The General (series)/YMMV

The Stirling/Drake novel:

 * Plot Hole - A Companion reported dead in the first book reappears with a promotion but no explanation in the second.
 * The "death report" was a quickly shouted statement on a battlefield collapsing due to the routed soldiers the reporteress was leading. Mere battlefield gossip. Lampshaded in a later book where militia refuse to open a city gate in Old Residence due to similar reports of Raj's death, with Raj standing there in front of them.
 * All true, but would it have killed Drake and Stirling to put it in black and white?
 * Values Dissonance: Nobody seems to have much of a problem with looting, rape and enslavement. Well, a couple of female characters are saved from rape, but those are the exception not the rule.
 * It's supposed to be roughly equivalent to the 6th century in the Mediterranean and Near East. Why should anyone have any problem with those things? It would be grossly anachronistic.

The Buster Keaton Movie

 * Vindicated by History: A flop upon release, it is now considered a classic and one of the best films of the silent era.
 * Visual Effects of Awesome: The train crash on the bridge. It's still impressive today for the simple reason that they crashed an actual train.