Magazine Dreams

I had been wanting to see Magazine Dreams for a very long time, ever since hearing it described by my favorite movie podcasters who caught it on the festival circuit a couple years ago. I had no idea it had been picked up for theatrical distribution, so its seemingly sudden appearance completely took me by surprise.

Jonathan Majors's performance as Killian Maddox, an aspiring yet struggling bodybuilder, is truly next level here. Killian is a fractured man, at moments childlike and charming, at others he's like a pot of water boiling over. This can make him unpredictable scene to scene. Easily the most effective scene was his dinner date with the girl from the supermarket. Talk about a cringe moment!

My feelings are most mixed about the script, with my main complaint being it that it doesn't seem to know when to quit. There are multiple moments where I was certain the story was close to conclusion, that it was building to a moment, yet only to further continue in layering misery on thick. I found this exhausting. When the movie finally does conclude I don't know if I find the resolution entirely believable for Killian's character.

I like the movie enough to recommend, but keep in mind this can be a dark, dark film.

What can I say , movies to me are meant to take me out of reality and transport me into other worlds as I escape my own issues and problems , not to mention battles with reality.

That being the case this movie does just that although it specifically took me into a place that mad me very uncomfortable not in a bad way just in a way that I wanted a lil more payoff that I feel I didn't get .

Majors does a great job carrying this weight around and giving ,I believe an honest and compelling performance. It just needed a tiny bit more action at certain spots that could have taken this movie to the next level . Again a worth while movie theater experience.

Hear me out-Jonathan Majors might just be the best thing to happen to Black Hollywood since Denzel Washington. The man is seriously gifted. He can act, he has the physical presence, he's versatile, and most importantly-he's never boring. I honestly can't think of another Black American actor right now who can command the screen the way he does.

In this movie, Majors took a relatively simple script and turned it into a gripping, edge-of-your-seat experience. Every scene was hauntingly captivating. The director did a great job maintaining suspense, constantly shifting the tone and direction. What started off as a bodybuilding tale of grit and determination turned into a revenge drama-and then escalated into something way darker. It was intense.

I genuinely don't understand why Jonathan isn't landing all the top-tier Black roles. Compared to some of his peers like Anthony Mackie or Michael B. Jordan, he brings a different level of depth and complexity. He deserves way more recognition.

The only thing that held back this incredible performance was the script itself. After building so much tension and anticipation, the climax completely fell flat. All that buildup, all that powerful acting-only for it to lead nowhere. It felt like a major disservice to both Jonathan Majors and the audience.

Jonathan Majors is incredible in this. His performance is so powerful, it pulls you in and makes you really feel what his character is going through. There are a bunch of scenes that hit hard emotionally, and it's all because of how committed he is.

The movie dives into some really heavy and complex themes, and when it works, it really works. But the last act gets a bit messy. It tries to cover too much at once, especially when it comes to unpacking such a complicated and violent character. It feels like the movie loses focus a bit near the end.

Still, it's absolutely worth watching for Majors alone and the bold ideas it tries to explore.

Killian Maddox dedicated himself to bodybuilding and dreams of one day leaving his mark on the sport and the world. With a traumatic childhood and struggling to connect with others, Killian forges forward toward his goal with reckless abandonment.

This movie takes a very artistic approach to bodybuilding. The story has many different things occurring quickly, with little backstory given to the protagonist, making it a challenge to follow. The two-hour and four-minute runtime is wild, from intense lifting to posing to twists and unexpected turns. This movie is not for everyone but might be worth a stream for someone looking for something different and artistic.