Jonathan Demme was one of the brightest spots of filmmaking in the 1980’s. Like early Spielberg, his sensibilities for Americana were funky but authentic. He liked weird people, but not in an ironic or grotesque way. He loves people, and it shows in every bit of his casting. Though the academy would reward him for The Silence of the Lambs, and unintentionally turn him into a serious director for a while, his loosey-goosey charms were never more apparent than in Something Wild, which the Criterion collection has released. It stars Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith, and introduced the world to Ray Liotta. Check out our review of the film on Blu-ray after the jump.

This year will be my first time attending the Sundance Film Festival and as a fan of documentaries, I couldn’t be more excited for some of the films that will be premiering.  Today, we have the first images from the documentaries These Amazing Shadows, Granito, and The Interrupters.  These Amazing Shadows is about the history and importance of the National Film Registry.  Granito centers on the turbulent history of Guatemala.  And The Interrupters is about ex-gang members who are now protecting their communities from gang violence.  I’m particularly excited for The Interrupters because it’s from Steve James, the director of the incredible 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

Yesterday, we brought you Quentin Tarantino’s Top 8 Films of 2009 and today we have John Waters, another film buff/director, listing his best of the year. I always find anything that Waters writes or says to be entertaining and his thoughts on these ten films are no different.  Here’s what he thought were the Top 10 Films of 2009:

1. Import Export (Ulrich Seidl)
2. Antichrist (Lars von Trier)
3. In the Loop (Armando Iannucci)
4. World’s Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait)
5. Brüno (Larry Charles)
6. Lorna’s Silence (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
7. Broken Embraces (Pedro Almodóvar)
8. The Baader Meinhof Complex (Uli Edel)
9. Whatever Works (Woody Allen)
10. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)

To read Waters’ thoughts on each film, head over to ArtForum.