FLICKS FILM AND VIDEO NOTES : A Reel Look

For the seventh installment in our series of theater reviews, we visited the Mann Buenaventura at 1440 Eastman Ave. in Ventura. We went there on Halloween, so we are pretty sure the cobwebs and spiders were decorative.

Food: An interesting combination of items for the health-conscious (bags of dried apricots, cashews and yogurt-covered raisins) and the not-so-health-conscious (free M&Ms; when purchasing a large coke and popcorn).

After the first bite, which was typically salty, the hot dog was quite edible. In fact, it could even be called tasty. The popcorn, however, was less of a surprise, once again drowning in bogus butter.

Restroom: Another surprise. It was clean. All the urinals flushed (really, we tried all of them). The colors were, as usual, ugly--but if you run into the restroom straight from the theater, before your eyes adjust, it’s hard to see anything anyway. Best feature: Towel dispensers are low enough so that water doesn’t drip down your sleeve while you are reaching for the paper.

Pre-movie entertainment: Again, the trivia slide show, but this time without any background music. Silence, except for the clicking of the slide projector.

Pre-movie ads: One.

Previews: One.

Special feature: Garbage cans in each theater. Garbage is still discarded on the floor, but that isn’t the fault of management.

On Sunday, the Ojai Film Society will show the 1990 film “Longtime Companion,” which follows the lives of 11 homosexual men and how those lives change when they are affected directly or indirectly by AIDS.

The story begins in 1981, when the first information about the AIDS virus came out. The movie was acclaimed for its frankness on a controversial subject matter.

“Longtime Companion” will be shown at 4:30 p.m. at the Ojai Playhouse, 145 E. Ojai Ave.