Holiday Season Favorites

What's this? What's this? The Nightmare Before Christmas, a true modern animated movie classic returns to the big screen at The Frida Cinema as part of our Volunteer Of The Month series! Everybody say thank you to Keenan! Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans. Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s blend of stop-motion world-building and unforgettable music is holiday film unlike any other. Bring your family and friends and step into a world where Halloween meets Christmas in the most delicious way.

Join us as we ring in the holiday season by playing Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday for the first time ever!  Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz star as two women on opposite sides of the globe who impulsively swap homes for Christmas—one trading a cozy English cottage for sunny Los Angeles, the other escaping Hollywood hustle for snow-dusted Surrey. What begins as an experiment in escape soon turns into a chance for renewal, connection, and the kind of unexpected romance that only seems possible in December. With Meyers’ signature warmth and gorgeous interiors (duh) and a dream ensemble (we didn't even mention Jack Black, Jude Law, and the legendary Eli Wallach), The Holiday delivers everything you want from a seasonal favorite!

Hundreds of Beavers, one of the most entertaining and enduring independent films of the past decade, is coming to The Frida Cinema for one last hurrah (or ho-ho-ho?) on Friday, December 5th & Saturday, December 6th! 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. In the early 1800’s, Jean Kayak, a drunken applejack salesman, finds himself stranded in a surreal winter landscape with nothing but his dim wits to guide him. Against a backdrop of ruthless elements and forest creatures - all played by actors in full-sized mascot costumes – Kayak develops increasingly complex traps in order to win the hand of a mischievous lover. When he discovers that the Beavers have formed their own secret society, he must infiltrate their lair to uncover their secrets and win the day. 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!

See It On 16mm is back at The Frida to unspool their 16mm print of the creepy holiday horror classic Black Christmas! Holiday movies are sentimental and uplifting, but surprisingly devoid of knife murders? Black Christmas is the perfect remedy for this problem. When sorority sisters Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, and Andrea Martin find themselves under attack from a foul-mouthed killer, it’s up to police chief John Saxon to even the odds. But what about Keir Dullea, the brooding art-school pianist? Could he have something to do with the mutilation rampage? There's only one way to find out!  Black Christmas is a terrifying tradition around these parts that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy during the jolliest time of year. If you've never given it a chance, make sure to right those wrongs this holiday season!

Have a very Terry Christmas, ya'll! The Frida Cinema is excited to present a double feature of two wildly imaginative Terry Gilliam classics, Brazil and Twelve Monkeys, now celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries, respectively, with new 4K restorations! Brazil (1985): A satirical fever dream of paperwork, plumbing, and paranoia, Brazil follows low-level clerk Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) as he stumbles into a deadly web of mistaken identity and resistance in a dystopia held together by duct tape and denial. With its baroque production design, razor-sharp humor, and unforgettable performances from Robert De Niro and Katherine Helmond, Brazil remains one of the great cinematic critiques of authoritarian absurdity. Forty years later, its vision of a future overwhelmed by incompetence feels both prophetic and painfully funny. Twelve Monkeys (1995): Gilliam’s time-twisting thriller stars Bruce Willis as a prisoner sent back in time to stop a plague, only to question reality itself. Brad Pitt delivers one of his most electrifying performances as the unstable Jeffrey Goines, and Madeleine Stowe anchors the film with emotional intelligence. Twelve Monkeys fuses noir, sci-fi, and psychological horror into a gripping examination of memory, fate, and the thin line between sanity and prophecy. Three decades on, it’s as tense, inventive, and unsettling as ever. This special anniversary double feature pairs the director’s most iconic visions of bureaucratic madness and apocalyptic fate, presented back-to-back on the big screen right where they belong.

What better way would there be to end our Classic Movie Nights year than with a Technicolor sleigh ride of holiday cheer? Join us for White Christmas—a 1954 spectacle that wraps up the holiday season in a little bit of the ole showbiz razzle-dazzle. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are war buddies turned song-and-dance men, teaming up with the talented Haynes sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to save a struggling Vermont inn—and the spirit of the general who once led them through war. What follows is a mix of backstage musical and holiday heart-warmer, decked out in dazzling costumes, toe-tapping numbers, and Irving Berlin’s iconic score (yes, that “White Christmas”). Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) and drenched in the glow of early VistaVision, this is comfort cinema at its finest—a film that knows exactly when to crack a joke, when to break into song, and when to simply let the snow fall. 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!

Love rains with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the 1964 musical romance from Jacques Demy! Now in a brand new 4K restoration!  This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic, has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an employee in her widowed mother's chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève make love. She becomes pregnant and must choose between waiting for Guy's return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant. Winning the Palme d'Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is celebrated by many as one of the best musicals of all time.

See It On 16mm returns for the holiday season to unspool It's a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra's timeless Christmas classic! The film follows George Bailey, played by James Stewart, a selfless man from the small town of Bedford Falls who sacrifices his personal dreams to support his family and community. When a financial crisis pushes him to the brink of despair, George contemplates ending his life, believing he has failed everyone. Enter Clarence, a bumbling yet endearing guardian angel, who shows George an alternate reality where he never existed, revealing how deeply he has touched the lives of others. It's a Wonderful Life has become a beloved holiday classic that has somehow far surpassed sterling reputation. It now stands as an enduring symbol of optimism and humanity annually for those of us looking for a little bit of Christmas melancholy. 

David Lowery’s The Green Knight is coming back to The Frida Cinema just in time for a special Christmas season screening! And as an added bonus, we are excited to announce we'll be doing a post-screening Q&A with Production Designer Jade Healy! Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, a would-be knight whose perilous quest leads him through a landscape of ghosts, giants, and everything in-between. On Christmas Day, a mysterious giant figure--the Green Knight, half man and half tree — rides into Camelot and challenges any knight to strike him with his axe, on the condition that the Green Knight may return the same blow one year later. Seeking to prove his worth, Gawain steps forward to stand up to the task. The rest, they say, is the stuff of Arthurian legend. Depicted with painterly precision, The Green Knight crafts a medieval world that feels both ancient and alive. The mud, candlelight, snow, and shadows will remain stuck in our brains forever and is a definitive entry into the new Christmas cult canon.

Celebrate this holiday season with Greta Gerwig’s joyful, heart-full adaptation of Little Women from 2019. Starring an A+ cast of Saoirse Ronan, Florenge Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, and Timothee Chalamet, it's the perfect seasonal escape on the big screen.  The film follows the four March sisters—Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth—as they navigate love and heartbreak in Civil War–era New England. Told across intertwined timelines, the film traces their journey from spirited girlhood to adulthood as they fight to define their own futures. Bring your friends, bring your family, and ring in the holidays with a film that celebrates sisterhood and the power of following your own path. Little Women has been adapted many times, but Gerwig's version is the best interpretation yet, and might just be her magnum opus as director.

Our December edition of Hallucinations is the Christmas classic Dial Code Santa Claus aka Deadly Games aka 3615 code Père Noël aka Hide and Freak. Before Home Alone… there was Dial Code Santa Claus, a French holiday thriller where a tech-savvy kid must defend his mansion from a psychotic man in a Santa suit. What starts as whimsical turns tense, then brutal, then full-on survival horror—all under twinkling lights and fake snow. It’s a fairy tale slasher mixed with a hyperactive 80s toy commercial from hell. ’Tis the season for tinsel, trauma, and booby traps. 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.

Join OC Pride, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and the entire Muppet gang as they bring Charles Dickens’ beloved tale to life with The Muppet Christmas Carol! Charles Dickens’ classic story gets the Muppet treatment as Ebenezer Scrooge (an extremely committed Michael Caine), a cold-hearted miser, is visited on Christmas Eve by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. With help from Kermit’s Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy’s Emily Cratchit, and a chorus of singing, joke-cracking Muppets, Scrooge is shown the impact of his greed — and given one last chance to open his heart and embrace the spirit of Christmas. A little bit of Muppet mayhem is exactly what every holiday season needs. Don't miss your chance to see this one on the big screen!

Joe Dante's Christmas time creature feature comedy Gremlins is one of our very favorite holiday films, so let's play it again!  The story begins when Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) receives a mysterious, adorable creature called a Mogwai as a Christmas gift from his father. With strict care instructions—no bright light, no water, and no feeding after midnight—Billy struggles to follow the rules, inadvertently unleashing a horde of mischievous, destructive gremlins on his quiet town. As the creatures wreak havoc, Billy and his girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) race to stop the chaos and save their community. Gremlins remains a beloved cult classic that redefined holiday-themed films and practically invented the need for the PG-13 rating. It's funny, scary, and filled with holiday cheer all at the same time. 

The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit? More like The Bat, The Cat, and The Penguin! Tim Burton's 1992 pop masterpiece Batman Returns is coming back to The Frida Cinema! We believe wholeheartedly that it's the ultimate Christmas movie, filled to the brim with gothic spectacle and holiday glam.  The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader. With an all-star cast of Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken, and in incomparable Michelle Pfeiffer, Burton took the success of Batman (1989), and doubled down in the best way possible, creating the template that every sequel should strive for. 

A candy-coated fever dream of holiday excess, Jim Carrey's How The Grinch Stole Christmas is finally making its way to our screens! When it hit theaters in 2000, How the Grinch Stole Christmas wasn’t just another family holiday movie — it was a full-blown pop-culture phenomenon. Ron Howard and his crew turned Dr. Seuss’s 1957 classic into a live-action spectacle dripping with turn-of-the-millennium maximalism. Carrey’s Grinch is still one of the great comic performances of the era mixing weird creature effects with a full-blown existential meltdown. It’s the role that cemented him as the only actor unafraid (or unhinged enough) to try to out-Seuss Dr. Seuss. Two decades later, How the Grinch Stole Christmas remains a strange and wonderful artifact of a bygone blockbuster era: a holiday movie made with the scale of a theme-park ride. It was easy to write off a movie like this at the time, but honestly? I don't think we realized how good we had it. 

An annual holiday tradition unlike any other, Bekah's Cozy Christmas Double is back for a third year! And this time, she's picked the dynamic duo of The Thin Man and After The Thin Man!  The Thin Man: Retired detective Nick Charles (William Powell) and his quick-witted, glamorous wife Nora (Myrna Loy) return to New York for the holidays, only to get swept into a murder investigation involving a missing inventor, a nervous family, and a trail of clues that only Nick’s reluctant brilliance can untangle. Their martini-fueled banter and impeccable chemistry turn a standard whodunit into one of the era’s most sparkling comedies. After The Thin Man: Picking up right where the first film ends, Nick and Nora return to San Francisco, where a family dinner quickly spirals into another murder case—this time involving Nora’s unstable cousin, her missing husband, and a lovesick third party played by a young James Stewart. Once again, Nick reluctantly takes the case, and once again Nora dives in with enthusiasm, cocktails in hand. Seen together, these films showcase the rare magic of screen icons William Powell and Myrna Loy: two actors whose charm mixed so well with soft cynicism. Their style defined a whole era of sophisticated studio comedies and shaped the DNA of the modern mystery-romance, proving that a detective story could be as much about love as it is about clues.

Across our entire staff, if there was a movie we could all agree on being the definitive holiday season masterpiece of the past 25 years, it would be Todd Hayne's Carol. Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (are you kidding me?), the film is set in 1950s New York, and follows a shy young shopgirl and aspiring photographer, who becomes captivated by Carol Aird, an elegant woman trapped in a failing marriage. As the two grow closer, their connection deepens into a forbidden romance that threatens Carol’s custody battle for her daughter. Forced onto a road trip that becomes both an escape and a reckoning, the women must decide whether their love can survive the scrutiny and constraints of their time. In the years since its release, Carol has become a pop-cultural touchstone that perfectly blends a holiday-season staple and  queer cinematic landmark. For pop culture purposes, it's perhaps the most GIFed slow-burn romance of the internet age. Its influence can be seen all over the rise of prestige LGBTQ+ storytelling across screens big and small. Some movies change your life forever.

Horror Movie Night presented by HorrorBuzz is back! And this time they're celebrating 45 years of the George C Scott masterpiece The Changeling! After a tragic event happens, composer John Russell moves to Seattle to try to overcome it and build a new and peaceful life in a lonely big house that has been uninhabited for many years. But, soon after, the obscure history of such an old mansion and his own past begin to haunt him. Horror Movie Night takes it to another level with a full night of entertainment, including a themed HMN Video Preshow, Trivia, Games, Prizes, and another outstanding horror short from HorrorBuzz’s The Screaming Room Film Festival at Midsummer Scream. Doors open and pre-show begins promptly at 7:30 pm, so arrive early! 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.