Masterpieces...with the sound off

Fahrenheit 451- With its interconnecting imagery, comic book color scheme, and contemporary-yet-alien atmosphere. I must admit, I've never been a real fan of the novel, but I thought somehow Truffaut might save this one. He comes close, but overall I've always felt disappointed by this one. But, damn, is it fun to look at. The sequence where the old woman martyrs herself is a masterpiece in its own right. There's one overhead shot where the flames literally seem to engulf the camera. Awesome.

Road to Perdition- I think this movie is brilliant in spots; it's everytime that it actually stops to tell its story that it falters. I thought the whole father-son bonding scenes and the bank robbery stuff were total crap. I wish they just tossed the plot out the window and went for a more poetic meditation on the film's themes (which is something the film actually achieves in many of its set pieces). Conrad Hall's cinematography needs no comment.

Suspiria- Despite the fact that, like all of Dario Argento's films, this movie's excessively gory, I have to admit that it's one of only a handful of films that I find genuinely frightening. And while the plot, I think, is intentionally ludicrous, I still can't help but feel disappointed by the climax of the movie. An hour-and-a-half of build-up, and then it fizzles out. You mean the the school is really a front for a coven of witches? That's the punchline? We've long since figured that part out. Give us more! Anyway, the widescreen cinematography is really breathtaking, and the art direction and creative use of lighting are awesome.