It seems weird to say that, aside from 1987's The Untouchables, this is probably the most normal movie Brian DePalma ever directed. But it is. That's not to say 1974's Phantom of the Paradise isn't a freaky, funky, ridiculicious hank of inch-thick camp cooked over the unique heat only '70s-era Paul Williams could provide, because it's definitely that. It's also somehow an adaptation of Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Faust all at the same time. But underneath the glittery plasticene wonder pinballing all over the frame is a traditional, heartstring-pulling musical. DePalma never made anything like it ever again. by Bobby Roberts