Vinegar Syndrome Pictures presents a Sunrunner Films production from director Austin Snell–They Call Her Death! And stick around after the screening for an in-person Q&A with director Austin Snell!
On the wild frontier of the American prairie, Molly Pray is on a bloody crusade against the criminal forces that have wronged her. She shows no mercy, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake on a mission that ultimately strikes at the heart of the American identity and the notion of manifest destiny. But for Molly Pray – who has the embodied specter of death on her side – this isn’t political. This is personal.
They Call Her Death is inspired by Euro acid-westerns, 70s exploitation films, shot on 16mm, has great practical effects, and is bloody as hell. Not to mention the cherry on top–a very cool Morricone-esque score!
Read More
Can’t decide between a classic Godzilla film and a cup of Earl Grey tea? Well, you’re in luck! Gorgo, the UK’s legendary contribution to mid-century monstermania, is the latest entry in our Hallucinations series!
Irish fishermen net an enormous lizard off the coast and sell it to a London circus. It’s the biggest thing to hit the city . . . until the little buddy’s mama arrives to take custody! The movie that inspired Spider Man co-creator Steve Ditko’s comic book adaptation, Gorgo is a furious firestorm of reptilian wrath, amplified by the shrieks of the innocent! Oh boy!
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”. Plante will introduce each film with some behind-the-scenes history and critical context. With Hallucinations, The Frida Cinema wants to build a communal space for lovers of Weird Cinema. 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.
Read More
Get ready for a wild and chaotic ride with Vengeance of the Punks, a cult classic from the depths of the underground cinema scene, screening at The Frida Cinema in partnership with Trash-Mex!
In Vengeance of the Punks, a group of outcasts and misfits, living on the fringes of society, find themselves pushed to the brink when their close-knit punk community is brutally attacked by a powerful gang. Driven by a thirst for justice and revenge, they take matters into their own hands, launching an all-out assault on their oppressors.
With its DIY filmmaking style, intense performances, and a killer punk soundtrack, Vengeance of the Punks is a throwback to the raw energy of exploitation cinema and the anarchistic fervor of the ’90s. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t hold back.
Read More
Celebrate the thrilling tension of Crimson Tide on its 30th anniversary, screening at The Frida Cinema as part of our Gene Hackman tribute! And as an added bonus, there will be an introduction and post-screening book signing by Jason Bailey, author of the new biography Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend out on 4/29 via Abrams Press!
The film takes place aboard the USS Alabama, a nuclear submarine during a tense international crisis. When the captain (Gene Hackman) and his executive officer (Denzel Washington) clash over the proper response to a potentially catastrophic situation, the battle for control of the ship escalates into a gripping psychological duel. With the fate of the world at stake, each decision becomes a matter of life or death. This high-stakes submarine drama, directed by the amazing Tony Scott, remains one of the most riveting military thrillers of all time.
Read More
Our Hallucinations series for April dives directly into the second film of the Lone Wolf And Cub series as we present Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart At The River Styx!
In this exploitation-cinema classic, which took the action and graphic violence of the Lone Wolf and Cub series to delirious new heights, Itto Ogami and Daigoro continue their quest for vengeance through meifumado, the spiritual way of “demons and damnation,” pursued constantly by the Shadow Yagyu clan and the shogun’s spies.
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”. Plante will introduce each film with some behind-the-scenes history and critical context. With Hallucinations, The Frida Cinema wants to build a communal space for lovers of Weird Cinema. 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.
Read More
Jump straight in to the electrifying world of psychic espionage with Push, our In Denfense Of… pick for April, courtesy of Martin, our Director Of Operations.
After his father, an assassin, is brutally murdered, Nick Gant vows revenge on Division, the covert government agency that dabbles in psychic warfare and experimental drugs. Hiding in Hong Kong’s underworld, Nick assembles a band of rogue psychics dedicated to destroying Division. Together with Cassie, a teenage clairvoyant, Nick goes in search of a missing girl and a stolen suitcase that could be the key to accomplishing their mutual goal.
Critically maligned at the time, has the film held over better over time? Hear Martin’s plea and be the judge for yourself.
Read More
The penultimate film in our Akira Kurosawa retrospective is his epic 1985 masterpiece, Ran, now restored in glorious 4K thanks to Rialto Pictures!
A grand and visually breathtaking epic that transposes Shakespeare’s King Lear into the chaotic feudal era of 16th-century Japan of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Ran stars screen legend Tatsuya Nakadai as Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging warlord who decides to divide his vast domain among his three sons in hopes of securing peace in his final years. Instead, his decision ignites a violent power struggle, as betrayal and ambition shatter his family and plunge the region into civil war. Stripped of power and driven into madness, Hidetora becomes a ghost of his former self, wandering through the wreckage of a world he once ruled.
With its masterful use of color, and meticulously staged battle sequences, Ran is both an intimate tragedy, and a large-scale historical spectacle. In delivering his haunting and majestic summation of his lifelong explorations of power, betrayal, and the devastating consequences of human ambition, Kurosawa employs sweeping landscapes, intricate battle sequences, and vivid color symbolism to create a world teetering on the edge of chaos.
About the Restoration
Ran’s original 1985 production was made possible through a French-Japanese collaboration between Kadokawa and French producer Serge Silberman, with distribution later handled by companies such as Orion and Studiocanal. That international partnership was rekindled decades later when Kadokawa and Studiocanal brought on French laboratory Éclair to restore the film in 4K under Studiocanal’s supervision, using the original negative as its source. Much of the restoration was completed manually, frame by frame, with color grading approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of Ran’s three cinematographers and a longtime collaborator of Kurosawa.
Read More
Our day of Mechagodzilla movies continues as Creature Bazaar presents the 1975 sequel Terror Of Mechagodzilla, celebrating its 50th anniversary!
A submarine expedition to salvage the remains of Mechagodzilla is thwarted by a massive dinosaur named Titanosaurus. An Interpol investigation leads biologist Ichinose to uncover the work of Dr. Mafune and his mysterious daughter Katsura. Aligned with the Black Hole Aliens, Katsura’s life becomes entwined with the resurrected machine.
Edit: this screening was originally planned to play on 16mm film, but will be running digitally now. Apologies for any inconveniences this might cause!
Read More
The third entry in our Hallucinations series for March is a 4K restoration of Walter Hill’s 80s classic Streets Of Fire!
Raven Shaddock and his gang of merciless biker friends kidnap rock singer Ellen Aim. Ellen’s former lover, soldier-for-hire Tom Cody, happens to be passing through town on a visit. In an attempt to save his star act, Ellen’s manager hires Tom to rescue her. Along with a former soldier, they battle through dangerous cityscapes, determined to get Ellen back.
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”. Plante will introduce each film with some behind-the-scenes history and critical context. With Hallucinations, The Frida Cinema wants to build a communal space for lovers of Weird Cinema. 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.
Read More
See the mighty Godzilla in a fight to the death with his mechanical double as Creature Bazaar and The Frida Cinema are teaming up to bring Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla to the big screen! There will be plenty of fun surprises, and even a special message before the film from the original Mechagodzilla designer Akihiku Iguchi!
An Okinawan prophecy that foretells the destruction of the Earth is seeming fulfilled when Godzilla emerges to return to his destructive roots. But not all is what it seems after Godzilla breaks his ally Anguirus’s jaw. Matters are further complicated when a second Godzilla emerges, revealing the doppelgänger as a mechanical weapon.
Doors open at 4:00PM and the movie starts at 4:30PM! Get there early to hang out and talk with real Godzilla fans and newbies alike!
Edit: this screening was originally planned to play on 16mm film, but will be running digitally now. Apologies for any inconveniences this might cause!
Read More
