Romantic comedies film series begins next week

CAC’s Rom-Com Film Series featuring selected romantic comedies will begin at the Art Center on Jan. 29 with a screening of the 1940 film “The Philadelphia Story.”

It’s the story of a snooty divorced socialite, gearing up for her second marriage, when her first husband and a tabloid journalist show up. A rapid-fire war of words soon ensues as the social butterfly finds herself torn between her ex-husband, her fiancé and the reporter.

Directed by George Cukor, it stars Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart. It won Academy Awards for Best Actor and Screenplay, was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Leading and Supporting Actress.

The series will continue with a showing of the 1979 film “Manhattan” on February 5. It tells the story of the life of a twice divorced hack writer for TV, dating a much younger woman whose life becomes seriously complicated when he falls in love with his best friend’s mistress.

It was written and directed by Woody Allen and stars Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway and Meryl Streep. It received Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Screenplay and also was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture.

The series will conclude with a screening of “Groundhog Day,” which was released in 1993.

This is the story of a TV weatherman trying to do a story on the weather-forecasting critter who awakes the following day to discover it’s Groundhog Day all over again. He tries to use this to his advantage but soon realizes he’s trapped in a recurring existential limbo.

It was directed by Harold Ramis and stars Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott. It garnered six Saturn nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Films with MacDowell winning Best Actress.

Tickets for the films — $7 for CAC members, $10 for non-members — will be available beginning at 6 p.m. in the Oats Park Art Bar on the nights of the screenings, which will begin at 7 p.m.

Special passes for all three films—$18 for CAC members, $27 for non-members can also be purchased only on Jan. 29.

Also, tickets are now on sale for the performance by Banda Magda on Feb. 20. The Brooklyn-based musical collective’s 2014 album “Amor T’es La” was picked as NPR’s Best World Music Album of the Year.

Kirk Robertson covers the arts and may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.