A Knight’s Tale

Posted on June 6, 2026

Brian Helgeland’s medieval action comedy A Knight’s Tale is getting a very special late-night encore on June 20th to celebrate its 25th anniversary!

William Thatcher (the unforgettable Heath Ledger) is a peasant who disguises himself as a noble knight to compete in jousting tournaments across Europe. With the help of his loyal friends, including a witty writer named Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), William rises through the ranks of the tournament circuit, all while hiding his true identity. Along the way, he falls in love with a noblewoman and faces off against the ruthless Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell), his main rival.

With its energetic blend of medieval action and humor, A Knight’s Tale quickly became (and has remained) one the 21st century’s most beloved cult classics!

The Heroic Trio + Q&A w/ James Pax

Posted on June 3, 2026

Come see one of the best Hong Kong action movies ever made, The Heroic Trio, starring three most popular Hong Kong actress in the 90’s namely: Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, and Anita Mui! And stick around after the screening for a Q&A with the legendary James Pax, also known as The Lighting Sorceror from Big Trouble in Little China aka the godfather of Raiden in Mortal Kombat!

James Pax plays a scientist trying to invent an invisible suit for Michelle Yeoh’s character to wear. However, he dies in the arms of Michelle whispering, “Can I see the blooming white orchid, please?” If you want to find out more about the making of this incredible film, James will tell you everything you want to know!

Mr. Pax will also participate in an autograph signing/meet & greet from 2PM-4PM before the screening, and those tickets can be pre-ordered separately through: https://kungfulegends.com/screening or by clicking here!

Fans who pre-ordered VIP Tickets & Autograph Packages will wait in the VIP line to meet James–just make sure to print your order confirmation or take a screenshot on your phone, and bring it to the venue to verify your booking and claim for your goodies! Any questions about the VIP tickets & Autograph Packages, please send your inquiry to:
Jennypu2018@gmail.com or FB: Jenny Pu, or call us at Cell: 213-693-0401

About the film: in this gloriously unrestrained action extravaganza from genre maestro Johnnie To, The Heroic Trio (Yeoh, Cheung, and Mui) are 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.

This is an event produced by Pax Entertainment in co-partnership with The Frida Cinema. Non-VIP tickets are $25, with another select number of seats being priced at $30, which are in the middle back two rows of the theater. Frida Cinema member discounts and comp passes do not apply.

Jason and the Argonauts

Posted on May 15, 2026

Our Art House for Families series is headed to Ancient Greece (pretty timely, no?) for Jason and the Argonauts! Before CGI armies and digital creatures, movie monsters were crafted by hand, and few artists ever did it better than Ray Harryhausen.

Jason, a fearless sailor and explorer, returns to his home land of Thessaly after a long voyage to claim his rightful throne. He learns, however, that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. To do so, he must embark on an epic quest fraught with fantastic monsters and terrible perils.

More than sixty years later, Jason and the Argonauts still delivers the kind of tactile cinematic wonder that inspired generations of filmmakers, from blockbuster directors to lifelong fantasy fans discovering these creatures for the very first time.

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

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

Posted on May 15, 2026

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen is up next in our Art House for Families series!

Director Karel Zeman conjures a story that follows the adventures of the legendary, boastful baron, whose whirlwind exploits take him from the moon to eighteenth-century Turkey to the belly of a whale and beyond.

A rainbow-esque marvel that blends live action with techniques including stop-motion, cutout collage, puppetry, painted backdrops, and antique tinting, Zeman’s film is an exhilarating visual delight and a warmhearted whirl through a bygone age too entrancing to have existed.

This film is presented in its original Czech language, with English subtitles.

The Black Cauldron

Posted on April 15, 2026

Hidden by darkness. Guarded by witches. Discovered by a boy. Stolen by a king. Whoever owns it will rule the world. Or destroy it!

We’ve added an encore of Disney’s rarely-screened gem The Black Cauldron!

Taran is an assistant pigkeeper with boyish dreams of becoming a great warrior. However, he has to put the daydreaming aside when his charge, an oracular pig named Hen Wen, is kidnapped by an evil lord known as the Horned King. The villain hopes Hen will show him the way to The Black Cauldron, which has the power to create a giant army of unstoppable soldiers.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad: Hosted by Arnold Leibovit

Posted on April 13, 2026

From the Land Beyond Beyond…From The World Past Hope and Fear…The Frida Cinema is proud to present a brand new 4K restoration of the most influential fantasy adventures ever made: Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad! See it the way audiences did in 1958, larger than life on the big screen! This special event includes a rare on-screen video appearance by child star Richard Eyer, along with two additional George Pal Academy Award®-winning Puppetoons, celebrating the golden age of fantasy filmmaking.

In this landmark stop-motion adventure, the legendary sailor Sinbad journeys to the mysterious Island of Colossa to save Princess Parisa, his fiancée, who has been magically shrunken by the evil sorcerer Sokurah. Along the way Sinbad confronts a towering Cyclops, battles a sword-wielding animated skeleton in one of the most famous duels in motion picture history, faces a giant two-headed Roc, and ultimately fights a fire-breathing dragon in a spectacular fantasy climax–adventure, monsters, and magic Featuring groundbreaking Dynamation effects by Ray Harryhausen and a thunderous, unforgettable score by Bernard Herrmann!

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad became one of the top-grossing films of 1958 and helped redefine fantasy filmmaking for generations to come–a giant-screen fantasy experience that launched a thousand filmmakers. Its influence can be seen in the work of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, John Landis, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker and many others.

Hosted by producer-director Arnold Leibovit, who was inspired by the film as a child, later met and directed Ray Harryhausen in The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, and stayed in touch with him for over 30 years. Leibovit also had the opportunity to meet George Pal and correspond with him for more than a year, and became a longtime friend of Pal’s widow, Mrs. Zsoka Pal. For decades, he has worked to restore and preserve the Puppetoons and carry forward the legacy of classic fantasy filmmaking. In 2008, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” and hailed as one of the finest fantasy films ever made, noted for its stunning color photography, imaginative creatures, and Bernard Herrmann’s thrilling score.

Doors open at 6:00PM and the show starts at 7:00PM! Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply.

The African Queen

Posted on March 25, 2026

The greatest adventure a man ever lived…with a woman!

The penultimate film on our Bogie Fest series sees everybody’s favorite Hollywood tough guy taking on his greatest opponent ever…Katharine Hepburn! It’s John Huston’s The African Queen, the movie that finally landed Mr. Bogart his first and only Oscar!

Set against the chaos of World War I in East Africa, the film pairs two people who, on paper, should never work. Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allnut, a scruffy, gin-soaked riverboat captain whose loyalties extend about as far as his next drink. Katharine Hepburn is Rose Sayer, a prim, devout missionary whose world has been defined by order, restraint, and moral certainty. Then…their world collapses. What begins as survival quickly becomes something else: a borderline absurd plan to take the boat downriver and attack a German warship.

Huston leans into the physicality of it all: the mud, the insects, the heat, the relentless push of the river. It’s not the ideal romantic backdrop, but with talent like Bogart and Hepburn on screen, they somehow make it all work.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Posted on March 25, 2026

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!

Big Trouble in Little China

Posted on March 23, 2026

Jack Burton’s in for some serious trouble…and you’re in for some serious fun.

We’ve added a couple late night 40th anniversary encores of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell’s 1986 cult classic Big Trouble In Little China!

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!

Labyrinth

Posted on March 19, 2026

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!