The Saint plays a Saint...

Television's new Simon Templar - British actor James Purefoy - has actually played a saint before. Saint George, to be exact, in the 2004 movie 'George and the Dragon,' recently released on DVD.

Produced by the Sci-Fi channel, George and the Dragon is an anachronistic reinvention of the legend of Saint George, the dragon-slaying Patron Saint of England.

Historical accuracy isn't the forte of this low budget film. Nor is originality. From the opening scene, it's pretty apparent that the script of George and the Dragon was cobbled together from various historical epics.

The movie starts off with young Englishman George returning from the Crusades with his new friend, an imposing Muslim warrior (just like Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.) The action then shifts to rural England, where Lord Garth (played inexplicably by American legend Patrick Swayze) is trying to find his kidnapped betrothed (mirroring the plot of The Princess Bride.)

As George and Garth team up, they cobble together a curious band of friends - like robust friar Jean-Pierre Castaldi (who in one scene, 'invents' the skateboard, just like Marty McFly did in Back to the Future) and even Val Kilmer has an appearance, playing the fifth incarnation of the legendary El Cabillo (another nod to The Princess Bride - and doubly curious since Kilmer also played The Saint in the dire movie version.)

Michael Clarke Duncan and Coyote Ugly star Piper Perabo buoy up the ranks, plus we have pop-ups by British sitcom legends like Bill Odie and Simon Callow. If nothing else, George and the Dragon is a great 'Spot the Star' game for movie buffs!

But all those stars can't quite make up for inconsistent acting and a truly dodgy script. If it wasn't for the injection of some laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy (like a village thatcher who constantly falls off his roof) then this movie would be an abject flop.

As it is, we're left with a fairly generic historical fantasy that manages to display James Purefoy's comedy skills, if nothing else. Although saddled with some truly awful dialogue, Purefoy has a sly wit and great timing - which makes me think he'll make a truly exceptional Saint in the upcoming TV movie.

George and the Dragon is available now from Blockbuster.

Indiana Jones is back...

First it was Michael Knight (and KITT.) Then it was Simon Templar. Then James Bond prepared for a November return to the big screen. And now, Indiana Jones - the iconic archeologist - is making his comeback in May's hotly anticipated Indiana Jones the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I have the trailer right here!



First off - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? What kind of dumb name is that?

Secondly - as hilarious and action-packed as the trailer looked, I'm worried they're going to be relying too much on Tomb Raider-esque stunts and jumps and not enough on the good, old-fashioned rough-and tumble that made the first three Indy films so outstanding.

But one thing's for certain. Harrison Ford is living proof that you shouldn't right off any action hero just because they've qualified for their bus pass. He looks as good as ever - and more than able to fend off a legion of bad guys!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cystal Skull hits cinemas on May 22nd.

The Saint is Back!

Some incredibly exciting news!

One of my friends from British Expats, Alan, emailed me with a sizzling snippet of information about an upcoming Saint series.

Ian Dickerson, chairman of The Saint Club (and advocate of Adventure Eddy) posted this statement from the new show's producer, Bill Macdonald:

“We're prepping the two hour pilot for a European shoot (given the strike situation in U.S.)

James Purefoy, Mark Antony in "Rome," is set to play the new Simon Templar.

It's being produced by Macdonald, Geoffrey Moore, (Sir Roger's son) and Jorge Zamacona (most recently of "Oz".) Shooting begins in Berlin and Australia in April.”

What exciting stuff! I just hope it lives up to the hype.

Jame Purefoy, from Somerset, is a good looking choice for The Saint. He even screen-tested for James Bond - and the Bond movies took a lot of nods from Leslie Charteris' work !

(James Bond spinning his hat across the room onto the hatstand, for example, is a nice little trait borrowed shamelessly from Simon Templar's stable of circus tricks.)

Fingers crossed it lives up to it's potential.