Now Playing & Coming Soon

Just added: Porter Gilberg (Frida Director of Development) is back on Thursday 3/26 for a special pre-screening presentation on the cultural and cinematic roots of But I'm A Cheerleader. An interactive discussion will take place immediately following the film. Join us as we present some screenings of the 1999 cult classic But I'm A Cheerleader, the final film in our Tribute To Bud Court series. Megan is an all-American girl. A cheerleader. She has a boyfriend. But Megan doesn't like kissing her boyfriend very much. And she's pretty touchy with her cheerleader friends. Her conservative parents worry that she must be a lesbian and send her off to "sexual redirection" school, where she must, with other lesbians and gays learn how to be straight. Bring your friends, wear pink if you dare, and re-live (or discover) a certified Frida Cinema Favorite the way it deserves to be experienced: loudly and proudly, in a movie theater! Beloved character actor Bud Cort built a career out of making the unusual unforgettable. From his odd bird performance in Brewster McCloud to his tender, offbeat turn in Harold And Maude, he gave us a lifetime of bringing humanity to the outsiders he inhabited. Join us in March 2026 as we pay tribute to his work.

This March, Frida Cinema Film Club Members are being treated to Jim Jarmusch's acid Western Dead Man , now with a new 4K restoration! Accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) has hardly arrived in the godforsaken outpost of Machine before he’s caught in the middle of a fatal lovers’ quarrel. Wounded and on the lam, Blake falls under the watch of the outcast Nobody (Gary Farmer), who guides his companion on a spiritual journey, teaching him to dispense poetic justice along the way. Featuring austerely beautiful black-and-white photography by Robby Müller and a live-wire score by Neil Young, Dead Man is a profound and unique revision of the western genre. Thank you to our friends at Janus Films for allowing us to screen this starkly beautiful film on the big screen! Not a Frida Cinema Film Club member? Sign up here!

Trash-Mex is back at The Frida Cinema to present the 1980 mexploitation film Traficantes Del Panicko aka Under Siege! A band of thugs belonging to an organized crime family assaults several casinos at the same time creating death and panic in their wake. As they flee the scenes of their crimes police begin to close in on them, so they quickly hide themselves in a villa owned by a wealthy industrialist taking him and his family hostage. This Mexican-Spain-Italian co-production from legendary director Rene Cardona Jr is a huge favorite around the globe! Don't miss it on the big screen! This film will be presented in its original Spanish language with English subtitles.

Who killed Laura Palmer? Be still your beating heart, The Frida Cinema is finally bringing the original 94 minute Twin Peaks pilot to our audience! Widely regarded as a landmark in television history, the pilot stunned audiences with its combination of small-town mystery and supernatural weirdness that only a dreamer like David Lynch could create. Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost established a tone that was at once familiar and made it completely and utterly disorienting, layering dark secrets and eery characters one after another, influencing decades of prestige television and cinema alike. Join us, one night only, on Sunday, March 29th as we attempt to re-create appointment television viewing. Only this time, on a much bigger screen. Doors open at 7:30PM and the show will begin at 8:00PM!

It's time to dance with the Devil...again. Ryan Coogler's genre-mashing dance party from Hell, Sinners, is back at The Frida Cinema after winning four Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson! Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era, Sinners follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) as they return home after years away trying to leave their troubled pasts behind. With plans to open a juke joint for their community using money earned in Chicago, the celebration takes a dark turn when supernatural forces are awakened and begin to menace the town. A towering modern classic, Sinners has unheard of levels of ambition in the modern Hollywood landcape. Whether you've seen it already or are experiencing it for the first time, there's no denying that the big screen is the best place to celebrate its massive success.

What A Cast!...What A Past!...What A Show!... Our Staff Pick for the month of March comes from Bekah, our Marketing Director, as she has chosen the Shirley MacLaine starrer What A Way To Go! A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich. What a Way to Go! is an outrageous 1960s comedy full of campy satire. It’s a sparkling showcase of Hollywood excess and MacLaine’s fearless comedic charm. And did we mention...Paul Newman? Any takers!?

Just added: guests that dress up like Aunt Gladys to either of our 10:15PM screenings will receive a free small popcorn! Last night at 2:17 AM, every child from Mrs. Gandy's class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, and walked into the dark. The Frida Cinema is proud to present Zach Cregger's suburban horror masterpiece Weapons, hot off the heels of its win at the 2026 Academy Awards, where Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for your unforgettable performance as the terrifying Aunt Gladys. Weapons tells the story of the quiet town of Maybrook, where a single, terrifying event shatters the community overnight. After seventeen children from the same elementary school class mysteriously vanish from their homes, their community is launched into chaos, with everyone wanting answers. What begins as a baffling missing-children case slowly spirals into something far more disturbing, as the town is forced to confront the possibility that the disappearances may be tied to a darker, more supernatural force lurking beneath the surface. One of the biggest hits of the year as far as original stories are concerned, Weapons is exactly the type of bold, big-budgeting genre filmmaking we need to be celebrating right now. Don't miss your chance to see it (or see it again) on the big screen!

Think you’ve got what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the film nerds of Southern California? Then it’s time to put your cinema knowledge to the ultimate test at The Frida’s monthly Film Trivia Night! Each month, we challenge cinephiles with five meticulously crafted rounds of film trivia, plus a special bonus round for those who truly know their stuff. Expect everything from deep dives to cult classics, iconic soundtracks to infamous flops. 

Echoing everything from Herk Harvey's Carnival Of Souls to Mario Bava's Kill, Baby...Kill!, Messiah Of Evil is a swirling vortex of Lovecraftian terror and grisly bloodshed from the team who'd later go on to make Howard The Duck! That perfect storm of madness makes it a perfect entry into our Hallucinations series! After receiving a string of unsettling letters from her father, Arletty arrives in a sleepy California coastal town called Point Dune. Dad is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Arletty finds a town full of drugged-out burnouts, barren shopping centers, and...something else.   Marianna Hill (High Plains Drifter), Michael Greer (Fortune And Men's Eyes), and Elisha Cook Jr. (The Maltese Falcon) star in this unjustly overlooked major work of independent American horror that's primed for (re)discovery. Hosted by Polygon’s editor-in-chief Chris Plante, Hallucinations is a monthly event that spotlights movies that challenge our expectations of story, style, and “good taste”. We invite guests to bond over films that change what we expect from the medium, the world, and themselves. So come early, stay late, make friends, and watch something strange, surprising, or just shamelessly sick.

This screening will be in the films original Japanese language with English subtitles. Kiki's Delivery Service, the timeless and beloved classic from Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki and globally celebrated animation house Studio Ghibli, is coming back to The Frida Cinema, newly remastered in 4K! It is a tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and fly off into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her new journey with her sarcastic black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a seaside town, where her unique skills make her an instant sensation. First released in 1989, Kiki's Delivery Service is one of director Hayao Miyazaki’s most adored features from Studio Ghibli. The hand-drawn, animated feature, based on the novel by Eiko Kadono, is produced, written, and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator, the renowned composer Joe Hisaishi. The new 4K remaster highlights the great thought and care put into every frame of the film, celebrating the authentic craftsmanship of Studio Ghibli’s detailed artwork.

Janus Films proudly presents the new thriller from filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa--Two Prosecutors! Summoned with a blood-written note smuggled out of a prison block, an idealistic state lawyer (Alexander Kuznetsov) pushes past the prison's leery authorities to interview an elderly, broken-down Bolshevik (Aleksandr Filippenko). The young attorney, determined to expose the miscarriages of justice that landed the man in confinement, finds the eye of the state turned on him instead, as an ever-tightening net encircles his investigation. Set at the height of the great purge and drenched in the paranoia of Stalin’s police state, Two Prosecutors is a Kafkaesque thriller about the impunity of power and matter-of-fact horrors of fascism.

This screening will be dubbed in the English language, featuring the voice ensemble of Kirsten Dunst, Janeane Garofalo, Phil Hartman, and Debbie Reynolds. Kiki's Delivery Service, the timeless and beloved classic from Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki and globally celebrated animation house Studio Ghibli, is coming back to The Frida Cinema, newly remastered in 4K! It is a tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and fly off into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her new journey with her sarcastic black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a seaside town, where her unique skills make her an instant sensation. First released in 1989, Kiki's Delivery Service is one of director Hayao Miyazaki’s most adored features from Studio Ghibli. The hand-drawn, animated feature, based on the novel by Eiko Kadono, is produced, written, and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, and features a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator, the renowned composer Joe Hisaishi. The new 4K remaster highlights the great thought and care put into every frame of the film, celebrating the authentic craftsmanship of Studio Ghibli’s detailed artwork.

Just added: The Napa Boys themselves, Nick Corirossi & Armen Weitzman, will be be joining us in-person for post-screening Q&A after the Friday, April 3rd screening! Hip hip!  The (Napa) boys are back in (Napa) town! On April 2nd & 3rd, Magnolia Pictures (the studio that brought you Terence Malick's To The Wonder, Bong Joon-Ho's The Host, and Lars Von Trier's Nynmphomanic Parts 1 & 2) warmly invites you to remember your first sip. That's right, The Frida Cinema is playing The Napa Boys, the highly-anticipated 4th film in the tremendously popular Napa Boys saga! Jack Jr, Miles Jr, and the whole gang are back for one last wine-soaked journey prompted by the mysterious "Sommelier." Joined this time by Puck, a fan of The Napa Boys comics, the group will learn about love, loss, friendship and viticulture. Featuring the all-star comedy cast of  Nick Corirossi, Armen Weitzman, Sarah Ramos, Vanessa Chester, Jamar Malachi Neighbors, Paul Rust, Riki Lindhome, David Wain, Ivy Wolk, Ray Wise, and Mike "The Spoon Man" Mitchell, The Napa Boys is for fans of everything from Sideways to those straight-to-DVD sequels to American Pie!

Just added: these two screenings of Dead Lover will now be presented in scratch-and-sniff Stink-O-Vision!  Love conquers death in director Grace Glowicki's deliriously dark new film Dead Lover, opening up for a special two night run at The Frida Cinema on April 3rd! A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments, resulting in grave consequences and unlikely love. A love story unlike any other, Dead Lover is a mix of Mario Bava, John Waters, and Guy Maddin, promising one of the goriest and smelliest movie experiences of the year!

Celebrate Easter weekend at The Frida with two screenings of Jimmy Stewart in Henry Koster's film adaptation of Harvey! The story follows a man named Elwood P. Dowd, who makes friends with a spirit taking the form of a human-sized rabbit named Harvey that only he sees. After his sister tries to commit him to a mental institution, a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mending its wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places. Harvey has endured as one of Hollywood’s most beloved gentle comedies. It's a warm, whimsical film whose message about kindness and individuality continues to resonate decades later. Bring the family!

Just added: there will be a post-screening discussion on April 4th with the Palestinian Youth Movement! Watermelon Pictures is proud to present Palestine 36, their new humanist cinematic tour de force! 1936. As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region. One of the year’s most lauded and highly anticipated films, Palestine 36 has received universal audience and critical acclaim in its festival rollout, including a record-setting 23 minute standing ovation at TIFF, and a win for Best Film at The Tokyo International Film Festival, while holding a rating of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Yellow Veil Pictures presents the new psychosexual horror sci-fi comedy Touch Me, playing one night only at The Frida Cinema on April 4th! And as an added bonus, stick around after the film for a special in-person Q&A the writer/director Addison Heimann!  TThe story follows two emotionally tangled best friends, Joey and Craig (played by Olivia Taylor Dudley and Jordan Gavaris), who are drifting through life when a strange opportunity appears. Joey’s ex-boyfriend Brian (Lou Taylor Pucci) suddenly reenters her life. Oh, also...he's an alien.  An official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, and Fantasia International Festival, Touch Me is an homage to the 1970s Japanese “pink films” and exploitation cinema, blending outrageous sexuality, surreal humor, and practical creature effects.

One Vicious Hitman. One Fierce Cop. Ten Thousand Bullets. Step into the operatic heart of Hong Kong action cinema with John Woo’s The Killer! Mob assassin Jeffrey is no ordinary hired gun; the best in his business, he views his chosen profession as a calling rather than simply a job. So, when beautiful nightclub chanteuse Jennie is blinded in the crossfire of his most recent hit, Jeffrey chooses to retire after one last job to pay for his unintended victim's sight-restoring operation. But when Jeffrey is double-crossed, he reluctantly joins forces with a rogue policeman to make things right. What unfolds is a tragic dance of loyalty and doomed brotherhood, escalating into some of the most iconic slow-motion gunfights ever put on screen. See it how it was meant to be seen: loud and emotionally overwhelming. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

Our first Volunteer Of The Month pick for April comes courtesy of Laisha, as she has chosen the Cher-Winona Ryder-Christina Ricci starrer Mermaids from 1990! Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Flax is tired of her wacky mom moving their family to a different town any time she feels it is necessary. When they move to a small Massachusetts town and Mrs. Flax begins dating a shopkeeper, Charlotte and her 9-year-old sister, Kate, hope that they can finally settle down. But when Charlotte's attraction to an older man gets in the way, the family must learn to accept each other for who they truly are. Over time, Mermaids has gained a cult following, remembered for its bittersweet tone and affectionate portrait of unconventional family life in early-1960s America that captures the complicated love between parents and children. Come see this underrated gem on the big screen!

We’re diving headfirst into our tribute to Frida Favorite John Waters by going to the filthiest corners of underground cinema and delivering a double feature of Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos! Multiple Maniacs: Lady Divine runs a traveling sideshow with her lover, luring unsuspecting patrons into a world of chaos, crime, and depravity. As jealousy and betrayal take hold, her descent spirals into one of the most infamous acts in cult film history! Pink Flamingos: Self-proclaimed “Filthiest Person Alive” Divine lives in a trailer on the outskirts of Baltimore, defending her title against a pair of perverse rivals determined to outdo her. What follows is an all-out war of bad taste that pushes the limits of what's acceptable to be shown on screen! Defiantly transgressive as ever, these films cemented Waters’ reputation as the ultimate patron saint of trash, almost daring audiences to laugh. There will be a 10 minute intermission between both films. One tickets gets you access to both movies!

Hundreds of Beavers, one of the most entertaining and enduring independent films of the past decade, is back this April! Called “gonzo cinema distilled from Buster Keaton to George Miller” (LA Times), “one of the most inventive comedies in years” (RogerEbert.com), that “puts most big screen comedies to shame,” (The Daily Beast), this impossible indie has become a word-of-mouth phenomenon — selling out theaters, melting Letterboxd & Rotten Tomatoes, and putting audiences worldwide into stitches. Equal parts silent-era stunt work, Looney Tunes energy, and pure filmmaking lunacy, this is a cult hit that’s too much dam fun to stream alone at home!

Just added: actor/comedian Sam Brown and director Sevan Najarian will be joining us for the 7:30PM screening on April 11th for a post-screening Q&A! Mars, an animated feature film by the cult comedy troupe, The Whitest Kids U’Know, is having its long-awaited theatrical release, and we're playing it! The movie revolves around Kyle, who enters a contest to go to Mars only half seriously, since he’s getting married in a few days. When he wins, he decides to ditch his wedding to escape to the red planet. This would all be great for him except the luxury accommodations are a facade, his shipmates are insane, and the crew gets stranded on Mars with no way home. Mars was conceived during the production of the original sketch series, often held in the same high regard as “Saturday Night Live,” “Kids in the Hall” and “SCTV.” Thanks to a booming fanbase on Twitch, the troupe was able to crowdfund the animated film’s budget and commence production. Come see it on the big screen with like-minded fans!

Some search for battle, others are born into it... Paul Thomas Anderson's towering epic One Battle After Another, fresh off of its six Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Adapted Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn), Best Film Editing (Andy Jurgensen), and first ever Best Casting award (Cassandra Kulukundis), is finally coming to The Frida Cinema! Washed-up revolutionary Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (played by the incredible Chase Infiniti, in her first movie role ever). When his evil nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past. Immediately becoming one the defining films, for better or worse, of the 2020s, now is the time see One Battle After Another loud and proud on the big screen.

Desire takes a dangerous turn in David Cronenberg's controversial Cannes classic Crash, playing for a limited time at The Frida Cinema in April for its 30th anniversary! In Crash, James Spader plays a film producer drawn into a secretive subculture after a near-fatal car accident. Alongside his wife (Deborah Kara Unger), he encounters a group of outsiders led by the enigmatic Elias Koteas, whose members, including characters played by Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette, share an unsettling obsession with the erotic possibilities of car crashes. It's exactly as wild as it sounds. This cold, controversial drama explores the intersection of technology, desire, and the human body, making it potentially the most Cronenbergian film ever made. 

Our award-winning resident performance troupe K.A.O.S. returns for their celebrated all-costumed, all-choreographed, all-leg-kicking live shadowcast presentation of 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, performed on stage in front of the film! Director Jim (Don’t squeeze the…) Sharman’s cult classic stars Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as Brad and Janet, two virginal small-town lovers whose car breaks down in the shadows of a creepy old castle, where they encounter an odd collective of “unconventional conventionalists” gathered to witness transvestite scientist’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s latest creation – a muscular man named Rocky. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including tap-dancing Columbia, rocking biker Eddie, and of course, the castle’s “Sweet Transvestite” himself, Frank-N-Furter! Adapted from the 1973 stage musical by Richard O’Brien, this glam cult classic is a cinematic experience unlike any other. Sing-along (and shout-along!) to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a classic that still packs houses 50 years after its initial release! Get your tickets now before it sells out! Doors open at 11:00pm  Official K.A.O.S. preshow starts at 11:30pm!  Movie at midnight! SENSORY WARNING: Flashing Lights and Fog effects may be used during the event. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Member discounts and Frida Cinema comp passes not valid.

Our second Volunteer Of The Month pick for April is courtesy of Brett, as he has chosen the 1963 classic The Great Escape! The story follows a group of captured Allied soldiers are held in a high-security German POW camp designed to be escape-proof. Instead of waiting out the war, they band together to plan a meticulously coordinated breakout. As they dig tunnels, forge documents, and risk everything for a chance at freedom, one small mistake could lead to their ultimate demise. Led by an all-star cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, this WWII classic is remembered for its unforgettable set pieces, making it one of the most thrilling escape adventures ever put on screen.

The first film in our 13-film Humphrey Bogart retrospective is  To Have and Have Not, the film that introduced the world to the electric pairing of Bogie and Bacall! Set in wartime Martinique, Bogart plays a tough American boat captain trying to stay neutral while Bacall arrives as a mysterious young drifter with a cigarette, a razor-sharp wit, and a look that could stop the story cold. What begins as a smoldering battle of nerves soon pulls both into a dangerous resistance plot. Directed by Howard Hawks and written in part by William Faulkner, To Have and Have Not belongs entirely to its stars, launching one of cinema’s most iconic romances.

The award-winning documentary The Shepherd And The Bear is coming to The Frida Cinema! And stick around after the film as we have an in-person discussion with the director of the film, Max Keegan! Set high in the majestic French Pyrenees, The Shepherd And The Bear explores a conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears in the midst of a traditional shepherding community. The film follows an aging shepherd who struggles to find a successor as bears prey on his flock, and a teenage boy who becomes obsessed with tracking the bears. Through its breathtaking cinematography and immersive storytelling, the film is a modern folktale about tradition, community, and humanity’s relationship with a vanishing natural world. The Shepherd And The Bear won the Living with Wildlife Award at the 48th International Wildlife Film Festival and played at Margaret Mead Film Festival in the American Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, Big Sky Documentary, Visions du Réel, Full Frame, Sydney Film Festival, Salem Film Fest where it was nominated for the American Cinematography Magazine Award.

Utopia proudly presents I Live Here Now, the feature film debut from writer/director Julie Pacino, who will be joining us after the movie for an in-person Q&A! The story follows Rose, an aspiring actress, checks into a remote California motel, seeking solace from the chaos of her life. But the walls of the motel pulse with the echoes of her past, with each room a distorted reflection of her fears, desires and regrets. As reality warps and fractures, Rose must confront the haunting specters of her trauma, identity and the oppressive forces that have shaped her existence. I Live Here Now is described as a visually arresting journey into the labyrinth of the female psyche. Shot on 35mm, it blends surrealist horror with psychological depth, drawing comparisons to Lynchian narratives and films like Black Swan.

Our Sunday Scaries series, presented by Play It By Fear, is kicking off our April 12th festivities with something a little different. Pay $5, show up, and we'll play you a super Secret $5 Movie! And make sure to stick around after the film and get tickets to our other Sunday Scaries flick: Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist! The only hint we can give you for the Secret $5 movie is that it's from a beloved Frida Cinema filmmaker and it's celebrating its 40th anniversary in 1986! Take a chance on something spooky!

Some girls will do anything to meet their idols. We're doing an encore of Isa's Staff Pick from February as she presents another screening of Robert Zemekis' I Wanna Hold Your Hand! The story follows a group of wide-eyed New Jersey teenagers who descend on New York City in hopes of getting close to their idols. What begins as a simple plan (to see The Beatles) spirals into a chaotic, cross-town odyssey filled with manic Beatlemania-fueled hijinks. More than just a period comedy, I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a joyous time capsule of a cultural turning point. Come see this rarely screened gem on the big screen with fellow Beatles fans!

They're heeeeeeere. It's time to summon Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s 1982 masterpiece Poltergeist for our Sunday Scaries series presented by Play It By Fear! Nothing is as it seems in sunny suburbia, where cookie-cutter homes and smiling families mask a gateway to the beyond. When the Freeling family’s youngest daughter mysteriously vanishes into the television set, their idyllic life unravels into a parade of sinister spirits, creepy clowns, ravenous trees, and otherworldly terrors. Can they rescue her before she’s lost to the other side forever? A cornerstone of 1980s supernatural cinema, Poltergeist blends the very best elements of horror and blends them into a suburban nightmare. Make sure to get there early for our Physical Media Day celebration of all things VHS, DVD, blu rays, posters, and beyond!

Memory is a mirror. Join us for a free screening of the award-winning indie film, I’ve Seen All I Need To See, from writer/director Zeshaan Younus. After the screening we will be joined by various cast and crew for an in-depth Q&A about the making of the film! The film follows Parker (Renee Gagner), an actress living in Los Angeles, who returns to her hometown after the sudden and violent death of her estranged sister, Indiana (Rosie McDonald). An experimental ghost story noir, I’ve Seen All I Need To See has screened at the Glasgow Film Festival, Manchester Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and many more. For fans of Mulholland Drive, A Ghost Story, Personal Shopper, and Memoria.

Bogie Fest rolls on as we revisit one of the most beloved films of all time: Michael Curtiz's Casablanca! The story unfolds in the titular Moroccan city, a haven for refugees seeking passage to the Americas. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the jaded owner of a popular nightclub, unexpectedly reunites with his former lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), who arrives with her husband, resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). As Rick grapples with lingering feelings for Ilsa, he must decide whether to help the couple escape the clutches of the Nazis, risking his own safety in the process. With its unforgettable performances and a rich blend of romance and moral dilemmas, Casablanca earned three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and remains one of the most celebrated films in cinematic history. Bogart's role as Rick continues to be the go-to for fans of hard-shelled man with a soft heart. 

Discover the true story of one of America's brightest stars...that faded too soon. Celebrate the life and legacy of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez with a special birthday weekend presentation of the biographical drama Selena from 1997. Starring Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role, the film traces Selena’s rise from performing at family gatherings in Texas to becoming the “Queen of Tejano Music.” Guided by her devoted family, she navigates fame, love, and ambition while breaking barriers and bringing her music to a wider audience. A heartfelt tribute to a beloved icon, Selena captures the enduring spirit of an artist whose impact continues to resonate far beyond her years.

High. How are you? Gregg Araki's Smiley Face is finally coming to The Frida Cinema as part of our 4/20 weekend festivities! Jane, a struggling but perpetually stoned actress, has a busy day ahead. She has several important tasks on her list, including buying more marijuana. Even though she already has a good start on the day's planned drug use, she eats her roommate's pot-laced cupcakes and embarks on a series of misadventures all over Los Angeles. Smiley Face has grown over time from a modest, under-seen stoner comedy into a cult favorite, especially among fans of offbeat indie cinema and Gregg Araki’s work. At the center of the whole affair is Anna Faris, whose performance is now widely considered one of the great modern comedic turns, and for good reason.

The passion, the violence, the birth of America's Gilded Age. Flickrhappy is back at The Frida Cinema, bringing with them a restoration of Milos Forman's 1981 rarely-screened epic Ragtime! America at the dawn of the 20th century bursts to life in this sweeping, ambitious adaptation of E. L. Doctorow’s celebrated novel. Set in a nation electrified by upheaval, Ragtime weaves together the lives of dreamers and revolutionaries as their stories collide in a rapidly changing New York. A proud Black pianist seeks justice after an act of racist cruelty. A glamorous chorus girl becomes the center of a national scandal. Historical figures – including magician Harry Houdini, activist Emma Goldman, and tycoon J. P. Morgan – drift through a world where wealth and poverty sit side by side, and where the promise of America feels both intoxicating and fragile. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast,including screen legend James Cagney in his final film performance, Ragtime is a powerful tapestry of music and hope. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Flickrhappy is allowing Frida Cinema members to use their regular discounts to this event! 

The Frida Cinema is proud to present a special 75th Anniversary screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still, one of the most important science fiction films ever made whose message has only grown more urgent with time! Plus, get there early and see the iconic 8-Foot-Tall Gort Robot live-on-stage! Starring Michael Rennie in his unforgettable performance as Klaatu, this 20th Century Fox landmark follows an alien emissary who arrives on Earth with a message that could save humanity…or doom it! At his side the towering Gort Robot whose silent presence became a legend of science fiction design. Directed by Academy Award winner Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, The Haunting, Star Trek: The Motion Feature) The Day the Earth Stood Still rejected spectacle in favor of moral urgency during a time of high-anxiety, making it evergreen filmmaking at its finest.  Bernard Herrmann’s revolutionary score, featuring eerie theremins and groundbreaking electronic instrumentation, forever changed the sound of Science Fiction cinema. Lauded worldwide and praised by critics for its intelligence and restraint, the film was selected by the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance. Arnold Leibovit, a personal friend of Robert Wise, will host the evening and present two more of George Pal's Academy Award-winning Puppetoons he's restored: "A Hatful of Dreams" featuring a DC Comics use of Superman and "The Gay Knighties" with a mischievous Ogre.  Also: please join us for Bonus pre-screening of The Puppetoon Movie – A Legacy Revisited, at 5:00PM, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Puppetoon Movie with Joe Dante (Gremlins),  Floyd Norman(Walt Disney animator – Sleeping Beauty,  The Jungle Book),  Peter Lord (Aardman Animations – Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit),  Dennis Muren (Star Wars, Jurassic Park),  Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers), Mick Garris (Critters 2), Bob Kurtz (Animation Director), Marc Caballero & Seamus Walsh (Screen Novelties Directors), Art Clokey (Gumby Creator), Dallas McKennon (Actor), Jerry Beck (animation historian) and others. Produced & Directed by Arnold Leibovit with archival narration by Paul Frees. This showing will coincide with the new restoraton Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie. 4:00PM Doors Open  5:00PM A Puppetoon Movie: A Legacy Revisited documentary (introduction by Arnold Leibovit) 7:00PM Two Puppetoons shorts + The Day The Earth Stood Still (introduction by Arnold Leibovit) Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply. 

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is proud to present a completely free screening of the new documentary Four Rational People!  The story follows the Emerson String Quartet as they embark on the final season of a fifty-year history that includes 9 GRAMMYS and thousands of concerts. Interweaving vivid memories with delicate observations of life on the road, the film explores the difficult decision to walk away from the things they cherish: the music they play and the friends they hold dear. At once a frank examination of the tyranny of aging and a cri de cœur to pass the torch to a new generation, the film culminates with one final performance, leaving all to ponder what happens to us after the final curtain. RSVP to get your tickets now!

It will make you feel VERY funny! Our 4/20 Weekend celebrating continues as our friends at See It On 16mm present the Cheech and Chong comedy classic Up In Smoke on glorious celluloid! An unemployed pot-smoking slacker and amateur drummer, Anthony Stoner ditches his strict parents and hits the road, eventually meeting kindred spirit Pedro de Pacas. While the drug-ingesting duo is soon arrested for possession of marijuana, Anthony and Pedro get released on a technicality, allowing them to continue their many misadventures and ultimately compete in a rock band contest, where they perform the raucous tune "Earache My Eye."

Our favorite 4/20 weekend tradition continues as we present the fourth annual Scooby-Doo + Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed double feature on 4/20 and 4/21!  Scooby-Doo: When the Mystery Inc. gang is invited to Spooky Island, a popular amusement park, they soon discover that the attractions aren't the only things that are spooky. Strange things are happening, and it's up to Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma to uncover the truth behind the mysterious happenings. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed: After solving their last mystery at Spooky Island, the Mystery Inc. gang is back in Coolsville, where they are being honored with their very own exhibit at the Coolsonian Criminology Museum. However, when a masked villain steals costumes of classic monsters on display and brings them to life, the gang must come out of retirement to solve the case. If you've got the munchies for Scooby Snacks, we've got exactly what you need, two nights only at The Frida Cinema! Doo the doo! 

We’re diving a bit deeper into the gloriously depraved world of John Waters with a double feature of two more of his unhinged creations: Female Trouble and Desperate Living! Female Trouble: Dawn Davenport wants fame...and she’ll do anything to get it. From petty crime to full-blown notoriety, her life becomes a chaotic mess of violence and warped ambition, all in pursuit of becoming a star. Featuring one of Divine’s most iconic performances, the film is a savage satire of celebrity culture. Desperate Living: When a neurotic housewife goes on the run after committing murder, she finds refuge in Mortville, a lawless shantytown ruled by a tyrannical queen. As she descends deeper into this bizarre society of misfits and criminals, survival means putting up with the madness...and maybe embracing it. Waters builds a world with these two films where crime is glamorous and authority is a joke, and he somehow manages to balance is all by making it all feel so filthy and fabulous, the two words we use most to describe him. There will be a 10 minute intermission between both films. One tickets gets you access to both movies!

Just beyond your dreams lives a secret world. Where every tree is a home. Every sound is a song. And humans only exist in fairy tales. Until now... Join us on Earth Day, April 22nd, as we present special screenings of FernGully: The Last Rainforest on a beautiful big screen for everyone to enjoy! When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak and his new friends fight to defend FernGully from lumberjacks and the vengeful spirit they accidentally unleash after chopping down a magic tree. Way before Avatar, this Don Bluth-esque animated rainforest romp warmed the hearts of kids everywhere with the voices of Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Robin Williams, Cheech & Chong, Harry Shearer, Tone-Loc, Pamela Adlon, and even David Lynch favorite Grace Zabriskie. We’re delightfully buzzed to be playing a brand new DCP of this psychedelic ‘90s staple from our buds at Shout! Studios and American Genre Film Archive!

Alright, see...join us for April's Classic Movie Nights pick: the James Cagney gangster flick Angels With Dirty Faces! This film will be pulling double duty as part of Bogie Fest, our 14-film retrospective on the work of Humphrey Bogart, who has a small role in the film!  Cagney plays Rocky Sullivan, a two-bit punk who grows into a full-blown gangster with the whole neighborhood full of kids. Trying to set him straight is his old pal Father Jerry, played by Pat O’Brien, now on the right side of the law and sweating bullets over whether those kids are gonna follow the wrong horse. Directed by Michael Curtiz of Casablanca and White Christmas fame, this is an old school, real-deal Warner Brothers gangster picture, culminating in one of the greatest endings in cinema history. Make sure to get to the screening early, as our Marketing Director Bekah will be doing a very informative and entertaining presentation on the film before it starts!

Just added: Mood Poison is giving away a custom Santa Sangre pin to all ticket-holders coming to the Thursday night show! Forget everything you have ever seen... Santa Sangre is finally coming back to The Frida Cinema, and this time we are joined by our friends at Mood Poison, who will be selling a brand new, custom pin from the film as well as giving away exclusive prizes to lucky ticket-holders, all in celebration of their 10 year anniversary The film is a tale of a young circus performer, the crime of passion that shatters his soul, and a macabre journey back to the world of his armless mother.  Fifteen years after Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo and The Holy Mountain unlocked our collective third eye, the legendary provocateur made his 1980s comeback with this staggering odyssey of ecstasy, anguish, belief, blasphemy, beauty, and madness.  The film continues to enrapture both Jodorowsky newbies and dedicated fans alike. 

Bogie Fest, our 14-film retrospective on the films of the incomparable Humprey Bogart, continues with one of the all time great films from the Noir genre: John Huston's debut film The Maltese Falcon! In shadow-drenched San Francisco, private detective Sam Spade (Bogart) is pulled into a deadly web after his partner is murdered. What begins as a routine case spirals into a hunt for a priceless, jewel-encrusted statuette: the elusive Maltese Falcon. Surrounded by liars, thieves, and the dangerously alluring Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Spade must navigate shifting loyalties and his own code of ethics to uncover the truth. The Maltese Falcon is widely regarded as the blueprint for Film Noir. Its hard-edged dialogue and stark visual style set the tone for an entire movement in American cinema. 

Our Page To Screen series in April is the Paul Newman starrer Cool Hand Luke! When petty criminal Luke Jackson is sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm, he doesn't play by the rules of either the sadistic warden or the yard's resident heavy, Dragline, who ends up admiring the new guy's unbreakable will. Luke's bravado, even in the face of repeated stints in the prison's dreaded solitary confinement cell, "the box," make him a rebel hero to his fellow convicts and a thorn in the side of the prison officers. Based on the 1965 novel by Donn Pearce, Cool Hand Luke is a defining 1960s counter-culture film celebrating anti-authoritarianism through Newman's iconic portrayal of a charming rebel. 

Celebrate 40 years of Labyrinth magic as The Frida Cinema presents a limited run of the fantasy cult classic in a brand new restoration!  Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth has withstood the test of time due to its handmade aesthetic, groundbreaking practical effects, and David Bowie’s iconic role as Jareth the Goblin King! Don't miss it on the big screen for this very special anniversary!

The good news is your date is here. The bad news is...he's dead. HorrorBuzz continues its 2026 Horror Movie Night series with a 40th anniversary blast of pure ’80s genre joy: Fred Dekker’s Night of the Creeps! In the 1980s, two college freshmen unwittingly unleash slug-like parasites that turn anyone they infect into walking corpses. As the outbreak spreads, it’s up to hardboiled detective Ray Cameron (the legendary Tom Atkins) and a group of panicked students to save the night...or at least go down swinging! Horror Movie Night takes filmgoing to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Pres-how, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and video pre-show video begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Games, prizes, and short film begin at 8:00PM. Feature starts at 8:30PM. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. The Hunt For Ben Solo is coming to The Frida Cinema to present a very special screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi! As the Resistance struggles to survive the relentless advance of the First Order, Rey seeks out the reclusive Luke Skywalker in hopes that the legendary Jedi will help turn the tide. But as old myths are challenged and loyalties are tested, heroes and villains alike must confront the weight of the past. Written and directed by Frida Cinema Favorite Rian Johnson, The Last Jedi pushes the Star Wars saga into bold new territory, a rare feat for blockbuster filmmaking on this scale. Doors are at 6:00PM and the fun all starts at 6:30PM! This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

They call themselves "The Goonies." The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. Join the adventure! April's Staff Pick comes from our beloved Eddie, who has chose Richard Donner's 1985 classic The Goonies!  Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie's treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they run into a family of recently escaped criminals, determined to capture the kids and reach the treasure first. A key touchstone of 1980s cinema, The Goonies has a legacy rooted in pure nostalgia and youthful imagination. Its simple premise has now turned into a defining blueprint for kid-led adventure stories for the rest of time!

The fastest hands in the East meet the biggest mouth in the West. Join us at the Frida Cinema on April 28th as Nostalgic Nebula presents a double feature screening of Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2! When the daughter of a Chinese diplomat is kidnapped in Los Angeles, by-the-book Hong Kong detective Jackie Chan is sent to help...but the FBI sticks him with fast-talking LAPD officer Chris Tucker instead. Forced to work together despite wildly different styles, the mismatched duo bicker their way through a high-octane investigation that turns culture clash into explosive comedy. And then, after a ten minute break...the action moves to Hong Kong, where Detectives Lee and Carter’s vacation quickly turns into another globe-trotting case of non-stop chaos. With bigger stunts and more jokes, the sequel doubles down on the buddy-cop formula that made the original a hit. Be sure to show up early for behind-the-scenes clips, Jackie Chan trivia and immerse yourself with the Heaven On Earth Massage Parlor photo op!  Doors open at 6:30PM, there will be a trivia game at 6:45PM, and the movies will start at 7:00PM! There will be a 10 minute intermission between both films. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

We're presenting a Kiyoshi Kurosawa double feature of the new restoration of 1998's Serpent's Path and his 2024 film Chime! Serpent's Path: Straight off Cure (1997), his international breakthrough, Kiyoshi Kurosawa directed two low-budget films using the same basic premise and the same lead actor (Sho Aikawa) to completely different ends. The experiment first resulted in Serpent’s Path (1998, later remade in 2024), a dark gangland thriller with philosophical overtones. Obsessed with avenging his young daughter’s murder, yakuza subordinate Miyashita (Teruyuki Kagawa) recruits Nijima (Aikawa), a brilliant yet strangely detached math teacher, to help carry outcarry out a scheme to kidnap and torture the man allegedly responsible. But the plan goes awry when their target, Otsuki (Yurei Yanagi), fingers another mobster as the mastermind behind Miyashita’s tragedy. As the two partners ascend the yakuza chain of command in search of the true culprit, Miyashita and Nijima follow the cold, calculating logic of revenge, descending into a moral abyss from which they may never surface.  Chime: A masterclass in escalating dread and shocking violence, Chime reaffirms Kiyoshi Kurosawa as one of modern horror’s most innovative and unpredictable visionaries. During a class, culinary instructor Matsuoka (Mutsuo Yoshioka) witnesses the suicide of a young student (Seiichi Kohinata), driven to insanity by what he claims is a chiming sound that controls his mind. Soon, Matsuoka begins hearing it, too, and descends into a mental abyss that warps his perception of reality and gives vent to his darkest impulses. 

Our seaside horror Hallucinations mini series continues with a brand new 4K restoration of the 1961 gem Night Tide! Night Tide presents a world in which undefined realms float around, blurring boundaries between reality and fantasy. Dennis Hopper is profoundly charming in his portrayal of Johnny, a young sailor who is spellbound by Mora, an enigmatic woman who performs as a mermaid at the Santa Monica Pier carnival. Set near the water in Santa Monica and Venice Beach, Night Tide dives into the purgatory domain of dreamy love, which is cursed by doomed imagination, like a beautiful nightmare underwater. Hosted by Polygon’s editor-in-chief Chris Plante, Hallucinations is a monthly event that spotlights movies that challenge our expectations of story, style, and “good taste”. We invite guests to bond over films that change what we expect from the medium, the world, and themselves. So come early, stay late, make friends, and watch something strange, surprising, or just shamelessly sick.

See It On 16mm is back at the end of April to dust off some well-loved (worn) prints of ignored exploitation, horror, and other off the radar films as we present another entry into our Secret Grindhouse series!  They're gonna dig up some decaying prints and thread them up for genre fans! Most titles are either in a rights limbo, forgotten, or just need to be shown more appreciation. They'll be playing blaxploitation, vansploitation, nunsploitation, kung fu, made-for-TV terrors, and everything else between! Grab a ticket and watch as the secret movie unspools loud and proud on the big screen!

Bogie Fest is heating up as we slip into the shadows with one of his most intriguing noirs: Dark Passage! Directed by Delmer Daves, this atmospheric thriller drops us into post-war San Francisco, where escaped convict Vincent Parry (Bogie) is determined to prove his innocence after being wrongly accused of murdering his wife. On the run and desperate, Parry finds an unlikely ally in Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), a mysterious woman who believes in his cause and helps him evade capture. As the tension builds through foggy streets and dangerous encounters, Dark Passage leans into the paranoia that came to define classic film noir, while also showcasing the electric chemistry between Bogart and Bacall. 

The inaugural Blu Star Film Festival will take place in person at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana California on Saturday May 2nd, with in-person blocks screening blocks taking place from 3pm-11pm! The festival will showcase the work of neurodivergent filmmakers from eight Southern California production studios. Prominent guests, such as Dani Bowman from Netflix's Love on The Spectrum, will be present to showcase their work. Blu Star Productions is a company founded by an artist with a disability for artists with disabilities. Our goal is to empower disabled artists and creators across the globe with the resources needed to showcase their groundbreaking talents. Tickets for the festival can be purchased here! But the festival will continue virtually on this platform with livestreams, Q&A's and at-home viewings. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Frida Cinema memberships and discounts do not apply.

He thought he knew the risks of going undercover. We are stepping away from the lens of John Woo to explore the eye of Ringo Lam, as we present his iconic 1987 action thriller City On Fire! Ko Chow is an undercover cop who is under pressure from all sides. His boss, Inspector Lau, wants him to infiltrate a gang of ruthless jewel thieves; his girlfriend wants him to commit to marriage or she will leave Hong Kong with another lover; and he is being pursued by other cops who are unaware that he is a colleague. Chow would rather quit the force, feeling guilty about betraying gang members who have become his friends. Stripped of glamour in favor of sweet, sweet desperation, City on Fire replaces operatic heroism with fatalism and realism, helping define a harder edge of Hong Kong action cinema that would echo for decades. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

It’s Scentsational! We’re inviting you to experience John Waters as he was meant to be seen (and smelled) with Polyester in glorious Odorama!  Francine Fishpaw seems to have it all: a suburban home, a successful husband, and a picture-perfect family. But behind closed doors, her life is falling apart. Her spouse is running a sleazy business, her children are out of control, and scandal lurks around every corner. As Francine’s world spirals into chaos, a mysterious stranger offers a chance at romance…and maybe redemption. Polyester is a Waters-esque send-up of melodrama, packed with outrageous humor and sensory surprises. Make sure to get to the screening early and grab your scratch-and-sniff cards to get the full experience!

The new concert film/documentary Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is rocking its way to The Frida Cinema for two nights only! With unprecedented access to the official archives and intimate recollections from the band, both current and past, Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition invites fans to experience one of the most iconic journeys in music history! Spanning five decades, this electrifying documentary charts the band’s rise from the pubs of East London to the world’s biggest stadiums. Featuring exclusive interviews with band members and contributors such as Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Chuck D, as well as all-new animated sequences of the band's legendary mascot, Eddie, the film offers a rare and intimate look at Iron Maiden’s uncompromising vision and unwavering connection with their truly global army of fans.

Jack Burton's in for some serious trouble...and you're in for some serious fun. The Moviebusters are back at The Frida Cinema, and this time they're celebrating the 40th anniversary of the John Carpenter and Kurt Russell's 1986 cult classic Big Trouble In Little China! In addition to the film, we will have guests Alan Howarth, who worked with John Carpenter on the film’s soundtrack, and actor and martial artist Gerald Okamura, who played the Wing Kong Hatchet Man in the film join us after the screening for a Q&A hosted by Scott Zillner! They will also be signing autographs in the lobby before the film begins! Truck driver Jack Burton gets embroiled in a supernatural battle when his best friend Wang Chi's green-eyed fiancée is kidnapped by henchmen of the sorcerer Lo Pan, who must marry a girl with green eyes in order to return to the human realm. This kind of Kung Fu-Western-Sci Fi-Action-Horror genre mashing is common now, but in the 1980s, it was unheard of. Big Trouble In Little China embraced the chaos then, and has become even more beloved as the years have worn on. Come see it on the big screen! This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Frida Cinema member discounts and comp passes do not apply.

Anytime. Anywhere. Anyone. Moviebusters are taking us back to the coldest corner of horror history with some encores of John Carpenter's The Thing--now in a new 4K restoration! And as an added bonus, Alan Howarth, a frequent collaborator with John Carpenter, will be joining us for a post-screening Q&A hosted by Scott Zilner! Alan worked closely with composer Ennio Morricone and contributed additional synthesizer-based musical pieces and sound design work for the film. He will be signing autographs in the theater lobby before the film!  What begins as a simple rescue mission at a remote Antarctic outpost quickly dissolves into a nightmare of shape-shifting terror. When a mysterious organism infiltrates U.S. research station Outpost 31, it doesn’t attack its victims...it becomes them. With no way out and no way to tell who’s human, the team must confront an enemy capable of wearing any face...including their own. What can be said about The Thing that hasn't already been said? This 1982 masterpiece redefined paranoia horror, practical effects (by the incredible Ron Botin and his team), and the art of keeping an audience on the very edge of its seat in only a way that the master of horror, John Carpenter, can do. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Frida Cinema member discounts and comp passes do not apply.

We're trading in trench coats for tuxedos with the charming romantic classic Sabrina, doing double duty for our Classic Movie Nights series as well as Bogie Fest! Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) has long pined for the carefree playboy David Larrabee (William Holden), but after a transformative trip to Paris, she returns as a poised and captivating young woman who suddenly turns heads, including David’s. Concerned that his brother’s romantic entanglement could jeopardize a major business deal, the stern and work-obsessed Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart) steps in to distract Sabrina...only to find himself unexpectedly falling for her. Directed by Billy Wilder with his signature mix of wit and romantic tension, Sabrina earned multiple Academy Awards nominations and won for Best Costume Design, thanks in part to its iconic Parisian-inspired wardrobe. The film remains a high point of classic Hollywood romance, elevated by Hepburn’s radiant performance and the unlikely but compelling pairing of Bogart and Holden. Make sure to get to the screening early, as our Marketing Director Bekah will be doing a very informative and entertaining presentation on the film before it starts!

He’s back for the first time! When an influx of illegal weapons trafficking explodes onto the scene, a grieving blind police officer must purge the city streets or risk mass chaos breaking loose. After a big time East Coast roadshow the smash hit indie action-comedy Blind Cop 2 is exploding onto the big screen for the first time in the West Coast! Come see the absurdly hilarious and outrageously over the top micro budget movie that has been blowing audiences away around the world!  Alec Bonk (Writer/Director), Augustin Huffman (Co-Writer/DP), and Isaac McKinnon (Co-Star/Co-Writer) will be joining us after the screening for a Q&A! So stick around and they will answer all your hard hitting questions about how they made an indie action flick with basically no money. "Indie send-up of ‘80s action films that is becoming a cult favorite. And, no, there is no “Blind Cop 1” -Houston chronicle

Join us for California premiere of Director Jeff Shulman's new film What It Takes! The documentary follows two different stories set on opposite coasts share more in common than meets the eye. The shared arc of their lives reveals the devastation that substance use disorder leaves in its wake, the power of a little grace, and how love can light the path to redemption. Content Advisory: This film contains mature language, adult themes, and discussions of addiction and recovery that may be triggering for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. Appearing in the film: Sheriff Karl Leonard, Kerri Rhodes, Craig Fordham Jr, Earl Thomas, Kevin Wheeler, Amin Wright, Ashlee Poch, Elizabeth Poch, Jason Poch, Trevor Poch, Gilbert Isaac, and Andrea Gillette Directed by Jeff Shulman Cinematography by Steven Fong, Jawfox Productions, and Jeff Shulman Finishing Editing by Steven Fong

The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther they get from the law. Bogie Fest heads south of the border for one of the greatest adventure dramas ever put to film: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre! Directed by John Huston, this gripping tale of greed and survival unfolds in the rugged mountains of Mexico, where desperation and fortune are two sides to the same coin.  Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), a down-on-his-luck drifter, teams up with fellow American Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) and a seasoned old prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), to strike gold in the Sierra Madre. What begins as a hopeful quest for riches slowly unravels into a tense psychological battle, as paranoia and mistrust creep in and threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for. With its stark realism, iconic lines (“We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!”), and one hell of a performance from our beloved Bogie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre remains a towering achievement in classic cinema. Walter Huston’s colorful turn as the wise and weathered Howard earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while his son, John Huston, took home Oscars for Best Director and Best Screenplay!

We’re cranking up the jukebox and continuing to celebrate the irresistible rebel spirit of John Waters with a double dose of his 1980s rock and roll flicks: Hairspray and Cry-Baby! Hairspray: In 1960s Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad lands a spot on a popular local dance show. As she rises to fame, she uses her newfound platform to challenge racial segregation on the program, clashing with snobby rivals and narrow-minded authority figures along the way. With the support of her friends and family, Tracy proves that change can start on the dance floor! Cry-Baby: In a stylized 1950s Baltimore, tensions run high between the clean-cut “Squares” and the rebellious “Drapes.” When straight-laced Allison falls for Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker, a motorcycle-riding outsider with a reputation for trouble, their romance sparks outrage on both sides. As rivalries escalate and loyalties are tested, the two must decide whether love is worth defying the rules of their divided world. Packed with catchy songs and Waters’ signature ability to mix satire and sincerity, these two films prove that the weirdos will always have the last dance. There will be a 10 minute intermission between the films. One ticket gets you access to both!

He killed...and there on the crest of Sierra's highest crag...he must be killed! We're hitting the road with one of the defining films of Humphrey Bogart's early stardom: High Sierra! This gritty crime drama finds Bogie stepping into a role that helped transform him from supporting heavy into full-fledged leading man. Bogart stars as Roy “Mad Dog” Earle, a hardened criminal freshly released from prison and pulled into one last heist in the mountains of California. As he assembles his crew and plans the job, Roy crosses paths with Velma (Joan Leslie), an innocent young woman he becomes unexpectedly devoted to, and Marie (Ida Lupino), a tough, world-weary drifter who sees through him more clearly than anyone else. Successfully mixing a gangster film intensity with a tragic romance, High Sierra builds toward a tense and unforgettable finale high in the Sierra Nevada. The film cemented Bogart’s ability to bring depth and vulnerability to dangerous men, hinting at the layered performances that would define his greatest roles.

Our Hallucinations series heads to the seaside one final time (for this sub-series, at least) for director Jerzy Skolimowski's The Shout! Adapted from Robert Graves’ short story, The Shout follows a mysterious traveler, Crossley, who takes advantage of a young couple’s hospitality. Claiming to have learned an Aboriginal ‘terror shout,’ Crossley threatens the couple’s safety and sanity.  Skolimowski’s film is dreamlike and disorienting, playing out like a hallucination (see what we did there?). It's not a conventional horror movie by any means, using fractured timelines and the barren English coastal to slowly create an existential nightmare.  Hosted by Polygon’s editor-in-chief Chris Plante, Hallucinations is a monthly event that spotlights movies that challenge our expectations of story, style, and “good taste”. We invite guests to bond over films that change what we expect from the medium, the world, and themselves. So come early, stay late, make friends, and watch something strange, surprising, or just shamelessly sick.

Our Starring Natalie Wood series kicks off with the iconic 1955 Nicholas Ray landmark drama Rebel Without A Cause, in which she co-stars as Judy, going toe-to-toe with big fellow big screen icon James Dean. She earned herself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the role--the first of her career. After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin. This Summer, we are celebrating the unforgettable star power of Natalie Wood with a quartet of films that showcase the unique blend of charisma and emotional intensity that made her one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen icons. This series is co-presented by the amazing folks over at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton as part of their exhibit More Than Love: The Life & Art of Natalie Wood!

Every mom wants to be wanted, but not for murder! Our John Waters retrospective is reaching its bittersweet conclusion with us screening his 1994 suburban nightmare-comedy Serial Mom! Beverly Sutphin seems like the perfect housewife: devoted mother, loving spouse, and model member of her community. But behind her cheerful demeanor lies a deadly secret...she has a habit of murdering anyone who offends her sense of decency, from rude neighbors to ill-mannered strangers, all while maintaining her pristine suburban image. Serial Mom proves once again that in Waters’ world, good taste is meant to be destroyed, and Kathleen Turner's iconic performance as Beverly finds both of him having a lot of fun being bad. Please join us to give this series the send-off it deserves!

We're setting sail for our next film of Bogie Fest, venturing into one his most intense and morally grey performances: The Caine Mutiny! Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk, this gripping naval drama unfolds aboard a U.S. Navy minesweeper during World War II, where tensions simmer just beneath the surface. Humphrey Bogart delivers a fascinating, against-type performance as Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg, the tightly wound and increasingly unstable captain of the USS Caine. As the crew, including Lt. Steve Maryk (Van Johnson), and the cynical communications officer Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray), begins to question Queeg’s judgment, a crisis at sea leads to a fateful decision that sparks a court-martial and a battle over sanity. Best remembered for its riveting courtroom climax and Bogart’s unforgettable “strawberries” monologue, The Caine Mutiny earned multiple Academy Awards nominations, including Best Actor for Bogart. His portrayal of Queeg is one of the boldest of his career, trading cool confidence for psychological fragility.

Witness action cinema pushed to its absolute physical limits with Police Story + Police Story, a double featuring Jackie Chan, the filmmaker-performer who redefined what a movie star would risk for the camera. A smash hit that made him a worldwide icon of daredevil action spectacle, the director/star/one-man stunt machine plays Ka-Kui, a Hong Kong police inspector who goes rogue to bring down a drug kingpin and protect the case’s star witness (Chinese cinema legend Brigitte Lin) from retribution. Packed wall-to-wall with charmingly goofball slapstick and astoundingly acrobatic fight choreography, including an epic shopping-mall melee of flying fists and shattered glass, Police Story set a new standard for rock-’em-sock-’em mayhem. Then, after a quick ten minute intermission, Jackie is back! Having been demoted to a lowly traffic cop for his, ahem, unorthodox policing methods, Chan’s go-it-alone officer Ka-Kui quits the force in protest. But it isn’t long before he’s back in action, racing the clock to stop a band of serial bombers and win back his much-put-upon girlfriend May (the phenomenal Maggie Cheung, reprising her star-making role). Boasting epic explosions, an awesomely 1980s electro soundtrack, and a showstopping finale that turns an abandoned warehouse into a life-size pinball machine of cascading oil drums, collapsing scaffolds, and shooting fireworks, Police Story 2 confirmed Chan’s status as a performer of unparalleled grace and daring. There will be a ten minute intermission between each film. One ticket gets you access to both movies! Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

The second film in our Starring Natalie Wood series is Splendor In The Grass, co-starring Warren Beatty in his screen debut! Wood's performance garnered her the second Oscar nomination of her career, this time Best Actress! The story follows a small-town Kansas teenager whose passionate romance collides with the strict social expectations of the late 1920s. As heartbreak begins to take its toll, she’s forced to confront the fragile line between desire and despair. This Summer, we are celebrating the unforgettable star power of Natalie Wood with a quartet of films that showcase the unique blend of charisma and emotional intensity that made her one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen icons. This series is co-presented by the amazing folks over at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton as part of their exhibit More Than Love: The Life & Art of Natalie Wood!

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.

Love finds a way...even in the middle of a war. The third film in our four film Starring Natalie Wood tribute is West Side Story, where she shines as Maria alongside other screen icons Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, and George Chakiris! In Manhattan’s Upper West Side, rival gangs of Polish-Americans and newly arrived Puerto Ricans clash for control of the neighborhood, even as two young members from opposite sides fall dangerously in love. Featuring unforgettable songs by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, this landmark musical remains one of cinema’s most vibrant expressions of youthful hope and heartbreak. This Summer, we are celebrating the unforgettable star power of Natalie Wood with a quartet of films that showcase the unique blend of charisma and emotional intensity that made her one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen icons. This series is co-presented by the amazing folks over at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton as part of their exhibit More Than Love: The Life & Art of Natalie Wood!

Just added: Director Ted Nicolaou and actress Diane Franklin will be joining us for this after this screening a special in-person Q&A! People of Earth: your planet is about to be destroyed...we're terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Our friends at HorrorBuzz are back to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most gloriously bonkers creature features of the 1980s: TerrorVision! When the ultra-quirky Putterman family installs a new satellite dish, they accidentally beam in more than late-night cable. A grotesque alien known as the Hungry Beast materializes in their home, and soon the eccentric clan is fighting for survival as the creature slithers through their pastel nightmare of a mansion, devouring everything in sight! Horror Movie Night takes filmgoing to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Pres-how, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and video pre-show video begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Games, prizes, and short film begin at 8:00PM. Feature starts at 8:30PM. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

Our Bogie Fest series begins to wind down with The Big Sleep, Howard Hawks' noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler's iconic novel. Private detective Philip Marlowe (played by Humphrey Bogart) is hired by the wealthy General Sternwood to investigate a blackmail scheme involving his daughter, Carmen. What begins as a straightforward case unravels into a clustermess of murder and corruption, as Marlowe discovers connections to organized crime. Along the way, he encounters the General’s other daughter, the sharp-witted and enigmatic Vivian (portrayed by Lauren Bacall) with whom he shares a smoldering chemistry. Known for its moody cinematography and the world famous Bogie and Bacall on-screen chemistry, The Big Sleep remains a defining work of the noir genre, celebrated for its stylish complexity.

A lethal secret arsenal was left behind in the jungle of Vietnam. Their job: find it and destroy it! Legendary actor-director Sammo Hung delivers a bazooka blast of pure adrenaline with Eastern Condors, an exemplar of Hong Kong action cinema at its most entertaining. Drawing inspiration from Hollywood war films like The Dirty Dozen, Eastern Condors follows a ragtag band of Asian American prisoners dropped into Vietnam on a secret suicide mission to prevent a cache of weapons from falling into the hands of the Viet Cong, who are more than ready for a fight. Propelled by a dynamic ensemble cast that includes the ever-charismatic Yuen Biao as a black-market trader and a superhuman Yuen Wah as a giggling martial-arts monster, this rip-roaring spectacle offers a nonstop barrage of turbocharged set pieces that defy gravity itself. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

The final film in our Starring Natalie Wood retrospective is the oft-requested The Great Race, the movie that paired her with the iconic duo of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis for an affectionate throwback to silent-era spectacle and early Hollywood farce! Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the mustached and black-attired Professor Fate vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of Fate's own invention. Ms. Wood leans fully into broad comedy here, delivering rapid-fire dialogue and playful physical humor, a fun contrast to some of the her more intense performances covered in this series. This Summer, we are celebrating the unforgettable star power of Natalie Wood with a quartet of films that showcase the unique blend of charisma and emotional intensity that made her one of Hollywood’s most beloved screen icons. This series is co-presented by the amazing folks over at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton as part of their exhibit More Than Love: The Life & Art of Natalie Wood!

Closing out our Bogie Fest series, celebrating the legendary performances of Hollywood icon Humprey Bogart, is Nicholas Ray's 1950 masterpiece In A Lonely Place! Bogart plays Dixon Steele, a Hollywood screenwriter with talent to spare and a temper he can’t quite control. When a young woman he briefly encounters turns up dead, suspicion settles on him almost immediately. And the unsettling part is…it doesn’t feel entirely misplaced. What makes In a Lonely Place stand out in a filmography stacked full of classics is how it subverts expectations of the noir genre. Directed with a quiet intensity, letting silences stretch and emotions simmer, the violence occasionally erupts in very upsetting aways. And Bogart, often the embodiment of control, lets something fray at the edges here. His Dix is charming enough...until he's not.

Each holds a secret power...together they face the ultimate evil! We're harnessing the supernova star power of cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, and Anita Mui in a gloriously unrestrained action extravaganza double feature of The Heroic Trio + Executioners! From genre maestro Johnnie To, the story follows three knife-throwing, shotgun-toting, kung-fu-fighting super-heroines who must overcome their dark pasts in order to defeat an evil, baby-snatching eunuch who is terrorizing Hong Kong. Eye-popping motorcycle stunts, brain-exploding skeletons, infant cannibals, and kinetically choreographed wire work are all part of the delirium in this unstoppably entertaining cult favorite (referenced in Cheung’s international breakthrough Irma Vep), a kick-butt showcase for three of the coolest women warriors to ever hit the screen. There will be a ten minute intermission between each film. One ticket gets you access to both movies! Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

He's not Freddy, he's not Jason...he's real. HorrorBuzz continues its 2026 series with the 40th anniversary of one of the most unsettling and influential films of the 1980s: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Loosely inspired by the confessions of real-life murderer Henry Lee Lucas, the movie follows drifter Henry (played by iconic silver screen "that guy" Michael Rooker) and his volatile accomplice Otis as they navigate a bleak Chicago landscape. When Otis’s sister Becky moves in, Henry’s flat affect and unpredictable behavior begin to reveal something far darker beneath the surface. Horror Movie Night takes filmgoing to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Pres-how, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and video pre-show video begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Games, prizes, and short film begin at 8:00PM. Feature starts at 8:30PM. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

Never was a Hero needed more... Once Upon A Time In China, Writer-producer-director Tsui Hark’s sprawling vision of a changing nineteenth-century China, is coming back to The Frida Cinema! This blockbuster hit cemented Jet Li’s status as the greatest martial-arts superstar of his generation. Li displays his stunning, fast-and-fluid fighting style as the legendary martial-arts teacher and doctor Wong Fei-hung, who, with a band of disciples, battles a host of nefarious forces, foreign and local, who are threatening Chinese sovereignty as British and American imperialists encroach upon the Mainland. Once Upon a Time in China’s breathtaking blend of kung fu, comedy, romance, and melodrama climaxes in a whirlwind guns-vs-fists finale that is also a thrilling affirmation of Chinese cultural identity. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series is  growing larger, darker, and more operatic with each and every chapter. There's no better example of this with our special double feature of A Better Tomorrow II + A Better Tomorrow III! Directed by John Woo, A Better Tomorrow II picks up in the aftermath of betrayal and loss, following survivors pulled back into a violent underworld they can’t escape. As old wounds reopen and new alliances form, the film pushes themes of brotherhood and sacrifice to even more operatic extremes, all building toward action staged on a mythic scale. And then after a quick 10 minute intermission...Tsui Hark’s A Better Tomorrow III rewinds the clock, re-centering the saga around the rise of its most iconic figure amid political upheaval and shifting power structures. Steeped in romantic fatalism, this prequel is less about crime than about identity and the cost of survival. There will be a ten minute intermission between each film. One ticket gets you access to both movies! Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

After a decade of silence...the buzz came back. HorrorBuzz is slicing up our October lineup with a 40th anniversary party of unhinged insanity: Tobe Hooper’s gloriously deranged sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2! When late-night DJ Stretch accidentally records a pair of murders committed by the Sawyer clan, she teams up with the unhinged Lieutenant “Lefty” Enright (a chainsaw-wielding Dennis Hopper in one of the wildest performances of his career). Their mission: descend into the Sawyer family’s subterranean lair of meat, madness, and twinkling Christmas lights to put an end to the carnage once and for all. Horror Movie Night takes filmgoing to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Pres-how, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and video pre-show video begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Games, prizes, and short film begin at 8:00PM. Feature starts at 8:30PM. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

The penultimate film in our Hong Kong Action Essentials series is Bullet In The Head, which also happens to be our final John Woo film in the series, as well. There's no better way to end his chapter in this lineup than with his most brutal and personal film to date. Three friends fleeing Hong Kong after a violent crime find themselves trapped in the chaos of the Vietnam War, where their loyalty and morality are tested beyond repair. What begins as a desperate bid for escape descends into a harrowing portrait of friendship under unimaginable pressure. As war strips away ideals and innocence, the bonds between the men fracture, leading to betrayals that cut deeper than any bullet. Fueled by rage and grief Bullet in the Head trades balletic elegance for raw emotional devastation. This is heroic bloodshed turned inward, and a legendary filmmaker pushing himself into completely new territory. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

"Like Lethal Weapon only far funnier and with more chainsaw action." -Total DVD After so much emotion and violence, we are choosing to close our Hong Kong Action Essentials series by cutting loose with little bit laughter and...uhhh...more violence. Directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Chow Yun-fat, Tiger on the Beat follows a pair of mismatched cops on the trail of a violent drug dealer, a case that escalates from street-level comedy into something far more savage and unhinged. What begins as a rambunctious action/comedy steadily sheds its humor, morphing into a full-throttle collision of gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, and sheer physical excess. By the time it reaches its infamous finale, the film has abandoned restraint entirely, delivering the perfectly brutal and messy ending to our series. Our Hong Kong Action Essentials series explores the time from the mid-’80s through the early ’90s, where Hong Kong filmmakers rewrote the grammar of action cinema forever. Directors like John Woo, Tsui Hark, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Ringo Lam, and Lau Kar-Leung fused balletic gunplay, risky stunts, martial arts virtuosity, and raw emotional intensity into a new cinematic language that would be oft-imitated but never replicated. (sorry, The Matrix, we love you too!) Join us every month in 2026 as we explore this golden age where style and emotion collided to change movies forever.

A singing plant. A daring hero. A sweet girl. A demented dentist. It's the most outrageous musical comedy ever made! HorrorBuzz caps off its year of 40th anniversary screenings with the show-stopping musical Little Shop of Horrors! Meek flower-shop clerk Seymour Krelborn (Frida favorite Rick Moranis) discovers a mysterious plant after a solar eclipse and names it Audrey II, after his coworker-crush Audrey (Ellen Greene). But this plant doesn’t want sunlight or water....it wants blood. As Audrey II grows from a cute little sprout to a fast-talking menace, Seymour must choose between fame, fortune, and doing the right thing…preferably before the plant eats the whole block. Horror Movie Night takes filmgoing to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Pres-how, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and video pre-show video begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Games, prizes, and short film begin at 8:00PM. Feature starts at 8:30PM. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.