Taking Inventory as of July 7

Since the end of the Hole in the Head Festival, I watched four outstanding films.

Rape of Europa; (2006) - Official Website
Colma The Musical; (2006) - Official Website
Ball of Fire with Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck; (1941).
Forty Guns with Barbara Stanwyck; (1957).

Ball of Fire & Forty Guns are part of a Barbara Stanwyck retrospective sponsored by BAM/PFA to commemorate the centennial of her birth.

Another tie-in to the 2006 SFIAAFF - Forty Guns was directed by Sam Fuller. His best known film is The Big Red One (1980) with Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, and Robert Carradine. In 1959, Fuller directed The Crimson Kimono starting James Shigeta. I saw it at the 2006 SFIAAFF because they honored Shigeta. Come to think about it, Fuller made a great noir film in 1953 called Pickup on South Street with Richard Widmark. I saw it at the 2006 Noir City film festival. Fuller has a unique directorial style that sets him apart from his contemporaries. Forty Guns is the ultimate B western directed by the ultimate B movie director. Read more here and here.