It's nice to see Paul Dano actually, you know, being in a lot of movies.

After his incredible performance as Daniel Day-Lewis' God-fearing nemesis in Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" (2007), we thought Dano was going to pop up in almost every other movie - or at least get offered almost every other movie. But it isn't until a good handful of years later that he's finally starting to work on a regular basis, with turns in "Cowboys & Aliens," "Being Flynn," "Ruby Sparks" and "Looper" (opening Sept. 28) in just the past year or so.

Dano definitely takes center stage in "For Ellen," a dark but heartfelt drama about a would-be rock star who tries to connect with his young daughter. The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year, where even the most critical of reviews pointed out that Dano's work is stellar.

Plus, it's nice to see Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite") playing what looks to be a real human being and not a live-action cartoon character. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but still, an actor's gotta broaden his horizons. Gosh.

Check out the, well, rather moody trailer below, and thanks to The Playlist for the find. "For Ellen" will hit New York theaters on Sept. 5 and then jump right to VOD on Sept. 19.