.One-Night Stands for the week of May 2-8, 2007

Jehovah's Witnesses, an iron giant, a game of Clue, and some Duck Soup.

Movie theater abbreviations
AC = Act 1 & 2, AL= Albany, BA = Bal, BH = Blackhawk, BC = Brenden Concord 14, BP = Brenden Pittsburg 16, BS = AMC Bay Street, CA = California, CAPH = CinéArts Pleasant Hill, CB = Century Bayfair, CE = Central Cinema Alameda, CCC = CoCo Cinemas, CEPH = Century Pleasant Hill 16, CH = Century Hilltop, CN = Cinedome Newark, CRC = Crow Canyon, CS = Century Solano Drive-In, CSC = Chabot Space and Science Center, CUC = Century Union City 25, CWC = Century Walnut Creek, CF = Cinedome Fremont, E = Elmwood, EC = El Cerrito Speakeasy, GL = Grand Lake, JL = Jack London, N8 = Naz 8, OA = Oaks, OR = Orinda, P = Park, PM = Piedmont, PW = Parkway, RA = Regal Antioch, RH = Regal Hacienda, S = Shattuck,UAB = UA Berkeley, UAEB = UA Emery Bay, VL = Vine Livermore.

Reviews by Michael Covino, Kelly Vance, and Naomi Wise

Thu., May 3

Last Summer Won’t Happen — Documentary snapshot of the antiwar movement on New York’s Lower East Side in 1968, directed by Peter Gessner and Tom Hurwitz. Shown in a directors’ cut print preserved by the Pacific Film Archive (60 min., 1968/1973). (PFA, 5:30)

Mommie Dearest — Faye Dunaway looks and moves like she’s doing a drag impersonation of Joan Crawford in this strident adaptation of the best-seller by Crawford’s adopted daughter Christina. The movie is a single-minded compilation of incidents documenting Crawford’s cruelty to Christina over the decades — beating her, screaming at her, forcing her to clean the bathroom floor at three in the morning, forcing her to eat raw meat, ad nauseam. Aspirin, not popcorn, is what you want to crunch during this screeching one-note movie. Directed by Frank Perry. With Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest, and Mara Hoble (129 min., 1981). — M.C. (PW, 9:15)

The Motherhood Manifesto — How well does the US federal government provide for families? Don’t ask. This doc is produced by John de Graaf (running time unknown). (Zocalo Coffeehouse, 645 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro, 7:00)

Fri., May 4

Clue — Paramount sent this one out with three separate endings to be shown in different theaters. It should have used three openings, too, like one with a different team of writers for the screenplay. As it is, neither director Jonathan Lynn nor the usually adroit John Landis (who co-wrote) has much of a clue what to do with this joke-bare, stretched-out comic whodunit, which amounts to a feature-length promo for the Parker Bros. board game. Tim Curry as the butler and Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock make the best of a bad thing (94 min., 1985). — K.V. (S, midnight)

Hysteria — A young woman leaves New York in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and moves to Oakland to stay with her sister — but can’t escape disturbing events. This narrative feature by Bay Area filmmaker Antero Alli (Tragos) stars Anastasia Vega, Atosa Babaoff, and Jakob Bokulich (85 min., 2002). (Grace North Church Sanctuary, 2138 Cedar St., Berkeley, 8:00)

Lives for Sale — This documentary investigates human trafficking from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala to the United States (running time unknown, 2007). (St. Joseph the Worker School, 2125 Jefferson St., Berkeley, 7:00)

Sat., May 5

Clue — See Fri. (S, midnight)

Duck Soup — Hail, hail Fredonia! Probably the best and most Marxie of all Marx Brothers films. This one, directed by Leo McCarey, features an imaginary kingdom (“Land of the spree and home of the knave”) ruled by the unflappable Margaret Dumont, the straightest straight-lady of all time. What can one say? If you haven’t seen it, you have to be very young or very sour (70 min., 1933). — N.W. (Cerrito, 6:00)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show — The original 1975 British rock music horror spoof (95 min.). (PW, midnight)

Sun., May 6

Duck Soup — See Sat. (Cerrito, 5:00)

The Iron Giant — Charming, pithy animated adaptation of poet Ted Hughes’ children’s story of a large, friendly robot from outer space dropping into the life of Hogarth Hughes, a schoolboy in small-town Maine, circa 1957. All is well until the FBI and army show up, natch. Hughes’ skepticism about authority melds pleasingly with the down-to-earth characters — Hogarth’s mom (voice of Jennifer Aniston), the local beatnik sculptor (Harry Connick Jr.) — so we’re not surprised to learn that Hughes made up the story for his own children after the death of their mother, poet Sylvia Plath (86 min., 1999). — K.V. (Cerrito, 2:00)

Tracker — David Gulpilil won acting prizes for his role in this drama about an Aboriginal man, circa 1922, hired to track down a suspected killer across the Australian Outback. Rolf de Heer directs (98 min., 2002). Presented by African Diaspora Cinema. (PW, 2:00)

Works from the Eisner Prize Competition — Winning films and videos by UC Berkeley students, many of whom appear in person (88 min.). (PFA, noon)

Wed., May 9

Knocking — Documentary profile of three Jehovah’s Witnesses by filmmakers Joel Engardio and Tom Sheppard (60 min.). (Oakland Museum, 6:00)

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