Love the Beast

You Don't often see the word LOVE in the TITLE of a DOCUMENTARY! Well... The EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE!!!

BUT FIRST... Let us FOCUS on the Title´s Content and Context:

My wife and I caught this at the 2008 Orlando Film Festival. Overall, I'm glad we did. GENRES Listed here for LOVE The BEAST are: Documentary; Sports Documentaries; Car Culture; Motorsports...among others! They should have added: Eric Bana!

The three major draws here are....

A) CAR Culture-If you're REALLY into cars, you'll probably LOVE it!

As one would tend to gather from the title, The BEAST is an extremely intense labor of love. When you come right down to it, this film is more love story than it is Documentary!.

B) RACING- Over half this "DOC" is full-bore, super-charged racing in the 5-day, grueling annual race in Tasmania!.

There are some excellent CRASH sequences, taken with on-board cameras; and, of course....

C) ERIC BANA--I think he is the primary reason my wife seemed to enjoy this a tad more than I did!

Despite the fact that neither of us have more than a tepid interest in any of the A) B) or C) options, we were surprised at how much we BOTH enjoyed The BEAST. Watching someone on-screen share a single-mindedness of purpose that is the result of a lifelong passion/obsession, is virally infectious! It is certainly something you almost never encounter in the workaday world!

So overwhelming and intimidating are Bana's energy, focus and "try, try, try again" determination, that it gives me pause to re-evaluate his movie acting career and queue more of the films in which he appears! Please note that Eric Bana also Directs and is listed as one of the Producers.

So, LOVE the BEAST is a classic example of putting your money where your MUFFLER is! Ooops! Wait a minute...600+ Horsepower Muscle Car Race Cars don't have mufflers, now do they?!?!

ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

My Rating: 6.5* My Wife's: 7*******

Any Comments, Questions or Observations... In ENGLISH... o en ESPAÑOL... are Most Welcome!!!

As a petrol head or gear head myself, I find this movie extremely easy to relate to and understand. The dedication and connection he has with his car is understandable to me, and the dream he had since his childhood is one that most petrol heads can find common ground in. "Fate, luck and circumstance" took him away from his passion, but his passion for cars, specifically his Falcon are something so many can comprehend.

This movie shows the trials, tribulations, and hardships that come with having a car addiction. I've been brought to tears watching a car drive away and felt the emptiness when something happens to the car. Cars are an extension of our personalities, they're than an analog or digital machine, they become a part of us and a part of our lives.

This movie is one of the first that has shown the automotive scene in such a positive light through dedication. It allows people a glimpse at the choices and the desires we have as car nuts, and gives them a grasp for what makes our wheels turn.

This movie is a must-see for anyone that loves cars.

I'm getting pretty fed up with people saying that this movie is for "car lovers only" because it's simply not true. This movie is for many people, collectors, Eric Bana fans, people who have a passion and want to see other people's passions etc.

It's a movie about racing and cars, about Eric Bana's car that has been a part of his life for a very long time, that right there is so beautiful to see. Eric Bana's relationship to his car is amazing, you would have to see it to believe it. And people who don't understand the love for cars will truly get a different opinion after seeing this film because it will grow on you, you will see how much something made out of tin parts (and then some) can become such passion and such love because of how long it will stick with you.

And to Eric Bana fans, if you love Eric Bana like I have, you HAVE TO see this movie. To me, Eric Bana is very much like his car is to him, I've grown up with Eric Bana and his movies and seen him grow as an actor, it feels as if he's my friend as with a couple of different actors. And if you really almost feel like he's family, you will have the same feelings as he does for his cars when you see how heartbreaking some scenes in this movie are. You will also see Eric Bana before a big movie premiere of his movie "Lucky You", it's a very rare glimpse into his life and how he feels before going to a premiere, it's quite cool and you'll see how awesome and down to earth he truly seems.

But do keep in mind that this is a documentary, it is mostly for car lovers, true, but it can still grow on you, because let's face it, it's not all just cars.

8/10

This is what a camera is for, it is for capturing a story of love, spirit, tension, Passion and all the beautiful things that make us unique as Humans.

I think everyone will get something positive from this film even if they are not lovers of cars, because it is about connection with yourself and your world.

It evokes all kinds of feelings and therein lies it's magic.

It reminds us that we are not alone in this world. That our close friends are important for life. That our silly love for the smallest material object is not silly,it is important, and a dear part of us.

I can't say enough My heart and spirit are uplifted.

The Imperfection is the Real Beauty we possess as Humans, the very thing that our new Digital World is robbing us of.

The Human Spirit

Eric Bana Peace to your soul man

You are living The Dream, and thanks for sharing it with us.

I just watched this movie last night (DVD) and really enjoyed it. I don't think I'd agree that this film is for car buff's only - granted, a lot of the movie is based around cars, but I reckon the movie is more about the connection between men and machines more than just car's themselves.

The conversations with Jeremy Clarkson, Dr. Phill and Jay Leno were totally interesting too watch. Dr Phill provided a view point outside cars (loved his view points on hobbies and work), Jay Leno had some interesting points on why he crashed (ie. the latest iteration wasn't Eric's own hand work) and Jeremy Clarkson had some real insightful stuff on comparing machines to computers and how machines (ie. cars) exhibit more human traits than computers - hence why there is a bond there.

An interesting part of it is how a material object (The Beast) acts as a conduit for men to come around, work on the car and friendships/bonds are formed. I reckon it's the memories created by this is what makes people treasure their cars (and not always limited to cars).

I do have to admit that when about 30 minutes into it, I did look at the clock - not in a boring way and not in a way thinking when is this going to end. Probably because it is more of a documentary it didn't have my total interest in it.

The sorta sub story about the other bloke and his Ford was awesome as well - the personality of the dude (sorry, forgot his name - one of Eric's mates) doing the interviewing was great - his personality really comes across. Same deal with Eric's navigator.

The cinematography is awesome - very well done.

The build up to the crash was just simply great - I liked how Eric did this and built up to the event (and the spacemen conversation was funny as!).

How there is so much old footage is just unbelievable - it's like this movie was planned from a very long time ago! The insight into Eric Bana was also another interesting point in the movie - how he comes across is just a normal Aussie bloke. Top bloke! I've never had the privilege of staying in one country long enough to have friends for that long, but it's awesome how he's stayed real and kept his mates.

There's a lot more to this movie than just the car, but you do have to look past that to see it. Recommend watching the special features on the DVD (interview especially) cause it gives you a little more insight into the actions behind the movie.

At the end of the movie, I was inspired, still am - I've never bothered to write a review on IMDb before, but I liked this movie so much I thought I'd put one on here! It's not a movie like Braveheart or Contact (my favorites anyways) but it's also a lot more real than those movies.

If I had to pin-point my favorite aspect of the movie, it's how Eric Bana has portrayed his car, his family and his mates in the movie. You can actually get a feel of what the individuals are like, based on what has been filmed and what background dialog has been said about them. You can get a rough idea of what each person is like, solely based on watching this movie - and I think that's a pretty good accomplishment.

And I totally hope he rebuilds The Beast!