Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson star in Scoop. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
Scoop is an odd film. Both a pseudo-mystery and a pseudo-romantic comedy that meld into a quirky metaphysical afterlife comedy. Starring Hugh Jackman as a possible serial killer and Scarlett Johansson as a nebbish cub investigative reporter, both on his trail and falling in love with him. The film is both at the same time and a dissection of both genres as all of the characters spent their time expounding on the virtues of both love and murder in this often-amusing day-time tryst of a film set to Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King.
Adding to the amusement is Ian McShane as a dead reporter willing himself back into existence to guide Johansson’s character to the murderer. During these interludes with McShane, the film soars. One wants nothing more than a series of afterlife films with McShane’s Joe Strombel (what a name!) as he comments on the tomfoolery and buffoonery of life and willing people into solving crimes.
The film is a bumpy ride in the opening moments with Johansson’s Sondra Pransky literally without blinking an eye sleeping with a “film director” to get an interview she doesn’t get. Scoop is not interested in anyone’s morays and is comfortable with this and other hiccups that appear throughout, which show it’s very much made in 2006. If one can look beyond that and a certain particular co-star (who is also the director), they will find a low-key charmer of a film.
The Transfer
The high-definition transfer looks to be an excellent version of the 2006 35mm shot film. The image is sharp without any defects or issues. The color reproduction, contrast levels, and black levels are all near flawless. Kino Lorber continues to produce great Blu-rays for every film they release on the format.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Trailers
The only special features are trailers for Scoop (2:17); Brick (2:31); Twisted (2:03); The Interpreter (2:26); The Ice Harvest (2:27); In Bruges (2:30); Broken Flowers (2:06); Play it Again, Sam (3:14);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has provided a beautiful transfer for Scoop in its Blu-ray debut.