Izabella Scorupco

Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgård filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didn't stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist: The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgård as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Exorcist: The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James D'Arcy (Master And Commander). ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Family differences and personal grudges add drama to an already tense situation as the lives of a team of mountain climbers hang in the balance in this action drama. Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell) and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney) are the children of Royce Garrett (Stuart Wilson), an avid outdoorsman and climbing enthusiast who died when an accident left all three hanging from a single rope; Royce ordered Peter to cut him loose to save the lives of his kids, even though he knew it would mean his death. Years later, Peter has given up climbing and become a respected nature photographer, while Annie, who holds Peter responsible for her father's death, is a famous world-class mountain climber who is hired by Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton), a self-made billionaire, to help him scale K2, a mountain in the Himalayas that's the second-highest peak in the world. In the midst of the climb, dangerous weather strikes, and Elliot, Annie, and their crew find themselves trapped in a cavern that's been sealed tight by an avalanche. Peter, who is near K2 working on an assignment, quickly organizes a crew of expert climbers to save Annie and the other mountaineers, who must work under a tight deadline before the trapped climbers run out of air. Peter's partners in the rescue include beautiful medic Monique (Izabella Scorupco), radical climbers Cyril (Steve Le Marquand) and Malcolm (Ben Mendelsohn), disciplined Pakistani crewman Kareem (Alexander Siddig), and Montgomery (Scott Glenn), an eccentric outdoorsman who has a score to settle with Elliot. While backgrounds were shot on location in Pakistan, most of the climbing sequences in Vertical Limit were actually filmed on mountain ranges in New Zealand. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A lavish historical epic that (on a budget of $8.5 million) was the most expensive Polish film ever at the time of its release, Ogniem I Mieczem/With Fire and Sword is based on a classic Polish novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz concerning political and social turmoil from 1647 to 1649. Cossacks are waiting to strike Poland on the Eastern border that neighbors the Ukraine, the nearby Tartars and Turks are waiting for the opportunity to attack Europe, and the Polish ruling class is busy feuding among themselves. A daring Pole named Jan Skrzetuski (Michal Zebrowski), meanwhile, is vying for the hand of beautiful Helena Kurcewicz (Izabella Scorupco, best known for her role in the James Bond film Goldeneye), against heavy competition from Ukranian Bohun (Alexandr Domogarov), to whom she is already engaged. Helena's aunt and guardian, however, cancels the wedding plans, and an enraged Bohun attempts to kidnap her. One of Jan's associates, Zagloba (Krysztof Kowalewski), foils the plot and whisks her away to the Castle of Bar, but Bohun is not to be denied; he storms the castle, taking Helena and leaving Jan and his men to find her, just as the Cossacks and the Tartars have joined forces to sack the nation. Ogniem I Mieczem/With Fire and Sword was the first in a trilogy of novels by Sienkiewicz, but, ironically, was the last to be filmed by director Jerzy Hoffman. The final book in the series, Colonel Wolodyjowski, was adapted for the screen by Hoffman in 1969, while the second, The Deluge, appeared in 1974. A low-budget Italian version of With Fire and Sword was released in 1961. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

According to medieval legend, the "Tears of Saint Peter" is a strange elixir said to be able to heal and restore the dead to life. Using the concoction, Carla devises an ingenious plot to rob a wealthy mayor in this Swedish comedy-drama set in the late 15th century. Disguising herself as a man, whom she calls Carlo Marcellini, Carla wants to use the potion to bring back every townsman who has died over the previous ten years. Unfortunately, she falls in love with the mayor's son who makes her promise to also resurrect his beloved, late fiancee. This is a rather randy film and features medieval orgies and full-frontal male nudity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide