A Mann, a Plan, a Vanuary: MannVanuary Deux
26 movies
This is the second annual running of Cinemonster's latest movie challenge, MannVanuary. Celebrating three often-overlooked categories (classic westerns, films noir, and Black cinema), the challenge name is a mash-up of western/noir director Anthony Mann and Blaxploitation auteur Melvin Van Peebles.
I showed up late for last year's MannVanuary, but managed to get in all of my movies (plus the bonus) crammed in by Jan 31. This year I'm doing it on "easy mode" by starting on Jan 1 like a normal person.
Source list: https://letterboxd.com/cinemonster/list/a-fun-challenge-with-a-silly-name-mannvanuary/
RULES: (copied from source list)
Anyway, nothing crazy. 24 films and 2 bonus. What is listed below are the minimums. Use the 'categories' to get to 24, but hit those minimums. Use tag 'mannvanuary2'
1 Anthony Mann Film 1 Melvin or Mario Film 1 Black Western 5 decades (western) 7 films from Black directors 1 Aussie Western 4 westerns from the following: Andre de Toth, Eastwood, Walter Hill, Peckinpah or Boetticher. 7 decades (noir) 4 noir films from: Siodmark, Dmytryk, Lang, Dassin, Aldrich, Melville, Foley.
BONUS - 1 Michael Schultz film and Set it Off
Farewell, My Lovely (1944) [Movie] IMDb Douban TMDB WikiData
Murder, My SweetBob the Gambler (1956) [Movie] Douban IMDb TMDB WikiData
Bob le flambeurCar Wash (1976) [Movie] Douban IMDb WikiData TMDB
Car WashOverview
Originally conceived as a musical, Car Wash deals with the exploits of a close-knit, multiracial group of employees at a Los Angeles car wash. In an episodic fashion, the film covers a full day, during which all manner of strange visitors make appearances, including Lorraine Gary as a hysterical wealthy woman from Beverly Hills dealing with a young carsick son, Richard Pryor as a hustling, flamboyant, money-hungry evangelist whose pseudo-gospel of financial prosperity is loved by most (including his female entourage, played by The Pointer Sisters) but loathed by one (the one being Abdullah (Bill Duke), a young and frustrated Black Power revolutionary); there's also a man ("Professor" Irwin Corey) whose strange actions and dress fit the profile of the notorious "pop bottle bomber" being sought that day by the police, causing all the employees, customers and Mr. B to fear for their lives, but the strange man's pop bottle "bomb" is none other than a urine sample as he is on his way to the hospital.
Mr B's son Irwin (Richard Brestoff), a left-wing college student who smokes pot in the men's restroom and carries around a copy of Quotations from Chairman Mao, insists on spending a day with the "working class" employees, since he considers them "brothers" in the "struggle", but as he's the boss's son, they give him the first "human car wash" as a joke, which he takes in a good-natured (if pot-induced) stride. Additionally, George Carlin appears as a taxi driver searching for a prostitute who stiffed him for a fare; the prostitute, Marlene, has her own hopes shattered as a customer (unseen) that she apparently has fallen in love with has given her a false telephone number. Lonnie (Ivan Dixon) is an older employee who tries to mentor Abdullah while struggling to raise two young children on the meager salary paid by Mr. B, as well as fending off his parole officer (Jason Bernard). Abdullah has a confrontation with Lindy (Antonio Fargas) and sharply criticizes Lindy's transvestite status, to which Lindy coolly replies, "I'm more man than you'll ever be and more woman than you'll ever get".