An intense look at the world of competitive bodybuilding and remake of a Argentine thriller top our roundup of this week’s new films.
“Magazine Dreams”: Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) is that one guy you avoid at the gym. You know the one, the unapproachable chiseled god with that leave-me-alone glare who repeatedly unleashes excessively loud guttural grunts, groans and screams as he bench presses the weight of a Prius. Killian is a ‘roid ragin’ machine and has become obsessed about perfecting his tapered body so he can land bodybuilding competition titles. He’s equally focused about meeting his idol, title champ Brad Vanderhorn (played by actor and body-lifter Mike Vanderhorn). He writes to Brad all the time, but doesn’t get a response.
He’s also a ticking time bomb.
Majors (“The Last Black Man in San Francisco”) scalds the screen by pumping Killian up with a raw volatility and coarse intensity that borders on the scary, but he also makes his man-child a vulnerable and even tragic figure — a socially maladjusted brickhouse who’s caring for his grandfather and is in dire need of hours of therapy for a childhood trauma inflicted. As some know, director/screenwriter Elijah Bynum’s harrowing feature has been collecting dust on the shelf for two years due mostly to Majors’ problems, including his conviction of misdemeanor assaults against Grace Jabbari.
There’s no doubt it’s hard to separate that from what you see Major accomplish up on screen. No matter how you feel about Majors, it’s undeniable that this is an incredible physical and emotional performance.
But what prevents “Magazine Dreams” from taking full advantage of Majors is it’s fever dream-like surrealness, which makes it illogical at times. That might well be Bynum’s intentions but it distracts from the story, taking the needle off the tune he’s playing.
When Bynum turns away from that and turns to the unsettling exchanges Killian has, “Magazine Dreams” delivers one gut punch after another. One of the best, most impactful moments comes when the very single Killian — who can’t stand to be touched — goes on a date with a kind-hearted grocery clerk (Haley Bennett) he works with. He arrives way overdressed and is nervous and awkward throughout. While that approximates the innocent and charming initially, it flips into something far more disturbing and primordial as Killian relates memories from his past and reveals his anger and rigidness. It’s a squirm-in-your-seat sequence that only escalates, with Majors and Bennett handling it dexterously, with no over-acting.
“Magazine Dreams” is a runaway train of a character study; it’s hard to watch as this emotionally stunted man goes way off the rails and could take others down with him. You won’t be able to shake “Magazine Dreams,” especially Majors’ volcanic, transformative performance. Details: 3 stars out of 4; in theaters March 21.
“Locked”: Director David Yarovesky fully understands the assignment he’s given with this dumb and fun remake of the very good 2019 Argentinian thriller “4X4” (rent it, you won’t be disappointed). So do his two leads, the underappreciated Bill Skarsgård and the always welcome Anthony Hopkins. The simple premise finds desperate, cash-strapped thief Eddie (Skarsgård) stuck in a booby-trapped black SUV he was trying to steal by William (Hopkins), a psycho who communicates to him via the smart car. William has a soothing voice (Hopkins is ideal for the role) that belies his goal — to torture Eddie, including playing polka music loudly, to avenge a tragedy from his past. William is disgusted by the graffitied, trash-strewn city streets that surround him, all of which Yarovesky highlights well. The screenplay hugs the same road that “4X4” traveled with Eddie trying to get out of the SUV while William turns up the heat and the cold, in the literal sense. But then it takes one wild detour that makes “Locked” even more rambunctious and ridiculous — but it never is less than entertaining. It all makes for one wild ride and gives both actors the perfect vehicle to showcase their talents. And who could resist Skarsgård in a pink hoodie? Details: 3 stars; in theaters March 21.
“O’Dessa”: There’s a good cult movie itchin’ to emerge from writer/director Geremy Jasper’s visually arresting but not entirely there dystopian musical. You can just feel it wanting to become a “Tommy” or another “The Wall.” It has its moments but loses its grip due to some underdeveloped sidenotes, the same fate that befell the go-for-broke style that dragged Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” down. Sadie Sink shows her range as both actor and singer as O’Dessa, a chosen-one farm girl with a magical guitar who sets out on a “Wizard of Oz”-like adventure that leads her to fall in love with a queer singer (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and puts her on a path to meet flashy game show host/world leader Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett). “O’Dessa” doesn’t lack for energy and even chutzpah but fails to do what it must do in order for us to be invested about its radical nonsense: care one bit about its characters’ fate Details: 2½ stars; available on Hulu.
“The Parenting”: A killer cast (Brian Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Edie Falco, Brandon Flynn, Nik Dodani and Parker Posey) valiantly tries to pump up this flat tire of a horror comedy but can’t save it. “Saturday Night Live’s” Kent Sublette’s screenplay has its moments, but too often feels like one of those “SNL” skits that overstays its welcome. Its rich for comedic opportunities premise finds a gay couple (Flynn, Dodani) taking their relationship to the next level by renting an isolated Airbnb and inviting their respective parents to meet. The house comes with some very bad mojo, and was the site of a ghastly murder of a previous family that lived there. The clash of the polar-opposite parents creates a blueprint for something funny, but when the possession takes over with daddy Frank (Cox) wandering around naked, aroused and spewing gay hate while two ankle-biter canines turn into demon dogs, director Craig Johnson gives up the ghost of a promise the movie had going for it. Details: 2 stars; now available on Max.
“Young Hearts”: Anthony Schatteman’s tender coming-of-age story of two 14-year-old boys who realize their friendship has turned into something more gorgeously captures — in spirit and look — what it feels like to be attracted to someone of the same sex for that very first time. Co-written by Lukas Dhont (“Close”), the hopeful screenplay gives its two leads (Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger) two very nuanced roles to play and while both young actors are excellent, its Goossens who’s given the most to do, as he wrangles with these new feelings. “Young Hearts” is buoyed by a sense of hopefulness and that there’s a comforting blanket of warmth from people around you. It couldn’t be arriving at a better time, particularly for anyone who is experiencing the first inkling that they’re gay and in love. This one’s for you, and for those who have lived it. Details: 3½ stars, opens March 21 at the Roxie, San Francisco.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.