No hit singles maybe but his singles from '50' got a _lot_ of radio play in the UK ("Keep Singing" topped out at 127 in the singles chart but to me it seemed like it was never off the radio last spring/summer - catchy too, that sort of gospel-pop isn't really my thing but I never changed over when it came on either).

Well, you likely wouldn't have got there without Werner Von Braun so it sort of fits karmically.

True enough but in 11's case (as with 9, 10 and even normally 1-8) it was usually justifiable from a human perspective, his reasons for being angry with human beings in 'The Beast Below' are entirely understandable (I was angry at us too). Likewise in "A Good Man…". I think it's also fair to say that with the possible…

Nah, disagree though interpretations vary of course. His comments about Clara were, to me, clearly intended to highlight his lack of people awareness to comedic effect, they were equally clearly never meant to be taken as serious insults (the comedy came from the fact that Jenna Coleman - and so Clara - is obviously a…

I don't think early 12 was cruel but he could be callous and was certainly brutally honest in his personal interactions. 9 and 10 both had that same indifference/long view callousness in spades, they were just slightly more circumspect about showing it (they usually only applied it to the episode's villains - as with…

That's probably sensible advice for the writers but it also represents something of a failure of imagination. And clearly it'd become hilariously contrived very, very quickly.

Thanks for sharing that. It just seems crazy to me, that this is the situation for a citizen of one of the biggest economies on the planet.

I've not read them though it might be interesting from a historical perspective (i'm not American). Coming from the perspective of a parliamentary system, it's interesting to me that the emphasis is on protecting the "rights" of states rather than of citizens since I guess the EC means some ballots are worth more or…

In fairness, the electoral college worked as designed right ? It definitely protected you from the tyranny of the majority.

I think it's more the politics rather than the logistics that matter. Sure Churchill was a bulldog but he wasn't a dictator, he still needed the support of parliament. Losing the BEF would've made his case for staying in the war much more difficult I think, such a large and overt defeat that early on would've…

Well, you don't have to but I don't fancy the alternative personally.

"Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be
enough. But you also tilt when you should withdraw… and that is
knightly too."

Yeah, that was amazing to me too. Grouty seems almost as big a part of Porridge as Mr MacKay and yet he was only in 3 episodes, the whole role probably amounting to about 10 screen minutes (if you don't count the film). Great part, brilliantly played.

Depends where too. Getting hit in the jaw doesn't usually hurt nearly as much as getting hit straight on the nose for instance.

That's probably depressingly close to the truth :p

Ah right, so it's more "Look at the crazy fandom of this movie" than "Look at this movie" ? Must admit that's a bit less interesting to me but i'll probably still check it out (though having just read the Wikipedia page on it, the section with the Moon hoaxer could prove annoying).

Yeah, that's fair. It's been a long time since i read the book and someone recommended "Room 237" to me recently so I might rewatch the film before watching that and maybe the extra distance will let me appreciate it purely on its own merits.

Yeah, I think that's partly just a difference between books and films and maybe why people who liked the book sometimes take issue with the film. Bleak, downer endings are pretty common in horror movies and it's usually less upsetting because you've spent maybe 2 hours with the characters and their world, they're more…

Exactly. I find symmetry in all its forms deeply offensive.

His main stated problem with film Jack is that the character doesn't go on a journey. Book Jack is a good, albeit weak, man that loves his wife and son that we then see unravel because his demons are too much for him. Film Jack starts out kind of a dick and just gets dicker. That might still be related to the proxy…