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!
Read More
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!
Read More
It’s Scentsational!
We’re inviting you to experience a final encore of John Waters’ 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!
Read More
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!
Read More
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!
Read More
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
Read More
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!
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
Just added: this final encore of Dead Lover will 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!
Read More
