But you don't have to choose! If people have a bit of common courtesy and shove up a spoiler warning - and it's not difficult, despite what people are saying here, regardless of whether the text is 200 years old or was just broadcast a week ago - then other people can experience the book, film, tv show, or videogame…

My problem with arguments like the author's is that it's incredibly easy to accommodate people who don't want to be spoiled and people who don't care: you simply write 'Warning: this contains plot details which may spoil show A, B, and C', or, if you're having a conversation, ask if people have seen the…

Skyfall was really well received. Why did you think it was bad?

Having never watched the old series, I have no idea if Doctor Who used to be more grounded in science-fiction and less fantastical. However, I cannot wrap my head around the idea that Moffat has reduced the sci-fi since RTD.

I remember thinking the RTD episodes - particularly Series 1 and 2 - looked poor compared to contemporary BBC television, and it was nothing to do with the effects: there's a kind of glow effect on the lens; most of the colours are lurid; there are a lot of dutch angles; and many of the effects are done in cheesy, OTT…

I never got the 'Jin should have left for his daughter's sake' meme: as far as Jin was aware, the currently sinking submarine was the last transport which could have taken them off the island.
Consider Jin's immediate situation - they're on a sinking submarine, blown up on the orders of a monster with magical powers…

I disagree: I think both scripts were equally bad, but for different reasons.

Yeah absolutely. Luke's a pretty thankless role for an actor in ANH: he's a decent guy who, while a bit whiny, tries to do his best. Compare that to Han, who's a dangerous charmer whose competence is balanced with a bit of ditziness, and Leia, who's snarky and the boss.

I get irritated when people say the acting in the original films is poor - you can always tell they've not really thought about it. I think Hamill does a really good job in ESB and RotJ, and does fine with Luke's pretty standard protagonist material in SW. Fisher and Ford are both great in the first two but visibly…

'Poochie up' is an amazing phrasal verb which expresses a fairly complicated concept succinctly and accurately. Kudos, kudos to you TaumpyTearrs!

I think this is a bit unfair: trying to keep the details of a film under wraps for as long as possible is perfectly reasonable. I figure Abrams is trying to limit the amount of information out before the premiere to late 20th century levels, which I think is a desirable outcome. No-one forces you to look at leaks or…

You're right, but they were regarded as compelling and enjoyable by the majority of the people who read them. The TV series brought the books to a bigger audience, but the showrunners didn't have to turn a tedious story into an exciting one. The show is superbly cast and made, but its main draw is its story, and,…

This makes no sense.. So far most of the material the TV producers and writers has been from the first three books, books that were unanimously well received and regarded as compelling. They have done this collaboratively by closely and very faithfully following the blueprint which Martin created on his own. No…

I really don't get the 'Game of Thrones is full of penises' meme. It's not true: there's more sex in the books and television show than the average fantasy book and television show, but penises don't get disproportionate attention in the books, and most of the nudity in the show is female.

"it's amazing how this overgrown child-man can assume puppet-master levels of control over such a huge project simply because he's rich and has the clout to go with it"

"And frankly baffling, because it would've sold like crazy."

I've also repeatedly heard the prequel duels described as better than those in the originals, which I disagree with. Again though, they're not nearly as bad as they are made out to be, just like the Ep. IV Death Star duel isn't the clunky, awkward thing it's frequently described as. The only fight which suffers from…

I was 10 when Episode 1 came out too, which is the optimal age for Star Wars, and back then loved it as much as I did the originals. I wouldn't consider us being 10 and 'less jaded' as an indicator of bias; when it comes to judging a Star Wars film, it's appropriate to have seen it then. We were the intended audience.

I watched the prequels on blu-ray fairly recently, and I'd argue that the effects haven't aged at all: some of them, particularly the cgi aliens, looked poor back in the early 2000s, but the stuff that looked good then still holds up. More so in high definition: I saw part of Episode II on broadcast television before…

The prequels and George Lucas really don't warrant the crap they get at all. Episodes I - III are not as good as the originals, but they're near enough, and you can't blame George Lucas for failing to catch lightning in a bottle two decades later. I think they'e enjoyable, and, while cringey in a fair few places,…