FLICKS FILM AND VIDEO FILE : Not Cinema Paradiso : The Mayfair Theatre lets you butter your own popcorn, but the lights keep coming on during the movie.

So the Mayfair Theatre is at it again.

In its 53-year history the Ventura theater has served as a first-run theater, a pornographic theater, a Spanish-language theater and a revival house. Now in its latest incarnation, the Mayfair is a sub-run theater, one which shows films that have already appeared in first-run theaters.

Because it is hard to know how long the theater will be around in its present incarnation, it seemed prudent to review the place as soon as possible. As with past reviews in this column, this is not a review of a movie, but a review of a movie theater. We’re talking about the accommodations, all the things that make going to a movie a pleasant experience, even if the movie stinks.

To start, let’s say some kinks need to be worked out, but this is a new business so let’s be patient.

* Food: It’s the usual fare--candy, soda, popcorn. No hot dogs, though. The popcorn was quite tasty and they actually let you pour the butter yourself. Control over such things is important.

* Restrooms: They are modest but functional. Appropriate for a theater that is more than half a century old. There could be a problem if the crowds get particularly large because the restrooms are small.

* Theater: If you’ve never been inside, you should really check it out. It’s much larger and with a higher ceiling than one might expect from the outside, and it has the feeling of an old theater. It’s easy to imagine people sitting there watching a Bette Davis movie in the 1940s. On the other hand, its not hard to imagine people sitting there watching an X-rated movie, either, so images of past cinema can be both a plus and a minus. The seats are comfortable enough, but a bit low.

* Movie presentation: On the day I went, the bugs hadn’t been worked out. The projector shut off and the lights came on about 45 seconds into the show. This happened again about an hour later. This is probably something that will be solved. The picture was in focus and the sound was clear.

The Mayfair will be showing two movies each day, alternating them in the one theater. On this particular day, the schedule was reversed, so when movie number one was supposed to show, movie No. 2 was actually on. (To make matters worse, movie No. 1 was actually delivered to the theater incomplete, so it took some fast work to get a replacement.)

All in all, minus the kinks, the moviegoing experience should be enjoyable. And for the $3 admission, it only has to be half as enjoyable as at most theaters.

While the Mayfair Theater is starting anew, the Mann theater in Oxnard’s Esplanade Shopping Center has closed its doors after 16 years. Bill Hertz, the spokesman for the Mann chain, said the theater’s lease ran out at the end of last week. “We’re just not going to continue operation there anymore,” he said. The chain has no plans to open up another theater in Oxnard, Hertz said.

The Ojai Film Society, on Sunday, will present the Italian film “Everybody’s Fine,” by director Giuseppe Tornatore (who also did “Cinema Paradiso.”) Marcello Mastroianni stars as an elderly man with a desire to reunite his family. The movie will be shown at the Ojai Playhouse, 145 E. Ojai Ave. Show time is 4:30 p.m.