The snowstorm here in NJ has blocked the satellite tonight, so we resorted to viewing shows that had piled up on the TiVo, which included the first two episodes of the third series of Project Greenlight, relocated to Bravo from HBO.

Having partnered with Miramax for the last two seasons to create worthy, sensitive, independent movies with a heart that, it turns out, very few cinema goers actually wanted to see, this year's tone has changed dramatically. Now we have Dimension Films, the studio behind Scream, insisting on a low budget monster flick for the college crowd, picking a script that Wes Craven, one of the masters of the genre and advisor to the project, deems unworthy. And that's just the beginning.

Because the "star" of the series will be John Gulager, the man chosen to direct the movie. A wedding videographer by trade, John is a man of few words, and most of them one syllable. While we are assured by the program that his film submission for judging was one of the best they saw, after two episodes, Gulager has yet to communicate to his production team any real vision of what he wants the movie to look or feel like, except maybe "funny and scary" and "like Jurassic Park".

What's more, the second episode slowly and methodically churns the stomach as, after extensive casting sessions to pick the perfect actors for the roles in the film, Gulager announces that his choices for the four lead characters in the film are unknowns. That is, unknown to the world. But not to him, for they are all members of his immediate family, including his brother, girlfriend and, I think, his dad. Meanwhile, the professional team around him are so stunned at his refusal to even understand "The Game", let alone play it, that their awkward silences are golden.

Can we say, compulsive viewing? The worst that can happen is that it'll all sort itself out, because either of the other two alternatives - that choosing him is a massive error of judgement, or he is one of those rare things, a true eccentric genius - will make this series unmissable.

Me? I'm hoping John pulls it out of the bag. By refusing to play the 'film school graduate", and instead acting like the set is his home movie made big, he stands an outside chance of maybe, just maybe, catching scent of the Spielberg pixie dust.

Project Greenlight airs on Bravo. Must see TV.