Scoop [Soundtrack]

Good flicks are usually accompanied by good music; SCOOP is no different. The diversity of the music ad how it's applied made the film great. As the listener muses through the cd she/he can actually set in motion their own SCOOP.
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In the Movies section there are well over 100 reviews of the film "Scoop" ranging from "a comedic masterpiece" to "terrible -- I turned it off after a few minutes." As for myself, I fall in the middle. It has a good cast, interesting storyline, and terrific art direction. True, there are numerous plot holes and if you've seen more than one Woody Allen picture, his schtick wears out quickly. It's an engaging film and I don't regret buying it -- but I probably won't watch it again.

As far as the music goes, Allen reportedly "went with his gut" in choosing musical tracks. Well, bravo to his gut for the selections, which not only match what is going on the screen but provide a classy and lighthearted air.

The selections here are mostly "classical-lite", well-known pieces that are lighthearted, popular but not demanding. It's great background music. Of course that cuts two ways: music that demands little from you usually doesn't inspire the same devotion as a piece that requires you to actually listen.

There's also a couple of Latin pieces by Xavier Cugat and big band leader Lester Lanin. Lanin, who was known for his medleys and inventive restylings of popular tunes (see Best of Big Bands: Lester Lanin for a cha cha version of "Glow Worm", a Dixieland version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore," and the "Colonel Bogey theme" done in a merengue style), also did many bossa novas and rhumbas in his lifetime. Personally, I don't think the selections on this CD are his best (which is why I didn't rate this soundtrack higher), but maybe it will help people rediscover him.

Unlike most movie music, you don't really need to like (or even have seen) the movie to appreciate the songs here. If you like classical music at all, you will probably appreciate this soundtrack.

Scoop

Scoop has comedy in almost every corner, a plot that seems elaborate but is simple for its viewers. I understand why all who watch it seem to get the giggles. It's an amazing film, but then again most of Woody Allen's films are funny and clever. Scoop mixes the suspense of his earlier movie, Match Point, with the current comedy of Scoop. The reality beats that of Casino Royale by far. Scoop's one-liners and physical comedy make it one of his funnier films. Some reviewers of his previous film, Match Point (such as Stylus Magazine), have given Scoop a bad review because they think it is too similar. This is not true, as Scoop follows quite a different story - for example, the appearance of Ghosts. It inflicts no damage on Allen's career. Now, onto the movie itself.

We start off with the death of the celebrity journalist, Joe Strombel, a reporter who is the foundation of the movie, and is the main cause of its beginning and end. We cut to a scene of Joe Strombel, and a group of people on a mangy boat. When we cut to the boat piloted by Death, it seems Strombel has been there almost an hour, and he has met a secretary. This secretary hands the scoop to Joe Strombel, and Strombel jumps off the boat to return to earth as a ghost. Earlier, Sondra Pransky, a journalist in training, had made off with a Film Director, and had now gone to see a Magician called Splendido (Sid in cast, and Woody Allen in life). She is picked to be put in a disappearing box (the kind that makes you disappear), and through that, she meets the deceased Strombel. Strombel tells her he had a giant scoop on his hands, saying that the mysterious Tarot card killer was Peter Limen, Lord Limen's son. But then Strombel mysteriously disappears, and when Sid, (Splendido) opens the box, Sondra had also disappeared; I believe this was a by-product of Strombel's disappearance. Sondra Pransky then drags Sid out to look at Peter Limen, the person who was supposed by Strombel to be the killer. She pretends to drown, and by then has, at that moment, won over his heart. I shall not spoil any more of the movie, for the sake of the pre-viewers. I give the film of which I have reviewed a great big comedic 9/10. I say, a Jolly Good film.