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I'm a huge fan of Alexander Payne's films. Sideways is my favorite and I actually did like The Descendants (some fans did not). That being said, the new trailer is out for Payne's latest effort, the drama Nebraska, and it's fantastic. I knew I needed to come write about this right away so you guys could get in on the fun.

Here's the short version of what's going on in Nebraska: An elderly man, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), mistakenly believes he's won $1 million dollars, and he's got to travel to Nebraska to get the money. Woody's mind is probably not as sharp as it once was - and his thoughts are scattered, thanks in part to his drinking habits. Woody's son, David (Will Forte), figures what's the harm in letting his old man believe he's a millionaire for a few days? He's getting up in years, and he could use a little fun fantasy.

There is one problem: Eventually, word gets out around Woody's small Montana town that he's a rich man, and the creeps (including his own family members) start crawling out of the woodwork. Woody and his son nevertheless wind up taking a road trip to go get the sweepstakes money (that Woody didn't actually win).

Here's the first official trailer for Nebraska:

Nebraska Official Trailer (HD) Alexander Payne

As you can see, Nebraska is shot entirely in black and white. I remember reading not long ago a piece from the Cannes Film Festival, where Alexander Payne was asked about his decision to shoot the movie in black and white. Payne said, "It’s such a beautiful form, and it’s really left our cinema because of commercial, not artistic, reasons; it never left fine-art photography. This modest, austere story seemed to lend itself to being made in black and white, a visual style perhaps as austere as the lives of its people."

Well, there you go. Personally, I'm really excited to see Bruce Dern in a leading role. He's an amazing, veteran actor and this looks like a fantastic film. And Will Forte? I never saw that coming, but good for him.

Nebraska opens in limited release in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2013. Hopefully it'll expand into additional theaters quickly, because I'm dying to see it - how about you?

Photo courtesy of Collider.com