If you’re not familiar with the club La Bare, located here in Dallas, it’s perhaps the most famous and established male strip club in the United States. In many ways it served as influence for Steven Soderbergh’s MAGIC MIKE, starring Channing Tatum. Another star of that film (and one soon to be seen in the sequel, MAGIC MIKE XXL) is Joe Manganiello, who many know as “Alcide” from TRUE BLOOD. While Joe was doing research for the first MAGIC MIKE, he took an interest in the behind-the-scenes lives of the men at La Bare, bringing in is brother Nick to conceptualize what started as a potential reality show for television. That project eventually turned into the new documentary LA BARE, which pulls back the curtain on the famous club and male dancers featured there. It’s honestly not the type of film I’d imagine I would enjoy, but in fact it’s quite great. What you see if the humanity behind the club and the personal relationships of the people who work there, all of them surprisingly quite relatable. It even talks to the women who go to the club, and explores why it’s sustained such a strong reputation through the years. The fine folks at the USA Film Festival recently had a special advance screening of the film with Joe and Nick in attendance… along with almost everyone featured in the film. So I took my mom, because hey, why not. I also had the pleasure of hosting a special Q&A with Joe and Nick after the film, which was a lot of fun. I must apologize once again for butchering their last name, though I’m sure I’m not the first to do so. Even if the subject matter is not your cup of tea, LA BARE is a film that really should be seen and shared with others. It not only breaks through a lot of the misconceptions behind the business, it’s also just a really well-made documentary. Check out the full Q&A below (about 30 minutes total) and look for the movie at theaters near you from Mainstreet Films. If in Dallas, you can see it now at the Angelika Film Center in Mockingbird Station.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
