Year-End Lists

Jake Coyle: Top 10 Movies of 2015, as published by Associated Press

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

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. About Elly
   Asghar Farhadi
3. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
4. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
5. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
5. 99 Homes
   Ramin Bahrani
6. Stray Dogs
   Tsai Ming-liang
7. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
8. Creed
   Ryan Coogler
8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
   JJ Abrams
9. 45 Years
   Andrew Haigh
10. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
10. Testament of Youth
    James Kent

Honorable mentions

• Heart of a Dog
  Laurie Anderson
• Bridge of Spies
  Steven Spielberg
• ’71
  Yann Demange
• Mad Max: Fury Road
  George Miller
• Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
  David Zellner
• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  Alex Gibney
• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• It Follows
  David Robert Mitchell
• The Salt of the Earth
  Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Lindsey Bahr: Top 10 Movies of 2015, as published by Associated Press

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

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
3. Ex Machina
   Alex Garland
4. Tangerine
   Sean Baker
5. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
   David Zellner
6. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
7. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
   Marielle Heller
8. Carol
   Todd Haynes
9. The Big Short
   Adam McKay
10. Spy
    Paul Feig

Honorable Mentions

• The Hateful Eight
  Quentin Tarantino
• Steve Jobs
  Danny Boyle
• Spotlight
  Tom McCarthy
• The Mend
  John Magary
• Love & Mercy
  Bill Pohlad
• Sicario
  Denis Villeneuve
• I’ll See You in My Dreams
  Brett Haley
• 45 Years
  Andrew Haigh

Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2015, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
3. Beasts of No Nation
   Cary Joji Fukunaga
4. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
5. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
6. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
7. Victoria
   Sebastian Schipper
8. It Follows
   David Robert Mitchell
9. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
10. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

• Creed
  Ryan Coogler
• The Danish Girl
  Tom Hooper
• The Duke of Burgundy
  Peter Strickland
• Ex Machina
  Alex Garland
• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  Alex Gibney
• Phoenix
  Christian Petzold
• The Revenant
  Alejandro González Iñárritu
• Room
  Lenny Abrahamson
• Son of Saul
  László Nemes
• Tangerine
  Sean Baker

Miriam Bale: Top 10 Films of 2015, as submitted to Village Voice Film Poll

[see also 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
3. Heaven Knows What
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
4. Bitch Better Have My Money
   Rihanna and Megaforce
5. Arabian Nights
   Miguel Gomes
6. Heart of a Dog
   Laurie Anderson
7. Eden
   Mia Hansen-Løve
8. The Wonders
   Alice Rohrwacher
9. By the Sea
   Angelina Jolie
10. A Thousand Suns
    Mati Diop

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2015

The New York Times Book Review: 10 Best Books of 2015, as published by The New York Times

[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 2016 • 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 Door
  Magda Szabo
• A Manual for Cleaning Women

  Selected Stories
  Lucia Berlin
• Outline
  Rachel Cusk
• The Sellout
  Paul Beatty
• The Story of the Lost Child
  Elena Ferrante

Nonfiction

• Between the World and Me
  Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Empire of Cotton

  A Global History
  Sven Beckert
• H Is for Hawk
  Helen Macdonald
• The Invention of Nature

  Alexander von Humboldt’s New World
  Andrea Wulf
• One of Us

  The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway
  Asne Seierstad

Powell's Books: Best Nonfiction Books of 2015

[see also Best Nonfiction of 2023 • Best Fiction of 2023 • Best Nonfiction of 2022 • Best Fiction of 2022 • The 14 Best Nonfiction Books of 2021 • The 18 Best Novels of 2021 • Best Fiction of 2020 • Best Nonfiction of 2020 • Best Fiction of 2019 • Best Nonfiction of 2019 • Best Fiction of 2018 • Best Nonfiction of 2018 • Best Nonfiction of 2017 • Best Fiction of 2017 • Best Fiction of 2016 • Best Nonfiction of 2016 • Best Fiction Books of 2015 • Best Fiction of 2014 • Best Nonfiction of 2014]

• All the Things We Never Knew

  Chasing the Chaos of Mental Illness
  Sheila Hamilton
• Underground in Berlin

  A Young Woman's Extraordinary Tale of Survival in the Heart of Nazi Germany
  Marie Jalowicz Simon
• The Edge of the World

  A Cultural History of the North Sea and the Transformation of Europe
  Michael Pye
• Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl
  Carrie Brownstein
• Street Poison

  The Biography of Iceberg Slim
  Justin Gifford
• The Oregon Trail

  A New American Journey
  Rinker Buck
• Spinster

  Making a Life of One's Own
  Kate Bolick
• Dead Wake

  The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
  Erik Larson

Carl Wilson: Top 25 Albums of 2015, in alphabetical order by artist, published by Slate in their 2015 edition of The Music Club

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

• Africa Express Presents… Terry Riley’s In C Mali
  Africa Express & Andre de Ridder
• Mutant
  Arca
• AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP
  A$AP Rocky
• Vulnicura
  Björk
• Skullsplitter
  Eric Chenaux
• The Trackless Woods
  Iris DeMent
• Poison Season
  Destroyer
• Surf
  Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
• new alhambra
  elvis depressedly
• Pickpocket's Locket
  Frog Eyes
• Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
  Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Original Broadway Cast
• Apocalypse, Girl
  Jenny Hval
• E•MO•TION
  Carly Rae Jepsen
• The Other Side of Desire
  Rickie Lee Jones
• To Pimp A Butterfly
  Kendrick Lamar
• Escape From Evil
  Lower Dens
• Start Here
  Maddie & Tae
• Of
  Scott Merritt
• Divers
  Joanna Newsom
• Sleep
  Max Richter
• Power in the Blood
  Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Zamknęły się oczy ziemi
  Stara Rzeka
• Sprinter
  TORRES
• Ivy Tripp
  Waxahatchee
• White Men Are Black Men Too
  Young Fathers

Pitchfork: Top 50 Albums of 2015

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. To Pimp A Butterfly
   Kendrick Lamar
2. In Colour
   Jamie xx
3. Art Angels
   Grimes
4. Summertime ’06
   Vince Staples
5. Currents
   Tame Impala
6. Carrie & Lowell
   Sufjan Stevens
7. Black Messiah
   D’Angelo and The Vanguard
8. Wildheart
   Miguel
9. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
   Courtney Barnett
10. The Epic
    Kamasi Washington
11. Garden of Delete
    Oneohtrix Point Never
12. I Love You, Honeybear
    Father John Misty
13. Divers
    Joanna Newsom
14. Barter 6
    Young Thug
15. Vulnicura
    Björk
16. M3LL155X
    FKA twigs
17. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
    Drake
18. Have You In My Wilderness
    Julia Holter
19. Dirty Sprite 2
    Future
20. Elaenia
    Floating Points
21. Surf
    Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
22. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
    Panda Bear
23. B’lieve I’m Goin Down…
    Kurt Vile
24. The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam
    Thundercat
25. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album
    Earl Sweatshirt
26. New Bermuda
    Deafheaven
27. No Cities To Love
    Sleater-Kinney
28. Depression Cherry
    Beach House
29. SremmLife
    Rae Sremmurd
30. Fading Frontier
    Deerhunter
31. Hallucinogen
    Kelela
32. Compton
    Dr. Dre
33. A New Place 2 Drown
    Archy Marshall
34. E•MO•TION
    Carly Rae Jepsen
35. VEGA INTL. Night School
    Neon Indian
36. Unbreakable
    Janet Jackson
37. Me
    Empress Of
38. Mutant
    Arca
39. Platform
    Holly Herndon
40. Dark Energy
    Jlin
41. Late Nights: The Album
    Jeremih
42. Apocalypse, Girl
    Jenny Hval
43. Poison Season
    Destroyer
44. Reality Show
    Jazmine Sullivan
45. Simple Songs
    Jim O’Rourke
46. Goon
    Tobias Jesso Jr.
47. DJ-Kicks
    DJ Koze
48. Ratchet
    Shamir
49. Natalie Prass
    Natalie Prass
50. Blackheart
    Dawn Richard

Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2015 (as published in The Village Voice, comprised of votes from over 125 critics)

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Carol
   Todd Haynes
3. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
4. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
5. Tangerine
   Sean Baker
6. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
7. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
8. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
9. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
10. The Assassin
    Hou Hsiao-Hsien
11. Ex Machina
    Alex Garland
12. The Look of Silence
    Joshua Oppenheimer
13. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
14. Timbuktu
    Abderrahmane Sissako
15. Magic Mike XXL
    Gregory Jacobs
16. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
17. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
18. Mistress America
    Noah Baumbach
19. Hard to Be a God
    Aleksey German
20. Heaven Knows What
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
21. Room
    Lenny Abrahamson
22. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
23. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
24. The Martian
    Ridley Scott
25. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
26. The Revenant
    Alejandro González Iñárritu
27. In Jackson Heights
    Frederick Wiseman
28. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
29. Chi-Raq
    Spike Lee
30. Experimenter
    Michael Almereyda
31. Amy
    Asif Kapadia
32. Sicario
    Denis Villeneuve
33. The End of the Tour
    James Ponsoldt
34. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    Roy Andersson
35. Horse Money
    Pedro Costa
36. Bridge of Spies
    Steven Spielberg
37. Heart of a Dog
    Laurie Anderson
38. The Big Short
    Adam McKay
39. The Tribe
    Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
40. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
    Jafar Panahi
41. The Hateful Eight
    Quentin Tarantino
42. Love & Mercy
    Bill Pohlad
43. It Follows
    David Robert Mitchell
44. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
45. About Elly
    Asghar Farhadi
46. Eden
    Mia Hansen-Løve
47. Maps to the Stars
    David Cronenberg
48. The Mend
    John Magary
49. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
    Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
50. The Wonders
    Alice Rohrwacher

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• A.V. Club: Nick Schager: The Best Films of 2015
• Village Voice Film Poll: Miriam Bale: Top 10 Films of 2015

Sasha Frere-Jones: 89 Favorite Albums of 2015 (listed chronologically within three tiers)

[see also 2022 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

holy cats / is best

• SremmLife
  Rae Sremmurd
• Xe
  ZS
• If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
  Drake
• Program
  NHK
• Pomegranates
  Nicolas Jaar
• Live Knots
  Oren Ambarchi
• Headache
  Trupa Trupa
• To Pimp A Butterfly
  Kendrick Lamar
• I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album
  Earl Sweatshirt
• Dark Energy
  Jlin
• Ivy Tripp
  Waxahatchee
• Cascade
  William Basinski
• II
  METZ
• The Bad Plus Joshua Redman
  Joshua Redman & The Bad Plus
• Plays John Coltrane And Langston Hughes African Mystic Music
  Raphael Rogiński
• Summertime ’06
  Vince Staples
• Piteous Gate
  M.E.S.H.
• Another One
  Mac DeMarco
• E•MO•TION
  Carly Rae Jepsen
• Circular Forms
  Abul Mogard
• Indians & Cowboys
  Den Sorte Skole
• Vertigo
  The Necks
• AE_LIVE
  Autechre
• Nothing
  Kode9
• Garden of Delete
  Oneohtrix Point Never
• Lil Me
  Wiki
• Steamroom 20
  Jim O’Rourke

oh man / is excellent

• In Colour
  Jamie xx
• CR5
  Chinx
• Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2
  Aphex Twin
• 15
  Og Maco
• Sour Soul
  BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah
• Behold
  Oren Ambarchi & Jim O’Rourke
• The Firewatcher’s Daughter
  Brandi Carlile
• Eat Pray Thug
  Heems
• The Free Fall Inspirations
  12z
• Fantasy Empire
  Lightning Bolt
• Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
  Courtney Barnett
• Crown
  The-Dream
• Also
  Also
• Ex Machina (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow
• Foil Deer
  Speedy Ortiz
• Wire
  Wire
• Days
  Triac
• Sound & Color
  Alabama Shakes
• The Epic
  Kamasi Washington
• Dumb Flesh
  Blanck Mass
• Why Make Sense?
  Hot Chip
• Platform
  Holly Herndon
• The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam
  Thundercat
• Wildheart
  Miguel
• Innocent Country
  Quelle Chris
• Instrumentals 2015
  Flying Saucer Attack
• DAZE
  Brood Ma
• M3LL155X
  FKA twigs
• L.A. Takedown
  L.A. Takedown
• Depression Cherry
  Beach House
• Poison Season
  Destroyer
• La Di Da Di
  Battles
• Honeymoon
  Lana Del Rey
• Edition 1
  King Midas Sound & Fennesz
• Ornamente (zwischen Null und Eins)
  Asmus Tietchens
• Peace, Love & Music
  Swindle
• Age Of Transparency
  Autre Ne Veut
• Vanishing Land
  Mirt
• Teens of Style
  Car Seat Headrest
• Slime Season 2
  Young Thug
• Art Angels
  Grimes
• Sold Out
  DJ Paypal
• Thirteen
  Norman Westberg
• Mette Henriette
  Mette Henriette
• Junun
  Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood & The Rajasthan Express
• Hard Hold
  Jaala
• But You Caint Use My Phone
  Erykah Badu
• Technoself
  Deantoni Parks
• Murder
  Miss Red
• Late Nights: The Album
  Jeremih
• King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude
  Pusha T

wow / so good

• #1Epic EP
  D.R.A.M.
• Amethyst
  Tinashe
• FRKWYS, Vol. 12 – We Know Each Other Somehow
  Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe & Ariel Kalma
• Reflekzionz
  Ekoplekz
• Olympic Mess
  Helm
• Yung Rich Nation
  Migos
• Ones and Sixes
  Low
• Wald
  Pole
• Fetty Wap
  Fetty Wap
• Cuz
  Cuz Lightyear
• Mutant
  Arca