Saturday, October 20, 2012

Hope Springs

Lemmenlomalla / Hope Springs [Swedish title]. US © 2012 GHS Productions, Inc. PC: Film 360 / Escape Artists. Columbia Pictures, Mandate Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures present. P: Todd Black, Guymon Casady. D: David Frankel. SC: Vanessa Taylor. DP: Florian Ballhaus: - Camera: Arri Alexa, Zeiss Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo Lenses - Laboratory: DeLuxe, New York - original format: Codex - Cinematographic process: ARRIRAW (2.8K) (source format), Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format) - release format: 35 mm (anamorphic) (Kodak Vision 2383), D-Cinema - Aspect ratio: 2.35:1. PD: Stuart Wurtzel. AD: Patricia Woodbridge. Set dec: George DeTitta, Jr. Cost: Ann Roth. Makeup: Louise McCarthy. Hair: Jerry Popolis. M: Theodore Shapiro. S: Rick Chefalas. ED: Matt Maddox, Steven Weisberg. Casting: Margery Simkin. C: Meryl Streep (Kay), Tommy Lee Jones (Arnold), Steve Carell (Dr. Feld), Elisabeth Shue (Karen, the bartender), Mimi Rogers (Carol, the neighbour). Loc: Connecticut (Guilford, Norwalk, Stonington). 100 min. Released in Finland by Future Film with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Mariia Haatanen / Heidi Nyblom Kuorikoski. 2K DCP (presumably). Viewed at Maxim 2, Helsinki, 20 Oct 2012. 

Official synopsis: "Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple's specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough - the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place."

Feelgood entertainment with serious themes: it's about a marriage which has turned into a dreary routine. Kay wants to save it, and even Arnold has the insight that if he does not restart everything he'll end up a lonely man because Kay cannot live without love.

Meryl Streep gives a brilliant humoristic performance, largely based on little touches and gestures which hit exactly the right buttons.

Tommy Lee Jones surprises me as a comedy actor, and his performance is worthy of Walter Matthau ("if looks could kill").

The visual quality of the screening was fine.

No comments: