With Mike Wallis directing, writing, and producing and Inge Rademeyer as star and fellow producer, Good for Nothing takes advantage of its much-vaunted New Zealand locales for some Sergio Leone/John Ford impact, and throws in some impertinent, Kiwi attitude for kicks.

Through Bunraku, an archly-stylized swordplay fantasy, Josh Hartnett returns to the genre spotlight. This computer-enhanced tale revolves around a "Man with No Name," and draws heavily on Samurai and Western tropes in an alternate-world dystopia.

This was the not the first title I had in mind for this piece. But when I dug into Clint Eastwood's life and career, it seemed particularly apt -- and not even close to an overstatement.

Visually, Gore Verbinski's Rango is so stunning and clever that you can almost forgive it for the fact that, really, it's just not very funny. Almost.

The plot twists are just that -- twists meant to keep us watching -- rather than the dramatic developments of a genuinely great show. But it is definitely great fun and the cast is jaw-droppingly good.

The way Brian Helgeland has written the title character, Robin bears a distinct resemblance to Clint Eastwood in the Sergio Leone films. Except he says a little more and does a little less.

Will Clint's next movie be a musical? A comedy? A noir thriller? No. It will be a literal-minded tale, free from dramatic devices such as irony, metaphor or anything that might make the darn thing interesting.