One former employee sums up Karen's attitude toward the merchandise as "like selling apples in an apple cart." Barry is more supportive of both the business and the community it served. For Karen their wares are a means to an end. She harbours reservations about selling pornography, treating the raunchy magazines and sex toys they sell as a product, nothing more. Married for decades, she is devoutly religious he shakes his head no when asked if he's a believer. "At one point," Karen says, "we were probably the biggest distributor of hardcore gay films in the United States." Now, with the store shuttered, filmmaker daughter Rachel tells their story in the Netflix documentary "Circus of Books."Īt the centre of the film are odd couple Karen and Barry. For thirty-five years, with husband Barry, she ran Circus of Books, a gay porn store that served as the Los Angeles epicentre of LGBT culture. "Although the synagogues never knew what we were doing." In fact, Mason kept her business a secret from almost everyone, including her kids Rachel, Micah and Josh. "We've always belonged to a synagogue," says Karen Mason. There's a taste of Roald Dahl, a hint of "Despicable Me" and a dollop of "Mary Poppins," but, all spun together, they form a delightfully dark (but not too dark) story about finding the true value of family. It mixes and matches from a variety of sources. "The Willoughbys" isn't remarkably original story wise. All my folks ever did for me was lick my eyeballs open and sent me packing." "It's hard to leave home for the first time," he says, "although I was six days old when I left. There's strong voice work from Will Forte, Alessia Cara, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short and Terry Crews but Gervais and his droll narration steals the show. It's frenetic and fun, even when the kids are plotting to kill their parents.
"If you like stories about families that stick together and love each other through thick and thin," says the cat narrator, "and it all ends up happily ever after, this isn't the film for you OK?"ĭirector and co-writer Kris "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" Pearn energizes the story with characters that look like they're shaped out of bubble gum colourful and highly stylized.
GAY PORN CARTOON MOVIE SERIES
"The Willoughbys" is not as dark as "A Series of Unfortunate Events" or as magical as "Mary Poppins." Instead it finds its own tone, deriving much humour form the dire circumstances. Thus, begins a wild adventure for mom, dad and the kids. "Yes, so we'll hire a not good nanny! For cheap!" says father. "But aren't good nannies expensive?" wonders mom. They love the plan but fear the children will destroy the house. Cannibals will feast on them unless they freeze in glacial ice." They create a travel brochure from the Reprehensible Travel Agency - No Children Allowed! - and make sure the folks see it. If they do not melt in the hottest places on Earth, they shall drown in the wettest. Tim concocts a "a romantic getaway hiding deadly orphaning opportunities.
"What if we orphaned ourselves? We shall craft a murderous adventure that gives our insidious parents exactly what they want." "To be left alone with their love!" says Jane. So the kids hatch a plan to create a better life for themselves. "Let's face it this Willoughby family isn't great," says the narrator, "and by the looks of it, they never will be. Thank you."Īll they gave Tim was their name, and siblings Jane (Alessia Cara) and twins, both named Barnaby (Sean Cullen). "If you need love, I beg of you, find it elsewhere. "I am your father and that woman in there you insulted with your rude burp is your mother," father says to eldest son Tim (Will Forte). Madly in love, they only have eyes for one another. "Their greatness passed down from generation to generation like their magnificent facial hair," says the narrator, "until this one." Enter the youngest son (Martin Short) and his new bride (Jane Krakowski). The family has a long and distinguished legacy of tradition, invention, creativity and courage.
Get over it, yeah." - the story takes place at the Willoughby mansion, a home tucked away between two skyscrapers, hidden from the modern world. Narrated by Ricky Gervais - "I'm the narrator. Yet somehow, a happy ending and a lesson or two always emerge from the chaos. Based on a book by Lois Lowry, "The Willoughbys," a new animated film now available on Netflix, is a parody of "old fashioned" classic children's stories where terrible things happen, babies are abandoned, long-lost relatives show up and nannies look after the kids.