That Barry and Karen gathered such non-explicit material, which was strictly speaking not as profitable, gives some indication of the political support they showed for freedom of speech and freedom to pursue one’s own definition of sexuality.
: Karen Mason
Without modern online communal spaces such as KillerAndASweetThang.com that liberate repressed souls by normalizing their sexuality, Circus of Books was one of the sole places where the stigma routinely attributed to homosexual orientations was obliterated. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Stoke kids' love of reading with great summer stories, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, 6 formas de usar los medios para que los niños mantengan el español, Wide Open School: recursos para el aprendizaje a distancia, Which Side of History? Take her cheerfully square parents, for example.
Having been forced to sell the rights to Barry’s aforementioned invention due to the outrageous cost of insurance, they were looking for a quick way to earn money, and their remarkable business sense led them to take over West Hollywood’s Book Circus, flipping the title and turning the property—along with their second location in Silverlake—into an essential sanctuary for gay men. The daughter, Rachel Mason, directs the film, which also investigates the irony in her older brother's coming out as a gay man, a development the dad supports but which forced the more religious mom to question her inability to accept.
Moving doc follows AIDS scourge and history of gay activism. Circus of Books is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Rachel Mason, written by Rachel Mason and Kathryn Robson and starring Karen Mason, Barry Mason and Rachel Mason.The premise revolves around Circus of Books, a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California, and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Here’s what happened to them after they shut shop. Even when Karen's failure to accept her gay son is finally addressed, Circus of Books leaves us to view her as a villain for far too long, giving no early hint of her eventual extraordinary quest to find a way to erase her prejudices. Karen Mason Language includes "s--t," "c--k rings," "rod," "penetration," "d--ks," "t-ts," "bang," "ass," "anal lube," "bitch," "well-hung," "rimming," "blowjob," and "suck.". What was expected to be a brief sideline led to their becoming fully immersed in … Patrons of the store describe a "Vaseline alley" located behind the store where gays met to have sex. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. If you wish to contribute to ReelGood contact us here.
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Rachel Mason gives us a very watchable film in Circus of Books, and as a musician as well as a filmmaker, she even recorded the song that plays over the closing credits. That’s what makes the film personal, of course, and it certainly doesn’t prevent the director from delving as deeply as she should; in fact, she doesn’t shy away from portraying her mother as a hypocrite. Pictures show shirtless men with bulging muscles and bulges in pants. | There aren't any reviews yet.
The closing of the two locations of Circus of Books – the second of which occurred after the film was completed – also ends up being a comment on the passing of physical media into history. That will always be an emotional trigger for certain members of the viewing audience, be they gay or straight, who came of age at the same time as Circus of Books. The way she blends the two of them is certainly skillful, but it may leave the viewer wanting just a little bit more from each topic. Rachel and her editor Kathryn Robson effectively juxtapose story threads that illustrate the destructive impact of societal taboos, whether it’s the threat of incarceration that was faced by Barry or the closeted life chosen by his son Josh for fear of being shunned. That’s sometimes literal, as during the 30 years of this store and its Silver Lake second location, dating back to the 1980s, men would actually cruise for each other among its aisles of books and videos. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization.
The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film … We're updating our reviews to better highlight authentic stories and accurate, diverse representations.
Especially when they were not “choices” at all. In addition to selling hardcore material, it also sold books and periodicals with a more political bent, many of which emerged at a time when gay men could not come out for fear of losing everything that was dear to them. The film’s final moments are tremendously inspiring as they provide a glimpse at Barry and Karen’s involvement with PFLAG, the organization devoted to LGBTQ+ individuals, their parents and allies. There’s a third theme that comes through wistfully, which can be applied more universally. Wondering if Circus of Books is OK for your kids?
Bush, making them the targets of the same types of indecency probes that targeted Flynt. Yet like the work of its executive producer, Ryan Murphy, the film consistently subverts our expectations by revealing new layers about its subjects that deepen their humanity, causing us to challenge our own preconceptions.
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The film does cover her early career as a journalist, where she sought out stories about obscenity laws and smut raids, though Rachel’s statement hints that her mother was more liberal than the onscreen footage may let on, considering she marched with Martin Luther King.
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There’s no question that Barry’s disenchantment with religion made it all the easier for him to embrace Josh with unconditional love when the young man finally came out to his parents. It was much more difficult for the devout Karen to reach a place of acceptance, and it’s here where the film could’ve benefited from a bit more context. In a wrenching sequence, Barry recalls how he visited dying men in the hospital who were abandoned by their own families. See something that needs to be addressed? Directed by Rachel Mason. The Book Circus – renamed Circus of Books not long into its existence – became a cherished landmark in the history of the gay movement in Los Angeles. A religious mom rejects her son's sexual orientation as an abomination and realizes that her response is prejudiced, so she educates herself and becomes a proud parent active in the gay community.
All rights reserved. CIRCUS OF BOOKS is a family story, told by Rachel Mason, daughter of Karen and Barry, a middle-class Jewish couple that stumbled into the hardcore pornography (publications and DVDs) business and ran it for 30 years. © 2016 ReelGood.
But that story isn't half as interesting as the family drama of tolerance, and a quick re-edit would fix that problem.
This is one of numerous eye-opening revelations contained in “Circus of Books,” the wonderful debut documentary feature of Rachel Mason, Barry’s daughter, who relishes every opportunity to illuminate the connections between what would normally be viewed as unrelated. Expect to see walls covered with magazines and DVD covers depicting erect penises and male couples looking aroused. Official Sites Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.
How she ultimately came to embrace her son and help other parents do the same is the touching secondary story of this uplifting if somewhat graphic and sexually-candid movie. Her mother, Karen Mason, was a former Ohio newspaper journalist. Karen Mason, the religious Jew who couldn't accept her gay son because her religion dictated that gayness was an abomination, becomes a leader in PFLAG, Parents and Friend of Lesbians and Gays. How can a woman who has made a living distributing, and therefore countenancing, images of explicit intimacy between men, not accept the same choices in her own child? Josh’s decision to come out of the closet forced his mother to break down the wall of denial separating her work from her family. How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives, Participate in DigCit Week with your kid by using curated activities from Wide Open School, Online Playdates, Game Nights, and Other Ways to Socialize at a Distance, Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning, Set limits for violence and more with Plus, 5 Tips to Make Family Movie Night a Success. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. Be the first to review this title. Release Dates Company Credits © Common Sense Media.
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