"So what have I got after all those years? A big house, a kooky wife and a kid who wears sneakers."

Stunning. The godfather of independent movies with another slam dunk. One hell of an emotional roller coaster. So uncomfortable, painfully real and honest; a manic-depressive portrait of the dissolution of a marriage and middle-age boredom. Middle-class America as a bleak dystopia. Pathetic, self-centered people rambling, drinking, arguing, falling in and out of love, fucking each other over, doing terrible and cowardly things. Gena Rowlands crying while singing is the essence. Final shot is an all-timer.

can't wait to do the caterpillar dance at my kids' teenage party

A beautiful, sad and thoughtful exploration of masculinity, ego, regret, and of jealousy so deep-rooted that it can destroy lives. Its almost entirely plotless, has hardly any dialogue and is slowly paced; everything is so magnificently understated and subdued to great, poetic effect. The performances are naturalistic and by its hypnotic visuals and rhythm (those training drills really have an almost musical feel to it), and its great use of music, it becomes a real treat with an ending so sad but so sublime.