Remembering Director Jonathan Demme: 3 Forgotten Films We Love

Jonathan Demme

By Sean Tuohy

Hollywood has suffered a major loss with the passing of legendary director Jonathan Demme. Known for smart films that changed the cinematic landscape—“Silence of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia”—Demme was a filmmaker who pushed his craft to its outermost limits.

His films feature extreme close-ups, pop music scores, and expert Steadicam shots. He directed some truly memorable films during his 30-year career, including these three that may have been (wrongly) forgotten or dismissed by the public.

“The Truth About Charlie”

This charming and funny remake of the 1960s film “Charade” was Demme’s love letter to French New Wave films. “The Truth About Charlie” makes Paris a lively character in this strange spy story. It captures Demme’s ability to balance humor with heart-pounding thrills, as well as his talent for crafting artsy mainstream films.

“Married To The Mob”

In this film, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a widowed Mafia wife who is trying to restart her life after her husband is murdered. However, a lonely FBI agent and a Mafia kingpin fall in love with her and fight for her affection. Demme injected the right amount of heart and romance into this whacky comedy.

“The Manchurian Candidate”

This remake is one of the most overlooked and underrated thrillers of the past 20 years. It made great efforts to declare itself as a different film while paying respect to the original. Capturing the feverish anxiety of the post-9/11 world, “The Manchurian Candidate” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats while also creating a relatable world filled with conflicted, damaged characters. 

3 Directors Who Should Have Stayed in Front of the Camera

By Sean Tuohy

Sometimes something sounds like a good idea but it ends up being awful. For example, peanut butter and jelly mixed together in one jar or actors who think they should be directors.

Yes, sometimes it works out. Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, and Jodie Foster have all pulled it off successfully.

However, as the 2016 Golden Globes taught us last night, it is way better to make fun of famous people screwing up than talking about how wonderful they are.

Here are a fewer actors/directors who didn’t quite make the grade:

The Fonz Directs “A Cop and A Half”

What happens when has-been actor Burt Reynolds and nice guy Henry Winkler walk into a bar?

A god-awful movie is born.

“A Cop and a Half” is a heartwarming story about a police-obsessed boy who witnesses a murder and then teams up with the city's most badass cop to save the day.

Yes, the guy who popularized, “Ayyyyy”, brought you this film!

“Why is the Fonz directing?!?!?!” Why was that not the first question that was asked by the studio head? Let’s hope he is no longer employed and that the studio went bankrupt.

The Artist Who Did It All for the Nookie Makes an Art Film

If your most well known song features you screaming about how you do everything just to get laid, why not direct a coming-of-age film that seven people will see.

This really happened. Fred Durst, the backwards hat-wearing lead singer of Limp Bizkit, directed a film in 2007 called “The Education of Charlie Banks.” Critics called the movie “uneven,” which is a nice way to say that it sucks.

However, I have to be honest…the film isn’t all that bad. The story isn’t awful. The characters are okay. It is nothing special but…it is watchable. 

They Call Me…The Guy Who Directed ‘Ghost Dad!’

Sidney Poitier is one of the most respected actors of his generation. He’s well spoken, charming, and could do no wrong on screen…

….that is until he decided to team up with Bill Cosby and make a family friendly movie about parents dying.

The 1990s were a simpler time, folks. Cosby starred in a film in which he died and came back as a ghost who helped his children. The person who directed this corpse of a film? Sidney “I Electrified Audiences in ‘In The Heat of The Night’” Poitier.

This film was so bad that is ruined Poitier’s career as a director. It is his last directing credit. He had directed eight other movies before this one in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so he had some chops coming into this film.

The fact that this movie wasn’t a hit is a shame because I wanted to see the sequel “Ghost Dad 2: Tropical Funeral. “

(Also, to be fair, this movie is the least offensive thing Bill Cosby did during the 1990s. Allegedly.)

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