Before he created the music, he lived every bit of it.

Our Staff Pick for the month of June comes from Allyssa, one of our Box Office Managers! She has chosen the mythmaking rock Drama Purple Rain!

A victim of his own anger, the Kid is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent father, the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia. But another musician, Morris, looks to steal the Kid’s spotlight…and his girl.

Purple Rain is a film powered by pure charisma and one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded. Songs like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” and the immortal title track were made to shake theater walls, and seeing Prince command the screen in all his magnetic brilliance is a reminder of just how singular a performer he was. Great pick, Allyssa!

The first film of our brand new Art House for Families series is Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, just in time for Father’s Day Weekend!

In the wake of World War II, Antonio finally secures a job that could support his struggling family, but when the bicycle he needs for work is stolen on his very first day, he and his young son Bruno set out across Rome in a desperate search to recover it. What unfolds is both a gripping odyssey through the city and a deeply moving portrait of the unique bond between parent and child.

A defining work of Italian neorealism, Bicycle Thieves transformed world cinema with its use of nonprofessional actors and location shooting, finding profound emotional weight in ordinary lives. Decades later, its heartbreak and compassion remain just as powerful, making it the perfect film to kick off this series.

This film will be presented in its original Italian language, with English subtitles.

Our Art House for Families series celebrates the magic of moviegoing across generations all summer long. From silent comedy and international classics to science fiction and fantasy adventures, the series invites longtime cinephiles and first-time art house audiences of all ages to discover some of cinema’s most enduring films together on the big screen. This event is sponsored in part by the City of Santa Ana. 

Fear and fury are sizzling in the Florida Keys!

We’re attempting to ride out the storm with our next Bogie Fest entry: Key Largo! This hurricane-lashed drama brings Humphrey Bogart together once more with Lauren Bacall in a story where danger rises with the tide.

Set in a remote Florida Keys hotel, war veteran Frank McCloud (Bogie himself) arrives to visit the family of a fallen comrade, only to find himself trapped as a powerful storm bears down. The hotel is then seized by a gang of mobsters led by the ruthless Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson doing his very best Edward G. Robinson impression), a larger-than-life crime boss whose presence turns the claustrophobic setting into a pressure cooker of fear and defiance.

As the winds howl outside, tensions escalate within, and McCloud must decide whether to remain the detached observer he claims to be…or take a stand against tyranny. Anchored by crackling dialogue and powerhouse performances, Key Largo is a bit underrated these days, sometimes lost in the sea of masterpieces that director John Huston bestowed upon us.

As groundbreaking now as it was when it was released 25 years ago, By Hook or by Crook is coming to The Frida Cinema with a brand new 4K restoration via our friends at Altered Innocence!

Shy, a handsome, gender-bending, small town dreamer with a nagging messiah complex, and Valentine, a deliriously expressive, wise-acre adoptee on a misguided search for her birth mother. The two freaky grifters join forces and learn the true meaning of “poise under pressure” in this visually stunning and wonderfully acted, anti-authoritarian tale of friendship, trust and redemption.

Provocatively exploring issues of queer representation, gender and trans identity in ways that contemporary LGBTQIA+ culture and cinema are still catching up with, By Hook or by Crook has created a powerful cultural impact that endures today. The film has been digitally restored in 4K by the Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Frameline, Outfest, Steakhaus Productions, Inc., and the Sundance Institute. 

Season 2, Episode 9 – “Arbitrary Law”
Original Air Date: November 24, 1990

Cooper, Truman, and the others try to bring order to the aftermath of the case as legal questions, emotional fallout, and lingering mysteries remain unresolved. Major characters are forced to reckon with what has happened, while the town searches for a way forward after months of fear and suspicion.

Season 2, Episode 10 – “Dispute Between Brothers”
Original Air Date: December 1, 1990

With Laura Palmer’s case no longer the sole focus, attention shifts to the strange dynamics between Benjamin Horne and his brother Jerry, as well as the schemes, affairs, and ambitions unfolding across town. Cooper finds himself facing professional complications of his own, and Sheriff Truman must navigate new tensions inside and outside the department.

Season 2, Episode 11 – “Masked Ball”
Original Air Date: December 8, 1990

As new dangers begin to take shape, Cooper continues investigating suspicious activity tied to the town’s criminal undercurrents, while Audrey becomes more deeply entangled in her father’s complicated world. Shelly and Bobby’s relationship faces new pressures, and James meets an alluring woman that pulls him away from town.