Was 'American Horror Story' Season 5 Filmed at the Cecil Hotel? More Details. Circus of Books premieres Wednesday on Netflix. Circus of Books. Movies on Netflix Circus of Books is an American documentary directed by Rachel Mason. The new Netflix documentary Circus of Books shows how director Rachel Mason was part of a typical American family: mom, dad, three kids and a gay porn store. Executive producer Ryan Murphy helms this acclaimed, Emmy-nominated documentary. … Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), © 2021 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, 'SNL' Recap: Dan Levy Shines, Phoebe Bridgers Rocks, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Lady And The Dale' on HBO, A Docuseries About A Trans Pioneer, A 3-Wheel Car, And A History Of Cons, 'SNL's Michael Che Faces Accusations of Transphobia Yet Again, The 14 Best Romantic Movies on Netflix to Watch This Valentine’s Day. Netflix Netflix. Get news & recommendations for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO, and more, in your inbox. © Copyright 2021 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. “There was always this untouched treasure chest of family footage in the house, and so many have told me that this story is really part of gay history.”. The documentary centers on Circus of Books bookstore and gay pornography shop that was established in West Hollywood, California, and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The new Netflix documentary Circus of Books shows how director Rachel Mason was part of a typical American family: mom, dad, three kids and a gay porn store. As of April 2020, the film was streamed by Netflix. Available to download. “There are many different amazing historical codes from the gay community that are disappearing. While Karen and Barry say they didn’t especially revel in the sexual content they sold (Karen maintains she has never screened one of the adult films she stocked for decades), they formed strong attachments to their customer base and created a profitable business. There is a potent, powerful, sexy, awesome thing that happened in the clubs and the cruising scene and in the bookstore,” says Mason. He befriended the owners of Book Circus, who ordered tons of the gay-porn magazines Barry eventually distributed, and soon, he and Karen took over the business and implemented a minor name change. What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in the … 422, This story has been shared 346 times. What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Watch Now on Netflix. 2021 Oscars Predictions: All Awards Categories, Chris Harrison Briefly ‘Stepping Aside’ From 'The Bachelor' in Wake of Racist Controversy, Lucasfilm Drops ‘Mandalorian’ Star Gina Carano Following Offensive Social Media Posts, Chris Harrison Apologizes After Controversial Interview That ‘Perpetuates Racism’, Charisma Carpenter Alleges Joss Whedon ‘Abused His Power’ on ‘Buffy’ and ‘Angel’, Kenan Thompson Is Already an ‘SNL’ Legend, but Now He’s Ready and Overdue for More, Adam F. Goldberg’s Real Life Childhood Home Looks Nothing Like its TV Counterpart, 10 Interior Designers Share Must-Have Desk Objects for Your Home Office, Billionaire Red Sox Co-Owner Seth Klarman Takes Stake in RedBall SPAC, Take Note — These Are the Best Pens To Use for Calligraphy. Netflix Netflix. Elisa Lam Didn't Die of Tuberculosis, Despite the Reddit Rumors, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Red Dot' On Netflix, A Swedish Thriller Where A Romantic Trip Goes Seriously Wrong, How to Stream the 'Ghost Adventures: Cecil Hotel' Episode. Watch offline. Their oddball, deeply emotional family journey is at the heart of the new Netflix documentary “Circus of Books,” which debuts April 22. Except in Circus of Books, the home movies are real. Back then, there was nowhere to go,’” says Mason. 'To All the Boys 3' Ending Explained: Do Lara Jean and Peter End Up Together? Watch offline. Trailer: Circus of Books. JOIN NOW SIGN IN. 830, This story has been shared 713 times. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba. : Sarah Polley’s extraordinary Stories We Tell is a similar documentary, in which the filmmaker explores the intricacies of her family with great intimacy. Circus of Books. 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Directed by Rachel Mason. 346. Karen and Barry mournfully discuss how AIDS killed many of their friends and employees, who saw them as de-facto Mom and Dad at the local porno mom-and-pop because their own parents wanted nothing to do with them. See Her College Choice, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Willy's Wonderland' on VOD, in Which Nicolas Cage Clobbers Animatronic Chuck E. Cheese Monsters From Hell, Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Misadventures of Hedi & Cokeman' on Netflix, A French Comedy Full Of Blunts And Tasteless Gags, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar' on VOD, in Which Kristen Wiig Takes The Joke Too Far, Jamie Dornan Is The Hilarious Himbo We Deserve In 'Barb and Star', Stream It Or Skip It: 'Judas and the Black Messiah' on HBO Max, a Historical Drama Brought to Life by Daniel Kaluuya. JOIN NOW SIGN IN. 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But one of the biggest dark horses to unexpectedly join the ranks of the top docs is the family-porn-store gem (and Queerties nominee!) Their director daughter documents their life and times. The documentary film Circus of Books, directed by Rachel Mason, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2019. Circus of Books also became a place of acceptance for its oft-persecuted patrons. For decades, a nice Jewish couple ran Circus of Books, a porn shop and epicenter for gay LA. So we don’t lose this culture.”. What Time Does 'Men in Kilts' Air on Starz? What Time Will 'WandaVision' Episode 6 Come Out on Disney+? She was a criminal justice reporter at the Wall Street Journal and Cincinnati Enquirer until she got burned out reporting on violence and death. Now tell me you don’t want to see a movie about those people. In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. After decades of survival, Circus of Books shuttered in February. This opens the film to addressing relevant political issues in the 1980s, ranging from the Reagan administration’s cruel indifference to the AIDS epidemic to conservatives’ attempts to censor pornographic materials. Viewing the Masons through an entrepreneurial lens, the FBI subjected them to a sting operation for shipping adult material across state lines (a charge later forgiven by President Bill Clinton). Karen and Barry Mason were an average couple living the 1980s Southern California dream — a humble home in West Hollywood, three healthy children, weekly services at a synagogue in the San Fernando Valley and a small business to call their own. Watch Now on Netflix. Videos Circus of Books. “What’s interesting to me is to see the disappearance of the memory of the AIDS crisis,” says Rachel Mason. Their oddball, deeply emotional family journey is at the heart of the new Netflix documentary “Circus of Books,” which debuts April 22. UNLIMITED TV SHOWS & MOVIES. What happened to those men? 'WandaVision': What's Up With That Claymation Yo-Magic Commercial? Sex and Skin: Many images of magazine and video covers, almost all of them with hilarious names. UNLIMITED TV SHOWS & MOVIES. So when I order from him we catch up on his chickens.”. 713, This story has been shared 657 times. Performance Worth Watching: Karen is the captain of the S.S. 597, This story has been shared 565 times. But her ultimate value is to always be a good mother. One heavy hitter who cared was showrunner Ryan Murphy, who found Rachel through a documentary sales agent and attached himself to the project as an executive producer. JOIN NOW. 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She covers a broad range of material but always remains focused, imbuing it with warmth and meaning. Circus of Books. 612, This story has been shared 597 times. Watch all you want. 2020 TV-MA 1h 26m LGBTQ Documentaries. More Details. Horny For Happy Endings: The Sexiest Romances on Streaming, Does Lara Jean Get Into Stanford in 'To All the Boys 3?' 478, This story has been shared 422 times. Directed by the Masons’ daughter Rachel Mason, the film explores the trials of the Mason tribe, who lived in fear of judgment from their God and their peers while also forging lasting bonds with the societal outcasts who frequented their bookstore and built a community against the odds. 849, This story has been shared 830 times. 506, This story has been shared 478 times. Memorable Dialogue: “So this guy here,” Karen says during a tour of the store, “Handjobs magazine, just stopped publishing. “Circus of Books" ! Documentary Films, Biographical Documentaries, LGBTQ Movies, US Movies. 657, This story has been shared 633 times. She profiles her parents and the business they owned, a business that was chock-full of “a gourmet selection of stuff for every pervert,” as one friend and patron put it. “My mother is a religious person, and in those days shared the same views as what the Bible handed down. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! “I talk to a lot of kids who don’t actually know how bad this was. With Karen Mason, Barry Mason, Micah Mason, Rachel Mason. Where To Watch 'Land:' Will Robin Wright’s Movie Come to Streaming? Watch Now on Netflix. Videos Circus of Books. Circus of Books. Meanwhile, the Mason kids grew up barely knowing their parents’ business, which was largely kept secret for reasons that seem logical but really aren’t when you stop thinking like a total square. 988, This story has been shared 849 times. What Time Will 'To All the Boys: Always and Forever' Be on Netflix. 2020 TV-MA 1h 26m Documentary Films. Genres. Their director daughter documents their life and times. By clicking "SIGN UP" above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Notice. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Circus of Books, and she’s also the film’s most complex “character,” a religious woman who didn’t consider the contradictions of her anti-gay conservative upbringing and her liberal profession until she absolutely had to. For 30 years, Circus of Books was a countercultural staple of Boystown in West Hollywood, a place where a fella could buy magazines, videos and paraphernalia from the last people you might expect to be selling such things. ‘Black Widow’ vs. ‘F9’: Which Summer Blockbuster Will Blink First? Watch all you want. 'Judas and the Black Messiah' True Story: How Accurate Is the Fred Hampton Movie? Our Call: STREAM IT. For decades, a nice Jewish couple ran Circus of Books, a porn shop and epicenter for gay LA. “When I met him, he told me, ‘This store was really central to my experience as a gay man. JOIN NOW. Their director daughter documents their life and times. The Masons took control of the recently shuttered Circus of Books, on Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood, in 1982, when the AIDS crisis was ramping up and crackdowns on pornography and an emphasis on family values were pervasive. 'Jeopardy' Champ Brayden Smith Dead at 24, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Squared Love' on Netflix, a Polish Rom-Com About a Mousy Teacher Moonlighting as a Fashion Model, 7 romance movies on Tubi to stream for free this Valentine’s Day. Circus of Books is funny and full of heart, and an absolute gem. Matriarch Karen is the unwitting star of the doc, often staring directly into the camera and questioning who on Earth would care about such a story, as it mirrors that of so many other small businesses and their struggles to survive through the ages. Documentary Films, Biographical Documentaries, LGBTQ … Watch EW's exclusive clip from the film above, and be sure to follow along with all of Netflix's LGBTQIA+ content on its new channel The Most . Watch all you want. Watch Now on Netflix. What with one thing and another, they sold stacks and stacks of printed materials, ended up bankrolling a gay-porn production business that produced two movies a week at its peak and sent this documentary’s director to college thanks to films titled Got it Bad for Stepdad, Meat Me at the Fair and Nacho’s Monster Tits. Kirsten Johnson is a documentary veteran whose groundbreaking film “Cameraperson” set the stage for her powerful Netflix Original film Dick Johnson Is Dead to be a frontrunner. Genres. UNLIMITED TV SHOWS & MOVIES. This story has been shared 988 times. We get a portrait of the complex people who backed into an unlikely line of work in 1982, and watched it unexpectedly cross over into their family life, a moment Rachel drops not like a bomb, but a color tablet into a glass of water, where it quietly and steadily turns the water blue. He worked in the movie and TV business, doing visual effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek, eventually quitting to be an inventor, developing an innovative new dialysis machine. 546, This story has been shared 506 times. Powered by Reelgood. It’s a bittersweet if not inevitable ending for the film, which in its closing moments captures the passage of gay culture — and the majority of commerce — from physical spaces to the internet. (It also helped that the space behind it was known as Vaseline Alley.) Trailer: Circus of Books. John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Executive producer Ryan Murphy helms this acclaimed, Emmy-nominated documentary. “I’m the one who was the preservationist and the cultural member of the family,” says Rachel Mason, an artist and a longtime member of the Los Angeles queer avant-garde scene. 565, This story has been shared 546 times. When Will 'WandaVision' Episode 7 Premiere on Disney+? Netflix Netflix. See, no big distributor wanted to touch Larry Flynt’s infamous publication, so for Barry, it was nothing more than a business opportunity — and one that put food on the table. On Netflix, A Spanish Comedy With A Big Heart & Stellar Cast, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Your Name Engraved Herein' on Netflix, Taiwan's Most Popular LGBTQ+ Film, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Ammonite' on VOD, in Which Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan Fall in Love on the World's Ugliest Beach, Abby and Riley Are Inspiring Lots Of 'Happiest Season' Fanfiction, ESPN+ Will Be Streaming UFC 258 This Weekend: Watch Kamaru Usman Fight Gilbert Burns, 'WandaVision' Easter Eggs: 5 Things You May Have Missed in Episode 6. Another compelling thread in “Circus of Books” is the coming-out story of Mason’s younger brother, who had been sheltered from the culture of the bookstore and was terrified to walk the halls of L.A.’s Reseda High as a young gay man. “I want to reach into the internet sometimes and shake these kids up, and it’s my own generation. Those were not good parents,” says Mason. But he was priced out of the business, and the Masons were struggling. #SIOSI. For decades, a nice Jewish couple ran Circus of Books, a porn shop and epicenter for gay LA. I had a perspective on this from childhood, and it was important for me to show that my parents were there for those people.”. JOIN NOW SIGN IN. 2020 TV-MA 1h 26m LGBTQ Documentaries. It was the opening night gala presentation at the 2019 Outfest film festival. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel' On Netflix, A Docuseries About A Notorious Hotel And A Missing College Student, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Into the Dark: Tentacles' on Hulu, a Psychosexual Horror Romance With Extra Appendages for Valentine's Day, 14 Valentine’s Day Movies to Stream on HBO Max. Available to download. JOIN NOW. So Barry started distributing Hustler magazine. Should you stream or skip the documentary #CircusOfBooks on @netflix? Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. Watch Now on Netflix. The Gist: Karen and Barry Mason are a loving Jewish couple with three children, Micah, Josh and Rachel. Now he does organic chicken farming. Some of the film’s most wrenching moments come as Barry and Karen recall hundreds of young men, loyal customers, dying of AIDS in a matter of days. As the film progresses, Rachel subtly guides it into deep, compassionate waters; the more personal she gets, the more universal its themes of change and acceptance become. The couple gives accounts of reaching out to the family members of these men and informing them that the end was near, only to be told those children had been disowned, and not to call again.