Carney
36. Tower
    Keith Maitland
37. Fences
    Denzel Washington
38. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
39. Knight of Cups
    Terrence Malick
40. Weiner
    Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
41. Sunset Song
    Terence Davies
42. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
    Taika Waititi
42. The Edge of Seventeen
    Kelly Fremon Craig
44. Sully
    Clint Eastwood
45. The Other Side
    Roberto Minervini
46. I, Daniel Blake
    Ken Loach
47. My Golden Days
    Arnaud Desplechin
48. Embrace of the Serpent
    Ciro Guerra
48. The Nice Guys
    Shane Black
50. Julieta
    Pedro Almodóvar

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Miriam Bale: Top 14 Films of 2016
• Village Voice Film Poll: Scott Tobias: Top 10 Films of 2016

Bilge Ebiri: 20 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The Village Voice

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

1. The Fits
   Anna Rose Holmer
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
4. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
5. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
6. Fire at Sea
   Gianfranco Rosi
7. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
8. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
9. Tower
   Keith Maitland
10. Hell or High Water
    David Mackenzie
11. Little Men
    Ira Sachs
12. Knight of Cups
    Terrence Malick
13. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
14. I Am Not Your Negro
    Raoul Peck
15. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
16. The Jungle Book
    Jon Favreau
17. Julieta
    Pedro Almodóvar
18. La La Land
    Damien Chazelle
19. Toni Erdmann
    Maren Ade
20. Kubo and the Two Strings
    Travis Knight

Maureen Corrigan: 10 Best Books of 2016 (as aired on NPR’s Fresh Air)

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

1. The Underground Railroad
   Colson Whitehead
2. Homegoing
   Yaa Gyasi
3. Underground Airlines
   Ben H. Winters
4. Here I Am
   Jonathan Safran Foer
5. The Wonder
   Emma Donoghue
6. The Lonely City

   Adventures in the Art of Being Alone
   Olivia Laing
7. Eleanor Roosevelt

   The War Years And After, 1939-1962
   Blanche Wiesen Cook
8. Eyes On The Street

   The Life Of Jane Jacobs
   Robert Kanigel
9. Born To Run
   Bruce Springsteen
10. When Breath Becomes Air
    Paul Kalanithi

Hank Stuever: 20 Best TV Shows of 2016, as published by The Washington Post

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. O.J.: Made in America
2. Veep
3. The Americans
4. Transparent
5. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
6. Atlanta
7. Quarry
8. The Night Of
9. The Crown
10. Billions

What almost made the list

• American Crime
• Better Things
• Fleabag
• Game of Thrones
• Good Girls Revolt
• Insecure
• Silicon Valley
• Stranger Things
• This Is Us
• Underground

Dennis Cooper: 15 Favorite Films of 2016

[see also 2019 • 2017 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

• Cameraperson
  Kirsten Johnson
• No Home Movie
  Chantal Akerman
• The Death of Louis XIV
  Albert Serra
• Nocturama
  Bertrand Bonello
• Malgré la nuit
  Philippe Grandrieux
• Knight of Cups
  Terrence Malick
• The Forbidden Room
  Guy Maddin
• Brothers of the Night
  Patric Chiha
• Les malheurs de Sophie
  Christophe Honoré
• Ashes
  Steve McQueen
• Cemetery of Splendor
  Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Kuo’s Eyes
  Benedetta De Alessi
• Measuring Change
  James Benning
• Three
  Johnnie To
• Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey
  Terrence Malick

Q Magazine: Top 50 Albums Of 2016

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Blackstar
   David Bowie
2. You Want It Darker
   Leonard Cohen
3. The Hope Six Demolition Project
   PJ Harvey
4. We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
   A Tribe Called Quest
5. Skeleton Tree
   Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
6. A Moon Shaped Pool
   Radiohead
7. Mangy Love
   Cass McCombs
8. My Woman
   Angel Olsen
9. I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
   The 1975
10. Chaleur Humaine
    Christine and the Queens
11. Konnichiwa
    Skepta
12. Requiem
    Goat
13. Lemonade
    Beyoncé
14. Love & Hate
    Michael Kiwanuka
15. Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul
    Dexys
16. Crab Day
    Cate Le Bon
17. Blond
    Frank Ocean
18. Wildflower
    The Avalanches
19. Human Performance
    Parquet Courts
20. Hopelessness
    ANOHNI
21. Post Pop Depression
    Iggy Pop
22. Meet the Humans
    Steve Mason
23. Super
    Pet Shop Boys
24. Don’t Let the Kids Win
    Julia Jacklin
25. Boy King
    Wild Beasts
26. Do Hollywood
    The Lemon Twigs
27. Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
    Underworld
28. Varmints
    Anna Meredith
29. I, Gemini
    Let’s Eat Grandma
30. Trick
    Jamie T
31. Let Them Eat Chaos
    Kate Tempest
32. The Bride
    Bat for Lashes
33. Untitled Unmastered
    Kendrick Lamar
34. Joanne
    Lady Gaga
35. Adore Life
    Savages
36. Ellipsis
    Biffy Clyro
37. The Ship
    Brian Eno
38. Songs for Our Mothers
    The Fat White Family
39. A Weird Exits
    Thee Oh Sees
40. Wild World
    Bastille
41. Singing Saw
    Kevin Morby
42. A Seat at the Table
    Solange
43. Distance Inbetween
    The Coral
44. Everything You’ve Come To Expect
    The Last Shadow Puppets
45. The Life of Pablo
    Kanye West
46. Hamburg Demonstrations
    Peter Doherty
47. Blossoms
    Blossoms
48. Views
    Drake
49. These People
    Richard Ashcroft
50. Chaosmosis
    Primal Scream

Joshua Rothkopf: Best Movies of 2016, as published by Time Out New York

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
2. Silence
   Martin Scorsese
3. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
4. Everybody Wants Some!!
   Richard Linklater
5. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
6. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
7. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
8. De Palma
   Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow
9. A Bigger Splash
   Luca Guadagnino
10. The Eyes of My Mother
    Nicolas Pesce
11. The Nice Guys
    Shane Black
12. O.J.: Made in America
    Ezra Edelman
13. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
14. I Am Not Your Negro
    Raoul Peck
15. The Love Witch
    Anna Biller
16. I, Daniel Blake
    Ken Loach
17. Wiener-Dog
    Todd Solondz
18. Hardcore Henry
    Ilya Naishuller
19. Kate Plays Christine
    Robert Greene
20. The Witch
    Robert Eggers

Jane Ciabattari: The 10 Best Books of 2016 as published by BBC Culture

[see also 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. Innocents and Others
   Dana Spiotta
2. The Sport of Kings
   C.E. Morgan
3. Commonwealth
   Ann Patchett
4. Imagine Me Gone
   Adam Haslett
5. Known and Strange Things

   Essays
   Teju Cole
6. Underground Airlines
   Ben H. Winters
7. The Unseen World
   Liz Moore
8. Shirley Jackson

   A Rather Haunted Life
   Ruth Franklin
9. At the Existentialist Café

   Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
   Sarah Bakewell
10. Homegoing
    Yaa Gyasi