Scoop (2006)

Chasing the story of a lifetime is exciting, until you realize you might be falling for the villain. Woody Allen's "Scoop" is a light, charming blend of murder, ghosts and romance. While sitting inside a vaudeville magician's disappearing cabinet in London, American journalism student Sondra Pransky (Scarlett Johansson) is visited by the ghost of a legendary reporter, Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), who has picked up a hot tip in the afterlife: Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), a dashing young aristocrat, may be the notorious "Tarot Card Killer," who leaves a tarot card beside each victim. With the bumbling magician, Sid Waterman, aka the Great Splendini (Allen), in tow, Sondra worms her way into Peter's life and, despite mounting evidence that the tip is true, finds herself falling for him. It's a step up from Allen's darker "Match Point" in sheer fun; moment to moment, it's his breeziest and most entertaining film in years. It still suffers from some laziness - Allen doesn't bother patching the plot's holes - and his familiar stammering persona slows the momentum. Even so, it delivers flashes of suspense and wit that would be cause for celebration from a newcomer. Charles Dance and Romola Garai co-star.