JONATHAN DEMME

He directed one of the scariest, most tension-filled films of all time, and won an Oscar for his efforts. He turned sweet but competent Jodie Foster into a perfect vulnerable, albeit capable, FBI agent. And he turned beloved play-anything Anthony Hopkins into one of the scariest screen villains ever. Yep, Jonathan Demme was a consummate pro and showed it in The Silence Of The Lambs (1991). Disclaimer- Do Not Watch This Movie By Yourself! Never has the line, “I’m having him for lunch” had such a dreadful meaning.
Jonathan Demme died recently at 73. He had a lot of good films left in him, I’m sure. But his legacy is very good indeed. 
Melvin And Howard (1980) displays Mr. Demme’s comedy chops in a most engaging way. Jason Robards plays the mysterious, irascible Howard Hughes. Hughes wrecks his motorcycle and is rescued by Melvin Dummar (Paul Le Mat), a good-old-boy from Texas.  He has no idea who Hughes is until much later.  After Hughes’ death, a will shows up at Melvin’s workplace in which he inherits a piece of the Hughes estate. A lawsuit follows (what a surprise!). Dabney Coleman is appropriately nasty as the trial judge. The film is based on a true story.  The real life Melvin never got a dime from the Hughes estate. 
There have been many movies involving the AIDS epidemic. But to my mind, Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (1993) is the polar star. Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett is the afflicted attorney in a big Philadelphia law firm. On discovering his condition, he is let go by the bigoted partners, after drumming up a fake missed deadline. The only lawyer he can find who will take his case is Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) a street lawyer just shy of being an ambulance chaser. The partners testify at the trial that Beckett was incompetent and AIDs had nothing to do with his firing. I will reveal nothing further!
The 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate is different, and very close to as good, as Jonathan Demme’s 1994 version. You won’t go wrong with either (what a great double feature they would be!). The earlier black and white version with Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey is really good. And so is the 1994 outing with Denzel Washington and Liev Schrieber. The story involves the brainwashing of an American POW by the evil Chinese so that he becomes a walking death machine. The ending of both films will leave you breathless. 
Somewhat lesser, but still very enjoyable, works by Jonathan Demme include Rachel Getting Married (2008) with Oscar-nominated Anne Hathaway as the family black sheep, recently released from rehab for her sister’s wedding. And, finally, there is the whimsical Ricki And The Flash (2015) with Meryl Streep. She abandoned her family to become a rock star and wants to make amends. This was Mr. Demme’s last film.
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.