Love the Beast

I just saw this today 1/3/10 and loved each and every second of it.

It seems that Mr. Bana and I have similar tastes in our love of cars. His a Falcon (what we in the U.S. looks to be a Ford Torino) and mine a Dodge Charger. We both love our cars in a way that is hard to understand by someone who is not a serious gear head.

The documentary shows a love of cars by Mr. Bana and his friends growing up that had the same appreciation of the automobile

Seeing this film makes me appreciate my love of muscle cars that much better.

The documentary contains an insightful cameo by TV host, Jay Leno. An annoying one by BBC Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson and something in-between by Dr. Phil McGraw.

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!!!

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.

Eric Bana grew up near the airport in Melbourne. He and his mates were nowhere near the beach and grew up with a love of the muscle car. They decide to build their car and enter The Targa Tasmania Rally.

This also has Jay Leno and Dr. Phil put in their two cents worth. I don't mind Jay because he has a connection with cars. I can do without Dr. Phil and his psycho babble. Bana may think that it is significant but it is not dramatic. The movie isn't particularly dramatic. There's no suspense in the racing or the need to race. Bana doesn't do it for the money or even the prize. So the result is unimportant and I don't really care about any psychological needs. Being a hobby also diminishes the tension. This is a professionally made home movie.