Scoop (PG-13)
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So... this came out in 2006, but I didn't get around to seeing it until 2013. I'd had the DVD sitting around for a few years, which I bought originally because it stars Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman and Woody Allen, and I'm more or less a fan of all of them. And of course it was written and directed by Allen, who we all know is, like, a genius, or whatever. Of course, I'm not nearly as familiar with his work as I should be, but someday I'll watch some of his older movies, I swear. Anyway, I finally watched it when The Wolverine was in theaters, because I couldn't go see that. This movie, of course, has no relation to that movie other than sharing one of the stars, and personally I think it's practically impossible to recognize Jackman in any movie where he's not playing Wolverine, if that's the role you know him best for, but whatever. I'm glad to have watched the movie, it was definitely funny. Especially Allen, though his shtick does wear a bit thin after awhile. It's always laced with moments of greatness. Anyway, I could have put my review under "comedy," though it's also a murder mystery, or whatever. I'm guessing most of Allen's films could very well be called "quirky," but I basically put my review of this movie under that category because it contains a supernatural element. It's not a major part of the story, but it's essential for getting the plot started and moving it along, in certain places. And... I'm certain I meant to say something else in this opening paragraph, but I can't remember what. It wasn't important, though.

Anyway, the movie is set in England. There's this big-shot investigative reporter named Joe Strombel, who died shortly before the film starts. After his funeral, we see him and some other people being ferried to the underworld by Charon (from Greek mythology). On the boat, Joe meets a woman who was the secretary of a young man named Peter Lyman (Jackman), the son of a British lord. The secretary tells Joe she believes she was poisoned because she suspected Peter was actually the Tarot Card Killer, a serial killer who had been murdering prostitutes, and he didn't want her going to the police with her suspicion. Meanwhile, an American college student who works for her school newspaper, Sondra Pransky (Johansson), was in England on vacation. One day she attends a magic show performed by Sid Waterman (Allen), and she gets called up on stage to take part in his act. He puts her in a box to make her disappear, and while she's in there, Joe appears to her to share the tip about Peter possibly being a killer. After the show, she tells Sid about this, but he doesn't believe her. But then Joe appears again, and this time they both see him. So Sondra drags Sid into her investigation of Peter, though he's reluctant to get involved.

Sondra manages to arrange a seemingly chance encounter with Peter, and after that they begin dating. Though she calls herself Jade Spence, and claims Sid is her father, and that he's a wealthy businessman from Palm Beach. Of course, as she investigates Peter, she begins to fall in love with him, and becomes increasingly convinced that Joe was wrong about him being a killer. I'll say I had a certain suspicion about the real identity of the killer all along, though I turned out to be wrong. I won't say whether Peter was guilty or not, though.

Anyway, lots of little things in the movie were more ridiculous than genuinely funny, but there were also plenty of things that actually were quite amusing. And... I'm not sure what else to say. Overall, I think it's a fairly forgettable movie, but it was definitely fun while I was watching it. And it's not something I necessarily feel I'd never watch again.