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Dot-Marie Jones Stars in ‘Breeder,’ a Thriller with Turlock Ties

in Arts & Entertainment/People & Profiles
Darren Criss, left, and Dot-Marie Jones at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011.
Darren Criss and Dot-Marie Jones at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized.

Dot-Marie Jones is back on local movie screens, this time as a poodle breeder with a disturbing offer. She plays Patti in Breeder. The new thriller also has a Turlock connection behind the camera, through executive producer Trenton Waterson.

The Turlock Journal reports that the film is playing at Regal Turlock through November 5. For local audiences who remember Dot as Coach Beiste on Glee, this is a much darker assignment.

Dot-Marie Jones Trades the Sidelines for a Sinister Ranch

Dot was born in Turlock and grew up in Hilmar, where she attended school. The Journal traces her path through Modesto Junior College and Fresno State before her acting career. Her career also includes championship athletics and arm wrestling.

In Breeder, her character controls the money a struggling researcher needs. The distributor’s synopsis introduces Russell, played by Daniel Doheny, as someone trying to fund research that could help endangered bees. Patti offers to back the work and draws him to her isolated property. The proposed deal becomes something else entirely.

Dot-Marie Jones speaking at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011.
Dot-Marie Jones at San Diego Comic-Con in 2011. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized.

Trenton Waterson Adds a Second Turlock Connection

The Journal identifies Trenton as a Turlock native and Turlock Christian alumnus, and reports that he saw Dot in the role from the beginning. His film-industry background includes work connected with Disney and Marvel.

An earlier film brought Trenton back to Turlock. In a December 2011 Idyllwild Town Crier report, filmmaker Andrew Fisher described shooting Buttons in the Ground in Turlock with Trenton as lead producer. Residents helped the production with meals, housing and a farmhouse location. The report also described Trenton’s work with executive producer Patricia Whitcher on Thor and The Avengers.

Andrew’s team raised more than $30,000 through Kickstarter in 2010. The Turlock shoot took five days, with a crew that reached 40 people. Andrew also had a filmmaker document the shoot so investors could see how their money was being used. The production depended on local help as well as film-school and industry contacts.

Biola University’s film-school alumni page lists Trenton among its graduates and credits his Marvel Entertainment work.

A Seven-Year Route from Tribeca Project to Release

Breeder did not appear out of nowhere this Halloween. Tribeca’s festival listing says the project participated in its Creators Market in 2019. It returned in 2026 for its world premiere in the festival’s Escape From Tribeca program.

Alex Goyette wrote and directed the film, his feature debut. Tribeca presents it as both horror and thriller, with dark comedy threaded through the premise. Its programmers particularly praised Dot’s villain performance.

The distributor now lists October 28 as the theatrical release date. The original trailer below still advertises an earlier October 16 opening, so use the current film page and theater listings when planning a visit.

Official trailer from Independent Film Company. The trailer’s advertised release date was subsequently changed to October 28.

Before You Buy a Ticket

  • Allow 97 minutes for the film. That is the runtime listed by Tribeca, before trailers or travel.
  • This is adult horror. Apple’s film listing gives it an R rating for disturbing material, violence, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
  • Confirm the booking for your day. Check Regal Turlock’s own listings for your selected date. The theater is at 2323 W. Main Street, Turlock. Individual screenings and availability can change.

For more local screen connections, explore our Turlock and Modesto movie guide. Our Regal Turlock guide explains ticket options and the theater’s earlier life as a Kmart.

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Fiona Ma: California’s State Treasurer

Fiona Ma in a real historical portrait beside her current California office title.
Fiona Ma’s official Board of Equalization portrait, December 2014. Photo: Florence Low / California Department of Water Resources · Public domain. Cropped; text added.

More than 109,000 CalKIDS scholarship accounts had been created for Stanislaus County children by June 2025. Families may have money for college waiting in an account they have never claimed. That program is one of the most useful local connections to Fiona Ma’s work as California treasurer. She also manages state borrowing and investments—and in November 2026, she is running for a different office: lieutenant governor. Current office: California state treasurer; Democrat and certified public… Keep Reading

Malia Cohen: California’s State Controller

Malia Cohen speaking at Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2018 beside a panel naming her current state-controller office.
Malia Cohen at Indigenous Peoples’ Day in San Francisco, October 2018, while serving as president of the city’s Board of Supervisors. Photo: Pax Ahimsa Gethen · CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped; text added. CC BY-SA 4.0 adaptation.

A forgotten paycheck, a Stan State employee’s payroll deposit and a payment to Turlock’s bus system all lead to the same state office. Malia Cohen is California’s controller, responsible for paying the state’s bills, keeping its financial records and checking how public money is handled. In November 2026, voters will decide whether to give her a second term. Current office: California state controller; Democrat. First elected: November 2022; began serving in 2023. November 3, 2026:… Keep Reading

Ted Gaines: Turlock’s State Tax Board Representative

A California State Senate photograph of Ted Gaines beside his name and current Board of Equalization District 1 office.
Ted Gaines in a California State Senate portrait; the original photograph’s date is not recorded. Photo: California State Senate; Public domain in the United States. Resized and paired with a name panel.

Ted Gaines represents Stanislaus County on the California State Board of Equalization. For Turlock homeowners, the board’s rules affect inherited homes, moves and property assessments. County offices apply those statewide rules to individual properties. Who He Represents and How He Reached the Board Gaines is a Republican serving his second elected term as the First District member of the California State Board of Equalization, or BOE. He won the seat in 2018 and was reelected… Keep Reading

Shirley Weber: California’s Secretary of State

Official photograph of Shirley Weber beside her name and California Secretary of State title.
Shirley Weber’s official portrait, circa 2021. Photo: California Secretary of State’s Office; Public domain in the United States. Resized and paired with a name panel.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber certifies statewide election results, maintains the voter-registration system and oversees election rules. Her office also handles business filings and keeps the state’s historical archives. A Family History Shaped by the Right to Vote Shirley Nash Weber became California’s 32nd secretary of state on January 29, 2021, following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nomination. She was the first Black Californian to hold the office. Voters elected her to a full term in… Keep Reading

Rob Bonta: California’s Attorney General

Official photograph of Rob Bonta beside his name and California Attorney General title.
Rob Bonta’s official portrait, July 2023. Photo: Douglas Despres / California Attorney General’s Office; Public domain in the United States. Resized and paired with a name panel.

In February 2026, state agents helped dismantle a methamphetamine lab in Turlock. The following month, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the seizure of 280 pounds of crystal meth and eight firearms. His office also challenges federal policies, reviews local housing plans and takes complaints from customers who think a business has cheated them. From an Immigrant Family to California’s Chief Law Officer Bonta became California’s 34th attorney general on April 23, 2021, after Gov. Gavin… Keep Reading

Ricardo Lara: California’s Insurance Commissioner

Ricardo Lara in his official Insurance Commissioner photograph, beside his name and office title.
Ricardo Lara’s official Insurance Commissioner portrait, January 2019. Photo: State of California / Department of Insurance · public domain. Resized; name panel added.

Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner, oversees the industry behind homeowners’ renewal notices. His final year in office has centered on a difficult tradeoff: giving insurers more flexibility in pricing risk while trying to make policies available to people who have been turned away. The Path from East Los Angeles to Statewide Office Lara took office in January 2019 and won reelection in 2022. He became California’s first openly gay person elected to statewide office. He… Keep Reading

Tony Thurmond: California’s Schools Superintendent

Tony Thurmond speaks at a podium at the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco in 2019.
Tony Thurmond at the California Democratic Party convention, June 2019. Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized.

Tony Thurmond has made early literacy a central part of his tenure as California’s elected schools chief. His office also helps implement laws that will change what Turlock students study, including a personal-finance course that becomes a graduation requirement later this decade. A Social Worker Who Became the State’s Schools Chief Thurmond became California’s 28th state superintendent of public instruction on January 7, 2019. Voters reelected him in 2022. The office is nonpartisan on the… Keep Reading

Eleni Kounalakis: California’s Lieutenant Governor

Eleni Kounalakis in a 2021 Scottish Government photograph, beside her name and lieutenant governor title.
Eleni Kounalakis at the Edinburgh Declaration signing in November 2021. Photo: Scottish Government · CC BY 2.0. Resized; name panel added.

When California State University raises tuition, the decision reaches households all around Turlock. Eleni Kounalakis was one of the trustees who voted against the system’s multiyear increase in 2023. Her responsibilities also include international trade, state lands and serving as acting governor when the governor leaves California. From Sacramento Housing to the Embassy in Budapest Kounalakis took office as California’s 50th lieutenant governor on January 7, 2019, becoming the first woman elected to the position.… Keep Reading

Vito Chiesa: Turlock’s County Supervisor

The historic Carnegie building in Turlock, with arched windows and steps leading to the entrance.
The historic Carnegie building in Turlock, September 2012. Photo: Saeid Banankhah (Saeidb) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0.

Turlock elects a mayor and council, but some of the services residents use most belong to Stanislaus County. The library, behavioral-health programs, county roads outside city limits and regional planning all lead back to the Board of Supervisors. Turlock’s supervisor is Vito Chiesa, a Hughson farmer who took office in 2009 and chairs the county board in 2026. The Hughson Farmer Representing Turlock Chiesa grew up in Hughson, graduated from Hughson High School and attended… Keep Reading

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