'The Best of Times' to kick off Fox Theater's Cults & Classics film series

Aug. 31—The Fox Theater invites you on a reel adventure with the return of its Cults & Classics film series.

Running from September through May, the series features 18 films, which are a mix of classic Hollywood titles and more recent films with passionate followings.

The season starts Sept. 11 with the local favorite "The Best of Times." Partially filmed in Taft, the 1986 film follows Taft High alumnus Jack Dundee (Robin Williams), who is so obsessed with losing a high school football game that he brings back his friend and former quarterback Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell) to play it again.

Films will also embrace the season with "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" and "The Bride of Frankenstein" in October, "Home Alone" and "Holiday Inn" in December, and Valentine's Day-ready "Ghost" on Feb. 12.

The full schedule:

Sept. 11: "The Best of Times"

Sept. 18: "Spartacus," Stanley Kubrick's 1960 Oscar-winning epic about the eponymous slave (played by Kirk Douglas) who leads a rebellion against Rome

Oct. 9: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Johnny Depp plays the murderous title character aided by Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) in the 2007 Tim Burton musical

Oct. 23: "The Bride of Frankenstein," the 1935 horror classic stars brings back Boris Karloff as the Monster, this time joined by Elsa Lanchester as the titular character

Nov. 6: "Moulin Rouge!," pursue freedom, beauty, truth and love with Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and the rest of the Bohemians in this 2001 Baz Luhrmann spectacle

Nov. 20: "West Side Story," meet a girl named Maria (Natalie Wood) and her star-crossed lover, Tony (Richard Beymer), in this superior 1961 musical featuring Oscar-winning turns from Rita Moreno and George Chakiris

Dec. 4: "Home Alone," Kevin (Macauley Culkin) takes on inept burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) to comedic effect in this 1990 Chris Columbus film

Dec. 18: "Holiday Inn," Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale sing, dance and celebrate all the holidays in this beloved 1941 musical featuring the ubiquitous seasonal tune "White Christmas"

Jan. 15: "Coming To America," when you think of garbage, think of Akeem (Eddie Murphy), the prince of Zamunda who travels to Queens, N.Y., in search of a queen in this hilarious 1988 comedy

Jan. 29: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Paul Newman and Robert Redford shine in the 1969 Western buddy adventure

Feb. 12: "Ghost," a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) warns Molly (Demi Moore) "You in danger, girl," as deceased banker Sam (Patrick Swayze) aims to save her in this 1990 romance

Feb. 26: "An American in Paris," Gene Kelly woos Leslie Caron in this 1951 musical that features a 17-minute dialogue-free ballet that cost nearly a half-million dollars to shoot

March 11: "This Is Spinal Tap," turn it up to 11 with this 1984 mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer

March 25: "Harlem Nights," Eddie Murphy directed and starred in this 1989 dramedy about a duo (Murphy and Richard Pryor) going up against mobsters and corrupt police officials while running a nightclub

April 8: "The Fifth Element," grab your multipass and follow the misadventures of the mysterious Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) and taxicab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) in this 1997 sci-fi adventure from Luc Besson

April 22: "Forbidden Planet," join a 23rd century starship crew investigating the silence of a distant planet's colony in this 1956 classic starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen

May 6: "The Hidden Fortress," considered one of the greatest action-adventure films ever made," this 1958 Akiro Kurasawa film stars Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara as peasants who agree to escort a man (Toshiro Mifune) and woman (Misa Uehara) across enemy lines unaware of the secrets they keep

May 20: "Down Periscope," the 1996 comedy stars Kelsey Grammer as a Navy lieutenant commander aiming to prove he can captain a submarine by participating in a war game

Doors open at 6 p.m., screenings start at 7 p.m. Mondays at the theater, 2001 H St.

Individual tickets are $5 and can be purchased at thebakersfieldfox.com, by visiting the box office (open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays) or by calling 661-324-1369.

Bring your student or military ID to the box office on the night of the show to purchase a buy one, get one free offer.

Season passes are available for $55 and include admission to all 18 movies and a free small popcorn at each screening. Mobile season passes can be purchased on the Fox website and physical ones are available at the box office.

Moviegoers can enjoy five free tickets to upcoming Cults & Classics by donating $5 to the theater's Network for Good 5 for $5 fundraising campaign.

Now through Sept. 10, those who donate at least $5 to bakersfieldfoxtheater.networkforgood.com will be eligible for the free tickets.

To redeem your tickets after the donation, visit the Fox Box Office with a photo ID.

Those who donate will also receive presale codes for some of the theater's hottest upcoming events.

Funds raised in the campaign will aid the Fox Theater Foundation's efforts to preserve the physical structure of the theater and create community programming, ensuring the Fox remains a vital part of the local arts scene.

Call 661-324-1369 with any questions.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.