A kaleidoscopic epic of reincarnation, resistance, and radical empathy, Cloud Atlas is a cinematic experience unlike any other—bold, operatic, and unafraid to leap across time, space, and genre. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), this genre-bending adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel connects six interwoven stories across centuries, from a 19th-century Pacific voyage to a post-apocalyptic future.
With an ensemble cast led by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Doona Bae, and Jim Broadbent—each playing multiple roles across timelines—the film explores how a single act of kindness (or cruelty) ripples across history. It’s a puzzle box of narratives that coalesce into a transcendent meditation on freedom, identity, and the eternal struggle between oppression and liberation.
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
Join us for the new Sci Fi indie flick We’re All Gonna Die, preceded by a pre-recorded introduction from directors Matthew Arnold & Freddie Wong!
In the near future, the “Spike,” a 10,000 mile tall indestructible floating alien tentacle materializes in Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing everybody to freak out. By now, though, everyone’s gotten used to it. But after the Spike teleports a struggling beekeeper’s beehives and a grieving wanderer’s prized car halfway across the country, these two strangers must join together and take a dangerous roadtrip across a changed (but recognizable) America to get their stuff back.
Read More
See It On 16mm is back! And this time, they’re presenting a delirious blast of sex, sci-fi, and rock ’n’ roll excess–Heavy Metal!
The ultimate cult movie—Heavy Metal is a kaleidoscopic animated anthology where space zombies, warrior babes, and cosmic chaos, this is the perfect movie to re-visit on a new format! Fueled by a thundering soundtrack (Sabbath! Journey! Stevie Nicks!) and dripping with pulpy attitude, this cult classic is pure uncut ’80s counterculture—horny, violent, and gloriously insane.
Read More
Join us for an encore of Denis Villeneuve’s epic space odyssey returns to the big screen in its full, awe-inspiring form: a double feature presentation of Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. Spanning the desolate beauty of Arrakis and the shadowy corridors of interstellar power, this two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary sci-fi novel marks a towering cinematic achievement—both a sprawling mythological epic and a hauntingly intimate story of destiny, prophecy, and the terrible price of power.
In Part One, Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, Prisoners) introduces us to the dying empire and the doomed House Atreides, torn from their home world and cast into the brutal desert sands of Arrakis—a planet rich in spice and ruled by violence. As Paul (Timothée Chalamet) begins to awaken to visions of the future, Part Two catapults us into a full-scale revolution.
Shot with staggering scale and precision, Dune is modern blockbuster filmmaking at its most operatic. From Hans Zimmer’s thunderous score to Greig Fraser’s otherworldly cinematography, every frame is built for the big screen.
Read More
David Cronenberg delivers an entirely new take on body horror, reinventing the game yet again with his new film The Shrouds. This dramatic sci-fi thriller is a reflective stunner that combines the maestro’s signature body horror with profound elder-statesman reflection. Entering his 80s, Cronenberg (The Fly, Dead Ringers, History of Violence) continues to find new ways to innovate what can be done with bodies in cinema, losing none of his edge while demonstrating a true sense of empathy; the result is a film that astonishes while also being his most accessible film since Eastern Promises.
In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Vincent Cassel) has developed a new software that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth. While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Diane Kruger) from cancer—and falling into a peculiar sexual relationship with his wife’s sister (also Kruger)—a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his “shroud” technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy.
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
Closing out our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is Solaris, one of cinema’s most renowned and thought-provoking sci-fi masterpieces.
Based on the novel by Stanisław Lem, Solaris is set on a distant planet where a research station has been established to study a mysterious ocean that covers the planet’s surface. The film follows psychologist Kris Kelvin, who is sent to the station to investigate the strange occurrences happening among the crew members. As the ocean’s inexplicable powers begin to manifest, the crew members are confronted with physical manifestations of their deepest memories and regrets—projections of their pasts that challenge the boundaries of reality, identity, and the human psyche.
Upon its release, Solaris was met with critical acclaim for its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, distinguishing itself from other science fiction films of the era. It was widely praised for its psychological depth and is often cited as one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. Solaris was also recognized at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. In Tarkovsky’s hands, the genre becomes a platform for profound philosophical inquiry, making Solaris a timeless exploration of the human experience, the fragility of the mind, and the mysteries of existence.
Read More
Up next in our Andrei Tarkovsky Retrospective is Stalker, the director’s gripping philosophical journey into the unknown.
Set in a desolate, mysterious landscape known only as “The Zone,” Stalker follows three men—a writer, a scientist, and the titular guide—who venture into this dangerous, otherworldly place in search of a room that supposedly grants the deepest desires of its visitors.
With its existential questions and eerie atmosphere, Stalker is a masterpiece of science fiction and philosophical cinema, offering a powerful meditation on the human condition and our unyielding search for meaning.
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
