Violante Placido Movies

Crank co-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor helm this sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider that finds Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) summoning his infernal alter ego to help rescue a ten-year-old boy from the Devil incarnate. Tracked to a secluded area of Eastern Europe and approached by a clandestine sect of the church with word that the apocalypse is at hand, Johnny realizes that his only hope for breaking the curse of the Ghost Rider is to prevent the Devil (Ciaran Hinds) from taking possession of a young boy (Fergus Riordan) who may be humanity's last hope against the forces of darkness. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Italian director Pupi Avati contrasts his 2007 English-language thriller The Hideout with this sentimental, distinctively Italian comedy concerning a failed actor who can't help but obsess over his lackluster career. After the depressive thespian makes a half-hearted suicide attempt, his three daughters flock to be by his side and organize a surprise dinner party designed to set him up with a potential mate. Later, as dinner gets underway, the situation takes an unexpected turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

While the major American TV networks were jockeying to be the first to present a filmed biography of the late Pope John Paul II, cable's humble Hallmark Channel managed to beat everyone to the punch with the four-hour Karol: A Man Who Became Pope. Actually, this made-for-TV film was a Polish-Italian co-production, debuting on Italian television as Karol, un Uomo Diventato Papa on April 8, 2005, and subsequently released theatrically in Poland. Curiously, it had been filmed in English, so no dubbing was necessary -- thus enabling Hallmark to rush the production onto American screens as early as August 15, 2005. Piotr Adamczyk stars as Karol Wojtyla, whose tireless fight for humanity and basic fundamental rights begins with the German invasion of his native Poland in 1939. Appalled at the brutal treatment afforded his Jewish friends, Karol turns to religion as a means of making a difference in the world, and with the help of several other like-minded individuals mounts a nonviolent, but extremely effective, anti-Nazi resistance. Ordained as a priest at war's end, Karol finds himself fighting another form of godless totalitarianism, this one from the Communists who have overtaken his country. Ultimately, Father Karol Wojtyla's noble mission culminates in his being elected as Pope John Paul II in 1978 -- and it was surely no coincidence that Poland's liberation was now but a matter of time. Although A Man Who Became Pope looks lavish and expensive, it was very economically produced, and had made back its cost many times over before its acquisition by Hallmark. The film is also a "winner" in terms of its straight-on portrayal of the pontiff, and the commendably sincere, unadorned performances of virtually every actor in the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

True love, jealousy, and betrayal bring about a good old-fashioned case of body swapping in Italian director Sergio Rubini's 2002 fantastical dark comedy Soul Mate. Rich and unbelievably spoiled, Teresa (Valentina Cervi) is accustomed to getting what she wants. In her most recent conquest, she managed to steal her cousin Maddalena's (Violante Placido) boyfriend, Tonino (Michele Venitucci), even going so far as getting the young man to agree to an engagement. But when the appointed time comes, Tonino backs out and seeks out his true love and soul mate Maddalena. Enraged, Teresa tracks down the village mystic, Benedetta (Maria De Fano), only to meet with the old woman's refusal to cast any spell for the sake of evil. Fortunately for Teresa, Benedetta's son, Angelantonio (director Sergio Rubini), isn't so scrupulous and goes about learning what he needs to in order to enable Teresa to swap bodies with Maddalena. Meanwhile, Maddalena convinces Angelantonio to transport her into Teresa's body, in order to test Tonino's ability to judge beyond outward appearances -- setting in motion the final test to Maddalena and Tonino's relationship. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi