In The Josh Marston Grip

Maria Full of Grace is one of the best debut films of all time, certainly the last ten or twenty years. Today, Variety have some updates on Josh Marston, the film's director - though perhaps unsurprisingly, many people are focusing on the JJ Abrams side of the story.

Marston pitched a new film to Abrams, who in turn took it to Paramount and set it up. Marston is to write the script and direct the film and all we know so far, really, is that it's a supernatural thriller. Cheers JJ - this project has got my attention far in a far tighter grip than any unnamed teaser trailer and cryptic website ever did.

Where this development leaves Marston's adaptation of Fortress of Solitude, I do not know.

Dayton And Faris Sizing Up Second Feature

Surprises like Little Miss Sunshine are all too rare. At the start of the year, I had barely any awareness of it at all - beyond knowing that the cast was really very interesting and that directors Dayton and Faris had made some pretty strong music videos. The, after Sundance and the record breaking pay-out that secured distribution rights for Fox Searchlight, I was very keen to see the film and suss out the fuss. I was going to have to wait quite some time.

It was six months later, when I finally managed to scoop tickets to a preview, keen and intrigued but hardly expecting a masterpiece. Seldom do I so underestimate a movie from having seen it's trailers.

The film is a classic example of good sense, good taste, skill and impeccable craftsmanship. From beginning to end, I was rivetted, and I don't appear to be alone in this - actually, I expect Little Miss Sunshine to swag a whole bag of Golden Globes and Oscars, for what it's worth. Then again, I said this about Maria Full of Grace - almost every word.

Dayton and Faris are now in talks to firm up their second feature film and it sounds like a massively promising prospect. The Abstinence Teacher is to be adapted by Tom Perotta from his own novel - as-yet unpublished, due in the Autumn. The lead character is a sex-ed teacher in 'small town America' who fights Conservative groups for her right to tell the kids all about the birds and the bees, all the while starting a romance with a born-again soccer coach. Certainly sounds like Perotta.

We're going to have to wait sometime to see this film and I can't help but hope that it ends up being the third film from Dayton and Faris - if only so they can get something moving in the meantime. I don't cope so well with waiting for films from my favourite directors - I can get quite boring, going on and on and on and on about them...

So, prepare yourselves for two years (or more) of posts about The Abstinence Teacher.