Just added: actresses Danielle Evon Ploeger and Shelby Quinn will be joining us for a Q&A after the 10PM screening on 3/1!
Travel to the fictional town of Pfresno, Texas in RATS!, Maxwell Nalevansky and Carl Fry’s new indie comedy!
The story follows 19-year-old Raphael Tinski (Luke Wilcox), a graffiti artist whose arrest by the unhinged Officer Williams (Danielle Evon Ploeger) for defacing a dilapidated payphone—a local “monument”—sets off a chain of absurd events. To avoid jail time, Raphael is coerced into spying on his cousin Mateo (Darius Autry), whom Officer Williams irrationally suspects of trafficking nuclear weapons. As Raphael delves deeper into this chaotic mission, he encounters a colorful cast of characters, including the aspiring rapper Flophouse (Ka5sh) and the enigmatic Bernadette (Khali Sykes), all while navigating the tumultuous landscape of small-town life.
Blending gross-out humor with heartfelt moments, Rats! offers a nostalgic nod to early 2000s counterculture and youthful rebellion.
Read More
Our second Volunteer of the Month is Ryan O’Flaherty, who has chosen Bill Duke’s 1992 crime thriller Deep Cover!
Laurence Fishburne stars as Russell Stevens, an idealistic police officer recruited by a federal agent (Charles Martin Smith) to go undercover in Los Angeles and infiltrate a powerful drug syndicate. Adopting the alias “John Hull,” Stevens rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld, forming an uneasy partnership with drug-dealing lawyer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum). As Stevens becomes entangled in the duplicity of his mission, he struggles to reconcile his sense of justice with the seductive power of the world he’s infiltrating.
With its intense performances, sharp dialogue, and exploration of systemic corruption, Deep Cover is both a gripping crime saga and a searing critique of the drug war’s ethical complexities.
Read More
The Frida is partnering with Muzeo Museum to present Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn’s groundbreaking crime drama. This collaborative series features classic films inspired by the posters on display in “Painted for the Pictures: The Illustrative Art of Classic Movie Posters.” A discussion on this subject will follow each screening.
The film chronicles the infamous exploits of Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) and Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), two Depression-era lovers turned bank robbers. Disenchanted with their mundane lives, the pair embarks on a spree of robberies across the American South, joined by Clyde’s brother Buck (Gene Hackman), his wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), and a young accomplice, C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard). Their daring escapades and celebrity status as outlaws are juxtaposed with the inevitable consequences of their actions, culminating in a violent and tragic finale.
Renowned for its bold storytelling, visceral violence, and compelling performances, Bonnie and Clyde won two Academy Awards and is celebrated as a seminal work that ushered in the New Hollywood era.
The Muzeo Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00AM-5:00PM. “Painted for the Pictures” runs from Saturday, February 8 through Sunday, April 20 and is in our Main Gallery. For tickets and more information, please visit: https://muzeo.org/
Read More
Our hearts continue to ache with the passing of visionary filmmaker David Lynch, as we present Wild at Heart, his 1990 romantic black comedy.
After serving prison time for a self-defense killing, Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) reunites with girlfriend Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). Lula’s mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd), desperate to keep them apart, hires a hitman (J. E. Freeman) to kill Sailor. But he finds a whole new set of troubles when he and Bobby Peru (Willem Dafoe), an old buddy who’s also out to get Sailor, try to rob a store. When Sailor lands in jail yet again, the young lovers appear further than ever from the shared life they covet.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Barry Gifford, Wild at Heart earned a mixed reception upon release but has since been reassessed a key entry in Lynch’s filmography.
Read More
Nicolas Winding Refn’s stylish 2011 action drama Drive is finally back at The Frida Cinema! And this time around, we’re screening it as part of our LA Fires Fundraiser series. Ticket proceeds from this special screening will be donated to American Red Cross California Wildfires Disaster Relief Fund.
Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he’s been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Irene’s husband (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, he enlists Driver’s help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Impressing critics and audiences alike with its potent combination of striking cinematography and graphic violence, Drive is regarded as one of the definitive portrayals of LA of modern cinema.
For more information on the Red Cross’ California Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund, please visit: https://www.redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles/about-us/our-work/california-wildfires-response-january-2025.html
Member discounts and Frida Cinema comp passes not valid.
Read More
Our Classic Movie Night series keeps on rolling with Ball Of Fire, Howard Hawks’ 1941 screwball comedy starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck!
A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.
Read More
Horror Movie Night presented by HorrorBuzz is back! And this time they’re celebrating 30 years of David Fincher’s serial killer classic Se7en!
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the “seven deadly sins” in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer’s mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
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!
Read More
Wong Kar-Wai Month winds down with the director’s neon-soaked dramedy Fallen Angels.
The film intertwines two loosely connected stories: a disillusioned hitman who contemplates leaving his dangerous profession and his enigmatic female partner who silently yearns for him, and a mute ex-convict who runs an unconventional business and finds himself entangled with a free-spirited woman searching for her own purpose. Through its fragmented narrative, kinetic cinematography, and surreal atmosphere, the story captures the yearning for human connection amid the alienation of urban life
Read More
Our Bogie Fest series begins to wind down with The Big Sleep, Howard Hawks’ noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s iconic novel.
Private detective Philip Marlowe (played by Humphrey Bogart) is hired by the wealthy General Sternwood to investigate a blackmail scheme involving his daughter, Carmen. What begins as a straightforward case unravels into a clustermess of murder and corruption, as Marlowe discovers connections to organized crime. Along the way, he encounters the General’s other daughter, the sharp-witted and enigmatic Vivian (portrayed by Lauren Bacall) with whom he shares a smoldering chemistry.
Known for its moody cinematography and the world famous Bogie and Bacall on-screen chemistry, The Big Sleep remains a defining work of the noir genre, celebrated for its stylish complexity.
Read More
Experience a double feature of Akira Kurosawa’s crime films Stray Dog and The Bad Sleep Well!
In Stray Dog, rookie cop Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) loses his pistol to a pickpocket during a sweltering Tokyo heatwave and embarks on a relentless pursuit to recover it. Teaming up with seasoned detective Sato (Takashi Shimura), Murakami uncovers a connection between the stolen gun and a series of violent crimes. As the investigation progresses, the parallels between Murakami and the desperate criminal they chase blur, reflecting the struggles of a society grappling with poverty and moral decay. Combining gritty realism with profound humanism, Stray Dog is a masterful examination of guilt, redemption, and the thin line between law and lawlessness.
The Bad Sleeps Well follows Koichi Nishi (Mifune), a seemingly loyal employee who marries his boss’s disabled daughter, Yoshiko, to infiltrate a corrupt company responsible for his father’s tragic death. As Nishi uncovers the depths of the company’s greed and malfeasance, his meticulously crafted plan begins to unravel under the weight of human frailty and unforeseen complications. With its noir-inspired aesthetic, sharp critique of postwar corporate Japan, and a chilling sense of inevitability, the film is a powerful exploration of morality, justice, and the personal cost of vengeance.
Read More
