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SamBlob
Reviews
Love the Beast (2009)
Life as a car
This is the story of a man in crisis. It is the tale of someone who has taken his most prized possession, the obsession of his youth, the cornerstone of his dearest friendships, and has smashed it to pieces. He still has the pieces, but... what to do with them? What should he do? Is it reasonable for him to be so attached to it? Should he just give it up? This is his quest for answers to a lot of questions, about himself, about his family, about his friends, and, most fundamentally, about the fate of his Beast.
You don't have to be a car guy to get it, but it does help. Bana works his demons out in a way that incorporates his two great loves that appeared together in "Mad Max": cinema, and the Falcon XB coupe.
I saw this on SPEED Channel, and, although it was not literally made for the network, it fits right in. It is a 93 minute "Car Crazy Confession" with bits of "Jay Leno's Garage" and "Top Gear" thrown in for good measure. Unlike most "Car Crazy Confessions" though, it does not end on the happy note of acquiring or finishing the rebuild of the car of one's dreams; the Beast is still smashed at the end of the film. It ends in hope, though. We know that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Beast will ride again, just as Bana's father's Beast does at the end of the film, after having been abandoned for ten years and repaired by Eric and his mates. It will probably never see a racetrack again, except maybe the parking lot. Hopefully it will be put on the car show circuit, preferably right beside his father's car. It is a compelling tale even if no-one knew who Eric Bana was, as I didn't at the beginning of the show.
All in all, it's a story of Eric Bana's life and an insight into his soul. All it missed was Tracy Chapman's "Remember the Tinman" playing at the end.
Matlock: The Don: Part 1 (1986)
"Jake and the Fatman" fans, take note!
This 1986 episode of "Matlock" is notable for giving the viewing public a sort of preview of "Jake and the Fatman", which premiered in 1987. Not only does it feature the entire main cast (Joe Penny, William Conrad, and Alan Campbell), but Conrad and Campbell play basically the same characters with different names. Conrad's character, James L. McShane, doesn't even vary much in name from J. L. McCabe, a.k.a. the Fatman. Penny's character, however, is rather different; a crime boss accused of doing his own dirty work for once. It is left to Matlock to remove all reasonable doubt from this shady character, which he does in characteristic fashion by revealing the real killer - but not in this episode, as it is the first of a two-part.