Fireworks, parades, patriotic bunting—and one sound that doesn’t belong. A scream? A gunshot? A tire blowout? No Fourth Of July celebration at The Frida would be complete without Brian De Palma’s 1981 masterpiece Blow Out!

John Travolta gives one of his best performances as Jack Terry, a sound technician for low-budget horror flicks who accidentally records a political assassination while gathering ambient sound one night. What follows is a paranoid plunge into reel-to-reel surveillance, media manipulation, and a conspiracy no one wants to hear.

A riff on Antonioni’s Blow-Up and Coppola’s The Conversation, but soaked in De Palma’s signature split-diopter style and operatic tension, Blow Out turns patriotic imagery into a nightmare canvas—stars and stripes flickering under streetlamps and firecrackers masking murder. Featuring Nancy Allen, John Lithgow in full psycho-mode, and a finale that literally weaponizes Independence Day spectacle, this is one of the sharpest political thrillers of the 1980s and one of De Palma’s true masterpieces.

Celebrate coming of age in America with a double feature of American Graffiti and Dazed And Cofused as part of of our Fireworks At The Frida series! Before there were cell phones, apps, or curfews that mattered, there were nights like these—fast cars, cheap beer, perfect soundtracks, and too many big questions for one summer to answer.

American Graffiti (1973, dir. George Lucas)
One last night before college, 1962: four friends hit the streets of Modesto, California, chasing girls, chasing cars, and wondering what comes next. George Lucas’ nostalgic cruiser is the original coming-of-age night-out movie—an ode to golden oldies, neon diners, and growing up when you’re not quite ready to.

Dazed and Confused (1993, dir. Richard Linklater)
It’s the last day of school in 1976, and the teens of Austin, Texas are ready to get high, get loud, and maybe think about the future… later. Richard Linklater’s laid-back classic is a stoned love letter to aimless youth, cruising backroads, and those nights that feel like they’ll never end. Featuring Matthew McConaughey in his breakout role and one of the all-time great rock soundtracks.

There will be a 15 minute intermission between both films. One ticket gets you full access to two movies!

Join us for the heart and soul of our Fireworks At The Frida series, Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington! 

Sent to fill a Senate seat as a political pawn, Smith instead uncovers a web of graft and greed. What follows is a political trial by fire—and one of the most legendary speeches in film history. But for all its soaring speeches and small-town sentiment, Capra’s film is no naïve civics lesson; it’s a clear-eyed look at how power distorts purpose, and how standing alone can still mean something.

With brilliant support from Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, and a gallery of weary insiders and hopeful outsiders, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is both timeless and timely—especially in a week devoted to wrestling with American identity.

Celebrate the birthday of visionary director Jean Cocteau as we present a special run of Beauty and the Beast!

Born July 5th, 1889, Jean Cocteau was a poet, painter, playwright, and filmmaker whose imagination knew no borders—and no film better captures his singular vision than La Belle et la Bête (1946), a masterpiece of surreal romanticism that turns a fairy tale into living myth.

Starring Josette Day as the gentle, radiant Belle and the great Jean Marais as the tortured, leonine Beast, Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast is a marvel of shadow, texture, and cinematic illusion. Made just after WWII on a shoestring budget and with raw ingenuity, the film conjures real magic without special effects. This isn’t Disney–it’s real cinema magic.

Our Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema series starts off with Late Spring, a masterclass in subtlety and emotional restraint. The story centers on a young woman, Noriko, and her devoted father, exploring themes of duty, change, and the tension between modernity and tradition. With its minimalist camera work and tender performances, Ozu’s film is a cornerstone of Japanese cinema and the perfect introduction to the series.

Late Spring marks a turning point in postwar Japanese cinema, where filmmakers like Ozu began using film not only to entertain but to reflect and shape the nation’s healing process. It’s a time capsule, a cultural mirror, and a foundational text in the Japanese cinematic canon.

Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema is a curated 12-film trip through the evolution of Japan—from the quiet post-war resilience of the 1940s all the way to the radical reinventions of the 1990s. Each Monday this July-September, we will explore a new facet of this incredible nation’s cinematic journey throughout the 20th century! All films will be presented in their original Japanese language with English subtitles!