Hope Springs (2009 TV Series/Acorn Media DVD Set)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C
In an odd attempt to
cross every female-cast TV show with The Sopranos (and for U.K. and Australian
audiences reviewed elsewhere on this site) the hit series Outrageous Fortune, Hope Springs (2009) has
four female criminals who are also friends trying to get out of the country
with stolen loot, but when their contact at the airport turns up dead (and with
their passports, they run and hide in the Scottish Highlands instead.
I like
the idea of the show, but it is done with the slick, smug style of its U.S.
counterparts more than it should be, relies more on comedy than character
development and is rather predictable except it is a good female cast in what
would be male roles genre-wise. Still,
this has its followers and was a moderate hit, so here it is on DVD and you can
see all eight episodes for yourself. You
might like it more if the humor works for you.
Alex Kingston, Annette Crosbie, Sian Reeves, Christine Bottomley, Paul
Higgins, Vinette Robinson, Ronni Ancona and Alec Newman star.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is not bad, but shot on what looks like
1080i HD, soft in this downtrade with detail issues throughout. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has some vague surrounds, but is also not bad. Extras include a photo gallery and text on Kingston.
-
Nicholas Sheffo