There’s more than one way to lose your life to a killer.
August’s Staff Pick comes courtesy of our new Box Office Manager Chris Martinez, who has chosen David Fincher’s chilling 2007 masterwork Zodiac!
Over the course of a decade, editors of the San Francisco Chronicle entice themselves in the murders of the Zodiac Killer. However, as time runs its course, interest in the case dwindles in the eyes of the professionals. The Killer stops interacting with the public. However, believing he has the answers, an amateur cartoonist from the initial sightings races against time to prevent what he believes is another murder.
Featuring extraordinary performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and an incredible ensemble cast of, Zodiac is less interested in the killer himself than the devastating impact of obsession on everyone left searching for him. With Fincher’s signature knack for meticulous attention to detail and stunning cinematography, the film has become one of the defining thrillers of the 21st century.
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In the underworld of 1970s Rio de Janeiro, the feared The Devil Queen rules a drug cartel from the back room of a brothel. Draped in green eyeshadow and menace, she commands loyalty with a jackknife that serves equally for shaving legs and slitting throats. Her grip on power begins to falter as rival factions–favela gangsters, drag queens, and sex workers, turn on one another in a violent struggle to claim her throne, exposing a world where those excluded from bourgeois society fight for dominance on the margins.
Directed by Antônio Carlos de Fontoura during Brazil’s military dictatorship, this lurid tale is loosely inspired by the legendary 1930s gangster João Francisco dos Santos. The film reimagines the figure in a 1970s setting as an early, provocative representation of queerness. As The Devil Queen, Milton Gonçalves delivers a striking performance that destabilizes rigid notions of masculinity, dissolving the binary of macho and queen into something volatile and unforgettable.
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If you run, the beast catches you. If you stay, the beast eats you.
The second Volunteer Of The Month pick for August comes courtesy of Angel, who has chosen Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund’s 2002 masterpiece City of God!
In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.
Few films burst onto the world cinema stage with the raw power of City of God. This electric crime epic remains one of the defining films of the 21st century, backing up its “masterpiece” designation with pure adrenaline and style.
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The Frida Cinema is proud to present the brand new 40th anniversary 4K restoration of Michael Mann’s Manhunter, which is officially titles Manhunter: The Final Cut!
A retired criminal profiler (William Petersen) reluctantly returns to the FBI to help track down a serial killer of families and is forced to consult an expert—the imprisoned Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox in a subtly chilling performance). The third feature written and directed by Michael Mann is a gripping adaptation of the first of Thomas Harris’s four novels featuring the iconic murderer Lecktor, and benefits from the filmmaker’s typically striking visuals as well as a top-notch supporting cast, including Tom Noonan as the hunted killer and three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen as his blind love interest.
This new 4K Final Cut, overseen by Mann, enhances the film’s depth, visual clarity and sound, offering audiences the ultimate immersive version. Shot in 1986, Manhunter was on a frontier in both its subject matter and film form, initiating an impressive list of subsequent films and series.
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You have the right to remain silent…dead silent.
Prepare to question everything you thought you knew about roundhouse kicks, thongs, and katana beheadings as Samurai Cop is finally coming back to The Frida Cinema! And as an extra special added bonus, stick around after the screening for an in-person Q&A with the stars of the film: Matthew Karedas, Cranston Komuro, and Gerald Okamura!
Joe (Matt Hannon, Sylvester Stallone’s one-time bodyguard) is the Samurai Cop, a rock of a man who will do literally whatever it takes to punish criminals—even if that means taking dozens of innocent lives in the process. Teamed with a truly hilarious partner (Mark Frazer), Joe embarks on a mindmelting sex-and-violence-fueled adventure against evil ninjas, drug dealers, and genre legend Robert Z’Dar (Maniac Cop)!
Directed by prolific Iranian ex-pat Amir Shervan, this reckless and outrageous gem is a true treasure of the trash-action pantheon! Don’t miss out!
Our guests will be setting up when doors open at 5pM for a meet-and-greet signing opportunity. The film will start at 7PM. Q&A will be around 8:45PM!
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Hitch a ride to come and see FilmWeek’s screening of Michael Mann’s 2004 neo-noir thriller Collateral at The Frida Cinema! And stick around after the screening as host Larry Mantle welcomes special guests (TBA) to discuss the film’s lasting impact!
Collateral follows a Los Angeles taxi driver, Max (Jamie Foxx), who unwittingly picks up a cold-blooded contract killer, Vincent (Tom Cruise). Over the course of a single night, Max is taken hostage and forced to drive Vincent to multiple stops to assassinate targets connected to a federal drug cartel. As the night unfolds, Max attempts to break free, ultimately turning the tables on his captor to protect the final witness.
The film was a critical and box office success, reaching the top spot in its opening weekend and earning Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Jamie Foxx’s performance as Max.
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Sex. Violence. Whatever.
The explosive second chapter of Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy, The Doom Generation is back on our big screens with a new 4K restoration!
After an impulsive encounter with the mysterious drifter Xavier, teenage couple Amy Blue and Jordan White are pulled into a violent cross-country odyssey filled with escalating chaos. As the trio drifts from one surreal nightmare to the next, Araki transforms the American road movie into a candy-colored vision of a society on the verge of collapse.
A nihilistic fever dream that only he could dream up, The Doom Generation cemented Araki’s reputation as one of independent cinema’s true provocateurs. Wildly funny and shockingly violent, it remains one of the defining films of 1990s counterculture.
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The second film in our Broadway Thursdays: Segerstrom Center at The Frida is Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of The Outsiders!
In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.
Featuring an astonishing ensemble cast before they became Hollywood legends, including C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, and Emilio Estevez—The Outsiders remains one of the defining coming-of-age films of the 1980s.
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Revenge gets ripped.
We’ve some encores of Rose Glass’ 2024 “be gay, do crime” thriller Love Lies Bleeding!
Love Lies Bleeding follows a gym manager, Lou, that falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Las Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
Celebrated for its intense tone, blending elements of a gritty crime thriller, dark comedy, and surreal body horror, Love Lies Bleeding is an experience tailor-made for the big screen!
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Just added: Producer Steak House will be joining us in-person for this screening!
As groundbreaking now as it was when it was released 25 years ago, By Hook or by Crook is coming to The Frida Cinema with a brand new 4K restoration via our friends at Altered Innocence!
Shy, a handsome, gender-bending, small town dreamer with a nagging messiah complex, and Valentine, a deliriously expressive, wise-acre adoptee on a misguided search for her birth mother. The two freaky grifters join forces and learn the true meaning of “poise under pressure” in this visually stunning and wonderfully acted, anti-authoritarian tale of friendship, trust and redemption.
Provocatively exploring issues of queer representation, gender and trans identity in ways that contemporary LGBTQIA+ culture and cinema are still catching up with, By Hook or by Crook has created a powerful cultural impact that endures today. The film has been digitally restored in 4K by the Academy Film Archive and UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Frameline, Outfest, Steakhaus Productions, Inc., and the Sundance Institute.
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