The store served as a refuge for LGBTQ community members during the height of the AIDS crisis, and the film highlights Karen and Barry’s struggles with being so heavily immersed in LGBTQ culture at a time when it was not socially accepted. The business went through many challenges, from being caught in an FBI sting during President Ronald Reagan’s crackdown on pornography, to gaining a reputation for attracting hustlers in the wee hours of the morning. The straight, religious couple with kids, however, kept the nature of their work a secret from family and friends. The store was first established in the ’60s as Book Circus. Rachel’s parents, Karen and Barry Mason, who were working with Hustler publisher Larry Flynt at the time, took over the store in the early ’80s and renamed it Circus of Books. The drama is a thoughtful and nuanced portrait of. Check out the most seductive films now and try not to get too turned on by all the hot bods. Grand Jury Prize at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival and with good reason. The sexy movies of 2015 did NOT disappoint, but the risqué flicks of 2016 went to another level. All love films in this ranking were rele. Spa Night was declared the winner of the U.S. This documentary by artist Rachel Mason is a riveting look at the popular and long-running bookstore and gay pornography shop, Circus of Books, in West Hollywood and in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. If you want know the best romantic movies you should definitely watch our picks for the best romance movies of 2016.