2006 was a banner year for “good” movies–that is, movies with the word “good” in their title. I’m sure it’s just coincidence that all these “good” movies were released in one year, but it’s tempting to believe there is some kind of conspiracy afoot. Perhaps these filmmakers hoped to gently convey the merits of their movies via their titles; it’s true that other movies with “good” in their titles have had critical success in the past (eg. Good Will Hunting; Good Morning, Vietnam; As Good as It Gets; A Few Good Men). Or maybe, as these examples show, it helps to have Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, or Matt Damon in the cast. If that’s the case, The Good Shepherd should do very well.
According to metacritic.com, all of these movies had their theatrical and/or DVD release in 2006:
- A Good Woman
- A Good Year
- Cape of Good Hope
- Good Morning, Night
- Good Night, and Good Luck
- The Good German
- The Good Shepherd
Update: This post was featured in the February 2, 2007 edition of the Carnival of Cinema.
January 11th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
I understand a waggish Chicago d.j. has suggested conflating the last two ‘good’ movies into “The Good German Shepherd.”
January 21st, 2007 at 3:43 am
That’s great! Thanks for sharing.