One of the best films I've seen this is Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff. Though I could imagine the slow pace turning off most mainstream audiences, the film is an absolutely brilliant and beautiful look at a group of settlers lost in the middle of the country while walking the Oregon trail. Filled with a brilliant ensemble cast, Michelle Williams and Bruce Greenwood were two true standouts, but Paul Dano was great as a man stuck in the middle of morality and trying to ensure both his wife's and his own survival. Lucky for us, Reichardt liked working with Dano and now she's cast him in her next project.

The Playlist has learned that Paul Dano has joined the cast of Night Moves alonside Peter Sarsgaard. The plot centers on three environmentalists (Dano, Sarsgaard and a yet-to-be-cast actress) who plan to bomb a dam in an act of eco-terrorism. The site says that Rooney Mara, soon to be seen playing Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, has been offered the female lead, but scheduling complications may prevent her from taking the part. The film does not yet have a set start date for production.

If you're making a movie, I have to imagine that there isn't any better way to start the casting process than by signing on Sarsgaard and Dano. They're the kind of actors where you hear their name and wonder aloud, "Why the hell don't they have Oscars yet?" Perhaps this is the project that will get them some much deserved hardware on the mantle.