Circus of Books (film)
Circus of Books is a 2019 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.[2][3]
Circus of Books | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by | Rachel Mason |
Written by |
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Starring | |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, and was added to Netflix in the United States on April 22, 2020.[4]
Cast
- Karen Mason
- Barry Mason
- Rachel Mason
- Josh Mason
- Micah Mason
- Alexei Romanoff
- Billy Miller
- Don Norman
- Freddie Bercovitz
- Paulo Morillo
- Ellen Winer
- Larry Flynt
- David Gregory
- Fernando Aguilar
- Alaska Thunderfuck
- Jeff Stryker
Release
The film premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.[5] It went on to show at several film festivals, including the Frameline Film Festival,[6] Outfest,[7] the Hamptons International Film Festival,[8] and the BFI London Film Festival.[9] At the 2019 Sidewalk Film Festival, the film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.[10]
Reception
As of June 2020, Circus of Books holds a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 52 reviews with an average rating of 7.75/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Like the cheekily named store at this documentary's center, Circus of Books proves there are countless stories below the surface if we're only willing to look."[11] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw rated the film 4 out of 5 stars.[3]
References
- "'Circus of Books' Review: A Community Takes Pride in Its Porn Store". 22 April 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
- "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Circus of Books' on Netflix, a Documentary About the Most Unlikely Porn-Store Owners Ever". Decider. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Circus of Books review – tender doc about family life and gay porn". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "2019 Tribeca Film Festival movie review: 'Circus of Books'". Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "2019 Tribeca Film Festival movie review: 'Circus of Books'". Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Circus of Books + Verasphere: A Love Story in Costume". www.frameline.org. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "OPENING NIGHT GALA: CIRCUS OF BOOKS". festival.outfest.org. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "SummerDocs: 'CIRCUS OF BOOKS' on August 24". hamptonsfilmfest.org. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "London Film Festival 2019 - Circus of Books". 15 October 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Award Winners from Sidewalk 2019". 27 August 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- "Circus of Books (2019)". Retrieved 19 June 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.